Improving Productivity in Emergency Service Personnel. Emergency service personnel experience marked levels of lost productivity, absenteeism, early retirements, and compensation claims as a result of stress reactions. This project aims to improve productivity and reduce compensation costs in emergency service organisations by evaluating a program that reduces stress reactions and increases cognitive functioning in police, firefighters, and paramedics in NSW. An individual program will be admini ....Improving Productivity in Emergency Service Personnel. Emergency service personnel experience marked levels of lost productivity, absenteeism, early retirements, and compensation claims as a result of stress reactions. This project aims to improve productivity and reduce compensation costs in emergency service organisations by evaluating a program that reduces stress reactions and increases cognitive functioning in police, firefighters, and paramedics in NSW. An individual program will be administered to 120 emergency service personnel who have difficulty maintaining their work duties because of stress reactions. Expected outcomes will be reduction in absenteeism, improved productivity, and reduced costs to insurers.
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Faces in context: A new ecological paradigm for person identification. Accurate face recognition is critical to normal social functioning of individuals and identity management processes that underpin a secure and fair Australia. Current understanding is based on tests that do not capture the rich context surrounding person identification in daily life. This project aims to introduce new methods for observing person identification in daily life and real-world tasks that are critical to border se ....Faces in context: A new ecological paradigm for person identification. Accurate face recognition is critical to normal social functioning of individuals and identity management processes that underpin a secure and fair Australia. Current understanding is based on tests that do not capture the rich context surrounding person identification in daily life. This project aims to introduce new methods for observing person identification in daily life and real-world tasks that are critical to border security, criminal investigations and the justice system. Expected outcomes include an integrated framework for person identification describing the cognitive mechanisms that link faces to surrounding visual context and the viewer’s background knowledge. Benefits in forensic, security and legal settings are expected.Read moreRead less
A comprehensive framework for modelling the human connectome. The human brain is an extraordinarily complex network of interconnected cells. This project aims to use mathematical modelling and brain imaging to uncover key principles of network wiring in the human brain. Using an interdisciplinary approach that combines elements of neuroscience, genetics, physics, and psychology, the project will result in a new, rigorous framework for testing competing theories of brain development, the identifi ....A comprehensive framework for modelling the human connectome. The human brain is an extraordinarily complex network of interconnected cells. This project aims to use mathematical modelling and brain imaging to uncover key principles of network wiring in the human brain. Using an interdisciplinary approach that combines elements of neuroscience, genetics, physics, and psychology, the project will result in a new, rigorous framework for testing competing theories of brain development, the identification of key wiring principles for developing brains, and an understanding of how these principles shape behaviour. This work will shed new light on the developmental processes that underlie human behaviour and disease.Read moreRead less
Unleashing the potential of VR: reducing sickness in head-mounted displays. Virtual reality (VR) is a breakthrough technology with a host of applied uses. Unfortunately, many people become sick when using head-mounted displays (HMDs). Our project proposes, and aims to test, a new theory of this cybersickness. We intend to quantify the sensory conflicts produced by HMD VR for the first time and measure their effects on perception, eye-movements, balance and well-being. The project will 1) determi ....Unleashing the potential of VR: reducing sickness in head-mounted displays. Virtual reality (VR) is a breakthrough technology with a host of applied uses. Unfortunately, many people become sick when using head-mounted displays (HMDs). Our project proposes, and aims to test, a new theory of this cybersickness. We intend to quantify the sensory conflicts produced by HMD VR for the first time and measure their effects on perception, eye-movements, balance and well-being. The project will 1) determine the causes of, and conditions responsible for, cybersickness; and 2) offer practical information on how to prevent it. These outcomes are expected to directly benefit, and greatly improve HMD use in, fields ranging from defence, education, entertainment, gaming, medicine, real estate, simulation training and tourism.Read moreRead less
Understanding the impact of missing family on forcibly displaced people. This project aims to investigate the psychological and social effects of having missing family on forcibly displaced people settled in Australia. This world-first project enlists a longitudinal mixed-method approach to compare those with missing family to those whose connections have been restored on key outcomes and coping strategies. Project outcomes will enhance the ability of Australian Red Cross and the International C ....Understanding the impact of missing family on forcibly displaced people. This project aims to investigate the psychological and social effects of having missing family on forcibly displaced people settled in Australia. This world-first project enlists a longitudinal mixed-method approach to compare those with missing family to those whose connections have been restored on key outcomes and coping strategies. Project outcomes will enhance the ability of Australian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross to understand and support the needs of families of the missing. This should provide significant practice and policy benefits for Red Cross’ humanitarian work in restoring family links in Australia and worldwide.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
Facilitating the attainment of difficult goals: From theory to intervention. Being persistent in pursuing an important goal is glorified in society. People, however, often need to be strategic in their goal pursuits. A series of lab and field studies will aim to test how helping individuals to realise early in their goal striving whether their goal is attainable or not, can support them in making the right decision (persist with, abandon, or change the goal). The project will make novel contribu ....Facilitating the attainment of difficult goals: From theory to intervention. Being persistent in pursuing an important goal is glorified in society. People, however, often need to be strategic in their goal pursuits. A series of lab and field studies will aim to test how helping individuals to realise early in their goal striving whether their goal is attainable or not, can support them in making the right decision (persist with, abandon, or change the goal). The project will make novel contributions to theories of motivation and goal regulation. It will also have significant public benefit as it will provide the necessary evidence for the development of brief interventions that maximise the efficient use of individuals’ limited resources, facilitating individual and societal productivity and well-being.Read moreRead less
Approaching the Out group Unlocks Intergroup Contact's Benefits for Society. Extensive research on group desegregation shows that intergroup contact (face-to-face interactions between people of opposing groups) should be encouraged for harmonious group relations; such contact maximises social integration, self-esteem, health, and productivity. However, these benefits are often missed as people actively avoid intergroup contact. This research introduces a theoretically- and empirically-grounded t ....Approaching the Out group Unlocks Intergroup Contact's Benefits for Society. Extensive research on group desegregation shows that intergroup contact (face-to-face interactions between people of opposing groups) should be encouraged for harmonious group relations; such contact maximises social integration, self-esteem, health, and productivity. However, these benefits are often missed as people actively avoid intergroup contact. This research introduces a theoretically- and empirically-grounded typology of contact approach-avoidance that aims to: identify personal and situational determinants driving out-group approach in natural settings; delineate outcomes of out-group approach for psychological processes critical to intergroup relations; and, indicate new interventions for encouraging intergroup contact.Read moreRead less
Stereotype threat, disengagement, and wellbeing among older employees. This project aims to identify when and how stereotype threat leads to disengagement among older workers and consequences for their wellbeing. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of the factors that predict who will experience disengagement at work, withdrawal of effort, reduced job satisfaction, and increased likelihood of quitting as a result of demeaning age-related stereotypes. The project’s results should pro ....Stereotype threat, disengagement, and wellbeing among older employees. This project aims to identify when and how stereotype threat leads to disengagement among older workers and consequences for their wellbeing. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of the factors that predict who will experience disengagement at work, withdrawal of effort, reduced job satisfaction, and increased likelihood of quitting as a result of demeaning age-related stereotypes. The project’s results should provide a clearer theoretical understanding of stereotype threat and can be used to inform strategies for enhancing engagement at work. This project should benefit and improve the working lives of older employees.Read moreRead less
Things don’t always go better with Coke. This project aims to test whether soft drink use is governed partly by automatic processes (cognitive biases) that operate largely outside of conscious control. In so doing, the project expects to generate a new conceptual understanding of the mechanisms that drive the overconsumption of soft drinks. Expected outcomes include theoretical innovation, new research methodologies, and accessible cost-effective technologies for reducing excessive sugar intake ....Things don’t always go better with Coke. This project aims to test whether soft drink use is governed partly by automatic processes (cognitive biases) that operate largely outside of conscious control. In so doing, the project expects to generate a new conceptual understanding of the mechanisms that drive the overconsumption of soft drinks. Expected outcomes include theoretical innovation, new research methodologies, and accessible cost-effective technologies for reducing excessive sugar intake from soft drinks, in line with recent World Health Organization guidelines. These outcomes will contribute to combatting obesity and tooth decay.Read moreRead less