Acquiring Social Fears in Infancy: Underlying Mechanisms and Implications for Behavioural Intervention. Social fears are wide-spread in the community and crippling for those affected. This study aims to (i) isolate parental behaviours and practices that result in elevated and persistent infant fear within social interactions, and (ii) establish the psychological mechanisms (e.g., observational learning) and temperamental features that underpin the transmission of social fears from mother to infa ....Acquiring Social Fears in Infancy: Underlying Mechanisms and Implications for Behavioural Intervention. Social fears are wide-spread in the community and crippling for those affected. This study aims to (i) isolate parental behaviours and practices that result in elevated and persistent infant fear within social interactions, and (ii) establish the psychological mechanisms (e.g., observational learning) and temperamental features that underpin the transmission of social fears from mother to infant. By elucidating the processes involved in the transmission of social fears, this investigation will enrich theories of emotional development in infancy, contribute to our understanding of serious conditions such as childhood shyness and Social Phobia, and provide an empirical basis for the development of effective methods of early intervention.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness of social skills training for children with autism. Our industry partner, Aspect Australia, is one of the world's largest providers of educational and other services for people with autism. The demonstration of effectiveness of the program in Aspect classes will likely lead to widespread use and benefit of the program in the education sector nationally and internationally. This in turn would lead to potential lessening of disability in children with autism with improvements in thei ....Effectiveness of social skills training for children with autism. Our industry partner, Aspect Australia, is one of the world's largest providers of educational and other services for people with autism. The demonstration of effectiveness of the program in Aspect classes will likely lead to widespread use and benefit of the program in the education sector nationally and internationally. This in turn would lead to potential lessening of disability in children with autism with improvements in their mental health and significant cost savings to the community.Read moreRead less
Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent ....Health and resilience in the preschool years: An innovative approach to early intervention. Given the prevalence of psychopathology in childhood, it is essential that we maximise the effectiveness of early intervention (EI). Drawing on theory and research highlighting the marked influence, on cognitive and socio-emotional development, of particular kinds of parent-child discussions about past experiences, this project aims to foster preschooler's achievement of key developmental tasks (emergent literacy, emotion knowledge, attachment) by training parents and children in effective conversational styles. The research will (i) develop an innovative, theoretically-driven approach to EI, (ii) test this approach in clinical and nonclinical populations, and (iii) provide a strong test of social interaction theories of development.Read moreRead less
An Investigation of Intersubjectivity: Music Therapy and Hospitalised Infants. A contingent relationship is vital for normal infant development. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which supplies life-saving modern medical technology to very sick infants, is also an environment where contingency is rarely available to the infant . In this environment, a Music Therapist ?improvising? with the infant, can re-introduce contingency to the infant, and encourage infant self-regulation. This project inv ....An Investigation of Intersubjectivity: Music Therapy and Hospitalised Infants. A contingent relationship is vital for normal infant development. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which supplies life-saving modern medical technology to very sick infants, is also an environment where contingency is rarely available to the infant . In this environment, a Music Therapist ?improvising? with the infant, can re-introduce contingency to the infant, and encourage infant self-regulation. This project investigates the efficacy of a Music Therapy intervention in improving infant health, and micro-analyses the interaction between infant and therapist in order to further understand the nature of the Communicative Musicality of the interaction.Read moreRead less
Novel cellular functions of the microtubule-associated protein tau: Physiological and pathological implications. The social and economic burden of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is enormous, and by 2040 more than 500,000 Australians will suffer from this disease. A key histopathological hallmark of this and many other related diseases are insoluble deposits of the protein tau. Research into novel functions of tau in signalling and transport (both of which are heavily compromised in diseased brains) wi ....Novel cellular functions of the microtubule-associated protein tau: Physiological and pathological implications. The social and economic burden of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is enormous, and by 2040 more than 500,000 Australians will suffer from this disease. A key histopathological hallmark of this and many other related diseases are insoluble deposits of the protein tau. Research into novel functions of tau in signalling and transport (both of which are heavily compromised in diseased brains) will be followed directly by assay development for tau-directed drug screening. The national benefit of this research is manifold by (a) patenting new data, (b) developing treatment strategies for an un-curable disease, and (c) establishing links to the growing Australian biotech industry (in addition to existing links to international pharmaceutical companies).Read moreRead less
Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: Dissecting synaptosomal dysfunction in transgenic animal models. There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease (AD). This project will dissect pathogenic mechanisms, identify new drug targets, and develop treatment strategies, all of which will be patented and eventually lead to a decrease in health costs in Australia. This research clearly falls under the national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health. Our findings are expected to benefit pat ....Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: Dissecting synaptosomal dysfunction in transgenic animal models. There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease (AD). This project will dissect pathogenic mechanisms, identify new drug targets, and develop treatment strategies, all of which will be patented and eventually lead to a decrease in health costs in Australia. This research clearly falls under the national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health. Our findings are expected to benefit patients in addition to those suffering from AD, as pathocascades and pathogenic mechanisms are shared between a range of neurodegenerative disorders. Read moreRead less
Knowing in advance: Effective strategies for preparing young children for novel experiences. To optimise cognitive and emotional development, it is critical to identify the influences on children's lives. How parent-child conversations about the past shape development is well understood, but scant research has examined how adult-child preparatory discussions influence children's experience and memory of future events. Our research addresses this gap. It has important implications in medical, edu ....Knowing in advance: Effective strategies for preparing young children for novel experiences. To optimise cognitive and emotional development, it is critical to identify the influences on children's lives. How parent-child conversations about the past shape development is well understood, but scant research has examined how adult-child preparatory discussions influence children's experience and memory of future events. Our research addresses this gap. It has important implications in medical, educational, and other contexts in which it is vital to ensure that information given in advance increases children's understanding of an experience. More generally, in specifying optimal parent-child interactions, the findings are also relevant to interventions aiming to enhance psychological and emotional resilience in the early years. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560916
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$323,400.00
Summary
Magnetic resonance in humans: Equipment for neuroscience studies. The structure, function and biochemistry of the human brain can now be assessed non-invasively using magnetic resonance (MR) techniques. A 3 Tesla MR facility with half its time available for research has recently been established at POWMRI. This application seeks state-of-the-art equipment so that the facility can optimise its research potential and enhance its scientific output. Research is directed to understanding how the nor ....Magnetic resonance in humans: Equipment for neuroscience studies. The structure, function and biochemistry of the human brain can now be assessed non-invasively using magnetic resonance (MR) techniques. A 3 Tesla MR facility with half its time available for research has recently been established at POWMRI. This application seeks state-of-the-art equipment so that the facility can optimise its research potential and enhance its scientific output. Research is directed to understanding how the normal brain functions, how deficits in function develop, and how the function and structure of the brain change with age. This grant will help establish an internationally-competitive, broadly-based facility which is dedicated to understanding the human brain.Read moreRead less
Preventing Suicide: A psychological autopsy study of the last contact with a health professional before suicide. In Australia, 48% of all suicides in 2000 were by 35-64 year olds; an additional 13% were by 65 years and over. This study will examine the last clinical contact older suicide victims had with health professionals in order to determine whether this contact offers an opportunity for intervention. For the first time in Australia, GP's, health professionals, and the deceased's next-of-ki ....Preventing Suicide: A psychological autopsy study of the last contact with a health professional before suicide. In Australia, 48% of all suicides in 2000 were by 35-64 year olds; an additional 13% were by 65 years and over. This study will examine the last clinical contact older suicide victims had with health professionals in order to determine whether this contact offers an opportunity for intervention. For the first time in Australia, GP's, health professionals, and the deceased's next-of-kin will be interviewed to determine the context surrounding the deceased's death, and the abilities of health professionals to identify warning signs and to intervene prior to suicide. Given our ageing population, the outcomes will be significant in educating all health professionals to identify suicidal signs, and to prevent premature death in the elderly.Read moreRead less
Quantifying cortical thickness and white matter hyperintensity volumes and determining their relationship on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in ageing brains. Australia's population is ageing, with a significant projected increase in the number of people aged over 65 and 85. Mental health and quality of life for this ageing population have become an increasingly important issue. This project directly addresses the National Research Priority 2 in the terms of ageing well, ageing productively. Accurat ....Quantifying cortical thickness and white matter hyperintensity volumes and determining their relationship on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in ageing brains. Australia's population is ageing, with a significant projected increase in the number of people aged over 65 and 85. Mental health and quality of life for this ageing population have become an increasingly important issue. This project directly addresses the National Research Priority 2 in the terms of ageing well, ageing productively. Accurately measuring the distribution of brain structural changes is an effective way of differentiating normal ageing from various pathological conditions reflecting the underlying pathology. The project has access to an unprecedented large sample of longitudinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging and health/clinical data and will produce a set of algorithms to examine this issue and put Australia at the forefront of such research.Read moreRead less