Role
Darel Cookson (she/her) is a Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology.
Her role includes teaching Social and Education Psychology and Research Methods, while supervising student research projects on topics such as Social Identity & Health, understanding beliefs in conspiracy theories and experiences of loneliness. She is currently the Module Leader for the Level 5 Module Social Evolution & Individual Development.
Her research primarily focuses on exploring belief in conspiracy theories; antecedents and consequences of these beliefs and particularly the effects on health and wellbeing.
Darel is a member of the Groups, Identities and Health Research Group
Darel currently teaches on the below modules:
- Developing Academic Skills in Psychology
- Introduction to Psychology
- Research Design & Practice 1 & 2
- Understanding the Self: Psychology 101
- Psychology in Action
- Exploring Psychological Impact & Change
- Social Evolution & Individual Development
Career overview
Darel completed her PhD in Social Psychology at Staffordshire University in 2021. Her PhD research focussed on belief in conspiracy theories, where she investigated the role of social norms in these beliefs and whether the Social Norms Approach intervention could be a useful tool to reduce belief in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. Darel joined NTU in September 2020 and is now a Senior Lecturer.
Research areas
Darel is a member of the Groups, Identities, and Health Research Group.
Darel’s research interests include belief in conspiracy theories. For example, factors associated with why people may endorse conspiracy theories and what the social psychological consequences of harbouring these beliefs may be. Darel is specifically interested in anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs and her research investigates how intervention tools could address these beliefs. Darel's research also explores social identity and loneliness across a range of life experiences.
External activity
Darel has written for The Conversation. Darel also reviews manuscripts for Social Psychology journals, for example, The British Journal of Social Psychology.
Publications
Cookson, D., Jolley, D., Dempsey, R. C., & Povey, R. (2021). A social norms approach intervention to address misperceptions of anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs amongst UK parents. PloS one, 16(11), e0258985.
Cookson, D., Jolley, D., Dempsey, R. C., & Povey, R. (2021). “If they believe, then so shall I”: Perceived beliefs of the in-group predict conspiracy theory belief. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24(5), 759-782.
Jolley, D., Mari, S., Schrader, T., & Cookson, D. (2025). Sexism and feminist conspiracy beliefs: Hostile sexism moderates the link between feminist conspiracy beliefs and rape myth acceptance. Violence against women, 31(6-7), 1447-1468.
My UN Sustainable Development Goals
Darel's research and teaching activities focus on improving health and wellbeing , countering climate change and reducing inequalities .
