Distinguishing categories and dimensions: Taxometric investigations. This project aims to apply and refine promising new methods for classifying psychological variations. These "taxometric" methods detect categories and locate their boundaries, enabling improved taxonomies of personality and mental disorder. They will be used to examine whether personality disorders are discrete categories or fall on a continuum with normal personality, and whether people mentally represent social groups accordi ....Distinguishing categories and dimensions: Taxometric investigations. This project aims to apply and refine promising new methods for classifying psychological variations. These "taxometric" methods detect categories and locate their boundaries, enabling improved taxonomies of personality and mental disorder. They will be used to examine whether personality disorders are discrete categories or fall on a continuum with normal personality, and whether people mentally represent social groups according to qualitatively distinct ontological assumptions. The statistical validity of these methods will be comprehensively assessed. The project should help to resolve enduring questions about psychological classification and deepen our understanding of social stereotyping.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
Youth and violence: Occurrence, epidemiology and function. The expected national benefits that will arise from this project will include significant advances to policy and practice in the field, which will impact on service users and service providers at both individual and community levels. The project will foster research excellence and develop inter agency collaborations, thus advancing Australia's research and clinical leadership in the field. Taken altogether, this project has a strong pote ....Youth and violence: Occurrence, epidemiology and function. The expected national benefits that will arise from this project will include significant advances to policy and practice in the field, which will impact on service users and service providers at both individual and community levels. The project will foster research excellence and develop inter agency collaborations, thus advancing Australia's research and clinical leadership in the field. Taken altogether, this project has a strong potential to lead to further collaborations focussing on research priorities of national and international significance and to contribute to resources leading to better outcomes for young people. Read moreRead less
The Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Gaming Machines on Communities: Health and Wellbeing Consequences. The long-term economic and social impact of EGMs is of great importance to Australia. Gambling is a major industry in Australia, with over 7,000 businesses generating profits in excess of $16 billion annually. Poker machines account for more than half the total revenue collected from all gambling. On the other hand, there are over 290,000 adults in Australia who are experiencing signif ....The Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Gaming Machines on Communities: Health and Wellbeing Consequences. The long-term economic and social impact of EGMs is of great importance to Australia. Gambling is a major industry in Australia, with over 7,000 businesses generating profits in excess of $16 billion annually. Poker machines account for more than half the total revenue collected from all gambling. On the other hand, there are over 290,000 adults in Australia who are experiencing significant problems with their gambling, and on average, the lives of six other people are adversely affected by every problem gambler. This project will inform regulatory frameworks to balance the costs and benefits of gambling. The findings will be used by local governments and regulatory authorities.Read moreRead less
Social psychological, personality, and neural processes underlying anger, aggression, and health. The Australian Institute of Criminology estimates the cost of assault, sexual assault, and homicide in Australia at over $2.5 billion per annum. Despite these enormous costs, very little is known about the cognitive and neural mechanisms guiding these phenomena. This research will also provide cues regarding risk for domestic violence. Understanding domestic violence is especially significant bec ....Social psychological, personality, and neural processes underlying anger, aggression, and health. The Australian Institute of Criminology estimates the cost of assault, sexual assault, and homicide in Australia at over $2.5 billion per annum. Despite these enormous costs, very little is known about the cognitive and neural mechanisms guiding these phenomena. This research will also provide cues regarding risk for domestic violence. Understanding domestic violence is especially significant because it is the leading cause of homicide among women in Australia. The insights gained from this research may lead to substantial social (e.g., stronger social fabric, reduced crime) and economic benefit (e.g., reduced spending on healthcare and crime).Read moreRead less
Development and evaluation of a motorcycle training intervention. In 2002, motorcyclists and pillions accounted for 224 road deaths in Australia - 13% of the total road toll although motorcycles accounted for less than 3% of all registered vehicles. They also accounted for nearly 20% of serious injuries. This collaborative project aims to reduce motorcycle crashes through an innovative training intervention focusing on the attitudinal and motivational factors influencing rider behaviour. The in ....Development and evaluation of a motorcycle training intervention. In 2002, motorcyclists and pillions accounted for 224 road deaths in Australia - 13% of the total road toll although motorcycles accounted for less than 3% of all registered vehicles. They also accounted for nearly 20% of serious injuries. This collaborative project aims to reduce motorcycle crashes through an innovative training intervention focusing on the attitudinal and motivational factors influencing rider behaviour. The intervention will be firmly grounded in theory and complement existing training frameworks to produce a highly transferable resource that can be adopted by other rider training centres both in Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less
A study of contemporary family, social and cultural influences on first-time mothers' decisions about infant feeding and early parenting practices. Children who are never breastfed are more likely to experience respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, diabetes and as adults, high blood pressure, obesity and type-2 diabetes. This study of infant feeding decision-making in first-time mothers will inform strategies, grounded in the daily lives of women and families to assist mothers to breastfeed f ....A study of contemporary family, social and cultural influences on first-time mothers' decisions about infant feeding and early parenting practices. Children who are never breastfed are more likely to experience respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, diabetes and as adults, high blood pressure, obesity and type-2 diabetes. This study of infant feeding decision-making in first-time mothers will inform strategies, grounded in the daily lives of women and families to assist mothers to breastfeed for longer particularly in communities where breastfeeding is not the norm. Increased support for breastfeeding women from family, community and health professionals is likely to reduce the distress reported by many new mothers. Strategic application of findings will lead to health gains from increased breastfeeding and translate into significant cost savings for the Australian health system. Read moreRead less
Individual, social and physical environmental influences on children's active transport and independent mobility. Childhood obesity is likely to have significant economic and social impacts on Australian society. Preventing further increases in this disease is crucial, particularly among children at high risk such as those living in rural or disadvantaged areas. The promotion of behaviours such as active transport may have a significant benefit for public health; however little is known about wh ....Individual, social and physical environmental influences on children's active transport and independent mobility. Childhood obesity is likely to have significant economic and social impacts on Australian society. Preventing further increases in this disease is crucial, particularly among children at high risk such as those living in rural or disadvantaged areas. The promotion of behaviours such as active transport may have a significant benefit for public health; however little is known about what influences active transport among children in rural or disadvantaged areas. This study will identify important factors influencing active transport and will directly inform strategies aiming to promote health and wellbeing, thereby creating a healthier generation of Australian children.Read moreRead less
Overcome Barriers to Optimal Diabetes Management: Randomized Controlled Trial of Education/Consultation Interventions to Improve Self-Management of Diabetes. In addition to improving self care and quality of life in people with diabetes, the cost effectiveness component of the trial will provide other valuable data. Considering that the costs associated with diabetes and other associated health complications (i.e diabetic retinopathy) are estimated to be more than AU$10 billion, our intervention ....Overcome Barriers to Optimal Diabetes Management: Randomized Controlled Trial of Education/Consultation Interventions to Improve Self-Management of Diabetes. In addition to improving self care and quality of life in people with diabetes, the cost effectiveness component of the trial will provide other valuable data. Considering that the costs associated with diabetes and other associated health complications (i.e diabetic retinopathy) are estimated to be more than AU$10 billion, our intervention has a considerable potential to deliver substantial savings to the Australian community. The study will also generate a closer coordination between primary and tertiary care settings. This proposed trial will contribute substantially to future health policies related to personnel, resources and funding allocated to diabetes, eye health and rehabilitation. Read moreRead less