ELEMENTS: A Virtual-Reality Augmented Workspace for Movement Rehabilitation of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients. The broad aim of the project is to design, develop and evaluate an interactive virtual environment (VE) called ELEMENTS that supports movement assessment and rehabilitation for patients recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We will use current knowledge of the neural basis of movement control and learning to create VEs that will help re-train patients' sense of multimodal space ....ELEMENTS: A Virtual-Reality Augmented Workspace for Movement Rehabilitation of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients. The broad aim of the project is to design, develop and evaluate an interactive virtual environment (VE) called ELEMENTS that supports movement assessment and rehabilitation for patients recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We will use current knowledge of the neural basis of movement control and learning to create VEs that will help re-train patients' sense of multimodal space, their position within it, and the predictive control of actions. We will adapt our training environments for use on readily available technologies, creating a treatment method amenable to remote delivery. This will extend rehabilitation practices beyond their current constraints.Read moreRead less
Enhancing employee safety in response to workplace violence. International and national trends indicate that workplace violence is a significant growing problem. Poorly managed, victims can suffer physical and psychological trauma, and employers risk increases in workers compensation claims, insurance premiums, employee turnover, sick leave and low morale. There is a dearth of research into the effectiveness of training employees to predict, control and defuse aggressive incidents, yet this is a ....Enhancing employee safety in response to workplace violence. International and national trends indicate that workplace violence is a significant growing problem. Poorly managed, victims can suffer physical and psychological trauma, and employers risk increases in workers compensation claims, insurance premiums, employee turnover, sick leave and low morale. There is a dearth of research into the effectiveness of training employees to predict, control and defuse aggressive incidents, yet this is a significant priority for many industries. This project will develop and evaluate a new best practice aggression minimisation training program with 200 mental health employees by an RCT assessing gains in safety, knowledge, skills and confidence in managing violence.Read moreRead less
Digital communication and work stress. This project aims to examine email load and its effects on work pressure, health, sleep and recovery using a national longitudinal design and innovative diary research. The project intends to advance theoretical and practical understanding of the well-being of staff and the impact of technological and competitiveness in the context of Australian universities. Expected outcomes include will address a gap in research by including casual employees, so that the ....Digital communication and work stress. This project aims to examine email load and its effects on work pressure, health, sleep and recovery using a national longitudinal design and innovative diary research. The project intends to advance theoretical and practical understanding of the well-being of staff and the impact of technological and competitiveness in the context of Australian universities. Expected outcomes include will address a gap in research by including casual employees, so that the findings can potentially benefit all occupational groups. In addition to assisting university management to attain healthier work environments, the project may benefit other Australian workers.Read moreRead less
Helping retail employees deal with threatening situations at work: Coping with acute and chronic stressors. This research will develop best practice protocols in the retail sector for employee training in handling and responding to difficult customers and stressful and traumatic incidents. In addition, this research proposes to develop best practice protocols for employer responding and for assessment and treatment of employees in the retail sector. The national benefit will be a healthier, happ ....Helping retail employees deal with threatening situations at work: Coping with acute and chronic stressors. This research will develop best practice protocols in the retail sector for employee training in handling and responding to difficult customers and stressful and traumatic incidents. In addition, this research proposes to develop best practice protocols for employer responding and for assessment and treatment of employees in the retail sector. The national benefit will be a healthier, happier and more productive retail sector workforce. The results are likely to be applicable to other sectors of the Australian workforce and thus have broad national/community benefits.Read moreRead less
How does dopamine modulate adult new word learning? Stroke is a chronic disease of increasing prevalence with increasing age. There is a critical need to develop more effective treatments of communication disorders in this population. One way of achieving this is to combine certain drugs with language therapy. Through studying how these drugs influence language, this research will provide vital knowledge for developing effective forms of pharmacotherapy for adults with language disorders after b ....How does dopamine modulate adult new word learning? Stroke is a chronic disease of increasing prevalence with increasing age. There is a critical need to develop more effective treatments of communication disorders in this population. One way of achieving this is to combine certain drugs with language therapy. Through studying how these drugs influence language, this research will provide vital knowledge for developing effective forms of pharmacotherapy for adults with language disorders after brain injury. More effective language rehabilitation can have direct positive consequences on the ability to regain and maintain employment and social relationships after stroke or brain injury and will address the large and growing social and economic cost to the nation.Read moreRead less
A functional imaging study of semantic processing modulated by dopamine. The role of dopamine in language processing is largely unknown, despite emerging evidence that dopaminergic alterations can modulate language in schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and healthy individuals. The research aims to reveal the neural and behavioural correlates of dopaminergic modulation of semantic processing using neuroimaging in healthy individuals who have ingested levodopa. It is hypothesised that levodopa wi ....A functional imaging study of semantic processing modulated by dopamine. The role of dopamine in language processing is largely unknown, despite emerging evidence that dopaminergic alterations can modulate language in schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and healthy individuals. The research aims to reveal the neural and behavioural correlates of dopaminergic modulation of semantic processing using neuroimaging in healthy individuals who have ingested levodopa. It is hypothesised that levodopa will modulate brain activity under circumstances where there is heightened semantic competition, consistent with a contemporary theory of dopaminergic cognitive control. The expected outcome of the research is an increased understanding of the interactions between dopamine, the language faculty, and associated neural systems.Read moreRead less
The relationship between cognitive capacity and driver competence following acquired brain injury: Implications for driver rehabilitation and training. This project develops a model of driver rehabilitation and training, based on speed of information processing variables, for people with acquired brain injuries (ABI). Current evaluations of fitness to drive lack sufficient theoretical and empirical foundations. Consequent problems include inappropriate decisions about fitness to drive, comprom ....The relationship between cognitive capacity and driver competence following acquired brain injury: Implications for driver rehabilitation and training. This project develops a model of driver rehabilitation and training, based on speed of information processing variables, for people with acquired brain injuries (ABI). Current evaluations of fitness to drive lack sufficient theoretical and empirical foundations. Consequent problems include inappropriate decisions about fitness to drive, compromised driver safety, and inadequate driver training. Accurate assessment of ABI processing deficits will generate driver-training programs tailored to individual needs. The project also addresses rehabilitation and training outcomes, particularly as they relate to reduced social services needs and enhanced quality of life. It provides a paradigm for evaluating rehabilitation outcomes in wider contexts.
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The dynamic interplay of physical and psychosocial safety in frontline healthcare workplaces in Australia and Malaysia. The healthcare industry is under immense pressure. Urgent attention is needed to reduce strains on workers and costs in healthcare. This project will meet these joint objectives through modelling and developing a system that integrates both physical and psychosocial facets to enhance the psychological and physical health of workers and quality care.
The significance of psychosocial safety climate, health and happiness for productivity at work. Despite national efforts, for a decade workers compensation claims for work stress have remained stable. This project proposes an innovative science driven multilevel process model, with organisational psychosocial safety climate as a lead indicator of productivity loss (for example, time loss), and a conditioner of paths linking job demands, job resources, work engagement, happiness, mental (for exam ....The significance of psychosocial safety climate, health and happiness for productivity at work. Despite national efforts, for a decade workers compensation claims for work stress have remained stable. This project proposes an innovative science driven multilevel process model, with organisational psychosocial safety climate as a lead indicator of productivity loss (for example, time loss), and a conditioner of paths linking job demands, job resources, work engagement, happiness, mental (for example, depression) and physical health to productivity. This four wave longitudinal study of 3000 Australian workers, also linking to objective workers compensation data, will provide fresh insights regarding workplace primary prevention. Read moreRead less
Tranquillising Work Stress: Corporate Climate and Antidepressant Use. This national project will investigate the plausible link between distress at work and Australia’s high levels of antidepressant use, through creative linkage of data from the Australian Workplace Barometer (10-year longitudinal study) to antidepressant medication data (via the national Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme). The project advances theory by probing the role corporate climate plays in work design, distress, mental hea .... Tranquillising Work Stress: Corporate Climate and Antidepressant Use. This national project will investigate the plausible link between distress at work and Australia’s high levels of antidepressant use, through creative linkage of data from the Australian Workplace Barometer (10-year longitudinal study) to antidepressant medication data (via the national Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme). The project advances theory by probing the role corporate climate plays in work design, distress, mental health problems and antidepressant use. It will determine if antidepressant use has led to an underestimation of work stress effects. It will estimate the $AUD cost of work related antidepressant use. The project will yield evidence to stimulate corporate climate change to protect worker psychological health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less