Moving from theory to practice is something that students in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science (PBS) are continuously encouraged to do.

For example, earlier this academic year, as part of the core course on the MSc Psychology of Economic Life Programme (PEL), groups of MSc students in PBS were asked to demonstrate their knowledge of theories learned in the course by applying them to issues facing contemporary society and drawing on this analysis to propose realistic recommendations aimed at addressing these issues.

The students identified their own challenges to address and the project topics included everything from the acceptance of cultivated meat to, to addressing smartphone overuse, to enhancing voter turnout among young people. Over the course of the next few weeks, the LSE Behavioural Science Blog will be posting summary blog posts that detail some of the students’ analyses and their proposed solutions.

This year, PEL also hosted a range of different speakers from the world of practice, including speakers from Behavioural Insights Team, The Department of Education, The Financial Conduct Authority, Ogilvy Change, Public Health England and the World Resources Institute, all of whom provided fascinating insights into how psychological insights are being used in the public, private and third sectors.

As this academic year comes to a close, and the MSc students move on from the classroom, we are very excited to see all the exciting ways our MScs will go on to put theory into practice in their future roles!