Virginia Lam joined UeL Psychology in 2003 after her PhD in Developmental Psychology (Developing ethnic identities in middle childhood) at Goldsmiths, which followed her MSc in Psychological Research Methods (Exeter) and BA (Hons) Psychology (Cardiff). A member of the Institute of Research in Child Development (IRCD), her specialism lies in the development of social cognition, which emcompasses areas including children’s and adults’ social identities (ethnic, gender, national and religious identities), peer preference and relationships and intergroup attitudes and stereotypes, among others. Her recent research interests involve children’s concepts of nonhuman agency.

Virginia is responsible for teaching in developmental psychology and research methods and has been an undergraduate tutor and the Admissions Tutor for the conversion MSc Psychology. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Virginia is on maternity leave until February 2011.

• 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
• Development of agency concepts: children’s understanding of human and nonhuman agents, in particular God concepts

• BSc Psychology
• MSc Psychology
• Graduate Diploma

• 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
• PY3116: Advanced Developmental Psychology
• PY3132: Development through the LIfespan
• PYM152: Individual Differences and Developmental Psychology (MSc)
• PYM154: Research Methods (MSc)
• PYM155: Research Thesis (MSc)

Virginia joined UEL Psychology in 2003 after her PhD (‘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 identities (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, 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. Guerrero, S., Enesco, I., & Lam, V. (2011). Racial awareness, affect and sorting abilities: a study with preschool children. Anales de Psicologia, 27, 639–646.
2. 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.
3. 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
4. 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
5. Lam, V., & 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
6. Leman, P.J., & Lam, V. (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. (2011). Developmental Psychology. Harlow: Pearson.

Invited Talks

1. 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.

Poster Sessions

1. 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.
2. 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.

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)