2006 - 2009  Oxford University – St. John’s College and Department of Psychiatry                         Supervisor: Dr Emily Holmes Group: Experimental Psychopathology and Cognitive Therapies Research Group (EPACT) Award: MRC Studentship DPhil Thesis: Trauma and the Cognitive Mechanisms involved in Intrusive Memory Formation 2003 - 2006  University College London   BSc. (Hons.) in Psychology: First Class 2000 - 2003  ING Bank N.V. Director and Global Head of Satellite Finance 1996 - 2000  Bank of America    Assistant Director of Project Finance 1991 - 1996  Hambros Bank Limited   Asset Finance Division and Project Advisory Team 1987 - 1990  Loughborough University   BEng. (Hons.) in Engineering Science & Technology: First Class

Following graduating in engineering, I spent several years working for various investment banks involved in the financing of communications and IT projects. However, I choose to leave the City in order to implement a career change, with an original desire to pursue either clinical or experimental psychology. Joining EPACT has allowed me to combine both of these areas in my research. I am particularly interested in the interface between cognitive and clinical psychology; in understanding how specific cognitions and cognitive processes contribute to the development and maintenance of clinical disorders.  Whilst at UCL, I also acquired a special interest in the aetiology and treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and completed my final year project with Prof. Chris Brewin on “The Impact of Prior Traumatic Experience on the Representational Momentum Effect”. 

DPhil Research Aims:

The principle aim of my research is to extend our understanding of intrusive memory formation (i.e. those memories that subsequently pop back into mind unexpectedly). In particular, I am investigating the cognitive mechanisms involved at encoding of intrusions using the “trauma film” paradigm (e.g. Holmes, Brewin, & Hennessey, 2004).  It is hoped that this research will help inform cognitive models of intrusive memory formation.

Publications:

Holmes, E. A., & Bourne, C. (2008). Inducing and Modulating Intrusive Emotional Memories: A Review of the Trauma Film Paradigm. Acta Psychologica, 127(3), 553-566.

Conference Presentations:

Bourne, C., & Holmes, E.A. (2007, August). Inducing and Modulating Intrusive Memories: A Review. In M. Conway (Chair), Intrusive Memories. Symposium conducted at the British Psychological Society Cognitive Psychology Section XXIV Annual Conference, Aberdeen, UK.

Holmes, E. A., Bourne, C., Zhang, S., Chilvers, A., & James, E. (2008, September). The traumatic film paradigm and modulating intrusions with cognitive tasks: Investigating intrusive mental imagery. In J. Krans (Chair), Developments in experimental research of intrusive memory: From fundamental processes to clinical application. Symposium conducted at the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy 38^th Annual Conference, Helsinki, Finland.

Bourne, C., & Holmes, E. A. (2008, September). Increasing the frequency of intrusive memories using verbal dual tasks. In J. Krans (Chair), Developments in experimental research of intrusive memory: From fundamental processes to clinical application. Symposium conducted at the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy 38^th Annual Conference, Helsinki, Finland.

Bourne, C., Mackay, C. E., & Holmes, E. A. (2009, June). Neuroimaging the formation of intrusive memories. Poster session at the Organization of Human Brain mapping 15^th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.

Bourne, C., Mackay, C. E., & Holmes, E. A. (2009, July). Neuroimaging the trauma film paradigm. In M. Would & C. Bourne (Chairs), Experimental findings in clinical cognition: Intrusive trauma memories. Symposium conducted at the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition 8^th Biennial Meeting, Kyoto, Japan.

Awards

Contact

corin.bourne@psych.ox.ac.uk