Advancing the science of willpower: investigating the mechanisms and processes of self-control. Willpower or 'good' self control is important for success in our academic, occupational, and social lives. This project will use cutting-edge scientific methods to investigate how glucose, the primary fuel for body function, promotes 'good' self-control and stimulates regions in the brain important for self-control.
Zero-sum thinking: psychological predictors and causes. This project investigates the causes and psychological triggers of zero-sum thinking, the tendency to think that others' gains leave less for oneself. The results will enable negotiators and managers to defuse dysfunctional zero-sum thinking, thereby increasing the chances for cooperation and 'win-win' outcomes.
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
Modelling trajectories of cognitive control in adolescents and young adults. This project aims to develop an innovative framework that models behaviour, brain function and brain structure to characterise developmental trajectories of cognitive control in typically-developing young people, and to test the model’s ability to predict psychosocial outcomes. Cognitive control processes are supported by complex frontal brain networks that develop well into adulthood. Poor cognitive control is linked t ....Modelling trajectories of cognitive control in adolescents and young adults. This project aims to develop an innovative framework that models behaviour, brain function and brain structure to characterise developmental trajectories of cognitive control in typically-developing young people, and to test the model’s ability to predict psychosocial outcomes. Cognitive control processes are supported by complex frontal brain networks that develop well into adulthood. Poor cognitive control is linked to negative psychosocial outcomes (e.g. substance use, high-risk behaviours). This work is expected to inform evidence-based programmes that identify young people at risk and develop targeted training strategies to improve psychosocial outcomes.Read moreRead less
Decoding change of mind decisions and errors from brain activity in humans. This project intends to provide new insights into how the brain changes a decision to achieve better outcomes. Decision-making is rarely optimal, and in a dynamic world people must often change their initial decisions in order to avoid consequential errors. This project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying such change-of-mind decisions and decision errors in humans. To this end, it plans to use novel deco ....Decoding change of mind decisions and errors from brain activity in humans. This project intends to provide new insights into how the brain changes a decision to achieve better outcomes. Decision-making is rarely optimal, and in a dynamic world people must often change their initial decisions in order to avoid consequential errors. This project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying such change-of-mind decisions and decision errors in humans. To this end, it plans to use novel decoding techniques to predict the evolution of change-of-mind decisions from brain activity while decisions unfold. This approach would clarify how quality of information, effort, and reward are integrated at a neural level to bias people towards changing their decisions. The expected results would provide an improved understanding of the neural dynamics of errors and how the brain corrects decisions online to achieve better outcomes.Read moreRead less
I like you and I just can't help it: Explaining automatic affective responses. Our automatic affective responses are crucial in determining how we behave particularly in situations where there is little conscious deliberation. These automatic responses have been implicated in dysfunctional behaviours such as unhealthy food choices and racial bias. However very little research has investigated the psychological processes responsible for the formation of these automatic affective responses. The ai ....I like you and I just can't help it: Explaining automatic affective responses. Our automatic affective responses are crucial in determining how we behave particularly in situations where there is little conscious deliberation. These automatic responses have been implicated in dysfunctional behaviours such as unhealthy food choices and racial bias. However very little research has investigated the psychological processes responsible for the formation of these automatic affective responses. The aim of this project is to investigate the role of conditioning and cognitive processes in the formation and expression of automatic affective responses. This will allow for the development of novel interventions targeting automatic responses which contribute to dysfunctional behaviour. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100667
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,000.00
Summary
How “known unknowns” become known: How do people encode unpredictability? As Donald Rumsfeld noted, there are 'known unknowns’. That is to say, people are seemingly capable of learning that some things cannot be reliably predicted. This learning underpins decisions from the trivial (whether to pack a jacket) to the life-defining (whom to marry). An aberrant form of this learning may also underlie mental health disorders. Yet the mechanisms of such learning have been largely overlooked by cogniti ....How “known unknowns” become known: How do people encode unpredictability? As Donald Rumsfeld noted, there are 'known unknowns’. That is to say, people are seemingly capable of learning that some things cannot be reliably predicted. This learning underpins decisions from the trivial (whether to pack a jacket) to the life-defining (whom to marry). An aberrant form of this learning may also underlie mental health disorders. Yet the mechanisms of such learning have been largely overlooked by cognitive scientists and thus are poorly understood. The project, which is based on significant pilot data, aims to examine when and how people learn about unpredictability, and what the cognitive, memorial, neural and affective consequences of this learning are.Read moreRead less
Cognitive flexibility from adolescence to senescence: variability associated with cognitive strategy and brain connectivity. Healthy living in our complex and unpredictable world depends on the ability to flexibly adjust to novelty and change. This project will study how cognitive flexibility changes from adolescence to senescence, identify the brain networks that mediate this change and explore the implications for successful adaptation in everyday life.
Gaining control of the future: The cognitive development of foresight. Because humans can anticipate their limitations, they can act in the present to shape their future for the better.
This project aims to chart four key developmental processes by which children gain this control over their future
outcomes. It will use novel experimental paradigms to map children’s growing ability to compensate for their limits
with strategic planning, and to improve their future capacities by acquiring new kno ....Gaining control of the future: The cognitive development of foresight. Because humans can anticipate their limitations, they can act in the present to shape their future for the better.
This project aims to chart four key developmental processes by which children gain this control over their future
outcomes. It will use novel experimental paradigms to map children’s growing ability to compensate for their limits
with strategic planning, and to improve their future capacities by acquiring new knowledge and innovating
technical solutions. The cognitive underpinnings of these critical behaviours are still poorly understood. This
project will therefore provide the essential empirical foundation for fostering the development of wiser, more
skilled, and more innovative young people.Read moreRead less
Make up your mind! - Dissociating the roles of orbitofrontal cortex and striatum in human decision making. How we make everyday decisions is a crucial behaviour of humans but the underlying processes in the brain are still poorly understood. This project will investigate what the roles of specific brain regions are in human decision making, which enable us to gain a better understanding of how these brain structures contribute to our decisions.