An innovative measure of rural health and wellbeing: rapid appraisal via analysis of patterns of calls to Lifeline. Rural Australians are reported to experience poorer health and wellbeing on a wide range of indicators. However, serious problems exist with the validity and reliability of these data. This project will analyse the 85,000 calls to Lifeline made each year by rural Australians. For several reasons, use of telephone counselling services would appear to be a sensitive measure of rural ....An innovative measure of rural health and wellbeing: rapid appraisal via analysis of patterns of calls to Lifeline. Rural Australians are reported to experience poorer health and wellbeing on a wide range of indicators. However, serious problems exist with the validity and reliability of these data. This project will analyse the 85,000 calls to Lifeline made each year by rural Australians. For several reasons, use of telephone counselling services would appear to be a sensitive measure of rural community health. By triangulating primary data (community case studies using the critical incident technique) and secondary data (SEIFA and Jesuit index), this project will develop and test Lifeline calls as an index for rapidly appraising community health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Balancing the needs of customers and employees following service failure: A dyadic psychosocial approach. Service industries dominate Australia's economy. When service fails, conflicts frequently ensue, leaving customers and employees feeling angry and stressed. Consequent social and economic costs are enormous. This project addresses the research priority of promoting and maintaining good health by identifying ways in which customers and employees can resolve service problems such that particip ....Balancing the needs of customers and employees following service failure: A dyadic psychosocial approach. Service industries dominate Australia's economy. When service fails, conflicts frequently ensue, leaving customers and employees feeling angry and stressed. Consequent social and economic costs are enormous. This project addresses the research priority of promoting and maintaining good health by identifying ways in which customers and employees can resolve service problems such that participants' psychosocial needs are met and outcomes for both parties are optimised. Findings will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by providing strategies to increase customer satisfaction and reduce worker stress. Service firms will benefit from a more loyal customer-base, and reduced employee absenteeism, turnover and compensation claims. Read moreRead less
The Impact of Commercial Funding on Research Team Effectiveness in Health and Medical Research. The Health and Medical Research Sector has seen an increase in collaborations between public and private industry sectors. Consequently, research teams, essentially the functional units that carry out the research, may be funded from commercial and/or non-commercial sources. This project will investigate the impact of commercial funding on research teams. This ground breaking study will be of great va ....The Impact of Commercial Funding on Research Team Effectiveness in Health and Medical Research. The Health and Medical Research Sector has seen an increase in collaborations between public and private industry sectors. Consequently, research teams, essentially the functional units that carry out the research, may be funded from commercial and/or non-commercial sources. This project will investigate the impact of commercial funding on research teams. This ground breaking study will be of great value in the development of research commercialisation policies in Universities, Research Institutes, companies and Government. Its analysis of team effectiveness will assist to identify those characteristics that enhance the performance of research teams, which will have beneficial effects to those who work in them, and ultimately to those who depend on the results of their efforts.Read moreRead less
Learning and Deciding Under Low Levels of Awareness: Representation Issues and Memory Processes. Human decision making is frequently sub-optimal and can be influenced by factors of which we are only dimly aware. At times, this sub-optimality produces large social, economic, and health costs. We address decisions made under low levels of awareness including those typically influenced by advertising and other marketing activities, such as pairing brands with images of attractive people. We examine ....Learning and Deciding Under Low Levels of Awareness: Representation Issues and Memory Processes. Human decision making is frequently sub-optimal and can be influenced by factors of which we are only dimly aware. At times, this sub-optimality produces large social, economic, and health costs. We address decisions made under low levels of awareness including those typically influenced by advertising and other marketing activities, such as pairing brands with images of attractive people. We examine the cognitive processes invoked by this pairing in order to determine how it competes with the provision of factual information. We aim to improve decision making in areas such as food choice and consumer understanding, as well as provide the knowledge base to support policy for regulating marketing communications.Read moreRead less
An investigation into consumer perspectives on emotional, attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Attracting and retaining loyal customers is central to the economic viability of organisations. Yet, scholars have not resolved how to define brand loyalty, what contributes to brand loyalty for different services, products and industries over time nor the appropriate application of brand loyalty measures in different contexts. Current conceptualisations overlook the role of emotion and its relations ....An investigation into consumer perspectives on emotional, attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Attracting and retaining loyal customers is central to the economic viability of organisations. Yet, scholars have not resolved how to define brand loyalty, what contributes to brand loyalty for different services, products and industries over time nor the appropriate application of brand loyalty measures in different contexts. Current conceptualisations overlook the role of emotion and its relationship with the other dimensions of brand loyalty. The proposed project will be the first application of a prototype approach and one of the few studies to use quantitative longitudinal research techniques to further understanding of what brand loyalty is and how it develops.Read moreRead less
Psychological User Profiling in the Telecommunications Industry. Recording user behaviour allows businesses to learn about their customers. This is particularly important in telecommunications, since the core business involves a large number of users who vary considerably from one another. This project combines psychological insights with modern statistical methods to develop a psychologically plausible user profiling framework, accounting for the idiosyncratic usage patterns of customers, and t ....Psychological User Profiling in the Telecommunications Industry. Recording user behaviour allows businesses to learn about their customers. This is particularly important in telecommunications, since the core business involves a large number of users who vary considerably from one another. This project combines psychological insights with modern statistical methods to develop a psychologically plausible user profiling framework, accounting for the idiosyncratic usage patterns of customers, and the way in which they change over time. The profiles will be tied to marketing prospects through interviews and surveys. Applied benefits include the ability to predict, understand and act upon user behaviour. The project also adds substantially to theories of memory, individual differences and decision-making.Read moreRead less
Prospective predictors of body image attitudes and dieting beliefs during first years of school: Providing guidance for prevention. Although it is recognised that body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for the development of a wide range of mental health problems, little is known about its early development. There is a distinct increase in body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness during early school years. However, there has not been an exploration of a wide range of family, media, peer and sch ....Prospective predictors of body image attitudes and dieting beliefs during first years of school: Providing guidance for prevention. Although it is recognised that body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for the development of a wide range of mental health problems, little is known about its early development. There is a distinct increase in body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness during early school years. However, there has not been an exploration of a wide range of family, media, peer and school adaptation variables as predictors of body image and weight change behaviours in both girls and boys. This project will examine prospective predictors of body image and related variables in five to seven years old children. Findings will inform development of prevention interventions to assist parents and schools provide a positive body image and eating environment for Australian children.Read moreRead less
Addressing risk factors of overweight and obesity among adolescents in out-of-home care: The Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) study. The health risk of overweight and obesity when adolescents are placed in out-of-home care has been largely ignored. This project will be the first to evaluate a healthy eating and physical activity obesity prevention/intervention program designed specifically for vulnerable and disadvantaged adolescents living in out-of-home residential care.
Enhancing psychosocial adaptation after temporal lobectomy surgery for control of epilepsy seizures. Preliminary data from individuals who have experienced temporal lobectomy surgery for control of epilepsy seizures suggests that (a) psychosocial adjustment problems may occur even when the neurological outcome is excellent, and (b) satisfaction with surgery/ post-surgery adjustment relates to perceived control over pre-surgery decision- making. The aim of this study is to improve pre-surgery pro ....Enhancing psychosocial adaptation after temporal lobectomy surgery for control of epilepsy seizures. Preliminary data from individuals who have experienced temporal lobectomy surgery for control of epilepsy seizures suggests that (a) psychosocial adjustment problems may occur even when the neurological outcome is excellent, and (b) satisfaction with surgery/ post-surgery adjustment relates to perceived control over pre-surgery decision- making. The aim of this study is to improve pre-surgery procedure and post-surgery support by investigating psychosocial outcomes of epilepsy surgery, and relating these to perceived and actual pre-surgery preparation, including education, counselling and social support. The results of the study will inform development of resource material for the medical profession and potential surgery clients, as well as contributing to improved understanding of the relationship between pre-surgery procedures and psychosocial outcomes.Read moreRead less
Promoting fit bodies, healthy eating and physical activity among Indigenous Australian men. Overall, the physical and emotional health of our Indigenous people is the worst in Australia. A major contributing factor is the significant lifestyle changes that have eroded traditional ways of life. These include the adoption of diets that are high in fat, sugar and salt, and a decline of physical activity. As these determinants of poor health are preventable, we will work with Indigenous men and thei ....Promoting fit bodies, healthy eating and physical activity among Indigenous Australian men. Overall, the physical and emotional health of our Indigenous people is the worst in Australia. A major contributing factor is the significant lifestyle changes that have eroded traditional ways of life. These include the adoption of diets that are high in fat, sugar and salt, and a decline of physical activity. As these determinants of poor health are preventable, we will work with Indigenous men and their communities to target cultural factors and develop health promotion strategies that can be used to improve their health.Read moreRead less