Optimising protection for motor vehicle rear seat occupants. Road trauma is a leading cause of death and disability for Australians under 45 years of age. Recent technological advances in vehicle safety have focussed on drivers and front seat passengers, leaving the rear seat lagging behind. This project will adress gaps in protection for rear seat passengers, including increasing correct use of child restraints for young passengers from non-English speaking families, and evaluating new and exis ....Optimising protection for motor vehicle rear seat occupants. Road trauma is a leading cause of death and disability for Australians under 45 years of age. Recent technological advances in vehicle safety have focussed on drivers and front seat passengers, leaving the rear seat lagging behind. This project will adress gaps in protection for rear seat passengers, including increasing correct use of child restraints for young passengers from non-English speaking families, and evaluating new and existing technologies for older passengers.Read moreRead less
Taking risks with safety gear: Biomechanical and psychological perspectives on risk compensation. This project uniquely combines objective and subjective measures in investigating whether and how people take more risks in the face of safety interventions. Investigating changes in behaviour with safety gear in sport is of benefit because it (a) allows comprehensive measurement of risk-taking behaviour and (b) can result in significant health benefits. These health benefits include reducing sports ....Taking risks with safety gear: Biomechanical and psychological perspectives on risk compensation. This project uniquely combines objective and subjective measures in investigating whether and how people take more risks in the face of safety interventions. Investigating changes in behaviour with safety gear in sport is of benefit because it (a) allows comprehensive measurement of risk-taking behaviour and (b) can result in significant health benefits. These health benefits include reducing sports injuries through improving the efficacy of safety gear, and applications to risk-taking in other health domains, such as patient safety, occupational safety, and transport safety. Through improved methodology, the project should advance international research practice on this controversial topic.Read moreRead less
The development of predictive brain function in preschool children. This project aims to track developmental changes in brain activity and connectivity in typically developing three-to-six year-old children. The preschool years are a time of huge change in children's cognitive abilities, but little is known of the corresponding changes in brain function. This work will use child-optimised magnetoencephalography to test the hypothesis that early cognitive development is characterised by refinemen ....The development of predictive brain function in preschool children. This project aims to track developmental changes in brain activity and connectivity in typically developing three-to-six year-old children. The preschool years are a time of huge change in children's cognitive abilities, but little is known of the corresponding changes in brain function. This work will use child-optimised magnetoencephalography to test the hypothesis that early cognitive development is characterised by refinement of the brain's innate ability to generate predictions about the sensory environment. The resulting insights could improve understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of word recognition: new insight from the reach-to-touch paradigm. This project will introduce a new behavioural reach-to-touch paradigm for studying basic cognitive processes such as word recognition. The advantage of this paradigm is that it is able to measure cognitive processes moment-by-moment as they unfold over time. This will provide new insights into the temporal dynamics of basic cognitive processing.
Risky Futures: Toward a Computational Process Model of Risky Inter-Temporal Choice. A lot is known about people’s preferences. People like their rewards now. Most would prefer $10 today than $20 in one month. Risk is also unattractive; a certain $10 is more attractive than a 50 per cent chance of receiving $25. Surprisingly, much less is known about the interaction between delay and risk. That is, relatively little is known about whether people prefer $10 now, or a 50 per cent chance of $50 in ....Risky Futures: Toward a Computational Process Model of Risky Inter-Temporal Choice. A lot is known about people’s preferences. People like their rewards now. Most would prefer $10 today than $20 in one month. Risk is also unattractive; a certain $10 is more attractive than a 50 per cent chance of receiving $25. Surprisingly, much less is known about the interaction between delay and risk. That is, relatively little is known about whether people prefer $10 now, or a 50 per cent chance of $50 in one month. This project will use a combination of experiments and cognitive modelling to examine all three types of choice. The outcome will be a novel computational model that will elucidate the complex interaction between delay and risk, thereby answering an enduring question in the literature: are risk and delay psychologically equivalent?Read moreRead less
Plantwide Control of Modern Chemical Processes from a Network Perspective. Complex plants increasingly appear in modern Australian process industries, particularly in mineral processing, petrochemical and renewable energies sectors. These plants represent vast capital costs and manufacture products at a very large scale. Improvement in control and operation of these processes can potentially provide significant economic benefits. The expected outcome of this research is an effective approach to ....Plantwide Control of Modern Chemical Processes from a Network Perspective. Complex plants increasingly appear in modern Australian process industries, particularly in mineral processing, petrochemical and renewable energies sectors. These plants represent vast capital costs and manufacture products at a very large scale. Improvement in control and operation of these processes can potentially provide significant economic benefits. The expected outcome of this research is an effective approach to improve operational safety, efficiency, product quality and manufacturing flexibility, helping to build a more efficient and environmental conscious Australian chemical industry. This project will also enhance Australia's scientific reputation in the frontier research area of advanced process control and management.Read moreRead less
Cross-comparison, Validation And Performance Of Computerised Neuropsychological Assessment Devices In The Evaluation Of Mild Cognitive Impairment And Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,482.00
Summary
With an ageing population and associated increase in dementia there will be increased demand for neuropsychological assessment, with insufficient trained personnel and resources to meet this demand. Computerised tests offer excellent opportunities for large scale implementation of cognitive screening and monitoring of older adults. This is the first study to systematically evaluate and compare several popular computerised neuropsychological assessment devices in elders with and without dementia.
Unifying decisions from experience and description. The project aims to answer an enduring question: are separate theories required for decisions from experience and description? For some decisions, potential outcomes and probabilities are known – a gamble offering a 10 per cent chance to win $100 or a 90 per cent chance of nothing, for example. For many others, there is no ‘look-up table’ of probabilities and outcomes and so we must learn them via experience. Intriguingly, risky choices made on ....Unifying decisions from experience and description. The project aims to answer an enduring question: are separate theories required for decisions from experience and description? For some decisions, potential outcomes and probabilities are known – a gamble offering a 10 per cent chance to win $100 or a 90 per cent chance of nothing, for example. For many others, there is no ‘look-up table’ of probabilities and outcomes and so we must learn them via experience. Intriguingly, risky choices made on the basis of described or experienced information differ markedly. This project examines why this divergence occurs. The project plans to test an innovative approach that unifies both types of decisions into a single theoretical framework and provides a suite of empirical and modelling results.Read moreRead less
Toward a unified account of adaptive decision making: learning to search, stop and decide. The quality of decision making, our own and those with influence over us is a fundamental concern. The centrality of this issue means that it is crucial to understand the cognitive processes underlying human decision making. This project will deliver new insights into these processes and make key recommendations for improving decision making.