The psychologist october 2015

Out of this world Close encounters of the psychological kind Christopher C. French considers explanations of UFO sightings, alien encounters and even abductions. Encountering extraterrestrial intelligence Albert A. Harrison looks for lessons from history. New Voices: The flat landscape Clementine Edwards considers emotional deficits in schizophrenia, in the latest in our series for budding writers (see www.bps.org.uk/newvoices). Interview: What would you say to an alien? Jon Sutton talks to Douglas Vakoch, clinical psychologist and Director of Interstellar Message Composition at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Psychology in deep space Nick Kanas considers issues and countermeasures.. Eye on fiction: The alien in us all We asked for your favourite alien entity, and what their depiction says about our own psychology. So, have we found psychology's non-stick frying pan? President’s column A place for confidence intervals ‘Nothing you learn is ever redundant’ Demanding greater rigour Big Picture: Motion illusions in static patterns News 'I am lucky that I’ve always known what I wanted to do’ Digest ‘As with fairy tales, you used to ask me to tell you the famous studies over and over’ Reviews