The emergence of logic in child language. This project investigates the development of logical expressions in Chinese and English. The project will promote intercultural awareness by establishing the degree to which typologically diverse languages share core logical properties. The findings are relevant for theories of language acquisition and logical reasoning, and will inform research in Linguistics, Philosophy and Psychology. The Neurosciences will benefit from data obtained using the brain i ....The emergence of logic in child language. This project investigates the development of logical expressions in Chinese and English. The project will promote intercultural awareness by establishing the degree to which typologically diverse languages share core logical properties. The findings are relevant for theories of language acquisition and logical reasoning, and will inform research in Linguistics, Philosophy and Psychology. The Neurosciences will benefit from data obtained using the brain imaging technique, Magnetoencephalography (MEG), for the first time with children, and these data will establish benchmarks for assessing early intervention in treating hearing disorders. The project will enhance collaborative research with Australia's neighbours in East Asia.Read moreRead less
Children Walking Well. Healthy feet in childhood are the foundation for musculoskeletal health and mobility throughout life. However, little is known about the effect of shoes worn on children. This Australian project is the first to address this shortcoming. A multidisciplinary team will investigate: factors contributing to consumer decision-making; footwear usage and selection; and the relationship between footwear styles, anatomical profile, biomechanics and physical activity. From our id ....Children Walking Well. Healthy feet in childhood are the foundation for musculoskeletal health and mobility throughout life. However, little is known about the effect of shoes worn on children. This Australian project is the first to address this shortcoming. A multidisciplinary team will investigate: factors contributing to consumer decision-making; footwear usage and selection; and the relationship between footwear styles, anatomical profile, biomechanics and physical activity. From our identification of mismatches between evidence of the relationship between shoes and function and current stakeholder knowledge and decision-making, we will make recommendations for how shoe manufacturers and health professionals can promote healthy feet in children.Read moreRead less
An Investigation of Intersubjectivity: Music Therapy and Hospitalised Infants. A contingent relationship is vital for normal infant development. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which supplies life-saving modern medical technology to very sick infants, is also an environment where contingency is rarely available to the infant . In this environment, a Music Therapist ?improvising? with the infant, can re-introduce contingency to the infant, and encourage infant self-regulation. This project inv ....An Investigation of Intersubjectivity: Music Therapy and Hospitalised Infants. A contingent relationship is vital for normal infant development. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which supplies life-saving modern medical technology to very sick infants, is also an environment where contingency is rarely available to the infant . In this environment, a Music Therapist ?improvising? with the infant, can re-introduce contingency to the infant, and encourage infant self-regulation. This project investigates the efficacy of a Music Therapy intervention in improving infant health, and micro-analyses the interaction between infant and therapist in order to further understand the nature of the Communicative Musicality of the interaction.Read moreRead less
Disinhibition in Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A behavioural and psychophysiological investigation. This project will provide much-needed information about optimal workload rates and effort levels, and the influence of external expectations, for those with ADHD, with immediate implications in remediation and educational settings. It will inform subsequent applied research, leading to better diagnosis and treatment, resulting in better societal outcomes for those with ADHD. Long-term ....Disinhibition in Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A behavioural and psychophysiological investigation. This project will provide much-needed information about optimal workload rates and effort levels, and the influence of external expectations, for those with ADHD, with immediate implications in remediation and educational settings. It will inform subsequent applied research, leading to better diagnosis and treatment, resulting in better societal outcomes for those with ADHD. Long-term outcomes may reduce the significant financial burden placed on families and the Australian government and taxpayer by the increased use of hospital services and higher medical costs for children with ADHD, significantly increasing the likelihood of a healthy start to life for those directly, and indirectly, effected.Read moreRead less
SPECTRAL TILT: DO INFANTS KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR THEM? This project falls within the National Research Priorities, giving children 'a healthy start to life'. The research is important economically because it will lay the groundwork for the informed design of hearing aid frequency responses based on empirical research, and give infants the opportunity to be fitted with hearing aids amplified for infants, not adults as is the current unsatisfactory practice. Moreover, the cross fertilisation of meth ....SPECTRAL TILT: DO INFANTS KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR THEM? This project falls within the National Research Priorities, giving children 'a healthy start to life'. The research is important economically because it will lay the groundwork for the informed design of hearing aid frequency responses based on empirical research, and give infants the opportunity to be fitted with hearing aids amplified for infants, not adults as is the current unsatisfactory practice. Moreover, the cross fertilisation of methods and knowledge that the collaborators bring to this grant should provide outcomes that will help maintain attention on Australia as a site of cutting edge research into hearing impairment, hearing aid development and use.Read moreRead less
Knowing in advance: Effective strategies for preparing young children for novel experiences. To optimise cognitive and emotional development, it is critical to identify the influences on children's lives. How parent-child conversations about the past shape development is well understood, but scant research has examined how adult-child preparatory discussions influence children's experience and memory of future events. Our research addresses this gap. It has important implications in medical, edu ....Knowing in advance: Effective strategies for preparing young children for novel experiences. To optimise cognitive and emotional development, it is critical to identify the influences on children's lives. How parent-child conversations about the past shape development is well understood, but scant research has examined how adult-child preparatory discussions influence children's experience and memory of future events. Our research addresses this gap. It has important implications in medical, educational, and other contexts in which it is vital to ensure that information given in advance increases children's understanding of an experience. More generally, in specifying optimal parent-child interactions, the findings are also relevant to interventions aiming to enhance psychological and emotional resilience in the early years. Read moreRead less
Exploring the brain mechanisms underlying hyperactivity in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is the most common psychiatric disorder affecting children, resulting in substantial costs (both human and financial) to the child, their family and Australian society. The outcomes of this project will provide a better foundation for understanding dysfunctional brain mechanisms in AD/HD, which is expected to lead to better diagnosis, treatment, an ....Exploring the brain mechanisms underlying hyperactivity in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is the most common psychiatric disorder affecting children, resulting in substantial costs (both human and financial) to the child, their family and Australian society. The outcomes of this project will provide a better foundation for understanding dysfunctional brain mechanisms in AD/HD, which is expected to lead to better diagnosis, treatment, and community support. Ultimately this will contribute to a healthy start to life for these children. This project will also demonstrate how an integrated Australian approach can lead the research agenda in both basic neuroscience, at the interface of psychology and physiology, and its applications in health.Read moreRead less