When is extinction not extinction? Disorders of fear and anxiety are widespread and impose significant burdens on individual sufferers and their families. This projects studies new ways of augmenting loss of fear and will identify the important behavioural mechanisms as well as critical brain pathways for this fear loss.
Investigating memory reliability in intoxicated witnesses of crime. Eyewitness testimony is a crucial piece of evidence for solving a crime. Inaccurate testimony leads to miscarriages of justice such as failed prosecutions or false convictions. Many witnesses and victims are affected by alcohol or other drugs during the crime. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team aiming to improve understanding of how intoxication with different substances affects the reliability of victim and w ....Investigating memory reliability in intoxicated witnesses of crime. Eyewitness testimony is a crucial piece of evidence for solving a crime. Inaccurate testimony leads to miscarriages of justice such as failed prosecutions or false convictions. Many witnesses and victims are affected by alcohol or other drugs during the crime. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team aiming to improve understanding of how intoxication with different substances affects the reliability of victim and witness memory accuracy. Crucially, crimes are frequently distressing; therefore the interaction between intoxication and stress urgently requires exploration. This project will significantly advance our understanding of key mechanisms behind drug effects on memory, and support fairer judicial outcomes for all. Read moreRead less
Designing illicit drug policy solutions: the role of participation. This project aims to study whether the design of illicit drug policies can be enhanced with participation. As a complex social problem, the development of new policy design solutions requires participatory processes which engage multiple stakeholders and make explicit the underlying values and goals. The project aims to study the effects of participatory policy design and generate new innovative technologies of participation. Th ....Designing illicit drug policy solutions: the role of participation. This project aims to study whether the design of illicit drug policies can be enhanced with participation. As a complex social problem, the development of new policy design solutions requires participatory processes which engage multiple stakeholders and make explicit the underlying values and goals. The project aims to study the effects of participatory policy design and generate new innovative technologies of participation. The expected outcomes are new knowledge and practices for policy design, including policy design solutions for three current policy dilemmas for Australian governments. The benefits of more effective and participatory illicit drug policies include the economic, social and health gains accrued when policy works.Read moreRead less
Alcohol advertising to women in Australia. Young Australian women are drinking more and drinking in more harmful ways. At the same time, advertisers are using new media (such as social network sites) and messages (such as empowerment) to advertise alcohol to women. Using a combination of quantitative, qualitative and experimental methods, this project will explore how alcohol is advertised to Australian women (in both traditional and new media), and how this influences their alcohol-related atti ....Alcohol advertising to women in Australia. Young Australian women are drinking more and drinking in more harmful ways. At the same time, advertisers are using new media (such as social network sites) and messages (such as empowerment) to advertise alcohol to women. Using a combination of quantitative, qualitative and experimental methods, this project will explore how alcohol is advertised to Australian women (in both traditional and new media), and how this influences their alcohol-related attitudes and behaviours. Answering these questions is expected to enable development of recommendations for regulation of alcohol advertising messages, creation of counter-advertising/social marketing messages, and production of alcohol advertising literacy programs for secondary and tertiary students.Read moreRead less
The associative mechanisms underlying extinction and latent inhibition. Formal models that explain how animals learn associations between stimuli have enjoyed considerable success, and have even been identified with neurophysiological mechanisms. Theoretical analysis of the opposite, though equally important, form of learning - that two stimuli are not associated - lags far behind, due to fundamental methodological confounds that plague research on this topic. This project investigates two insta ....The associative mechanisms underlying extinction and latent inhibition. Formal models that explain how animals learn associations between stimuli have enjoyed considerable success, and have even been identified with neurophysiological mechanisms. Theoretical analysis of the opposite, though equally important, form of learning - that two stimuli are not associated - lags far behind, due to fundamental methodological confounds that plague research on this topic. This project investigates two instances of this learning: extinction and latent inhibition. Using a new procedure that avoids earlier confounds, we will describe and compare the processes underlying extinction and latent inhibition. This research will represent a major breakthrough in our understanding about fundamental processes in learning.Read moreRead less
Uncertainty and response control in the prefrontal cortex. This project will identify how complex behaviours come to be performed habitually. It is proposed that statistical certainty in the learning environment is a key determinant of automatic behaviour, that detection of uncertainty can restore voluntary control of behaviour and that this is an important function of the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
Understanding recent Australian trends in alcohol consumption and harms. This project aims to provide critical insight into recent trends in alcohol consumption and related harm in Australia. Many indicators of harm from alcohol have increased dramatically in the past decade, while drinking behaviours appear largely unchanged. This project aims to investigate two potential explanations for these trends: that apparent increases in rates of alcohol-related harm are driven by operational or adminis ....Understanding recent Australian trends in alcohol consumption and harms. This project aims to provide critical insight into recent trends in alcohol consumption and related harm in Australia. Many indicators of harm from alcohol have increased dramatically in the past decade, while drinking behaviours appear largely unchanged. This project aims to investigate two potential explanations for these trends: that apparent increases in rates of alcohol-related harm are driven by operational or administrative practices rather than by increases in actual harm; and that stable per-capita consumption data obscures divergent drinking behaviours, with increases among heavy drinkers driving increasing harm rates. The project aims to inform alcohol policy debates, which rely on robust trend data.Read moreRead less
Addiction, moral identity and moral agency: Integrating theoretical and empirical approaches. By clarifying and evaluating scientific claims about the moral impacts of addiction on the judgment and practices of drug addicted persons and by investigating the perspectives of users and treatment professionals, our project will contribute to the development of ethical and effective public policy, treatment and education programs in the addictions area, thus helping to address the causes and reduce t ....Addiction, moral identity and moral agency: Integrating theoretical and empirical approaches. By clarifying and evaluating scientific claims about the moral impacts of addiction on the judgment and practices of drug addicted persons and by investigating the perspectives of users and treatment professionals, our project will contribute to the development of ethical and effective public policy, treatment and education programs in the addictions area, thus helping to address the causes and reduce the impact of biological, social and environmental factors which diminish life potential in drug addicted persons. The innovative features of this project will enhance Australia's international reputation in bioethics and moral psychology, extend the reach of experimental philosophy, and facilitate future interdisciplinary work.Read moreRead less
Models of adolescent drug use and its consequences. Recent concerns surround the impact of drug abuse - particularly binge drinking, inhalant abuse and cannabis use - on the mental health of adolescents. Early drug use is associated with mental health problems although the mechanisms involved are not well characterised. The present proposal aims to use animal models to characterise substance abuse that occurs during the adolescent period and to investigate its effects on brain and behaviour. Inc ....Models of adolescent drug use and its consequences. Recent concerns surround the impact of drug abuse - particularly binge drinking, inhalant abuse and cannabis use - on the mental health of adolescents. Early drug use is associated with mental health problems although the mechanisms involved are not well characterised. The present proposal aims to use animal models to characterise substance abuse that occurs during the adolescent period and to investigate its effects on brain and behaviour. Increasing our knowledge of the causes and consequences of adolescent drug abuse will improve Australia's ability to confront this problem and to develop early interventions and treatments that minimise associated harms.Read moreRead less
Can parents teach their children to drink alcohol responsibly? Or, is one drop a drop too many? Parents typically supply alcohol to their children believing it is the best way to teach responsible drinking. Whether parents should provide alcohol is controversial and the evidence to inform this decision is unclear. This research will provide an in-depth understanding of the consequences of parents providing alcohol to their children and when, where and how this can be done to minimise harm. This ....Can parents teach their children to drink alcohol responsibly? Or, is one drop a drop too many? Parents typically supply alcohol to their children believing it is the best way to teach responsible drinking. Whether parents should provide alcohol is controversial and the evidence to inform this decision is unclear. This research will provide an in-depth understanding of the consequences of parents providing alcohol to their children and when, where and how this can be done to minimise harm. This is a national priority as alcohol abuse is a leading cause of injury and death among young Australians and developing the knowledge for preventive health care is essential. This research will provide parents with the information they need to give their children a healthier start to life.Read moreRead less