Psychological strategies for maximum health and enjoyment during moderate intensity and vigorous physical exercise. This project will change the way people think during physical exercise. It will show adults of all ages and levels of experience how to get more out of moderate intensity and vigorous exercise by reducing perceived effort and making it more enjoyable.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101006
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Understanding and increasing high school girls' physical activity levels through a physical education-based research program. Currently, less than 15% of early-teenage Australian girls meet exercise recommendations. This project will identify new ways in which physical education can promote physical activity, and will provide practical methods for increasing girls' activity levels, helping to reduce future health risks such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
RCTs on Trial: How Placebo Effects Could Undermine Double-blind RCTs. Double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for establishing treatment efficacy. However, there are both theoretical and empirical reasons to believe that they do not adequately control for the placebo effect. Cost and ethical considerations prevent researchers conducting actual double-blind RCTs with patients from exploring these issues. To address this gap, this project uses nove ....RCTs on Trial: How Placebo Effects Could Undermine Double-blind RCTs. Double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for establishing treatment efficacy. However, there are both theoretical and empirical reasons to believe that they do not adequately control for the placebo effect. Cost and ethical considerations prevent researchers conducting actual double-blind RCTs with patients from exploring these issues. To address this gap, this project uses novel experimental models to systematically test key aspects of the double-blind RCT methodology that are intended to control for the placebo effect. The project aims to provide essential data on the validity of these trials, thereby improving Australia's health and ensuring that Government treatment subsidies are well spent.Read moreRead less
Do family environments influence children's brain development during the transition to adolescence? Late childhood marks the first stages of a wave of brain growth and reorganisation, second only to infancy in terms of its extent and significance. This project will investigate whether brain development during this period is affected by parenting behaviours, which will ultimately inform early intervention and prevention efforts.
The impact of outdoor youth programs on positive adolescent development: an empirical evaluation. This project will seek to ensure that the nation's outdoor resources are fully utilised for the benefit of young people. Accordingly, this project will conduct the first comprehensive randomised controlled trial of a structured outdoor youth program in order to inform more strategic investment in outdoor programs to promote positive youth development.
Strengthening community partnerships to promote adolescent school engagement and prevent problems such as alcohol misuse and violence. The project will reduce community rates of adolescent school non-attendance, adolescent alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. Adolescent school exclusion, alcohol use and antisocial behaviour are highly prevalent in Australia, and can be reduced using a variety of strategies that are coordinated at the school and community level. The project will decrease adol ....Strengthening community partnerships to promote adolescent school engagement and prevent problems such as alcohol misuse and violence. The project will reduce community rates of adolescent school non-attendance, adolescent alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. Adolescent school exclusion, alcohol use and antisocial behaviour are highly prevalent in Australia, and can be reduced using a variety of strategies that are coordinated at the school and community level. The project will decrease adolescent problems through community improvements in child and adolescent protective influences and reductions in risk influences. Furthermore, the project will equip communities with the capacity to learn how to identify and implement strategies to address the major influences that have the potential to reduce adolescent behaviour problems.Read moreRead less
The Power of Causal Attributions: Genetic Essentialist Biases and Health. Great advancements in the science of genetics are accompanied by increased public propensity to attribute causality to the genes for diverse outcomes such as abilities, social group differences, attitudes, and diseases. These genetic attributions activate cognitive biases termed Genetic Essentialist Biases, which have been shown to instigate a variety of deleterious outcomes. The project will evaluate hypothesized detrimen ....The Power of Causal Attributions: Genetic Essentialist Biases and Health. Great advancements in the science of genetics are accompanied by increased public propensity to attribute causality to the genes for diverse outcomes such as abilities, social group differences, attitudes, and diseases. These genetic attributions activate cognitive biases termed Genetic Essentialist Biases, which have been shown to instigate a variety of deleterious outcomes. The project will evaluate hypothesized detrimental effects of genetic attributions on actual health behaviours, endorsement of health policies, and disease related stigma. Furthermore, it will test interventions designed to reduce the negative effects of such attributions on attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behaviours related to a common disease. Read moreRead less