Neural mechanisms for human form perception. This project aims to determine if there is a single cortical mechanism underlying the human ability to discriminate and recognise objects. It has been speculated that different classes of objects, or forms require different processes. Demonstrating a single process would be a significant advance towards understanding the neural mechanisms giving rise to our ability to segment visual fields into meaningful objects and background. This research provides ....Neural mechanisms for human form perception. This project aims to determine if there is a single cortical mechanism underlying the human ability to discriminate and recognise objects. It has been speculated that different classes of objects, or forms require different processes. Demonstrating a single process would be a significant advance towards understanding the neural mechanisms giving rise to our ability to segment visual fields into meaningful objects and background. This research provides a means for testing models of the neural interactions thought to be generating human form perception and will help us discover how the visual cortex converts raw sensory input into object and form perception.Read moreRead less
Implicit transmission of embodied culture. Is a culturally diverse, yet socially integrated community possible? In multicultural societies such as Australia, this is a pressing and significant question. To form and maintain a vibrant and prosperous community in the face of globalization, it is essential to understand the fundamental processes by which cultures are formed and transformed in everyday social activities. This project examines one such process, implicit cultural transmission, propose ....Implicit transmission of embodied culture. Is a culturally diverse, yet socially integrated community possible? In multicultural societies such as Australia, this is a pressing and significant question. To form and maintain a vibrant and prosperous community in the face of globalization, it is essential to understand the fundamental processes by which cultures are formed and transformed in everyday social activities. This project examines one such process, implicit cultural transmission, proposed to function in the nonconscious transmission of cultural information. Understanding the dynamics of this subtle, yet pervasive, mode of cultural influence is central to a full appreciation of how one's own culture and those of others' integrate and flourish.Read moreRead less
Development of a validated tool to help manage the risk of human fatigue in the workplace. Our world has embraced many benefits of the 24-hour society. However, these benefits can not be delivered without the costs: one significant cost is human fatigue. A recent federal parliamentary inquiry recommended that a fatigue risk management approach be applied to the regulation of working hours within industry. A key requirement of such an approach, and the aim of the proposed project, is to develo ....Development of a validated tool to help manage the risk of human fatigue in the workplace. Our world has embraced many benefits of the 24-hour society. However, these benefits can not be delivered without the costs: one significant cost is human fatigue. A recent federal parliamentary inquiry recommended that a fatigue risk management approach be applied to the regulation of working hours within industry. A key requirement of such an approach, and the aim of the proposed project, is to develop a scientifically validated tool to help manage the work-related fatigue associated with hours-of-work. Ultimately, this will reduce the costs of our 24-hour society on employees, their families, organisations and the wider community.Read moreRead less
Ostracism and Aggression. Ostracism has been implicated in school shootings (e.g., Columbine) and other violent or anti-social episodes (e.g., Port Arthur shootings). Some argue that ostracism drives individuals toward joining violent extremist groups. Research, however, is mixed: sometimes targets of ostracism correct their behaviors to be more socially acceptable; whereas other times they react with aggression. This research program will investigate the conditions under which ostracism either ....Ostracism and Aggression. Ostracism has been implicated in school shootings (e.g., Columbine) and other violent or anti-social episodes (e.g., Port Arthur shootings). Some argue that ostracism drives individuals toward joining violent extremist groups. Research, however, is mixed: sometimes targets of ostracism correct their behaviors to be more socially acceptable; whereas other times they react with aggression. This research program will investigate the conditions under which ostracism either leads to paths of either pro-social or aggressive reactions. A new virtual reality paradigm will be developed to provide stronger manipulations of ostracism and to assist in discovering the crucial conditions responsible for these paths.Read moreRead less
Motherese by ear and eye: infant perception of visual prosody. The project breaks new ground in auditory-visual speech processing by using naturally expressive continuous speech to probe how infants perceive visual prosody. A strength of the project lies in its use of breakthrough animation technologies to create a state-of-the-art virtual Talking Mother to enable control of visual speech cues.
Faster, cheaper, safer: how to accelerate rail driver training and avert the looming skills shortage. The Australian rail industry is growing rapidly and needs to double the number of drivers trained in order to meet demand. This project will bring together Australia's leading hi-tech simulator company and Australia's leading rail human factors research team to 'reinvent' driver training technologies and techniques for the 21st century.
Social acceptability of forest management options: Landscape level visualisation and evaluation. Sustainable forest policy requires social acceptance. Prior research has investigated relative acceptability of options at a forest stand level. However, we have insufficient understanding of public acceptance of forest management systems implemented across the wider landscape. Only detailed knowledge of public reaction to social, environmental and economic impacts and the trade-offs involved can red ....Social acceptability of forest management options: Landscape level visualisation and evaluation. Sustainable forest policy requires social acceptance. Prior research has investigated relative acceptability of options at a forest stand level. However, we have insufficient understanding of public acceptance of forest management systems implemented across the wider landscape. Only detailed knowledge of public reaction to social, environmental and economic impacts and the trade-offs involved can reduce the divisive nature of the forest management debate. This project will use interactive, still and animated computer representations of landscapes to examine social acceptability of alternatives to clearfell harvesting. This knowledge will be integrated with biophysical data to improve management of forested landscapes.Read moreRead less
Acceptability of Forest Harvesting Systems. Fierce public debate over forest management has prompted forest agencies to develop and test alternative harvesting systems. This project will examine community response to these harvesting and regeneration options. It will avoid the biases of existing research by developing an interactive simulation of the forest environment that will allow participants to view visual, ecological and economic outcomes of harvest options, as well as changes over time ....Acceptability of Forest Harvesting Systems. Fierce public debate over forest management has prompted forest agencies to develop and test alternative harvesting systems. This project will examine community response to these harvesting and regeneration options. It will avoid the biases of existing research by developing an interactive simulation of the forest environment that will allow participants to view visual, ecological and economic outcomes of harvest options, as well as changes over time as forest regenerates. Public judgements of the acceptability of harvesting options will be integrated with the outcomes of related biophysical studies to identify socially and ecologically sustainable management options for Australian native forests.Read moreRead less
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
Modelling the acoustical scattering properties of the human auditory system. The audio and entertainment industry is continually striving towards the development of immersive consumer technologies. Australian companies and researchers within this market sector utilise these audio technologies for many innovative applications, including virtual reality, communication, navigation, monitoring, and auditory products for the hearing impaired. These developments rely heavily on a fundamental understan ....Modelling the acoustical scattering properties of the human auditory system. The audio and entertainment industry is continually striving towards the development of immersive consumer technologies. Australian companies and researchers within this market sector utilise these audio technologies for many innovative applications, including virtual reality, communication, navigation, monitoring, and auditory products for the hearing impaired. These developments rely heavily on a fundamental understanding of our natural sense of spatial hearing. This project will extend the current understanding of the acoustic scattering mechanisms that govern the external auditory system, and provide critical enabling knowledge that will enhance the development of innovative audio technologies.Read moreRead less