Improving novice drivers' speed and hazard management. The aim of the study is to extend the evidence-based approach we have developed for speed management (cognitive integration speed management training) to hazard management, thereby developing cognitive integration hazard management training for young drivers. Hence, this study is specifically designed to curb the alarming trend in young driver fatalities on Australian roads. The results of the research will provide clear direction to road au ....Improving novice drivers' speed and hazard management. The aim of the study is to extend the evidence-based approach we have developed for speed management (cognitive integration speed management training) to hazard management, thereby developing cognitive integration hazard management training for young drivers. Hence, this study is specifically designed to curb the alarming trend in young driver fatalities on Australian roads. The results of the research will provide clear direction to road authorities and driver training providers as to effective training strategies to improve young driver training, and ultimately improve road safety with this vulnerable population.Read moreRead less
Just add noise: the benefits of neural and stimulus noise for perception. This project aims to improve visual perception by maximising the beneficial effects of neural and stimulus noise, i.e. stochastic resonance (SR). SR challenges conventional thinking that noise decreases performance. We expect to reveal the underlying mechanisms using experimental and computational approaches. This project is expected to generate unprecedented insights into how noise influences brain processing, leading to ....Just add noise: the benefits of neural and stimulus noise for perception. This project aims to improve visual perception by maximising the beneficial effects of neural and stimulus noise, i.e. stochastic resonance (SR). SR challenges conventional thinking that noise decreases performance. We expect to reveal the underlying mechanisms using experimental and computational approaches. This project is expected to generate unprecedented insights into how noise influences brain processing, leading to a possible re-evaluation of the function of noise in the brain. Expected outcomes include protocols to optimise human performance through SR, and an augmented reality set-up to apply SR to real-world settings. Economic and social benefits include the ability to individually optimise performance in visual tasks using noise.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100739
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$396,521.00
Summary
Measuring the sound of inner speech with advanced brain signal analyses. The overarching aim of this project is to develop an objective, electrophysiological marker capable of identifying the auditory properties of a person’s inner speech, which is defined as the silent production of words in one’s mind. This will be accomplished by combining novel experimental paradigms with advanced brain signal analyses. This marker would represent a historically significant event, placing Australia at the fo ....Measuring the sound of inner speech with advanced brain signal analyses. The overarching aim of this project is to develop an objective, electrophysiological marker capable of identifying the auditory properties of a person’s inner speech, which is defined as the silent production of words in one’s mind. This will be accomplished by combining novel experimental paradigms with advanced brain signal analyses. This marker would represent a historically significant event, placing Australia at the forefront of cognitive science. It would provide deep insight into the fundamental nature of inner speech, such as whether it is a “special form” of overt speech, and would inform the ongoing development of brain-computer interfaces aimed at deciphering inner speech for people who are unable to produce overt speech.Read moreRead less
Creating perceptual experts in Australia's policing and security agencies. This project aims to create the next generation of experts in Australia’s policing and national security agencies, by improving crime scene evidence interpretation. Agencies are under pressure to develop more rigorous training practices that go beyond mere intuition and tradition. This project will use a novel approach that directs learning toward the most diagnostic perceptual cues. Expected outcomes include a solid empi ....Creating perceptual experts in Australia's policing and security agencies. This project aims to create the next generation of experts in Australia’s policing and national security agencies, by improving crime scene evidence interpretation. Agencies are under pressure to develop more rigorous training practices that go beyond mere intuition and tradition. This project will use a novel approach that directs learning toward the most diagnostic perceptual cues. Expected outcomes include a solid empirical basis for national training programs designed to create experts that are accurate, reliable, and continuously improving. Improving the training of experts will ensure the integrity of forensics as evidentiary tools available to police, lead to more reliable courtroom convictions and help safeguard Australia from terrorism and crime.Read moreRead less
How human vision separately determines object and scene motion. This project aims to enhance understanding of how people process visual scenes containing multiple moving objects of interest. The project intends to measure human visual performance to determine how the brain processes multiple motion signals simultaneously. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of how we are able to use an evolving visual scene to distinguish between changes due to self-motion and those due to the m ....How human vision separately determines object and scene motion. This project aims to enhance understanding of how people process visual scenes containing multiple moving objects of interest. The project intends to measure human visual performance to determine how the brain processes multiple motion signals simultaneously. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of how we are able to use an evolving visual scene to distinguish between changes due to self-motion and those due to the motion of multiple moving objects such as crowded city footpaths and busy roads. The results will improve our understanding of failures to see moving objects in challenging viewing conditions (for example, high density traffic), and inform work in the design of autonomous driving and augmented reality display systems.Read moreRead less
Does coevolution drive speciation? This project aims to connect micro-evolutionary processes with macro-evolutionary patterns to test the extent to which tightly coupled co-evolutionary interactions between species drive evolutionary diversification. The project will use techniques including the most recent phylogenetic modelling methods, field experiments and molecular genetics. Expected outcomes include advancing understanding of the mechanisms that generate biodiversity and developing new tec ....Does coevolution drive speciation? This project aims to connect micro-evolutionary processes with macro-evolutionary patterns to test the extent to which tightly coupled co-evolutionary interactions between species drive evolutionary diversification. The project will use techniques including the most recent phylogenetic modelling methods, field experiments and molecular genetics. Expected outcomes include advancing understanding of the mechanisms that generate biodiversity and developing new techniques for acquisition of DNA from museum specimens. The project is expected to provide significant benefits, such as insights into the processes that promote new species in nature.Read moreRead less
Optimising the spring in your step to enhance footwear design. This project aims to examine how the nervous system adjusts the mechanical function of our feet across a spectrum of speeds, from slow running through to maximal effort sprinting. The proposed research will explore how the nervous system controls the function of the foot to meet the ever-varying demands of locomotion in the real-world. Expected outcomes of this project are to determine if running shoes help or hinder the natural spri ....Optimising the spring in your step to enhance footwear design. This project aims to examine how the nervous system adjusts the mechanical function of our feet across a spectrum of speeds, from slow running through to maximal effort sprinting. The proposed research will explore how the nervous system controls the function of the foot to meet the ever-varying demands of locomotion in the real-world. Expected outcomes of this project are to determine if running shoes help or hinder the natural spring-like function of the foot. It will explain a conceptually novel design allowing shoes to support our feet, whilst harnessing the energetic benefits of the foot's spring-like function. This research has the potential to revolutionise athletic footwear design and has direct implications for enhanced performance in running athletes.Read moreRead less
Fake News and Post-Truth Impacts: Responses to Conflictive Uncertainty. Attributions of fake news and post-truth are symptoms of uncertainty arising from conflicting information. Little is known about human responses to conflictive uncertainty other than that people find it aversive. This project aims to identify the determinants of human attitudes towards conflictive uncertainty. The aims will be achieved via the development of measures of attitudes toward conflictive uncertainty, and studies i ....Fake News and Post-Truth Impacts: Responses to Conflictive Uncertainty. Attributions of fake news and post-truth are symptoms of uncertainty arising from conflicting information. Little is known about human responses to conflictive uncertainty other than that people find it aversive. This project aims to identify the determinants of human attitudes towards conflictive uncertainty. The aims will be achieved via the development of measures of attitudes toward conflictive uncertainty, and studies identifying the major influences thereof. Expected outcomes include advances in knowledge of how conflictive uncertainty attitudes relate to risk orientations, personality, and situational factors. Anticipated benefits include improved strategies for decision makers and communicators faced with conflictive uncertainty.Read moreRead less
Improving human perception of low resolution face images. Low-resolution face images occur in several settings that require a human observer to identify the face or its expression. For example, a crime eyewitness may have seen the perpetrator's face blurred by distance. This project aims to improve low-resolution face perception. Previous approaches have attempted only to improve general image visibility. Here, the novel theoretical idea is to alter the face's structure, tapping knowledge about ....Improving human perception of low resolution face images. Low-resolution face images occur in several settings that require a human observer to identify the face or its expression. For example, a crime eyewitness may have seen the perpetrator's face blurred by distance. This project aims to improve low-resolution face perception. Previous approaches have attempted only to improve general image visibility. Here, the novel theoretical idea is to alter the face's structure, tapping knowledge about higher-level face coding. Manipulations are caricaturing and whole-then-part alternation, as derived from face-space and holistic processing theories, respectively. Effects of viewpoint and own-versus-other race faces are expected to test practical generalisability of the new methods, and thus refine theory.Read moreRead less
Approaching the Out group Unlocks Intergroup Contact's Benefits for Society. Extensive research on group desegregation shows that intergroup contact (face-to-face interactions between people of opposing groups) should be encouraged for harmonious group relations; such contact maximises social integration, self-esteem, health, and productivity. However, these benefits are often missed as people actively avoid intergroup contact. This research introduces a theoretically- and empirically-grounded t ....Approaching the Out group Unlocks Intergroup Contact's Benefits for Society. Extensive research on group desegregation shows that intergroup contact (face-to-face interactions between people of opposing groups) should be encouraged for harmonious group relations; such contact maximises social integration, self-esteem, health, and productivity. However, these benefits are often missed as people actively avoid intergroup contact. This research introduces a theoretically- and empirically-grounded typology of contact approach-avoidance that aims to: identify personal and situational determinants driving out-group approach in natural settings; delineate outcomes of out-group approach for psychological processes critical to intergroup relations; and, indicate new interventions for encouraging intergroup contact.Read moreRead less