Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100327
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,970.00
Summary
Understanding how predictions modulate visual perception. The brain uses sensory predictions to help efficiently make sense of complex visual input. This project aims to explore how the brain generates, uses, and integrates different sources of predictive information to facilitate efficient visual perception. The outcomes are expected to be of both theoretical and practical benefit as they will help to refine influential theoretical models and generate findings with practical, real-world applic ....Understanding how predictions modulate visual perception. The brain uses sensory predictions to help efficiently make sense of complex visual input. This project aims to explore how the brain generates, uses, and integrates different sources of predictive information to facilitate efficient visual perception. The outcomes are expected to be of both theoretical and practical benefit as they will help to refine influential theoretical models and generate findings with practical, real-world applications in computer vision.Read moreRead less
Neurochemical predictors of cognition and the impact of brain stimulation. This project aims to determine how neurochemical equilibrium between excitation and inhibition (E/I balance), across the brain, is associated with executive function and how this balance is influenced by non-invasive brain stimulation. Brain stimulation shows immense promise for enhancing executive function in applied settings, but the neurochemical basis for this is unknown. Using advanced imaging and stimulation techniq ....Neurochemical predictors of cognition and the impact of brain stimulation. This project aims to determine how neurochemical equilibrium between excitation and inhibition (E/I balance), across the brain, is associated with executive function and how this balance is influenced by non-invasive brain stimulation. Brain stimulation shows immense promise for enhancing executive function in applied settings, but the neurochemical basis for this is unknown. Using advanced imaging and stimulation techniques, the project aims to provide comprehensive insights into the causal relationship between stimulation, E/I balance and executive function. Outcomes and benefits include identifying neurochemical characteristics that determine stimulation efficacy and informing the design of protocols for applied use.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100883
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$452,777.00
Summary
The cognitive science of farsighted deliberation. Many fundamental decisions in life require us to deliberate about sooner versus later consequences. This cognitive psychology project aims to determine how the capacities that enable people to think about the future (prospection) and reflect on their own thinking (metacognition) influence how they manage such decisions. By using innovative methods, this project is expected to advance our understanding of future-oriented cognition across the lifes ....The cognitive science of farsighted deliberation. Many fundamental decisions in life require us to deliberate about sooner versus later consequences. This cognitive psychology project aims to determine how the capacities that enable people to think about the future (prospection) and reflect on their own thinking (metacognition) influence how they manage such decisions. By using innovative methods, this project is expected to advance our understanding of future-oriented cognition across the lifespan. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about how people deliberate through important everyday decisions. This should provide significant benefits by laying the foundation for improving effective choices about the future.Read moreRead less
A new perspective on how we learn motor skills: two adaptation classes? The capacity to adapt and acquire movement skills is essential for success in almost every aspect of our lives. This project will test the idea that there are two fundamentally distinct classes of motor learning processes in the brain that are driven by different error types. Using brain recordings, robotic perturbation of movement, and novel variations of classical learning paradigms, the project aims to reveal the neurocom ....A new perspective on how we learn motor skills: two adaptation classes? The capacity to adapt and acquire movement skills is essential for success in almost every aspect of our lives. This project will test the idea that there are two fundamentally distinct classes of motor learning processes in the brain that are driven by different error types. Using brain recordings, robotic perturbation of movement, and novel variations of classical learning paradigms, the project aims to reveal the neurocomputational properties of these proposed adaptation classes across a range of sensorimotor learning paradigms. The knowledge gained from this project may identify new strategies for adapting movements that are widely applicable to industry, defence, sport, and health.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
Can the Relational Account predict search in multiple-element displays? . This project provides evidence of a novel mechanism that guides visual attention. Our results confirm the existence of a mechanism that can rapidly and automatically assess the dominant feature(s) in a visual scene and radically change how attention is tuned to a target object. Moreover, this attention-guiding target template can change systematically as observers search through different items in visual search, possibly d ....Can the Relational Account predict search in multiple-element displays? . This project provides evidence of a novel mechanism that guides visual attention. Our results confirm the existence of a mechanism that can rapidly and automatically assess the dominant feature(s) in a visual scene and radically change how attention is tuned to a target object. Moreover, this attention-guiding target template can change systematically as observers search through different items in visual search, possibly due to a re-shaping and narrowing of the target template. These are both ground-breaking discoveries that have not been described before. Work on this project promises to lead to important theoretical breakthroughs, resolve current discrepancies in the literature and advance methods of Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100608
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,810.00
Summary
Characterising brain networks of intelligence through information tracking. For intelligent behaviour, the human brain needs to engage several processes including sensory, memory and motor processes. How it does this is one of the most significant questions in cognitive neuroscience. This project characterises the neural networks of human intelligence by advancing and building on the most recent advances in neuroimaging analyses. It will determine the interaction of different brain processes by ....Characterising brain networks of intelligence through information tracking. For intelligent behaviour, the human brain needs to engage several processes including sensory, memory and motor processes. How it does this is one of the most significant questions in cognitive neuroscience. This project characterises the neural networks of human intelligence by advancing and building on the most recent advances in neuroimaging analyses. It will determine the interaction of different brain processes by developing novel connectivity methods that track the flow of information through the brain with high temporal and spatial accuracy. The outcomes will be fundamental insights into the mechanisms of human intelligence and new connectivity analysis software that will have wide application in brain research.Read moreRead less