Psychosocial and cognitive outcomes of residential relocation and retirement: The TRAnsitions In Later Life (TRAILL) project. Individual and social issues surrounding older adults' residential relocation and the transition to retirement are increasingly important in the context of Australia's ageing population. A better understanding of the factors that influence psychological well-being and intergenerational relationships during these major life transitions will play an important role in infor ....Psychosocial and cognitive outcomes of residential relocation and retirement: The TRAnsitions In Later Life (TRAILL) project. Individual and social issues surrounding older adults' residential relocation and the transition to retirement are increasingly important in the context of Australia's ageing population. A better understanding of the factors that influence psychological well-being and intergenerational relationships during these major life transitions will play an important role in informing government policy. This project aims to provide national and community benefits through informing policy related to housing and labour force participation, and by informing programs aimed at volunteer recruitment, retention and maximising the quality of the volunteer experience.Read moreRead less
New Partnerships: Promoting development in outback towns through voluntary programs for Grey Nomads. Older retired Australians who undertake extensive independent travel through outback regions of Australia may potentially bring economic, human and social capital to areas of extreme isolation and disadvantage by engaging in volunteer programs of short to medium duration. Such programs would enable the sharing of information, and skills between locals and visitors and enable the development of lo ....New Partnerships: Promoting development in outback towns through voluntary programs for Grey Nomads. Older retired Australians who undertake extensive independent travel through outback regions of Australia may potentially bring economic, human and social capital to areas of extreme isolation and disadvantage by engaging in volunteer programs of short to medium duration. Such programs would enable the sharing of information, and skills between locals and visitors and enable the development of local facilities and services. Engagement in such programs may also potentially enhance the grey nomad experience, contributing to a healthy productive ageing lifestyle. Read moreRead less
Building successful diverse communities: what works and why? This project is focused on strengthening locally-based interventions to maximise community harmony in the context of demographic diversity (ethnic, cultural, religious). It also will strengthen the relationship between world-leading researchers and senior policy experts and provides valuable research training for three junior scholars.
Linking to learn and learning to link: building integrated school-based support systems for children and families in a disadvantaged community. The project will implement in a disadvantaged community changed institutional practices within primary schools and a partner welfare agency to increase family-school connectedness to improve children's behaviour and school performance. We build on the Pathways Project, which improved these outcomes for vulnerable preschool children, but highlighted the c ....Linking to learn and learning to link: building integrated school-based support systems for children and families in a disadvantaged community. The project will implement in a disadvantaged community changed institutional practices within primary schools and a partner welfare agency to increase family-school connectedness to improve children's behaviour and school performance. We build on the Pathways Project, which improved these outcomes for vulnerable preschool children, but highlighted the critical importance of family involvement with schools to effect enduring change and the difficulties of achieving this within current structures. We address this challenge by nurturing whole-school culture change, providing teacher professional development, and locating family support resources within schools to promote home-school partnerships, family functioning, and child well-being. Read moreRead less
Radicalisation, Counter-Radicalisation, and De-Radicalisation: Developing a New Understanding of Terrorism in the Australian Context. Concentrating on the unique drivers of extremism within Victoria (and Australia), the study will enhance counter terrorism stakeholders' understanding of domestic radicalization. This will assist in designing policies appropriate for Australian circumstances that can: 1. pre-empt, prevent and detect radicalisation without jeopardising social cohesion and 2. reduce ....Radicalisation, Counter-Radicalisation, and De-Radicalisation: Developing a New Understanding of Terrorism in the Australian Context. Concentrating on the unique drivers of extremism within Victoria (and Australia), the study will enhance counter terrorism stakeholders' understanding of domestic radicalization. This will assist in designing policies appropriate for Australian circumstances that can: 1. pre-empt, prevent and detect radicalisation without jeopardising social cohesion and 2. reduce Australia's reliance on overseas counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation models, where practitioners confront different community dynamics. Working towards understanding what causes radicalization in Australia, the project offers to enhance national security and by addressing local circumstances carries the prospect of creating more cost-efficient counter terrorism practices.Read moreRead less
Cue Acquisition as a Mediator of Cognitive Skills Development. As the Australian workforce ages and there is a consequent reduction in the availability of experienced practitioners, organisations are going to be faced with the dilemma of placing relatively inexperienced staff in positions that were once occupied by experts. The result is a potential increase in the risks to critical infrastructure, such as electricity transmission. In this project, we expect to develop a set of principles that c ....Cue Acquisition as a Mediator of Cognitive Skills Development. As the Australian workforce ages and there is a consequent reduction in the availability of experienced practitioners, organisations are going to be faced with the dilemma of placing relatively inexperienced staff in positions that were once occupied by experts. The result is a potential increase in the risks to critical infrastructure, such as electricity transmission. In this project, we expect to develop a set of principles that can ensure that scenario based training is targeted to those aspects of the situation that are most important in maintaining the integrity of the system. The outcome is not only a safer system, but one that provides a structured approach to the acquisition of skills amongst employees.Read moreRead less
Flexible Expertise in Senior Executives. The prosperity of Australian society requires effective management in the face of accelerating economic, technological, social, and environmental changes. Leaders of Australian organizations must display flexibility in responding to the increasingly fluid and complex problems that confront them if they are to succeed in the global economy. An innovative model of flexible expertise that links synergisms of knowledge, self-regulatory processes, transfer and ....Flexible Expertise in Senior Executives. The prosperity of Australian society requires effective management in the face of accelerating economic, technological, social, and environmental changes. Leaders of Australian organizations must display flexibility in responding to the increasingly fluid and complex problems that confront them if they are to succeed in the global economy. An innovative model of flexible expertise that links synergisms of knowledge, self-regulatory processes, transfer and learning will be developed in studies of managers from leading Australian organizations. The results will be used to inform programs to accelerate the development of flexible expertise and leadership skills and address the current lack of human capital to fill executive leadership roles.Read moreRead less
Investigating voluntary and involuntary intergroup contact . Extensive research suggests that interactions between people of opposing groups - intergroup contact - reduce prejudices and improve social cohesion. Yet these benefits may not be realised if intergroup contact is actively avoided, passively received, or mandated. Drawing from social psychology and human geography, this project aims to establish the conditions under which voluntary contact occurs and how voluntary (vs. involuntary) int ....Investigating voluntary and involuntary intergroup contact . Extensive research suggests that interactions between people of opposing groups - intergroup contact - reduce prejudices and improve social cohesion. Yet these benefits may not be realised if intergroup contact is actively avoided, passively received, or mandated. Drawing from social psychology and human geography, this project aims to establish the conditions under which voluntary contact occurs and how voluntary (vs. involuntary) intergroup contact shapes diversity experiences and impacts social attitudes, trust, and civic participation. With data from multiple settings and participant populations, this project has the potential to inform interventions and policies that deliver harmonious, healthy and productive communities.Read moreRead less
Emotional responses to comparisons in romantic relationships: implications for relationship wellbeing. This project will identify the nature of the emotions that stem from comparisons between romantic partners. It will reveal how these emotions in turn impact relationship dynamics and ultimately, relationship wellbeing. This research will provide important insights into the underlying processes that make some relationships thrive and others fail.
The role of implicit identity and implicit beliefs in recovery from mental illness. Although effective treatments have been developed for many mental disorders, some people still fail to recover when others with a similar psychological profile respond well to therapy. The proposed research addresses this conundrum by examining the role of unconscious identification with mental illnesses and the role it plays in recovery.