What do you work on?

I work in psy­chopa­thy, explor­ing the rela­tion­ships between psy­cho­path­ic traits and offend­ing behav­iours and devel­op­ing implic­it tools to index a range of per­son­al­i­ty traits asso­ci­at­ed with psychopathy.

What did you do using Gorilla and what did you find?

We used Gorilla to collect a com­mu­ni­ty sample (N = 404) of aggres­sion and psy­chopa­thy ques­tion­naire respons­es.  We analysed the rela­tion­ships between dif­fer­ent types of aggres­sion and traits in psy­chopa­thy for 3‑factor and 7‑factor psy­chopa­thy models.  Our research found that using the 7‑factor con­cep­tu­al­i­sa­tion of the dis­or­der gives a more refined view on the rela­tion­ship between par­tic­u­lar psy­cho­path­ic traits and dif­fer­ent forms of aggres­sion than when com­pared to the 3‑factor model of psychopathy.

Has this study been published?

Yes! You can find it here.

For you, what is the stand-out feature in Gorilla?

I am not sure where to start!  The soft­ware makes col­lab­o­ra­tion so easy to do while allow­ing control at an indi­vid­ual level.  It is an intu­itive user inter­face that enables it to be swiftly mas­tered for ques­tion­naire studies through to complex exper­i­men­tal designs.  Outside of the soft­ware itself, Gorilla has one of the most respon­sive support teams I have ever encoun­tered in both my prior pro­fes­sion­al career and, more recent­ly, in academia.

How do you think online research is going to change your field?

Online research facil­i­tates a shift away from the student-based samples, common in psy­chol­o­gy, to com­mu­ni­ty pop­u­la­tions.  It makes access­ing such samples easier to achieve, and the research find­ings are more widely applic­a­ble.

Did you include any special fea­tures in your study to ensure good quality data?

I have includ­ed atten­tion checks, captcha and anti-bot tasks in efforts to ensure good quality data.

How did Gorilla make your life or research better, easier or faster?

Through 2020, we needed to shift exper­i­ments and data col­lec­tion to online quickly.  Gorilla was a perfect choice for us as it was so easy to pick up and use within the same day.

On a per­son­al level, what are you most proud of?

I am most proud of my young son, who brings a smile to my face every day and gives me the moti­va­tion to do my best.

Who or what orig­i­nal­ly inspired you to work in your field of research?

For as long as I can remem­ber, I have been inter­est­ed in dark per­son­al­i­ty traits.  Reading Robert Hare’s influ­en­tial work in psy­chopa­thy spurred me to study it in more depth and under­take research in this area which may aid recidi­vism risk assess­ments with those who have this per­son­al­i­ty disorder.

What is the biggest advan­tage of online research methods?

The biggest advan­tage of online research methods is the ease of quickly col­lect­ing large samples of data.

What advice would you give to someone start­ing out in behav­iour­al science/research?

I would advise anyone start­ing out in behav­iour­al science/research to choose a research area they are really enthused about.  Having a passion for your subject area is central to keeping moti­vat­ed and doing the best work you can.

When you’re not working what do you enjoy doing?

When I am not working, I love spend­ing time out­doors in the stun­ning Welsh coun­try­side with my family.