Multidimensional unfolding: the latitude of acceptance and the structure of the single peaked response process in a multidimensional space. The latitude of acceptance and the operational function that structures the single peaked response process have only recently been understood as central to unidimensional models for the measurement of attitude, preference and choice. They have been neglected in multidimensional models. This project will formalise these two central components in a multidimens ....Multidimensional unfolding: the latitude of acceptance and the structure of the single peaked response process in a multidimensional space. The latitude of acceptance and the operational function that structures the single peaked response process have only recently been understood as central to unidimensional models for the measurement of attitude, preference and choice. They have been neglected in multidimensional models. This project will formalise these two central components in a multidimensional space. The operational function governs the relationship between any item-person distance and the latitude of acceptance defines a multidimensional hyper-sphere within which the more positive response is more likely. The project will articulate and operationalise these models for a range of typical response formats from ranking to pairwise preferences.Read moreRead less
Predicting the diagnostic performance of individuals and organisations. Predicting the diagnostic performance of individuals and organisations. This project aims to address diagnostic error in advanced technology systems, by providing a mechanism to assess and improve individual diagnosticians’ performance. Organisations that rely on their employees’ diagnostic skills rarely assess them once the operators become qualified, so there is no basis for interventions that might prevent diagnostic erro ....Predicting the diagnostic performance of individuals and organisations. Predicting the diagnostic performance of individuals and organisations. This project aims to address diagnostic error in advanced technology systems, by providing a mechanism to assess and improve individual diagnosticians’ performance. Organisations that rely on their employees’ diagnostic skills rarely assess them once the operators become qualified, so there is no basis for interventions that might prevent diagnostic errors affecting thousands. This research tests a new method of assessing diagnostic skills based on how skilled operators respond to cues. This project will test how employees’ diagnostic skills change and whether this change corresponds to measures of organisational performance. This research is expected to provide organisations with a tool to pre-empt diagnostic errors that could minimise costs to the economy.Read moreRead less
Predicting health, well-being, and educational success in emerging adults: An 8 year longitudinal study. This project will inform the community about factors that affect the psychological, physical, academic, and employment outcomes of emerging adults. It will improve our knowledge of why some young people do not reach their full potential. The project will provide a comprehensive assessment of factors associated with well-being across several domains. It will better equip and assist professiona ....Predicting health, well-being, and educational success in emerging adults: An 8 year longitudinal study. This project will inform the community about factors that affect the psychological, physical, academic, and employment outcomes of emerging adults. It will improve our knowledge of why some young people do not reach their full potential. The project will provide a comprehensive assessment of factors associated with well-being across several domains. It will better equip and assist professionals to identify early those youth at risk of having poor psychological, health, and employment prospects post-school. The project will inform the development of intervention programs for young people and maximise their overall adjustment and well-being several years later.Read moreRead less
Facilitating the attainment of difficult goals: From theory to intervention. Being persistent in pursuing an important goal is glorified in society. People, however, often need to be strategic in their goal pursuits. A series of lab and field studies will aim to test how helping individuals to realise early in their goal striving whether their goal is attainable or not, can support them in making the right decision (persist with, abandon, or change the goal). The project will make novel contribu ....Facilitating the attainment of difficult goals: From theory to intervention. Being persistent in pursuing an important goal is glorified in society. People, however, often need to be strategic in their goal pursuits. A series of lab and field studies will aim to test how helping individuals to realise early in their goal striving whether their goal is attainable or not, can support them in making the right decision (persist with, abandon, or change the goal). The project will make novel contributions to theories of motivation and goal regulation. It will also have significant public benefit as it will provide the necessary evidence for the development of brief interventions that maximise the efficient use of individuals’ limited resources, facilitating individual and societal productivity and well-being.Read moreRead less
Selective information processing and anxiety problems. Anxiety problems cost Australia over $1 billion per annum, and affect up to 16% of some Australian populations. Previous research by the applicants, and others, recently has established that certain patterns of selective information processing causally underpin elevated vulnerability to anxiety. The present program will serve to distinguish the functional contributions made by two specific classes of processing selectivity to two key dimensi ....Selective information processing and anxiety problems. Anxiety problems cost Australia over $1 billion per annum, and affect up to 16% of some Australian populations. Previous research by the applicants, and others, recently has established that certain patterns of selective information processing causally underpin elevated vulnerability to anxiety. The present program will serve to distinguish the functional contributions made by two specific classes of processing selectivity to two key dimensions of anxiety vulnerability. It is designed to produce novel cognitive technologies capable not only of predicting, but also of attenuating, both the tendency to experience anxiety reactions to stress, and the subsequent persistent of anxiety over time.Read moreRead less
How biased engagement with, and biased disengagement from, emotional information contribute to alternative dimensions of anxiety vulnerability. Anxiety problems cost Australia over $1 billion per annum, and affect up to 16% of some Australian populations. Previous research by the applicants, and others, recently has established that certain patterns of selective information processing causally underpin elevated vulnerability to anxiety. The present program will serve to distinguish the functiona ....How biased engagement with, and biased disengagement from, emotional information contribute to alternative dimensions of anxiety vulnerability. Anxiety problems cost Australia over $1 billion per annum, and affect up to 16% of some Australian populations. Previous research by the applicants, and others, recently has established that certain patterns of selective information processing causally underpin elevated vulnerability to anxiety. The present program will serve to distinguish the functional contributions made by two specific classes of processing selectivity to two key dimensions of anxiety vulnerability. It is designed to produce novel cognitive technologies capable not only of predicting, but also of attenuating, both the tendency to experience anxiety reactions to stress, and the subsequent persistence of anxiety over time.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101006
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Understanding and increasing high school girls' physical activity levels through a physical education-based research program. Currently, less than 15% of early-teenage Australian girls meet exercise recommendations. This project will identify new ways in which physical education can promote physical activity, and will provide practical methods for increasing girls' activity levels, helping to reduce future health risks such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Atypical cognition in autism: preference for nonverbal coding and impaired connectivity? This project will investigate whether individuals with autism prefer to think 'in pictures' rather than use words, and whether their thinking shows evidence of limited connections across brain regions. Establishing either characteristic for autism would provide important direction in improving diagnosis and intervention for affected children.
Human visual determination of shape. Visual coding of shape is central to our ability to interact with objects effectively. The visual system contains processes that are specific to particular shapes and this work aims to determine how those processes are used by the system in visual analysis. The work will advance theoretical understanding, and will contribute to the training of the next generation of researchers but also has the potential to provide information that enables display designers ....Human visual determination of shape. Visual coding of shape is central to our ability to interact with objects effectively. The visual system contains processes that are specific to particular shapes and this work aims to determine how those processes are used by the system in visual analysis. The work will advance theoretical understanding, and will contribute to the training of the next generation of researchers but also has the potential to provide information that enables display designers to determine the most efficient way to detect and present pattern information. This may lead to simplified methods for creating objects that are equally effective in conveying information and more rapid scene analysis. Read moreRead less
The Role of Adaptive Coding Mechanisms in the Development of Face Perception. Faces are immensely rich in social information, and early difficulties in extracting such information can have profound consequences for later social functioning. This project will provide insights into the ways in which our face-reading abilities develop throughout childhood. In addition to helping us better understand normal social development, this research will provide a foundation for understanding how face-readi ....The Role of Adaptive Coding Mechanisms in the Development of Face Perception. Faces are immensely rich in social information, and early difficulties in extracting such information can have profound consequences for later social functioning. This project will provide insights into the ways in which our face-reading abilities develop throughout childhood. In addition to helping us better understand normal social development, this research will provide a foundation for understanding how face-reading difficulties can affect people with developmental disorders (such as autism), how face-reading can be disrupted in individuals whose early visual experience is affected by cataracts at birth, and how such difficulties might be alleviated through clinical intervention.Read moreRead less