Combating Misinformation – Designing a Toolkit to Address a Global Problem. Misinformation impairs people’s cognition – their memory, reasoning and judgements – even if credible corrections are issued; it therefore poses a significant threat to evidence-based practice and policy. This project aims to develop novel psychological interventions to reduce the impact of misinformation, based on an experimental research program designed to systematically assess the effects of various types of misinfor ....Combating Misinformation – Designing a Toolkit to Address a Global Problem. Misinformation impairs people’s cognition – their memory, reasoning and judgements – even if credible corrections are issued; it therefore poses a significant threat to evidence-based practice and policy. This project aims to develop novel psychological interventions to reduce the impact of misinformation, based on an experimental research program designed to systematically assess the effects of various types of misinformation on cognition and behaviour. The expected outcome is the development of new knowledge regarding misinformation processing and communication and its translation into a toolkit for practical application. This promises to improve individual and public decision making and foster a culture of accurate information exchange.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
The Misinformation Future—Confronting Emerging Threats. Misinformation presents challenges to public health and democracy. Though psychological research has explored processing mechanisms and countermeasures, new threats are arising that need to be confronted. This project aims to help meet these threats by (a) investigating misinformation impacts on future-oriented cognition and behaviours, with a focus on global long-term issues and (b) addressing the unique challenges posed by visual and synt ....The Misinformation Future—Confronting Emerging Threats. Misinformation presents challenges to public health and democracy. Though psychological research has explored processing mechanisms and countermeasures, new threats are arising that need to be confronted. This project aims to help meet these threats by (a) investigating misinformation impacts on future-oriented cognition and behaviours, with a focus on global long-term issues and (b) addressing the unique challenges posed by visual and synthetic (AI-generated) misinformation. The expected outcome is new knowledge on the processing and impacts of emerging types of misinformation and translation into practical interventions. These promise to benefit consumers, educators and policymakers, contributing to a healthier information environment.Read moreRead less
Violent music: social, psychological, and neurological implications. This project will examine the forms and prevalence of violent music; its short- and long-term effects on aggression, emotional states and cognitive function; and neurological correlates of engagement with violent music. Music with violent themes is often blamed for antisocial or criminal behaviour, but we have little scientific understanding of the extent to which violent music interacts with social attitudes, emotions, actions ....Violent music: social, psychological, and neurological implications. This project will examine the forms and prevalence of violent music; its short- and long-term effects on aggression, emotional states and cognitive function; and neurological correlates of engagement with violent music. Music with violent themes is often blamed for antisocial or criminal behaviour, but we have little scientific understanding of the extent to which violent music interacts with social attitudes, emotions, actions and cognitive functions in musicians and fans. The project is expected to develop an empirically driven model of the pathways between violent music, thought and action, and to test hypotheses for how negative consequences of exposure to violent music can be minimised and social and psychological benefits maximised.Read moreRead less
How effective are disclaimer labels on fashion magazine images? Commentators and researchers from a number of Western countries, including Australia, have suggested that idealised media images in fashion magazines should carry some sort of disclaimer informing readers when these images have been digitally enhanced. The overall aim of this project is to investigate the impact of disclaimer labels on women's mood and body dissatisfaction. Expected outcomes include recommendations to policy makers ....How effective are disclaimer labels on fashion magazine images? Commentators and researchers from a number of Western countries, including Australia, have suggested that idealised media images in fashion magazines should carry some sort of disclaimer informing readers when these images have been digitally enhanced. The overall aim of this project is to investigate the impact of disclaimer labels on women's mood and body dissatisfaction. Expected outcomes include recommendations to policy makers as to the most effective form of intervention, as well as increased theoretical understanding of the operation of disclaimer labels.Read moreRead less
Massive black holes in dense star clusters. This project will be investigating the metamorphosis of dense star clusters containing millions of stars into massive black holes at the centres of galaxies. The research will be undertaken using the world's largest optical telescopes and one of the nation's fastest supercomputers.
Keeping Memory Current: Updating and Discounting of Information. This project is about understanding the human cognitive capacity to manage change. The need to manage change is a common thread that permeates nearly all National Research Priorities and is a central issue in an information society. The applied component of the project will develop techniques to improve the capabilities of individuals and communities to rely on up-to-date knowledge during decision making. The project will also cont ....Keeping Memory Current: Updating and Discounting of Information. This project is about understanding the human cognitive capacity to manage change. The need to manage change is a common thread that permeates nearly all National Research Priorities and is a central issue in an information society. The applied component of the project will develop techniques to improve the capabilities of individuals and communities to rely on up-to-date knowledge during decision making. The project will also contribute to psychological science in numerous ways. Basic research in psychology is of particular national benefit because the available national research funding is commensurate with the requirements of world-class research in psychology.Read moreRead less
The hearts of galaxies. The centres of galaxies harbour fascinating astrophysical objects, such as black holes one thousand million times more massive than our Sun. This project will measure the damage that they have caused, searching for binary black holes, and helping to determine the extent to which galaxies have collided.
Mathematical modelling of information flow in social networks. This proposal aims to develop new mathematical and statistical methods to understand information flow in social networks. By using novel information theoretic techniques, it will create new methods to characterise social information flow in social networks. These tools will allow derivation of fundamental limits of predictability for AI methods applied to digital data. New mathematics of information flow will produce insights into so ....Mathematical modelling of information flow in social networks. This proposal aims to develop new mathematical and statistical methods to understand information flow in social networks. By using novel information theoretic techniques, it will create new methods to characterise social information flow in social networks. These tools will allow derivation of fundamental limits of predictability for AI methods applied to digital data. New mathematics of information flow will produce insights into social influence in online social networks. Benefits include: better understanding of how echo chambers may form in social networks, predictive models for how misinformation can spread online such as during an emergency, and a framework for intercomparison of AI methods applied to digital data on individuals. Read moreRead less
New approaches measuring Australia’s creative workforce: Beyond the Census . This project aims to develop new approaches to measuring Australia’s creative workforce to address increasingly urgent questions about the value of this growing but poorly understood part of the economy and society. It expects to develop and demonstrate novel methods for capturing a range of creative activity currently at the margins of traditional measurement typified by the Census. Expected outcomes, which will benefi ....New approaches measuring Australia’s creative workforce: Beyond the Census . This project aims to develop new approaches to measuring Australia’s creative workforce to address increasingly urgent questions about the value of this growing but poorly understood part of the economy and society. It expects to develop and demonstrate novel methods for capturing a range of creative activity currently at the margins of traditional measurement typified by the Census. Expected outcomes, which will benefit industry partners, the cultural and creative industries, and international scholarship, include new understandings of the scope of creative qualifications, the contribution of creatives working outside the creative industries, the extent of second and other incomes, and the value of volunteering and online entrepreneurship.Read moreRead less