Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
My wide research area is differential psychology, with particular interests in personality (including abnormal behaviour and psychopathology), cognitive abilities (including emotional and social intelligences), and creativity (in particular related to music preferences and musical talent). In the last two years, I have been working on the development of a comprehensive framework to conceptualise and understand individual differences in intellectual competence that is why some people have a greater potential for future achievement than others. This question should be addressed not only from the concept of IQ, but also looking at personality, motivation, creativity, and interests. Thus intelligence may provide an indication of what a person can do, but non-cognitive traits such as personality and interests may tell as what a person usually does. Recently, I also started investigating individual differences in music preferences and different uses of music, that is why people listen to music and how they choose to use music. Interestingly, I found that personality and intelligence may determine our choice of music styles and the way we experience/perceive music, for instance whether we use it for emotional regulation or simply as part of an intellectual experience (cognitive exercise). Finally, I am currently doing research on consumer-behavior, particularly trying to identify the factors underlying aesthetic preferences and consumer's appreciations of designs and products, specifically in the world of fashion.