Motor coordination in infancy and its relationship to motor and psychosocial development in childhood. Few studies have examined the impact of early motor development on later development, even though there is evidence to show that these early movements influence later motor ability. Motor development can also impact on cognitive, emotional and social development. The current study has data on early motor ability in over 90 infants which includes children at risk of developmental disorders. We ....Motor coordination in infancy and its relationship to motor and psychosocial development in childhood. Few studies have examined the impact of early motor development on later development, even though there is evidence to show that these early movements influence later motor ability. Motor development can also impact on cognitive, emotional and social development. The current study has data on early motor ability in over 90 infants which includes children at risk of developmental disorders. We will carry out a longitudinal investigation of the relationship between early motor development in infancy on motor and psychosocial development in childhood. The results will provide information on early markers for developmental disorders and appropriate intervention techniques than can be initiated in infancy. Read moreRead less
Integrating Models of Memory for Serial Order. This research aims to compare and integrate computational models of memory for serial order. The applicants have independently developed theoretically novel models, and this collaboration will enable them to combine and strengthen their complementary perspectives.
Much psychologically important processing, for example speech perception and spelling, requires the representation and reproduction of serial order information. Existing models account ....Integrating Models of Memory for Serial Order. This research aims to compare and integrate computational models of memory for serial order. The applicants have independently developed theoretically novel models, and this collaboration will enable them to combine and strengthen their complementary perspectives.
Much psychologically important processing, for example speech perception and spelling, requires the representation and reproduction of serial order information. Existing models account for a wide range of data and collectively represent exciting progress in the understanding of basic mechanisms of memory. Can these models be unified and reconciled? To date, detailed comparisons of models are lacking. This proposal is for the applicants to elaborate and unify their contrasting theoretical approaches.
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The role of time and similarity in short-term memory. The project examines the role of time and similarity in memory for serial order, with the long-term goal to construct a new computational model of short-term memory. The investigators are internationally known for their models, and the collaboration will enable them to combine their complementary perspectives into a unifying theory. Theory construction will be guided by two sets of studies: The first will delineate the circumstances, if any, ....The role of time and similarity in short-term memory. The project examines the role of time and similarity in memory for serial order, with the long-term goal to construct a new computational model of short-term memory. The investigators are internationally known for their models, and the collaboration will enable them to combine their complementary perspectives into a unifying theory. Theory construction will be guided by two sets of studies: The first will delineate the circumstances, if any, under which temporal separation at encoding affects memory. So far, we have shown that temporal distinctiveness has no effect on memory, unless people use temporal gaps to 'chunk' the list. The second set of studies will examine whether phonological similarity determines the strength of encoding.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the processes underlying human category learning. There is a pervasive belief that complex tasks can somehow be learned via a 'smart' implicit or procedural learning mechanism, which operates independently of memory and attention. This idea has important implications for our understanding of cognition. If true, there seems little point in providing explicit instruction in such tasks, and efforts to do so are, at best, wasted time and, at worst, detrimental to the learning process. Th ....Uncovering the processes underlying human category learning. There is a pervasive belief that complex tasks can somehow be learned via a 'smart' implicit or procedural learning mechanism, which operates independently of memory and attention. This idea has important implications for our understanding of cognition. If true, there seems little point in providing explicit instruction in such tasks, and efforts to do so are, at best, wasted time and, at worst, detrimental to the learning process. This project will provide much-needed scrutiny of this idea and will help not only to re-orient our understanding of how we deal with complex information, but will also highlight issues about data interpretation that are fundamental for the research and wider communities.Read moreRead less
Binding in working memory. Cross-modal binding?the integration of verbal and spatial features of events?is central to human cognition. However, it has been neglected in the study of working memory, where the dominant theoretical framework includes separate subsystems for the retention of verbal and spatial information. Using novel paradigms involving the concurrent auditory presentation of verbal and spatial information, the proposed research is directed at discovering (1) the fundamental chara ....Binding in working memory. Cross-modal binding?the integration of verbal and spatial features of events?is central to human cognition. However, it has been neglected in the study of working memory, where the dominant theoretical framework includes separate subsystems for the retention of verbal and spatial information. Using novel paradigms involving the concurrent auditory presentation of verbal and spatial information, the proposed research is directed at discovering (1) the fundamental characteristics of binding, and (2) the extent to which benchmark effects previously identified with a particular modality are ?inherited? by the other modality under conditions conducive to binding. Outcomes of the research will provide important constraints on the development of theories of working memory. In addition, the research will develop paradigms that have potentially important applications to clinical psychology, where diverse forms of psychopathology have been linked to deficits in binding.Read moreRead less
Time and Updating of Memory. What could be simpler than reading a few items, such as the digits in a phone number, and recalling them in the right order a short while later? Notwithstanding its apparent simplicity, this short-term serial recall task underlies sophisticated language abilities such as vocabulary acquisition and utterance production. Similarly, serial retention can be a critical element in mental arithmetic. A better understanding of short-term memory for serial order therefore has ....Time and Updating of Memory. What could be simpler than reading a few items, such as the digits in a phone number, and recalling them in the right order a short while later? Notwithstanding its apparent simplicity, this short-term serial recall task underlies sophisticated language abilities such as vocabulary acquisition and utterance production. Similarly, serial retention can be a critical element in mental arithmetic. A better understanding of short-term memory for serial order therefore has wide implications across many areas of education, in particular in primary school settings. The community benefit of this project arises from the improved teaching methods that can be developed on the basis of these results.Read moreRead less
The role of retrieval cues when remembering over the short term. This project has two principal benefits: A basic scientific outcome concerning the development of a cue-driven memory model and an applied outcome that can inform the design of language learning tools. A core assumption proposed to explain short-term memory performance is that an event's salience affects its memorability. To date however, this salience dimension has escaped experimental vigour. This project examines the conditions ....The role of retrieval cues when remembering over the short term. This project has two principal benefits: A basic scientific outcome concerning the development of a cue-driven memory model and an applied outcome that can inform the design of language learning tools. A core assumption proposed to explain short-term memory performance is that an event's salience affects its memorability. To date however, this salience dimension has escaped experimental vigour. This project examines the conditions under which some events are perceived to be more salient than others. In addition, by determining when, and which cues are more salient, the project can inform future design of language learning tools (e.g., interactive memory games). Read moreRead less
Memory And Time. What could be simpler than remembering a few items, such as the digits in a phone number, for a brief time in the right order? Notwithstanding its simplicity, this serial recall task is essential for sophisticated human abilities such as vocabulary acquisition. This project investigates whether chronological time is a causal variable in short-term memory, as some?but by no means all?theorists assume. Experiments will manipulate time between items at study and retrieval using nov ....Memory And Time. What could be simpler than remembering a few items, such as the digits in a phone number, for a brief time in the right order? Notwithstanding its simplicity, this serial recall task is essential for sophisticated human abilities such as vocabulary acquisition. This project investigates whether chronological time is a causal variable in short-term memory, as some?but by no means all?theorists assume. Experiments will manipulate time between items at study and retrieval using novel techniques, and thus observe the effect of time on memory. Computational models of psychological time will be developed to better predict memory performance.Read moreRead less
Revealing the beneficial effects of acoustic stimulation on the human brain. This project aims to provide greater understanding of the neural mechanisms by which initiation of motor responses can be improved by unexpected auditory stimulation. Initiating motor actions appears natural and effortless, but is underpinned by complex neural mechanisms that are not well understood. Using novel brain stimulation techniques, the project aims to assess the potential for properly timed strong sensory stim ....Revealing the beneficial effects of acoustic stimulation on the human brain. This project aims to provide greater understanding of the neural mechanisms by which initiation of motor responses can be improved by unexpected auditory stimulation. Initiating motor actions appears natural and effortless, but is underpinned by complex neural mechanisms that are not well understood. Using novel brain stimulation techniques, the project aims to assess the potential for properly timed strong sensory stimulation during movement preparation to induce neural plasticity and motor learning. This knowledge would have important implications across a number of fields, including neuroscience, sports science, and applied ergonomics.Read moreRead less
The genetic and diagnostic relationship between motor control and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). This project will utilise the expertise of leading researchers in Australia and the Netherlands to investigate the genetic and diagnostic relationship between these two disorders utilising a large sample of twins and their siblings. We will examine the neuropsych ....The genetic and diagnostic relationship between motor control and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). This project will utilise the expertise of leading researchers in Australia and the Netherlands to investigate the genetic and diagnostic relationship between these two disorders utilising a large sample of twins and their siblings. We will examine the neuropsychological functioning in these groups of children in order to gain a better understanding of their genetic relationship. These findings will provide insight into the current DSM-IV classification of these disorders compared with other models used to investigate the relationship between poor motor coordination and ADHD.Read moreRead less