Investigation of the component distributions of pause duration in spontaneous speech: Constraints for models of language production. We have discovered that the distribution of pause durations in spontaneous speech of individual speakers can be decomposed into at least two log-normal distributions. Our project will investigate this finding and provide a foundation for new research relevant to language production models. This will be achieved by determining the semantic, lexical, psycholinguistic ....Investigation of the component distributions of pause duration in spontaneous speech: Constraints for models of language production. We have discovered that the distribution of pause durations in spontaneous speech of individual speakers can be decomposed into at least two log-normal distributions. Our project will investigate this finding and provide a foundation for new research relevant to language production models. This will be achieved by determining the semantic, lexical, psycholinguistic, physiological, and acoustic concomitants of each component distribution and by investigating the impact of selected variables on the shape and location of each. The project has important implications for models of language production and applied problems involving automatic speech recognition, forensic speaker identification, and human communication disorders.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the processes underlying human category learning. There is a pervasive belief that complex tasks can somehow be learned via a 'smart' implicit or procedural learning mechanism, which operates independently of memory and attention. This idea has important implications for our understanding of cognition. If true, there seems little point in providing explicit instruction in such tasks, and efforts to do so are, at best, wasted time and, at worst, detrimental to the learning process. Th ....Uncovering the processes underlying human category learning. There is a pervasive belief that complex tasks can somehow be learned via a 'smart' implicit or procedural learning mechanism, which operates independently of memory and attention. This idea has important implications for our understanding of cognition. If true, there seems little point in providing explicit instruction in such tasks, and efforts to do so are, at best, wasted time and, at worst, detrimental to the learning process. This project will provide much-needed scrutiny of this idea and will help not only to re-orient our understanding of how we deal with complex information, but will also highlight issues about data interpretation that are fundamental for the research and wider communities.Read moreRead less
Are two processes one too many? An investigation of the viability of the dual-process model of recognition memory. Memory is the glue that holds together our lives and personal identities. While psychologists are developing better and more sophisticated accounts of how it works, many deep questions remain. The present research examines some of these questions in relation to how memory can be decomposed into its component processes and how we are to understand these processes. An appropriate unde ....Are two processes one too many? An investigation of the viability of the dual-process model of recognition memory. Memory is the glue that holds together our lives and personal identities. While psychologists are developing better and more sophisticated accounts of how it works, many deep questions remain. The present research examines some of these questions in relation to how memory can be decomposed into its component processes and how we are to understand these processes. An appropriate understanding of these questions is vital to the development of interventions (both psychological and pharmacological) designed to halt or even reverse memory decline associated with normal aging and age-associated brain disease (such as Alzheimer disease).Read moreRead less
Measuring and modelling the mechanical response of soils incorporating recycled tyres. Civil engineers use backfill to refill excavated areas around new structures. They have found recently that rubber chips and shredded rubber make excellent backfill when combined with a small percentage of cement to make ‘rubber soil’. The widespread use of rubber soil therefore offers a tremendous opportunity to make use of a serious waste product to achieve important engineering outcomes. However, too little ....Measuring and modelling the mechanical response of soils incorporating recycled tyres. Civil engineers use backfill to refill excavated areas around new structures. They have found recently that rubber chips and shredded rubber make excellent backfill when combined with a small percentage of cement to make ‘rubber soil’. The widespread use of rubber soil therefore offers a tremendous opportunity to make use of a serious waste product to achieve important engineering outcomes. However, too little is known about the technology. This project will model the behaviour of rubber soil in order to introduce it as an environmentally sustainable, cost-effective and technically sound choice of geomaterial for both standard and non-standard geotechnical structures.Read moreRead less
Engaging Students during the Early Years of Secondary School. This project aims to design, test and share sustainable strategies to support teachers and enable students from low socioeconomic communities to achieve success. The greatest decreases in students’ interest and effort occur when they transition into secondary school, with students from low socioeconomic communities at greatest risk of disengagement. What can teachers do to engage their students during this key life transition? This pr ....Engaging Students during the Early Years of Secondary School. This project aims to design, test and share sustainable strategies to support teachers and enable students from low socioeconomic communities to achieve success. The greatest decreases in students’ interest and effort occur when they transition into secondary school, with students from low socioeconomic communities at greatest risk of disengagement. What can teachers do to engage their students during this key life transition? This project plans to identify teacher behaviours that motivate students in their first year at secondary school. Using an experimental design with a representative sample of 150 teachers and 1500 students in low socioeconomic areas across three states, the project plans to test whether an online professional learning program for teachers can improve student engagement and achievement. This cost-effective and scalable intervention is designed for widespread dissemination to Australian teachers.Read moreRead less
Single and dual process models of recognition memory: Reconciliation of behavioural, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging data. Advanced brain scanning technologies are increasingly used to study human memory. As well as being important for our basic understanding of memory, they also tell us how memory is affected by normal development, ageing, disease, and injury. Unfortunately, because these technologies are so new, a gap has opened up between our psychological understanding of memory and t ....Single and dual process models of recognition memory: Reconciliation of behavioural, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging data. Advanced brain scanning technologies are increasingly used to study human memory. As well as being important for our basic understanding of memory, they also tell us how memory is affected by normal development, ageing, disease, and injury. Unfortunately, because these technologies are so new, a gap has opened up between our psychological understanding of memory and the physiological events measured by the scanning technologies. This has created a problem for how we should interpret the results that are found. The present project aims to close this gap by applying new research methodologies and theoretical insights based on our previous research.Read moreRead less
Electrically conductive elastomeric composites by nanomaterials. Electrically conductive elastomeric composites by nanomaterials. This project aims to develop electrically conductive, mechanically robust, cost-effective elastomeric composites, by exploring new processing methods and studying the synergy between graphene sheets and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Composites will be design, research and manufactured to suit the fabrication of rolling-resistance sensors that detect early-stage malfu ....Electrically conductive elastomeric composites by nanomaterials. Electrically conductive elastomeric composites by nanomaterials. This project aims to develop electrically conductive, mechanically robust, cost-effective elastomeric composites, by exploring new processing methods and studying the synergy between graphene sheets and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Composites will be design, research and manufactured to suit the fabrication of rolling-resistance sensors that detect early-stage malfunctioning idler rolls. This technology could prevent the breakage of conveyor belts which are essential to the mining, processing and transportation of loose bulk materials; and improve the design and manufacturing of flexible sensors.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100043
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$539,000.00
Summary
The Australian Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries Library. This project aims to provide comprehensive free access online to the reports of all royal commissions and other public inquiries held in Australia since Federation. The project
intends to support a wide understanding of the pivotal role public inquiries play in the development of Australian law and public policy. It is expected that these reports will be comprehensively integrated with all other legislation, case law and law reform r ....The Australian Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries Library. This project aims to provide comprehensive free access online to the reports of all royal commissions and other public inquiries held in Australia since Federation. The project
intends to support a wide understanding of the pivotal role public inquiries play in the development of Australian law and public policy. It is expected that these reports will be comprehensively integrated with all other legislation, case law and law reform reports on AustLII to promote a greater understanding of how the balance is struck between inquisitorial fact-finding and the right to procedural fairness of participants and of how justice is delivered through the inquiry function of public bodies.Read moreRead less
Longshore Sediment Supply to the Deep Ocean. The current model to supply sand to deep water off continental margins is that provided by rivers operating at low sea level. We propose an alternative model in which sand is provided by longshore transport to deep water at high sea level north of Fraser Island, SE Queensland. Here we will test the validity of our new model by site studies of sea bottom morphology, composition and dynamics. If the model proves true, we will have: 1) generated an entir ....Longshore Sediment Supply to the Deep Ocean. The current model to supply sand to deep water off continental margins is that provided by rivers operating at low sea level. We propose an alternative model in which sand is provided by longshore transport to deep water at high sea level north of Fraser Island, SE Queensland. Here we will test the validity of our new model by site studies of sea bottom morphology, composition and dynamics. If the model proves true, we will have: 1) generated an entirely new exploration model for deepwater hydrocarbons, 2) provided new expertise and seabed maps for generating a superior marine naval defence capability.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR120300015
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$16,000,000.00
Summary
The Science of Learning Research Centre. In this innovative new Centre, researchers in education, neuroscience and cognitive psychology will work together with teachers to understand the learning process. This collaboration will establish new criteria to assess the impact of different types of learning and strategies to inform teaching practices of benefit to all Australians.