Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101138
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,623.00
Summary
Habit formation and change in ageing: Developing a neuropsychological model. This project aims to investigate the neurobiological and neuropsychological determinants of habit formation and change in the context of ageing, by combining cutting-edge techniques in psychology, behavioural neuroscience and neuroimaging. This research expects to generate new knowledge in the area of automatic habits and behaviour change, by investigating how these processes are affected in ageing using an interdiscipl ....Habit formation and change in ageing: Developing a neuropsychological model. This project aims to investigate the neurobiological and neuropsychological determinants of habit formation and change in the context of ageing, by combining cutting-edge techniques in psychology, behavioural neuroscience and neuroimaging. This research expects to generate new knowledge in the area of automatic habits and behaviour change, by investigating how these processes are affected in ageing using an interdisciplinary approach. Expected outcomes include a new, comprehensive model of habit formation and change in ageing. This should provide significant benefits, as it will lay the foundation for future habit-based behaviour change interventions to support older people to age well and productively.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL190100011
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,232,000.00
Summary
Contemporary life engagement and cognitive resilience in ageing. The aim of this Laureate Fellowship is to make a significant advance in our understanding of cognitive ageing through the adult life course by discovering how contemporary lifestyles and experience impact on cognitive resilience and cognitive function. Population ageing is occurring globally, creating an urgent need for evidence to inform strategies to promote ageing well and productively. Through assessment of adults aged 18-90 (a ....Contemporary life engagement and cognitive resilience in ageing. The aim of this Laureate Fellowship is to make a significant advance in our understanding of cognitive ageing through the adult life course by discovering how contemporary lifestyles and experience impact on cognitive resilience and cognitive function. Population ageing is occurring globally, creating an urgent need for evidence to inform strategies to promote ageing well and productively. Through assessment of adults aged 18-90 (across the life course), this project will evaluation the impact of technology, life space and sensory function on brain structure and function, and cognition. Intended benefits include provision of evidence to inform interventions and policies that optimize cognitive resilience and reduce cognitive decline.Read moreRead less
Open(ing up) goals in physical activity: What works, when, and for whom? This project aims to advance knowledge of open goals as a new goal-setting approach to optimise the adoption and maintenance of physical activity among insufficiently active individuals. This project expects to generate substantive insights into the mechanisms that explain why, when, and for whom open goals are particularly beneficial in this population. Expected outcomes include a theory of open goals that will inform phys ....Open(ing up) goals in physical activity: What works, when, and for whom? This project aims to advance knowledge of open goals as a new goal-setting approach to optimise the adoption and maintenance of physical activity among insufficiently active individuals. This project expects to generate substantive insights into the mechanisms that explain why, when, and for whom open goals are particularly beneficial in this population. Expected outcomes include a theory of open goals that will inform physical activity promotion efforts, with the potential for broad population-level dissemination and scale-up. Significant benefits include the ability to set physical activity goals that are enjoyable and intrinsically motivating to pursue, while also avoiding detrimental effects of current practice (eg high failure rates).Read moreRead less
How people learn inhibitory associations. This project aims to combine insights from associative and cognitive theories to investigate how people acquire, represent and generalise knowledge about inhibitory, or preventative, relationships. The project intends to use novel methods to assess the inhibitory causal structures inferred by individual participants, expected to include direct outcome prevention, modulation of a causal relationship, and configural learning. This project should expand our ....How people learn inhibitory associations. This project aims to combine insights from associative and cognitive theories to investigate how people acquire, represent and generalise knowledge about inhibitory, or preventative, relationships. The project intends to use novel methods to assess the inhibitory causal structures inferred by individual participants, expected to include direct outcome prevention, modulation of a causal relationship, and configural learning. This project should expand our understanding of the mechanisms of human associative learning. The project should benefit and inform clinical interventions based on identifying and normalising maladaptive learned associations.Read moreRead less
Square Eyes or All Lies? Understanding Children's Exposure to Screens. This project will examine Australian parents’ number one concern about their children’s health and behaviour – their interactions with electronic screens. Current screen time guidelines are based on low-quality evidence and lack the nuance required to address this complex issue. This project will use innovative technology to resolve these weaknesses. Wearable cameras will measure what children are doing on screens, and where, ....Square Eyes or All Lies? Understanding Children's Exposure to Screens. This project will examine Australian parents’ number one concern about their children’s health and behaviour – their interactions with electronic screens. Current screen time guidelines are based on low-quality evidence and lack the nuance required to address this complex issue. This project will use innovative technology to resolve these weaknesses. Wearable cameras will measure what children are doing on screens, and where, when, and how long they are doing it. The project will also investigate how screen time impacts children’s development and how it is influenced by their environment. This evidence will benefit children by improving screen time guidelines, and help parents understand the impact of screen time on children’s development.
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Feeling and thinking: affect, implicit social cognition and behaviour. Although affect plays a major role in human affairs, the psychological mechanisms linking affect to thinking and behaviour remain incompletely understood. This project will investigate the influence of affective states on implicit cognitive processes and subsequent social behaviours. The project aims to develop and to test an innovative information processing theory linking affect to implicit cognition, and apply new experime ....Feeling and thinking: affect, implicit social cognition and behaviour. Although affect plays a major role in human affairs, the psychological mechanisms linking affect to thinking and behaviour remain incompletely understood. This project will investigate the influence of affective states on implicit cognitive processes and subsequent social behaviours. The project aims to develop and to test an innovative information processing theory linking affect to implicit cognition, and apply new experimental methods to measure the cognitive and behavioural consequences of affect. Studies will also explore the applied consequences of affect infusion for real-life social behaviours with expected implications for health, clinical, organisational, and educational outcomes.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100591
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,956.00
Summary
Show me the money: Investigating how reward shapes attention and behaviour. This project aims to investigate how attention is automatically drawn towards stimuli that signal rewarding outcomes. Sometimes, the attention afforded to these reward cues (how we’ve learned to respond) is in direct conflict with our intentions (how we would like to behave). This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding how and when attentional distraction by reward is more automatic in nature as opposed to b ....Show me the money: Investigating how reward shapes attention and behaviour. This project aims to investigate how attention is automatically drawn towards stimuli that signal rewarding outcomes. Sometimes, the attention afforded to these reward cues (how we’ve learned to respond) is in direct conflict with our intentions (how we would like to behave). This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding how and when attentional distraction by reward is more automatic in nature as opposed to being inhibited by cognitive control processes. Expected outcomes of this project include better understanding of the learning processes that shape attentional responses, the neural correlates of the conflict that can arise and the link to behavioural outcomes (e.g., food choices). Read moreRead less
Ageing drivers: Cognitive ageing and technology. This project aims to enhance our understanding of whether cognitive changes associated with ageing impacts older drivers' use of emerging vehicle automation and assistive technologies. Through analysis of insurance claims databases, a large consumer survey and a naturalistic driving study, evidence will be obtained on how ageing and cognition interact with assistive technology. Findings will inform older drivers, government policy makers and indus ....Ageing drivers: Cognitive ageing and technology. This project aims to enhance our understanding of whether cognitive changes associated with ageing impacts older drivers' use of emerging vehicle automation and assistive technologies. Through analysis of insurance claims databases, a large consumer survey and a naturalistic driving study, evidence will be obtained on how ageing and cognition interact with assistive technology. Findings will inform older drivers, government policy makers and industry on ageing, cognitive changes and the use of assistive technology in vehicles. This will provide benefits for older drivers by promoting optimal driving which will enhance social engagement as well as safety. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100206
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$423,154.00
Summary
Pain: Open to interpretation? This project aims to determine how pain interpretation drives pain experience, using rigorous state-of-the-art lab research. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the psychological mechanisms maintaining pain experience and avoidance behaviour, using novel techniques to measure interpretation of pain sensations. Expected outcomes include the development of an evidence-based psychological model of pain interpretation, enhanced capacity to build interna ....Pain: Open to interpretation? This project aims to determine how pain interpretation drives pain experience, using rigorous state-of-the-art lab research. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the psychological mechanisms maintaining pain experience and avoidance behaviour, using novel techniques to measure interpretation of pain sensations. Expected outcomes include the development of an evidence-based psychological model of pain interpretation, enhanced capacity to build international collaborations, and ecologically valid methods for measuring pain interpretation. This research forms a solid platform for further translational research, to build novel, scalable interventions to improve outcomes for the one in five Australians living with chronic pain.Read moreRead less
Engaging the over 50s to ensure the sustainability of our blood supply. Australia faces blood shortages as our population ages and demand for blood-product derived treatments increase. Donors aged over 50 donate more regularly with fewer adverse events than younger donors, yet comprise under 24% of blood donors. This multi-method project aims to investigate how those aged over 50 understand and engage with blood donation in the context of ageing, and how their involvement can be managed to maint ....Engaging the over 50s to ensure the sustainability of our blood supply. Australia faces blood shortages as our population ages and demand for blood-product derived treatments increase. Donors aged over 50 donate more regularly with fewer adverse events than younger donors, yet comprise under 24% of blood donors. This multi-method project aims to investigate how those aged over 50 understand and engage with blood donation in the context of ageing, and how their involvement can be managed to maintain psychosocial wellbeing. This project expects to generate new knowledge in recruiting, retaining, and deferring older blood donors. Expected outcomes include tailored, validated resources that may significantly benefit Australia by effectively engaging older adults to ensure the sustainability of the blood supply.Read moreRead less