Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100260
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,378.00
Summary
Refugee moral injury: Linking interpersonal trauma and social functioning. This project aims to understand how moral beliefs about past interpersonal traumatic experiences (e.g., torture, rape) are associated with social outcomes considered to be crucial in successful refugee resettlement. This project will investigate the causal impact of these moral beliefs on social adaptation and whether these beliefs are malleable. The project will be a better understanding of how moral beliefs can impact r ....Refugee moral injury: Linking interpersonal trauma and social functioning. This project aims to understand how moral beliefs about past interpersonal traumatic experiences (e.g., torture, rape) are associated with social outcomes considered to be crucial in successful refugee resettlement. This project will investigate the causal impact of these moral beliefs on social adaptation and whether these beliefs are malleable. The project will be a better understanding of how moral beliefs can impact refugees' abilities to navigate and engage with novel social environments. The outcomes of this project will assist service providers and policy makers to understand why some refugees are able to adapt more successfully than others and provide practical tools for improving social outcomes. Read moreRead less
Determining the physical and temporal properties of a person's inner speech. Inner speech refers to the silent production of words in one's mind. While inner speech has long been assumed to be unquantifiable, we have recently demonstrated an ability to decipher the content a person's inner speech using an objective electrophysiological marker. In this project, we will extend upon this work and use our marker to establish the physical and temporal properties of a person's inner speech, such as it ....Determining the physical and temporal properties of a person's inner speech. Inner speech refers to the silent production of words in one's mind. While inner speech has long been assumed to be unquantifiable, we have recently demonstrated an ability to decipher the content a person's inner speech using an objective electrophysiological marker. In this project, we will extend upon this work and use our marker to establish the physical and temporal properties of a person's inner speech, such as its loudness, pitch, accent and temporal properties. Our hope is that our modified marker will be capable of determining what a person is saying in inner speech, when they are engaged in inner speech, and also how their inner voice sounds. This work has major implications with regards to technology, health, and basic science. Read moreRead less
Mapping the learning mechanisms linking adversity with maladjustment. Exposure to adversity, such as violence, neglect and natural disasters, is common and a powerful risk factor for emotional maladjustment. Yet knowledge of the underlying mechanisms linking adversity with emotional maladjustment is remarkably limited. By drawing from theories of adversity and learning and utilising novel experimental methodology, this project aims to map how adverse experiences have different negative effects o ....Mapping the learning mechanisms linking adversity with maladjustment. Exposure to adversity, such as violence, neglect and natural disasters, is common and a powerful risk factor for emotional maladjustment. Yet knowledge of the underlying mechanisms linking adversity with emotional maladjustment is remarkably limited. By drawing from theories of adversity and learning and utilising novel experimental methodology, this project aims to map how adverse experiences have different negative effects on daily emotional wellbeing by disrupting the mechanisms underlying how people learn to acquire and reduce reactivity to new threats. Expected benefits include new knowledge about the pathways linking adversity with psychopathology as well as the vital evidence-base for clear targets for behavioural interventions. Read moreRead less
The cost of keeping gruesome images from the world. This project aims to investigate one of society’s most invisible ‘frontline’ trauma workforces—the online content moderators responsible for limiting the public’s exposure to distressing and sensitive content on social media. Using a series of rigorous experiments, and cutting-edge psychological and physiological assessment techniques, the research will advance our understanding of the impact of indirect trauma on mental health. Expected outcom ....The cost of keeping gruesome images from the world. This project aims to investigate one of society’s most invisible ‘frontline’ trauma workforces—the online content moderators responsible for limiting the public’s exposure to distressing and sensitive content on social media. Using a series of rigorous experiments, and cutting-edge psychological and physiological assessment techniques, the research will advance our understanding of the impact of indirect trauma on mental health. Expected outcomes include novel empirical evidence for preventative strategies that will predict, monitor and reduce negative mental health outcomes. This will provide significant global benefits to people with indirect trauma experiences, such as defence and forensic personnel.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the coping toolbox for social and academic resilience in youth. This project aims to provide important new knowledge on youth stress, life adversity and coping to assist the development of efficient and successful resilience programs. Coping with stress is the number one concern of today's Australian teenagers. The project intends to address coping flexibility and resilience across the transition of youth from primary to secondary school and through the final years of secondary school ....Uncovering the coping toolbox for social and academic resilience in youth. This project aims to provide important new knowledge on youth stress, life adversity and coping to assist the development of efficient and successful resilience programs. Coping with stress is the number one concern of today's Australian teenagers. The project intends to address coping flexibility and resilience across the transition of youth from primary to secondary school and through the final years of secondary school. Expected outcomes include findings that can be translated into interventions that can assist individuals coping with life transitions at any age and those facing significant social, medical, workplace or academic stressors in other times of their life.Read moreRead less
Thwarted Identity: The Missing Link Between Psychopathology and Prejudice. Prejudice and the extremist violence that arises from it are typically explained either by the psychopathology of individual perpetrators, or by their membership of extremist groups. This project will seek to reconcile these competing explanations and resolve this impasse that has obstructed progress in combating prejudice. This project develops a new framework specifying causal and reciprocal links between the novel conc ....Thwarted Identity: The Missing Link Between Psychopathology and Prejudice. Prejudice and the extremist violence that arises from it are typically explained either by the psychopathology of individual perpetrators, or by their membership of extremist groups. This project will seek to reconcile these competing explanations and resolve this impasse that has obstructed progress in combating prejudice. This project develops a new framework specifying causal and reciprocal links between the novel concept of thwarted identity, psychopathology, ideology, and prejudice. Expected outcomes are new policy solutions and novel targets for interventions to reduce prejudice and extremist violence, which will deliver significant benefit by addressing these pernicious social problems.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100912
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,488.00
Summary
Improving Girls’ Body Image via Social Media. Social media platforms are starting to realise their social responsibilities and are looking for ways to reduce harm to their users. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of specific social media content and activities for improving adolescent girls’ body image. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of social media and body image by developing a novel theoretical model and an evidence base for effective ....Improving Girls’ Body Image via Social Media. Social media platforms are starting to realise their social responsibilities and are looking for ways to reduce harm to their users. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of specific social media content and activities for improving adolescent girls’ body image. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of social media and body image by developing a novel theoretical model and an evidence base for effective positive social media activities for body image. Body image concerns are a global public health issue with a devastating impact on key aspects of people’s lives. This project has the potential to inform the development of new ways to harness social media to support mental health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Whether social media literacy mitigates effects of social media in adolescents. This project aims to determine protective and risk factors for problems associated with social media use in early adolescents. In particular, it aims to determine the protective role of social media literacy (the skill to analyse, critique and evaluate social media posts). Although most Australian adolescents use social media, frequent social media engagement and photo-based activities can cause body dissatisfaction, ....Whether social media literacy mitigates effects of social media in adolescents. This project aims to determine protective and risk factors for problems associated with social media use in early adolescents. In particular, it aims to determine the protective role of social media literacy (the skill to analyse, critique and evaluate social media posts). Although most Australian adolescents use social media, frequent social media engagement and photo-based activities can cause body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and compromised well-being. Findings supporting a protective role for social media literacy are expected to inform policy to improve adolescent well-being and pave the way for school-based social media literacy interventions.Read moreRead less
The role of social-emotional learning in attaining literacy and numeracy. This project aims to characterise variability in developmental pathways to literacy and numeracy, and the factors that contribute to this variation, utilising innovative analytical approaches and population data. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the role of school-based social-emotional learning programs in supporting children’s achievement of literacy and numeracy. Expected outcomes of the project ....The role of social-emotional learning in attaining literacy and numeracy. This project aims to characterise variability in developmental pathways to literacy and numeracy, and the factors that contribute to this variation, utilising innovative analytical approaches and population data. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the role of school-based social-emotional learning programs in supporting children’s achievement of literacy and numeracy. Expected outcomes of the project include enhanced collaboration with government to deliver policy-relevant information on the most effective targets and timing for delivering social-emotional programs that maximise academic learning. This should assist policy makers to develop better strategies to support every child’s academic achievement.Read moreRead less
Hippocampal regulation of goal-directed decision-making. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that is central to learning and memory yet little is known about its role in decision-making. It is the aim of this application to provide the first detailed, causal evidence of hippocampal regulation of decision-making. This is significant because many mental health disorders and dementias that involve decision-making deficits are characterised by hippocampal dysfunction, but any direct link between ....Hippocampal regulation of goal-directed decision-making. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that is central to learning and memory yet little is known about its role in decision-making. It is the aim of this application to provide the first detailed, causal evidence of hippocampal regulation of decision-making. This is significant because many mental health disorders and dementias that involve decision-making deficits are characterised by hippocampal dysfunction, but any direct link between these factors is unknown. The outcomes of the current grant will provide the first evidence of that link, thus providing deeper understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms of these disorders, which could eventuate in the creation of more beneficial treatments. Read moreRead less