About us
The Psychology and Religion Research Group (PRRG)
based in the University of Cambridge is dedicated to exploring the
interface between psychology and religion in theoretical, empirical
and applied ways. PRRG consists of three subgroups each dedicated
to a specific part of this vision. The Theology and Theory group,
based in the faculty of Divinity, seeks to clarify the conceptual
relationship between the two disciplines and then use this clarity
as the basis for constructive theoretical work. The Religious
Cognition Research Lab, based in the department of Social and
Developmental Psychology, conducts high-quality empirical research
into the nature of religious cognition, with a particular focus on
adapting the literatures on attribution, attachment, and indirect
measures of belief to elucidate the nature of religious
representations. The Cambridge Institute for Applied
Psychology and Religion is concerned with developing and evaluating
educational programmes for members of faith groups through
adaptation of psychological research.
PRRG began shortly after
Dr. Fraser Watts took up his appointment as Starbridge Lecturer
in Theology and Natural Science in the University of Cambridge in
1994. Building upon his long and fruitful career in the human
sciences, Dr. Watts turned his attention to developing the
collaborative possibilities between psychology and religion. The
research group has gone through a number of permutations,
broadening its research capacity and influence at each stage.
The initial project (then called the Psychology and
Christianity Project) had a practical orientation, attempting to
develop accessible and effective ways for churches to draw upon
psychological findings. This practical focus has continued to be a
key strand in our work and is currently represented by the
Cambridge Institute for Applied Psychology and Religion. In 2001,
PRRG began empirical research, with a project funded by the John
Templeton Foundation on the experimental study of religious
cognition. This marked the beginning of what has become a highly
fruitful and respected empirical approach to religious cognition.
This strand of our work is now consolidated in The Religious
Cognition Research Lab. Having been able to foster these two
research teams to levels of relative self-sufficiency, Dr. Watts
has been able to turn his focus in recent years to developing a
third sub-group dedicated to theoretical questions related to the
interface between psychology and theology. To date this work has
been highly successful producing volumes such as
Theology and Psychology and attracting such esteemed scholars as Michael Welker and
Jacob Belzen as visiting fellows.
