Virginia Lam is a developmental psychologist who joined UEL Psychology in 2003. She is a member of the Institute for Research in Child Development (IRCD). Her specialism lies in the social cognition in childhood and adulthood, particularly social identity (ethnic and national identities, in particular), intergroup relations, stereotyping and attitudes. She has carried out her research and supervised students in these and associated areas within the UK and other cultural contexts. Recently, she began investigating the links between British identity, intergroup attitudes, competitiveness and sport participation of Newham children and adolescents in the context of the London Olympics.

Virginia teaches on both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. She is leader of the BSc level 3 module ‘Development through the Lifespan’ and MSc (Conversion programme) Research Methods. She is Admissions Tutor of the MSc as well as a Development Tutor for undergraduates and postgraduates. She is also a BPS Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Virginia is on sabbatical leave from September 2012 to end of January 2013. However, MSc students (who expect to submit in August 2013) and potential PhD candidates may contact her with enquiries of their research proposals.

• Undergraduate and Postgraduate Developmental Psychology
• Module Leader of PYM154 Research Methods (MSc Psychology)
• Module Leader of PY3132 Development through the Lifespan
• Supervising research projects
• Tutor for undergraduates and postgraduates
• Admissions Tutor for MSc Psychology

• Social identity: development and formation of ethnic, racial, gender, national and religious identity in children, adolescents and adults
• Intergroup attitudes and relations: children's peer acceptance and rejection and the influence of peer interactions, children’s and adults’ ethnic and national stereotypes and group attitudes
• Competitiveness and sport participation: in children and adolescents and their associations with social identity and intergroup attitudes
• Development of agency concepts: children’s understanding of human and nonhuman agents, in particular God concepts

• BSc Psychology
• MSc Psychology
• Postgraduate research

• PY1101/1102: Research Methods 1 and 2
• PY1103: Individuals, Development and Social Behaviour (tutor)
• PY1104: Biological and Cognitive Bases of Behaviour (tutor)
• PY2104: Developmental Psychology
• PY2127 Child Psychology in Action
• PY3101: Professional Studies in Psychology
• PY3132: Development through the Lifespan (module leader)
• PY3137: Development and Difficulties in the Early Years
• PYM152: Individual Differences and Developmental Psychology (MSc)
• PYM154: Research Methods (MSc, module leader)
• PYM155: Research Thesis (MSc)

Virginia joined UEL Psychology in 2003 after her PhD (‘Developing ethnic identities in middle childhood’) and further research and teaching at the University of London (Goldsmiths College). Since then, her research has encompassed areas within both social cognition and developmental psychology and most age groups including early to late childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Her specialism lies in social identity (gender, ethnic, national and religious) and intergroup attitudes and stereotypes of young people from both majority and minority groups. Her recent interests include the relationship between ethnic and national identities, intergroup attitudes, competitiveness and sport participation.

Students are particularly welcome to consult Virginia about possible research projects/dissertations or postgraduate research opportunities on the above research areas.

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

1. Lam, V.L. (under review). Britishness and ethnic identity in young adults: a multiethnic community in East London. Social Identities.
2. Lam, V.L., & Corson, E.J. (under review). British identity, knowledge of countries, intergroup attitudes and sport participation in the context of the London Olympics: children and adolescents in East London. British Journal of Developmental Psychology.
3. Guerrero, S., Enesco, I., & Lam, V. (2011). Racial awareness, affect and sorting abilities: a study with preschool children. Anales de Psicologia, 27, 639–646.
4. Lam, V., & Moodley, D. (2011). Ethnic minority children’s attitudes towards competitive team members: a minimal group study with British Bengali children. Anales de Psicologia, 27, 647–654.
5. Lam, V., Guerrero, S., Damree, N., & Enesco, I. (2011). Young children’s racial awareness and affect and their perceptions of mothers’ affect in a multiracial context. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 29, 842–864. doi:10.1348/2044-835X.002013
6. Lam, V., & Smith, G. (2009). African and Caribbean adolescents in Britain: ethnic identity and Britishness. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 32, 1248–1270. 10.1080/01419870802298421
7. Lam, V.L., & Leman, P.J. (2009). Children’s gender- and ethnicity-based reasoning about foods. Social Development, 18, 478–496. 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00493.x
8. Leman, P.J., & Lam, V.L. (2008). The influence of race and gender on children’s conversations and playmate choices. Child Development, 79, 1329–1343. 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01191.x

Books

1. Gillibrand, R., Lam, V., O’Donnell, V.L., & Tallandini, M.A. (in press). Developmental psychology [Italian edition]. Trieste: Pearson Italian Spa.
2. Gillibrand, R., Lam, V., & O’Donnell, V.L. (2011). Developmental Psychology. Harlow: Pearson.

Book Chapters

1. Lam, V.L. (in press). Developing ethnic identities and ethnic attitudes in children: theory and research in context. In N. Gotsiridze-Columbus (Ed.), Ethnicity: theories, international perspectives and challenges. New York: Nova Science.

Invited Talks

1. Lam, V. (2012, April). National identity, intergroup attitudes, competitiveness and sport participation: A study of Newham children in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. Presented at the Centre for Psychiatry, Queen Mary, University of London, 18 April, London.
2. Lam, V. (2008). Racial awareness and affect of young children in a multiracial context, Paper presented at the symposium Intergroup relations and social stigma: recent approaches in developmental and social psychology. Seminario Internacional Complutense, May, Madrid.

Conference Papers

1.  Lam, V.L., & Corson, E.-J. (2012, 5 September). East London children’s British and ethnic identification and sport participation in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. Paper presented at the BPS Developmental Section Annual Conference, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Poster Sessions

Lam, V. (2011, September). Britishness among adult students: surveying national and ethnic identities in an ethnically diverse university. Poster session presented at the BPS Social Psychology Section Annual Conference, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

1. Lam, V., Guerrero, S., Damree, N., & Enesco, I. (2008, July). Racial awareness and affect of young children in a multiracial context. Poster session presented at the 20th Biennial meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, Wurzburg, Germany.

Reports

1. Lam, V. (2012). National identity, knowledge about countries, intergroup attitudes, competitiveness and sport participation of Newham pupils in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics: baseline study. A non-technical report for schools. http://megaeventcities.wordpress.com/2012/07/

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

1. Lam, V.L., & Leman, P.J. (2003). The influence of gender and ethnicity on children’s inferences about toy choice. Social Development, 12(2), 269–287. doi:10.1111/1467-9507.00233
2. Lam, V., & Leman, P. (2002). Peer interaction and playmate ethnic preferences. Symposium: Identity, collaboration and conflict in children’s peer interactions. Proceedings of the British Psychological Society, 11(2), 189–190.
3. Lam, V. (2001). Peer interactions in a multiethnic primary school. Proceedings of the British Psychological Society, 9(2), 107.

Conference Papers

1. Lam, V. (2006). Development of non-human agent concepts in a multicultural sample. Paper presented at the British Psychological Society Developmental Section Annual Conference, Royal Holloway, London.
2. Lam, V. (2005). National and ethnic identities of black British adolescents in a majority-black context. Paper presented at the symposium Group processes and the intergroup attitudes and behaviour of children, XIIth European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Tenerife.
3. Lam, V. (2003). Can children’s inferences about foods be influenced by gender and ethnicity? Paper presented at the Biennial Conference on Human Development, Charlotte, North Carolina.
4. Lam, V. (2003). Ethnic identity: The role of peer interactions. Paper presented at the European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Catholic University of Milan.
5. Leman, P.J., & Lam, V.L. (2003). Children’s talk and their emerging ethnic group schema: some notes from a methodological perspective. Paper presented at the British Psychological Society Social Psychology Section Annual Conference, London.
6. Lam, V., & Leman, P. (2001). Can children’s inferences about toys be influenced by ethnicity? Paper presented at the European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Uppsala, Sweden.

Poster Sessions

1. Guerrero, S., Enesco, I., Lam, V., & Jimenez, L. (2006, June). Young children’s understanding of their mothers’ attitudes towards ethnicity. Poster session presented at the 36th Annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, Baltimore, MD.
2. Leman, P.J., & Lam, V.L. (2004, June). Ethnicities in interaction: the impact of ethnicity on children’s conversations about potential playmates. Poster session presented at the Annual Meeting of Jean Piaget Society, Toronto.

• British Psychological Society
• Higher Education Academy
• Windsor Fellowship (Alumni)
• Member of the Institute for Research in Child Development at UEL

• Institute for Research in Child Development (IRCD)