Dr John Song

Job: Associate Professor in Psychology and Deputy Head of School

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: School of Applied Social Sciences

Address: De Montfort, University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 257 7846

E: jsong@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/hls

 

Publications and outputs

  • Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge about Human Nature
    dc.title: Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge about Human Nature dc.contributor.author: Song, J.; Wismeijer, Andreas; van den Berg, Stephanie
  • Metacognitive Awareness Scale, Domain Specific (MCAS- DS): Assessing Metacognitive Awareness during Raven's Progressive Matrices
    dc.title: Metacognitive Awareness Scale, Domain Specific (MCAS- DS): Assessing Metacognitive Awareness during Raven's Progressive Matrices dc.contributor.author: Song, J.; Loyal, Sasha; Lond, Benjamin dc.description.abstract: Metacognition, the cognition about cognition, is closely linked to intelligence and therefore understanding the metacognitive processes underlying intelligence test performance, specifically on Raven’s Progressive Matrices, could help advance the knowledge about intelligence. The measurement of metacognition, is often done using domain-general offline questionnaires or domain-specific online think-aloud protocols. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between metacognitive awareness and intelligence via the design and use of a novel Meta-Cognitive Awareness Scale – Domain Specific (MCAS-DS) that encourages reflection of task strategy processes. This domain-specific scale was first constructed to measure participants’ awareness of their own metacognition linked to Raven’s Progressive Matrices (SPM). Following discriminatory index, Exploratory Factor Analysis, a 15-item scale was devised. Exploratory Factor Analysis showed five factors: Awareness of Engagement in Self-Monitoring, Awareness of Own Ability, Awareness of Responding Speed/Time, Awareness of Alternative Solutions and Awareness of Requisite Problem-Solving Resources. The intelligence level of ninety-eight adults was then estimated using Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices. Participants also completed the MCAS-DS, and further items that examined their test-taking behaviour and Confidence level. Metacognitive awareness was positively correlated to standardized IQ scores derived from the SPM whilst Over-Confidence derived using the Confidence level measure was negatively correlated to SPM. Despite some limitations, this study shows promise for elucidating the relationship between metacognitive awareness and intelligence using the task-specific scale. dc.description: open access article
  • Personality psychology: Domains of knowledge about human nature
    dc.title: Personality psychology: Domains of knowledge about human nature dc.contributor.author: Larsen, Randy; Buss, David; Wismeijer, Andreas; Song, J.
  • An Introduction to Personality, Individual Differences and Intelligence
    dc.title: An Introduction to Personality, Individual Differences and Intelligence dc.contributor.author: Haslam, Nick; Smillie, Luke; Song, J.
  • Measuring Malay (and Chinese) syntactic development n Malaysian children.
    dc.title: Measuring Malay (and Chinese) syntactic development n Malaysian children. dc.contributor.author: Song, J. dc.description: Speech and Language Therapy
  • Knowing the knowing: Exploring the relationship between metacognition and intelligence
    dc.title: Knowing the knowing: Exploring the relationship between metacognition and intelligence dc.contributor.author: Song, J.
  • Exploring the relationship between intelligence, creativity, inspection time, and inhibition
    dc.title: Exploring the relationship between intelligence, creativity, inspection time, and inhibition dc.contributor.author: Song, J.; Chetwynd, J.
  • Intelligence
    dc.title: Intelligence dc.contributor.author: Song, J.
  • Issues in developing grammatical assessment tools in Chinese and Malay for Speech and Language Therapy
    dc.title: Issues in developing grammatical assessment tools in Chinese and Malay for Speech and Language Therapy dc.contributor.author: Jin, Lixian; Razak, Rogayah; Wright, Jannet A.; Song, J. dc.description: Speech and Language Therapy
  • Mosquito bite avoidance attitudes and behaviours on travellers at risk of malaria
    dc.title: Mosquito bite avoidance attitudes and behaviours on travellers at risk of malaria dc.contributor.author: Goodyer, Larry; Song, J. dc.description.abstract: Mosquito bite prevention is an important strategy to reduce the risk of contracting malaria and advice on the methods available should be offered in pre travel consultations. This study examines the attitudes of a cohort of UK travelers to the various bite avoidance strategies and the extent to which they are practiced when visiting malaria endemic areas. This was a retrospective cohort study of United Kingdom travelers over 18 years of age returning from malaria endemic areas. Those who agreed to participate were emailed a Web based questionnaire on their return to the UK. The questionnaire consisted of items relating to attitudes to bite avoidance measures and malaria and the use of bite avoidance measures whilst away. 132 travelers completed the questionnaire representing a 51% response rate. Frequent use of repellents (69%) was higher than covering the arms (49%) and legs (56%), or using insecticide vaporisers (16%), sprays (24%) and bed nets (32%). Those under the age of 30 tended to use bite avoidance less frequently. Gender, purpose and duration of travel were also found to influence the use of particular measures. A reliable 17 point attitude to bite avoidance questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha=0.70) was constructed and a sub scale score indicated that attitudes influenced the use of repellents. The use of measures to avoid mosquito bites on retiring and covering arms and legs needs to be further emphasised to travelers. The attitude scales described could be a useful tool in practice and research into this area

Research interests/expertise

  • Individual differences in intelligence
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Creativity
  • Morningness.

Areas of teaching

  • Individual Differences including Personality
  • Research Methods
  • Psychometrics

Qualifications

PhD

Membership of professional associations and societies

  • Graduate member of the British Psychological Society.
  • Affiliate member of the Division for Teachers and Researchers in Psychology, British Psychological Society.
  • Member of International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID).
  • Member of International Society for Intelligence Research (ISIR).

Professional licences and certificates

Registered psychologist with Psychology Board of Australia

Conference attendance

  • Asia-Pacific Conference of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Date: 3-4 May 2010 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    Measuring Malay (and Chinese) syntactic development in Malaysian children. Author: John Song (Invited Speaker). Attendance funded by: Prime Minister Initiative (PMI) 2 Connect – Research Co-operation Award
  • Associated research grant: Prime Minister Initiative (PMI) 2 Connect – Research Co-operation Award

Externally funded research grants information

Researching Syntactic Development for Malay and Chinese Children in Malaysia & Constructing Syntactic Assessment Tools for Speech & Language Therapy. Funding agency: British Council

Prime Minister Initiative (PMI) 2 Connect – Research Co-operation Award. Start date: June 2008 End date: May 2010. Team member Collaborators: Professor Jannet Wright (DMU), Associate Professor Rogayah Razak (National University of Malaysia)