Human Decision-Making Processes and Outcomes in the Oil and Gas Industry. A new theoretical framework, including a new Decision Taxonomy and the development of a new measure of decision quality, will be used to underpin a study of decision processes and outcomes in the oil & gas industry, and to explore the relationship between them. Processes and outcomes will be evaluated in both a controlled laboratory setting that replicates the characteristics of real decision environments, and by analysing ....Human Decision-Making Processes and Outcomes in the Oil and Gas Industry. A new theoretical framework, including a new Decision Taxonomy and the development of a new measure of decision quality, will be used to underpin a study of decision processes and outcomes in the oil & gas industry, and to explore the relationship between them. Processes and outcomes will be evaluated in both a controlled laboratory setting that replicates the characteristics of real decision environments, and by analysing actual historical decisions made in oil & gas and other industrial settings. If successful the results will ultimately lead to the safe, responsible and optimal performance of the oil & gas industry in particular, and for other industries with similar characteristics.
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Creating a climate for change: from cognition to consensus. Climate change is a significant contemporary issue, and communicating the complexities of the terminology and the data is a major modern challenge. This project will apply principles of cognitive and social psychology to determine the most effective methods for promoting an understanding of the scientific dimensions of the issue. The research is significant because it provides a coherent theoretical framework for identifying the psychol ....Creating a climate for change: from cognition to consensus. Climate change is a significant contemporary issue, and communicating the complexities of the terminology and the data is a major modern challenge. This project will apply principles of cognitive and social psychology to determine the most effective methods for promoting an understanding of the scientific dimensions of the issue. The research is significant because it provides a coherent theoretical framework for identifying the psychological mechanisms underlying cognition and commitment at both an individual and collective level. The outcome will be a body of evidence that will inform strategies and policies for communication of complex scientific questions.Read moreRead less
The early communicative environment prior to and following cochlear implants: impact on children's early communicative and cognitive development. This research with children with cochlear implants will examine the effect on language development of being in an oral environment or one that also includes sign language. The outcomes will provide information for parents and professionals enabling informed decision about the management of the children to promote the best possible outcomes.
Understanding and preventing injury in the Australian led outdoor activity domain: a theory driven approach to injury surveillance and prevention. This project will develop, trial and validate an injury surveillance system for the Australian led outdoor activity industry. An in-depth injury incident study will then be conducted and a model of led outdoor activity injury incident causation produced. This will be used to inform future injury prevention efforts and reduce injury in this domain.
Enhancing lifeguard performance: A multidisciplinary approach. This project aims to improve the timely identification of swimmers at risk of drowning by drawing on a range of theoretical, empirical, and methodological approaches from the disciplines of organisational psychology, human factors, cognitive science and computer science. Lifeguards are vital for maintaining public safety at aquatic venues, however despite their presence, fatal and non-fatal drownings occur every year with little know ....Enhancing lifeguard performance: A multidisciplinary approach. This project aims to improve the timely identification of swimmers at risk of drowning by drawing on a range of theoretical, empirical, and methodological approaches from the disciplines of organisational psychology, human factors, cognitive science and computer science. Lifeguards are vital for maintaining public safety at aquatic venues, however despite their presence, fatal and non-fatal drownings occur every year with little known about the factors that affect vigilance, scanning and sustained attention in such a complex, dynamic environment. Expected outcomes of the project include evidence-based solutions for selecting, training and maintaining the performance of lifeguards that account for both organisational and individual factors. These will improve Australia’s ability to build social capital in both urban and rural centres by providing the safest possible community swimming pools.Read moreRead less
Creating new methods to study structure vision. The majority of the structure within natural images is due to third to fifth order correlations between image points. Research has shown that sensitivity to this higher order structure, provides so called Structure Vision. Research has also shown that as few as three to four brain mechanisms are involved, and these may be related to the Minkowski functionals, which in turn are related to the structural and surface properties of real materials. This ....Creating new methods to study structure vision. The majority of the structure within natural images is due to third to fifth order correlations between image points. Research has shown that sensitivity to this higher order structure, provides so called Structure Vision. Research has also shown that as few as three to four brain mechanisms are involved, and these may be related to the Minkowski functionals, which in turn are related to the structural and surface properties of real materials. This project aims to build on recent discoveries of new stimuli to implement objective tests with which to study structure vision with the Partner Organisation. The project aims to also expand on realistic models of how Structure Vision may be computed by just a few coupled cortical pyramidal cells.Read moreRead less
Effective pedagogy for improving critical thinking. Many people reason poorly, by almost any measure of reasoning. Although there is evidence that people can be taught to think critically, educators don't really know how. They don't know what works, what doesn't, and why. This study will systematically examine the effectiveness of different techniques for teaching reasoning and will cross-validate an Australian test of reasoning - the GSA - with an international standard. The expected outcomes o ....Effective pedagogy for improving critical thinking. Many people reason poorly, by almost any measure of reasoning. Although there is evidence that people can be taught to think critically, educators don't really know how. They don't know what works, what doesn't, and why. This study will systematically examine the effectiveness of different techniques for teaching reasoning and will cross-validate an Australian test of reasoning - the GSA - with an international standard. The expected outcomes of the study are data about what improves reasoning and about the success of the GSA. The significance of the study lies in the potential benefits these data will have to students and employers.Read moreRead less
Developing group-based elicitation methods to improve decision making. This project aims to develop an elicitation methodology enabling multiple members of a team to contribute to the same technical problem - enabling expertise to be accurately combined while avoiding group and individual sources of bias. Good elicitation methods minimise bias in estimates and forecasts - which otherwise erode value and lead to sub-optimal decision making. Existing methods, however, ignore group structures; that ....Developing group-based elicitation methods to improve decision making. This project aims to develop an elicitation methodology enabling multiple members of a team to contribute to the same technical problem - enabling expertise to be accurately combined while avoiding group and individual sources of bias. Good elicitation methods minimise bias in estimates and forecasts - which otherwise erode value and lead to sub-optimal decision making. Existing methods, however, ignore group structures; that is that decisions made by, or on, the advice of teams have different characteristics than individual decisions and often preclude the use of methods designed to limit individuals' biases. By encoding the method into a computerised tool the project will assist public and private sector enterprises to improve group decision making.Read moreRead less
Trade Unions, Globalisation, and Networked Computers. This project undertakes a qualitative study of Australian unionists' usage of networked computers and their potential for increasing trade union membership and participation, and promoting productive diversity in workplaces. At a time of declining unionisation, these issues have become urgent and give rise to key research questions about email and the Internet in trade union organisation and communication with members. The project promises to ....Trade Unions, Globalisation, and Networked Computers. This project undertakes a qualitative study of Australian unionists' usage of networked computers and their potential for increasing trade union membership and participation, and promoting productive diversity in workplaces. At a time of declining unionisation, these issues have become urgent and give rise to key research questions about email and the Internet in trade union organisation and communication with members. The project promises to provide broader theoretical insights into union responses to deregulated labour markets and the globalisation of the economy. The results will be useful to other political and social organisations, as well as government policy makers.
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New Environmental Policy Instruments and Government-Industry Strategies in Queensland. This study will examine the hypothesized benefits of environmental policy instruments such as voluntary agreements, taxes and incentives, which augment or supplant traditional regulatory approaches. It will focus on a State experiencing economic prosperity by exporting resources, and designing new institutional responses to the challenges of creating a sustainable society. The anticipated outcomes are to pro ....New Environmental Policy Instruments and Government-Industry Strategies in Queensland. This study will examine the hypothesized benefits of environmental policy instruments such as voluntary agreements, taxes and incentives, which augment or supplant traditional regulatory approaches. It will focus on a State experiencing economic prosperity by exporting resources, and designing new institutional responses to the challenges of creating a sustainable society. The anticipated outcomes are to provide research perspectives to central State government agencies that offer strategic policy advice and coordination, and concepts for understanding and influencing changes aimed at balancing the imperatives for economic development and environmental protection as well as redefining the relationship between government and industry.Read moreRead less