Neurodevelopment During Adolescence: A Longitudinal Imaging Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,706,589.00
Summary
Adolescence is a risk period for the emergence of psychiatric disorders. It is also a time of rapid change in the brain, but few studies have detailed changes in neurodevelopment during this sensitive period. We will study twins from early adolescence and use brain imaging to investigate changing brain patterns as the brain matures, and thereby, gain insight into factors responsible for increasing our risk or resilience for major mental health conditions and optimal points for intervention.
Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) For Juvenile-onset Myopia And Its Component Measures To Identify Molecular Pathways To Prevent Myopia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$495,364.00
Summary
We will examine 2,000 young adults from the Western Australian Raine Cohort at the Lions Eye Institute / University of Western Australia. Ocular data will be collected relating to myopia (short-sightedness) and will be combined with extensive previous childhood and genetic research data collected on the Cohort, to investigate the genetic and environmental factors predisposing to myopia. This will assist in understanding the factors leading to myopia.
Mapping the psychology of accent-based discrimination. Accentism is commonplace, but our understanding of why people discriminate against certain accents is limited. This project will develop a Global Database for Accented English, an archive of piloted speech samples that dramatically reduces interpretational difficulties plaguing existing research. This resource enables the most robust test to date of what causes accent bias in schools and workplaces. Experiments will also examine the conditio ....Mapping the psychology of accent-based discrimination. Accentism is commonplace, but our understanding of why people discriminate against certain accents is limited. This project will develop a Global Database for Accented English, an archive of piloted speech samples that dramatically reduces interpretational difficulties plaguing existing research. This resource enables the most robust test to date of what causes accent bias in schools and workplaces. Experiments will also examine the conditions under which accent bias is most pronounced, and why its effects are particularly strong for women. Understanding mechanisms underpinning accent bias is a precondition for reducing a problem that threatens Australia’s status as a successful and economically vital multicultural society.Read moreRead less
Evaluation Of Transdiagnostic Versus Disorder-Specific, Internet-Based Cognitive-Behaviour Treatment Of Anxiety Disorders In Young People
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$488,626.00
Summary
Traditionally, youth anxiety programs have adopted a generic approach where the same treatment program is used regardless of the particular anxiety disorder. The failure to tailor treatment to the specific anxiety disorder may partly explain why a significant proportion of young people fail to respond to such treatments. We propose that a disorder-specific approach will more effective than a generic program in internet-based therapy for youth anxiety.
Thinking about possibilities: Towards a unified cognitive framework. Thoughts about possibilities are fundamental to what makes us human. We routinely imagine what might happen in the future and reflect on how the past could have turned out differently. This psychology project aims to establish the circumstances in which children and non-human primates think about alternative possibilities, and to explain how they do it. The project expects to provide new knowledge of cognitive development and e ....Thinking about possibilities: Towards a unified cognitive framework. Thoughts about possibilities are fundamental to what makes us human. We routinely imagine what might happen in the future and reflect on how the past could have turned out differently. This psychology project aims to establish the circumstances in which children and non-human primates think about alternative possibilities, and to explain how they do it. The project expects to provide new knowledge of cognitive development and evolution, and to distinguish between simple and complex processes for thinking about possibilities. Expected benefits include progress towards a unified cognitive framework that may ultimately be leveraged to help people better reason about possibilities and bring them to fruition.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100687
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,976.00
Summary
Child sleep development in the context of family work lives. Sleep in early childhood is the single most critical activity for healthy brain development. Yet, a third of young children are identified by their parents as having a sleep problem. This study aims to test the hypothesis that social mechanisms underpin developing sleep patterns and problems. The study examines the change in sleep patterns as children enter non-parental care and the daily and weekly regularity of sleep as they transiti ....Child sleep development in the context of family work lives. Sleep in early childhood is the single most critical activity for healthy brain development. Yet, a third of young children are identified by their parents as having a sleep problem. This study aims to test the hypothesis that social mechanisms underpin developing sleep patterns and problems. The study examines the change in sleep patterns as children enter non-parental care and the daily and weekly regularity of sleep as they transition between home and their diverse care arrangements. Discovery of the ways family work lives influence child sleep presents the potential to offer new solutions to support healthy sleep development and avert sleep problems. The benefits are for caregivers, family well-being, and children’s development.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL220100137
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,320,000.00
Summary
10,000 Hours: Time in early education and care for better life opportunity. An Australian child spends up to 10,000 hours in early care and education programs prior to school. These hours are a developmental opportunity. Their potential to improve life chances is well documented. Yet many programs do not deliver on this promise. Nearly 1 in 4 Australian children enter school developmentally vulnerable. This study aims to interrogate the meaning of quality in early education and care programs wit ....10,000 Hours: Time in early education and care for better life opportunity. An Australian child spends up to 10,000 hours in early care and education programs prior to school. These hours are a developmental opportunity. Their potential to improve life chances is well documented. Yet many programs do not deliver on this promise. Nearly 1 in 4 Australian children enter school developmentally vulnerable. This study aims to interrogate the meaning of quality in early education and care programs with focus in communities experiencing the greatest challenges. The expected result is understanding of the mechanisms that limit delivery of the highest quality learning opportunities and outcomes for children. The benefit will be for children attending early education and care programs, their families and the nation’s future.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL220100061
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,147,256.00
Summary
Literacy in adolescence: The next major challenge in the science of reading. This project aims to address the pressing problem of why Australian secondary school children have been declining in literacy. To do so is crucial, since adolescence is a period when strong literacy is critical for knowledge acquisition and preparation for adult life. The project will use a range of theoretically-informed methods to scrutinise cognitive processes in adolescent reading, as well as identify interactions b ....Literacy in adolescence: The next major challenge in the science of reading. This project aims to address the pressing problem of why Australian secondary school children have been declining in literacy. To do so is crucial, since adolescence is a period when strong literacy is critical for knowledge acquisition and preparation for adult life. The project will use a range of theoretically-informed methods to scrutinise cognitive processes in adolescent reading, as well as identify interactions between reading progress and socio-emotional functioning and motivation. Expected outcomes will be the first comprehensive account of secondary school reading acquisition and new insights into how to optimise progress. These will inform research, policy, and reading instruction practice, to the benefit of Australia's children.Read moreRead less