Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100201
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$460,806.00
Summary
Learning how we learn: linking inhibitory brain circuits to motor learning. Understanding the relationship between brain activity and human behaviour is a fundamental question in neuroscience. This project aims to contribute to this question by using cutting-edge brain stimulation techniques to demonstrate causal relationships between inhibitory brain circuit activity and motor learning. This project expects to generate fundamental knowledge about the relationship between the brain and behaviour ....Learning how we learn: linking inhibitory brain circuits to motor learning. Understanding the relationship between brain activity and human behaviour is a fundamental question in neuroscience. This project aims to contribute to this question by using cutting-edge brain stimulation techniques to demonstrate causal relationships between inhibitory brain circuit activity and motor learning. This project expects to generate fundamental knowledge about the relationship between the brain and behaviours. Eventually, this may contribute to the development of optimised training protocols in healthy populations such as school children, recreational and elite athletes, medical and military personnel, and ageing adults, as well as the development of brain stimulation interventions to improve motor learning.Read moreRead less
How feedback can impair recognition judgments and undermine border security, criminal investigations, educational testing, and medical screening. If a customs officer learns that they have missed an explosive device while screening luggage, will this affect their judgment? In many scenarios, a person receives feedback about their recognition memory performance and has to try again without having another chance to study the material. Almost no research has examined the effects of feedback on reco ....How feedback can impair recognition judgments and undermine border security, criminal investigations, educational testing, and medical screening. If a customs officer learns that they have missed an explosive device while screening luggage, will this affect their judgment? In many scenarios, a person receives feedback about their recognition memory performance and has to try again without having another chance to study the material. Almost no research has examined the effects of feedback on recognition in the absence of opportunity for further study. This is problematic because many vitally important recognition decisions lack such opportunity. Using various scenarios (face recognition, security screening, multiple-choice testing, and medical screening) this project will demonstrate that feedback affects recognition performance differently depending on the nature of the recognition decision.Read moreRead less
Perceiving and tracking moving objects. Processing and tracking moving objects poses challenges for human perception. To succeed, visual processing must accumulate analyses of the object from its different positions. Perceptual experiments will reveal human limits and yield insights into the underlying mechanisms, providing a basis for understanding object tracking in tasks like driving.
How do myelinating cells alter brain circuits to facilitate learning? This project aims to identify the brain circuits that receive new insulation and characterise the molecular mediators of this process. This project will apply innovative technologies to understand how the nervous system remains adaptable throughout life. This new knowledge, of the cellular mechanisms that allow brain circuits to remain adaptable throughout life, may have application in the development of interventions aimed at ....How do myelinating cells alter brain circuits to facilitate learning? This project aims to identify the brain circuits that receive new insulation and characterise the molecular mediators of this process. This project will apply innovative technologies to understand how the nervous system remains adaptable throughout life. This new knowledge, of the cellular mechanisms that allow brain circuits to remain adaptable throughout life, may have application in the development of interventions aimed at improving educational outcomes or counteracting age-related memory decline. Potential future benefits include facilitating the development of drugs to circumvent memory loss resulting from brain diseases, and improving the design of neuromorphic hardware for computing.Read moreRead less
The ageing brain: plasticity and training. This project will investigate how the capacity of a person's brain for reorganisation (plasticity) influences cognitive and motor function and training benefits in older adults. The findings will support new training initiatives to promote brain health and well-being across the lifespan.
Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time ....Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time, and confidence, suitable for application to computerized testing scenarios. The models and testing methods validated in the laboratory will be refined for application in eyewitness memory settings, facilitating better evaluation of identification evidence, and potentially reducing wrongful convictions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100692
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$417,842.00
Summary
Stopping in the Real World: Cognitive Architectures for Selective Stopping. Response inhibition is the ability to stop actions that are in progress but become no longer appropriate, such as halting an order to launch a missile strike when a civilian vehicle is detected. The project focuses on people’s ability to either stop all planned actions or selectively stop some actions while allowing others to occur. The goal is to develop methodology to reliably measure the time it takes to stop actions, ....Stopping in the Real World: Cognitive Architectures for Selective Stopping. Response inhibition is the ability to stop actions that are in progress but become no longer appropriate, such as halting an order to launch a missile strike when a civilian vehicle is detected. The project focuses on people’s ability to either stop all planned actions or selectively stop some actions while allowing others to occur. The goal is to develop methodology to reliably measure the time it takes to stop actions, investigate the psychological mechanisms involved in stopping, and develop tools for defence-related personnel and job selection. The project provides significant benefits by enabling the study of how response inhibition ensures that appropriate actions occur and how failures of inhibition result in inappropriate actions. Read moreRead less
Rapid motor responses in young and older adults. This proposal aims to contribute to our understanding of basic neural mechanisms mediating rapid motor actions across our lifespan. One in four Australians will be over the age of 65 by the year 2056. The project plans to investigate how changes in brain structure and function, as well as alterations in cognitive processing abilities that occur in older age, affect rapid choices between various alternative motor actions as well as our ability to s ....Rapid motor responses in young and older adults. This proposal aims to contribute to our understanding of basic neural mechanisms mediating rapid motor actions across our lifespan. One in four Australians will be over the age of 65 by the year 2056. The project plans to investigate how changes in brain structure and function, as well as alterations in cognitive processing abilities that occur in older age, affect rapid choices between various alternative motor actions as well as our ability to stop motor responses once they are planned. It plans to combine noninvasive brain stimulation with novel behavioural experiments and computational modelling techniques to develop fundamental new knowledge of the natural processes that characterise age-related changes in rapid motor actions.Read moreRead less
How do we cancel or modify movements? This collaborative project aims to improve our understanding of how movements are rapidly cancelled, or reprogrammed, based on visual cues. Using innovative computational models, non-invasive brain stimulation and recordings of muscle activity, the project aims to elucidate how our brains anticipate the possibility of having to cancel planned actions, and how this changes as a function of healthy ageing. The outcomes are expected to assist in the design of n ....How do we cancel or modify movements? This collaborative project aims to improve our understanding of how movements are rapidly cancelled, or reprogrammed, based on visual cues. Using innovative computational models, non-invasive brain stimulation and recordings of muscle activity, the project aims to elucidate how our brains anticipate the possibility of having to cancel planned actions, and how this changes as a function of healthy ageing. The outcomes are expected to assist in the design of neuromorphic technologies that mimic human brain function. The generated knowledge may also inform future research aimed at maintaining cognitive and motor function in the ageing workforce and treating conditions in which inhibitory control is compromised. Read moreRead less
Understanding the mechanisms underpinning complex sociality. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying the formation of complex social systems in vertebrates. Our understanding of these mechanisms is strongly biased towards a few model systems. We have identified a novel Australian model system with a wide range of sociality for this purpose. This project expects to generate new knowledge on how the social environment interacts with the brain during social organisation. Expected ....Understanding the mechanisms underpinning complex sociality. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying the formation of complex social systems in vertebrates. Our understanding of these mechanisms is strongly biased towards a few model systems. We have identified a novel Australian model system with a wide range of sociality for this purpose. This project expects to generate new knowledge on how the social environment interacts with the brain during social organisation. Expected outcomes include the refinement of social theory and capacity building via international collaboration and postgraduate training. This work will provide significant benefits by increasing our understanding of how the brain and social environment interact to moderate aggression and enhance social associations.Read moreRead less