Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100606
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,105.00
Summary
Investigating how visual imagery influences cognition. This project will characterise the role visual imagery plays in other cognitive functions, namely visual working memory and attention. This will be done by studying two special populations that have extreme forms of visual imagery: aphantasia and synaesthesia. This work will develop innovative psychophysics and physiological techniques to identify different cognitive strategies used to solve visual working memory and attention tasks. Further ....Investigating how visual imagery influences cognition. This project will characterise the role visual imagery plays in other cognitive functions, namely visual working memory and attention. This will be done by studying two special populations that have extreme forms of visual imagery: aphantasia and synaesthesia. This work will develop innovative psychophysics and physiological techniques to identify different cognitive strategies used to solve visual working memory and attention tasks. Further magnetoencephalography (MEG) decoding approaches will be used to compare and contrast the neural signatures of voluntary and involuntary visual imagery, working memory, and attention. This work will help us understand why some individuals have better imaginations, memory, and attention than others. Read moreRead less
Understanding the role of mental imagery in cognition and behaviour. This project aims to develop objective physiological methods to measure mental imagery, uncover its brain mechanisms using neuroimaging and show how it biases cognition. It has long been suspected that mental imagery biases cognition, visual working memory and perception. However, showing this has been difficult due to a lack of measurement techniques. Here this is overcome by developing novel assay technologies and applying th ....Understanding the role of mental imagery in cognition and behaviour. This project aims to develop objective physiological methods to measure mental imagery, uncover its brain mechanisms using neuroimaging and show how it biases cognition. It has long been suspected that mental imagery biases cognition, visual working memory and perception. However, showing this has been difficult due to a lack of measurement techniques. Here this is overcome by developing novel assay technologies and applying them to the extremes of imagery, Aphantasia (no imagery) and Hyperphantasia (strong and vivid imagery). Expected outcomes include new measurement tools for generations of scientists, understanding the brain mechanisms of imagery and showing how our cognition (memory, risk, investing) is biased by mental imagery. Read moreRead less
Towards a cognitive process model of how attention and choice interact. Before making any decision, we must gather information on what options are available. This process may influence the choices we make: if we do not notice an option, we will not choose it even if it would have been valuable. This project aims to examine how prior experience can produce attentional biases that influence decisions, and will develop a new computational model of this interaction of attention and choice as an outc ....Towards a cognitive process model of how attention and choice interact. Before making any decision, we must gather information on what options are available. This process may influence the choices we make: if we do not notice an option, we will not choose it even if it would have been valuable. This project aims to examine how prior experience can produce attentional biases that influence decisions, and will develop a new computational model of this interaction of attention and choice as an outcome. This new knowledge will enhance the world-class status of Australian cognitive psychology. Moreover, it should provide significant benefits through improving our ability to predict and shape behaviour, and shedding light on the role of biases in healthy cognition and in the context of compulsive behaviours.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240101039
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$468,592.00
Summary
The Impact of Online Social Interactions on Adolescent Cognition. Human cognition has evolved to navigate our complex social interactions. Today these interactions often take place online, especially for adolescents. This project aims to investigate whether and how online interactions shape adolescent cognitive development. The project will overcome current methodological limitations through novel measurements of online interactions and cognition in the real-world and across development. Expecte ....The Impact of Online Social Interactions on Adolescent Cognition. Human cognition has evolved to navigate our complex social interactions. Today these interactions often take place online, especially for adolescents. This project aims to investigate whether and how online interactions shape adolescent cognitive development. The project will overcome current methodological limitations through novel measurements of online interactions and cognition in the real-world and across development. Expected outcomes include new knowledge on the cognitive harms and benefits of online interactions and a framework to guide future developmental research in the digital age. These outcomes will provide significant benefits including novel assessments and insights to inform policy recommendations around digital behaviours.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL220100061
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,147,256.00
Summary
Literacy in adolescence: The next major challenge in the science of reading. This project aims to address the pressing problem of why Australian secondary school children have been declining in literacy. To do so is crucial, since adolescence is a period when strong literacy is critical for knowledge acquisition and preparation for adult life. The project will use a range of theoretically-informed methods to scrutinise cognitive processes in adolescent reading, as well as identify interactions b ....Literacy in adolescence: The next major challenge in the science of reading. This project aims to address the pressing problem of why Australian secondary school children have been declining in literacy. To do so is crucial, since adolescence is a period when strong literacy is critical for knowledge acquisition and preparation for adult life. The project will use a range of theoretically-informed methods to scrutinise cognitive processes in adolescent reading, as well as identify interactions between reading progress and socio-emotional functioning and motivation. Expected outcomes will be the first comprehensive account of secondary school reading acquisition and new insights into how to optimise progress. These will inform research, policy, and reading instruction practice, to the benefit of Australia's children.Read moreRead less