Dr Megan Birney

Senior Lecturer

Health, Education, Policing and Sciences

I am a social psychologist interested in identity processes, intergroup contact, communication, social stigma, obedience, and social exclusion.  I love teaching about how these theories can be applied to real-world problems in society and passing my passion for these topics on to students.

Currently I am the Module Leader for Society and the Mind, and the Psychology of Social Perception, but I cover the social content on several of the modules on the Undergraduate Psychology degrees. I completed my own undergraduate degree in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies from Virginia Tech (USA). I then spent some time working and travelling until I found myself in Exeter with a British husband. While there, I received an MSc (with distinction) in Social and Organisational Psychology and a PhD in Psychology at the University of Exeter. My research during this time focused on understanding how perceptions of non-native accents influence the relationship between immigrants and host country natives. After my PhD.

I worked as a Research Fellow at the University of St. Andrews investigating the role that identity processes play within variants of the Milgram paradigm. Before coming to Staffordshire.  I spent 6 years at the University of Chester helping to develop the psychology provision at undergraduate and postgraduate level at their campus in Shrewsbury. I both taught and led modules there in areas related to Social Psychology, Organisational Psychology, and Quantitative Research Methods. In 2016.  I became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I am always keen to hear from students who are interested in Social Psychology. If that’s you, do get in touch

Professional memberships and activities

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Full Member of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP)
  • Full Member of the European Association for Work and Organisational Psychology (EAWOP)

Academic qualifications

  • PhD Psychology, University of Exeter
  • MSc Social & Organisational Psychology, University of Exeter
  • BSc Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies (Business Leadership & International Relations), Virginia Tech (USA)

Expertise

  • Social Identity Theory
  • Communication
  • Intergroup Processes
  • Followership & Obedience
  • Stigma & Exclusion

Research interests

Current Projects:

  • Engaged Followership – The New Psychology of Obedience (with Stephen Reicher and Fergus Neville, University of St. Andrews, & Alex Haslam and Nik Steffens, University of Queensland
  • Taking one for the Team: Sport and Immoral Development (with Peter Coffee, Heriott-Watt, Stephen Reicher & Fergus Neville, University of St. Andrews)
  • Perceptions of/experiences with speaking with a non-native accent (with Anna Rabinovich, University of Sussex & Thomas Morton, University of Copenhagen
  • Perceptions of masculinity among adolescents (with Anne McNulty, University of Chester
  • The relationship between spite and belief in conspiracy theories (with David Gordon, University of Chester)
  • The impact of existential risk on human behaviour (with David Gordon, University of Chester)
  • Examining perceptions of intentions in communities (with Suzanne Stewart, University of Chester)

Enterprise and commercial interests

I am currently working with Climbing Out, a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping people who have experienced trauma re-build their confidence. Our project looks at the effectiveness of their programmes.

Teaching

Undergraduate Teaching

  • Society & the Mind 
  • The Psychology of Social Perception
  • Adventures in Psychology
  • Oppression and Empowerment 
  • Dissertation Supervisor

Publications

Birney, M.E. (2023). Self and identity: The basics. Routledge. LINK HERE

Birney, M.E., Reicher, S.D., Haslam, S.A., Steffens, N. & Neville, F. G. (2023). Following in the name of science: Evidence that obedience to authority is a result of perceived prototypicality of the cause. British Journal of Social Psychology, 62(2), 866 – 882. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12603

McNulty, A. & Birney, M.E. (2023). What makes a good man? A mixed-methods investigation of adolescent attitudes towards masculinity. Journal of Gender Studies, 1 – 14. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2023.2170337

Birney, M. E., Rabinovich, A., Morton, T. A. (2020). Where are you from? An investigation into the intersectionality between accent strength and nationality status on perceptions of non-native speakers in Britain. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 39(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X20932628

Birney, M.E., Roessel, J., Hansen, K., & Rakic, T. (2020). Prologue: Language challenges in the XXI century. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 39(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X20933315

Birney, M. E., Rabinovich, A., Morton, T. A., Heath, H., & Ashcroft, S. (2020). When speaking English Is not enough: The consequences of language-based stigma for nonnative Speakers. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 39(1), 67-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X19883906 Gonzalez-Franco, M., Slater, M.,

Birney, M. E., Swapp, D., Haslam, S. A., & Reicher, S. D. (2018). Participant concerns for the Learner in a Virtual Reality replication of the Milgram obedience study. PloS One, 13(12). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209704

Morton, T.A., Wilson, N., Haslam, C., Birney, M., Kingston, R., & McCloskey, L. (2016) Activating and guiding the engagement of seniors with online social networking: Experimental findings from the AGES 2.0 project. Journal of Aging and Health, 25, 1 – 25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264316664440

Haslam, S.A., Reicher, S.D., & Birney, M.E. (2016). Questioning authority: New perspectives on Milgram’s ‘obedience’ research and its implications for intergroup relations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 11, 6 – 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.03.007

Haslam, S.A., Reicher, S.D., & Birney, M.E. (2014). Nothing by mere authority: Evidence that in an experimental analogue of the Milgram paradigm participants are motivated to continue not by orders but by appeals to science. Journal of Social Issues, 70(3), 473 – 488. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12072

Rabinovich, A., Morton, T.A., & Birney, M.E. (2012). Communicating climate science: The role of perceived communicator’s motives. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2011.09.002

External profiles

in the UK for Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021