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
Understanding the impact of missing family on forcibly displaced people. This project aims to investigate the psychological and social effects of having missing family on forcibly displaced people settled in Australia. This world-first project enlists a longitudinal mixed-method approach to compare those with missing family to those whose connections have been restored on key outcomes and coping strategies. Project outcomes will enhance the ability of Australian Red Cross and the International C ....Understanding the impact of missing family on forcibly displaced people. This project aims to investigate the psychological and social effects of having missing family on forcibly displaced people settled in Australia. This world-first project enlists a longitudinal mixed-method approach to compare those with missing family to those whose connections have been restored on key outcomes and coping strategies. Project outcomes will enhance the ability of Australian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross to understand and support the needs of families of the missing. This should provide significant practice and policy benefits for Red Cross’ humanitarian work in restoring family links in Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less
Rebuilding Life After Migration for Young Refugees and Migrants . This project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of refugee and migrant youth settlement experiences and its impact on psychological wellbeing and the role of support services. It will focus on the policies and practices that shape the settlement experiences of refugee and migrant youth which promote their psychological wellbeing. The study will provide settlement sectors and service providers with crucial new knowledge ....Rebuilding Life After Migration for Young Refugees and Migrants . This project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of refugee and migrant youth settlement experiences and its impact on psychological wellbeing and the role of support services. It will focus on the policies and practices that shape the settlement experiences of refugee and migrant youth which promote their psychological wellbeing. The study will provide settlement sectors and service providers with crucial new knowledge of how settlement policies and practices can foster refugee and migrant psychological wellbeing. Outcomes of this project will include the development of research-based guides to good policy and practice in settlement services to improve psychological wellbeing outcomes for immigrant communities.Read moreRead less
Investigating voluntary and involuntary intergroup contact . Extensive research suggests that interactions between people of opposing groups - intergroup contact - reduce prejudices and improve social cohesion. Yet these benefits may not be realised if intergroup contact is actively avoided, passively received, or mandated. Drawing from social psychology and human geography, this project aims to establish the conditions under which voluntary contact occurs and how voluntary (vs. involuntary) int ....Investigating voluntary and involuntary intergroup contact . Extensive research suggests that interactions between people of opposing groups - intergroup contact - reduce prejudices and improve social cohesion. Yet these benefits may not be realised if intergroup contact is actively avoided, passively received, or mandated. Drawing from social psychology and human geography, this project aims to establish the conditions under which voluntary contact occurs and how voluntary (vs. involuntary) intergroup contact shapes diversity experiences and impacts social attitudes, trust, and civic participation. With data from multiple settings and participant populations, this project has the potential to inform interventions and policies that deliver harmonious, healthy and productive communities.Read moreRead less
When, why, and how well do we regulate other people's emotions? This project aims to understand when and why people attempt to regulate others' emotions, and to evaluate which regulation processes are most effective. We will study regulation attempts as they occur over minutes, days, and months in interactions between romantic couples and between nurse co-workers. This project extends the study of emotion regulation to others’ emotions as well as one’s own. The major project output will be an ev ....When, why, and how well do we regulate other people's emotions? This project aims to understand when and why people attempt to regulate others' emotions, and to evaluate which regulation processes are most effective. We will study regulation attempts as they occur over minutes, days, and months in interactions between romantic couples and between nurse co-workers. This project extends the study of emotion regulation to others’ emotions as well as one’s own. The major project output will be an evidence-based theory of extrinsic regulation. Project benefits include applications of this new knowledge to programs and policies that reduce negative emotions and stress in healthcare workers and couples, reducing workplace burnout, on-the-job errors, relationship breakdown and their associated economic costs.Read moreRead less
Brain systems implicated in alcohol-related aggression. Alcohol has many adverse effects on social behaviour and emotion regulation. Aggressive behaviour is one of the most common social behaviours that intoxicated people display. Using neuroimaging and brain stimulation technology, this project aims to identify how alcohol disrupts brain networks implicated in anger and emotion regulation. Expected outcomes of this project include discovery of how the brain responds to social provocation, suppo ....Brain systems implicated in alcohol-related aggression. Alcohol has many adverse effects on social behaviour and emotion regulation. Aggressive behaviour is one of the most common social behaviours that intoxicated people display. Using neuroimaging and brain stimulation technology, this project aims to identify how alcohol disrupts brain networks implicated in anger and emotion regulation. Expected outcomes of this project include discovery of how the brain responds to social provocation, supports emotion regulation, and produces aggressive behaviour when intoxicated. Benefits include identifying how the intoxicated brain contributes to the millennia-old phenomenon of alcohol-related aggression and how brain stimulation may protect against aggression.Read moreRead less
Understanding secrecy in everyday life. This project aims to undertake the first systematic investigation of secrecy in everyday life. Secrecy is often vital in professional and personal life, but current scientific understanding of the costs and processes of secrecy is limited. This project proposes using innovative methodologies to estimate the psychological costs of secrecy and test an intervention to reduce these costs. Expected outcomes include developing theory, advancing methodology, and ....Understanding secrecy in everyday life. This project aims to undertake the first systematic investigation of secrecy in everyday life. Secrecy is often vital in professional and personal life, but current scientific understanding of the costs and processes of secrecy is limited. This project proposes using innovative methodologies to estimate the psychological costs of secrecy and test an intervention to reduce these costs. Expected outcomes include developing theory, advancing methodology, and building research capacity in supporting exceptional scholars. Significant benefits include educating community members about how to combat the harmful effects of secrecy.Read moreRead less
Feeling and thinking: affect, implicit social cognition and behaviour. Although affect plays a major role in human affairs, the psychological mechanisms linking affect to thinking and behaviour remain incompletely understood. This project will investigate the influence of affective states on implicit cognitive processes and subsequent social behaviours. The project aims to develop and to test an innovative information processing theory linking affect to implicit cognition, and apply new experime ....Feeling and thinking: affect, implicit social cognition and behaviour. Although affect plays a major role in human affairs, the psychological mechanisms linking affect to thinking and behaviour remain incompletely understood. This project will investigate the influence of affective states on implicit cognitive processes and subsequent social behaviours. The project aims to develop and to test an innovative information processing theory linking affect to implicit cognition, and apply new experimental methods to measure the cognitive and behavioural consequences of affect. Studies will also explore the applied consequences of affect infusion for real-life social behaviours with expected implications for health, clinical, organisational, and educational outcomes.Read moreRead less
Living down to expectations: generic medicines and the nocebo effect. This project aims to generate new knowledge of how the awareness of taking a generic medicine can lead to increased nocebo effects (side effects caused by negative expectations). The project is expected to deepen scientific understanding of how generics can trigger nocebo effects by using an innovative experimental approach to tease out contributing key features, explore the role of conscious and nonconscious negative expectat ....Living down to expectations: generic medicines and the nocebo effect. This project aims to generate new knowledge of how the awareness of taking a generic medicine can lead to increased nocebo effects (side effects caused by negative expectations). The project is expected to deepen scientific understanding of how generics can trigger nocebo effects by using an innovative experimental approach to tease out contributing key features, explore the role of conscious and nonconscious negative expectations, and test novel strategies to reduce these nocebo effects. Expected outcomes of this project include theory development and enhanced understanding of nocebo effect causes and mechanisms. This should provide significant benefits, including potential strategies for mitigating nocebo effects of generic medicines.
Read moreRead less
Toward an understanding of whether and how humility reduces anger. The proposed research aims to test whether greater humility is associated with less anger and aggression. Using a variety of methods from experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience, this project aims to also examine exactly how humility may reduce anger and aggression.The project is significant in that it expects to provide a programmatic line of research suggesting ways in which anger and aggression can be reduced. This ....Toward an understanding of whether and how humility reduces anger. The proposed research aims to test whether greater humility is associated with less anger and aggression. Using a variety of methods from experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience, this project aims to also examine exactly how humility may reduce anger and aggression.The project is significant in that it expects to provide a programmatic line of research suggesting ways in which anger and aggression can be reduced. This basic research aims to increase our understanding of how, when, and why humility reduces anger and aggression. In addition, the research may suggest ways in which society, educators, parents, and therapists can reduce anger and aggression in others.Read moreRead less