ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6221-6064
Current Organisations
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
,
Arizona State University Institute of Human Origins
,
Evolutionary Studies Institute University of the Witswatersrand
,
National Museums of Kenya
,
University of Missouri Columbia
,
University of Missouri
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Health sciences | Human society | Nursing | Public health | Social work
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
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Publications
Comparative biomechanics of the Pan and Macaca mandibles during mastication: finite element modelling of loading, deformation and strain r
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 13-08-2021
Abstract: The mechanical behaviour of the mandibles of Pan and Macaca during mastication was compared using finite element modelling. Muscle forces were calculated using species-specific measures of physiological cross-sectional area and scaled using electromyographic estimates of muscle recruitment in Macaca . Loading regimes were compared using moments acting on the mandible and strain regimes were qualitatively compared using maps of principal, shear and axial strains. The enlarged and more vertically oriented temporalis and superficial masseter muscles of Pan result in larger sagittal and transverse bending moments on both working and balancing sides, and larger anteroposterior twisting moments on the working side. The mandible of Pan experiences higher principal strain magnitudes in the ramus and mandibular prominence, higher transverse shear strains in the top of the symphyseal region and working-side corpus, and a predominance of sagittal bending-related strains in the balancing-side mandible. This study lays the foundation for a broader comparative study of Hominidae mandibular mechanics in extant and fossil hominids using finite element modelling. Pan 's larger and more vertical masseter and temporalis may make it a more suitable model for hominid mandibular biomechanics than Macaca .
Constructing optimal experience for the hospitalized newborn through neuro-based music therapy
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 03-09-2015
The Effect of a Voice-Centered Psycho-Educational Program on Maternal Self-Efficacy: A Feasibility Study
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 04-03-2021
Abstract: This study examined the effect of a brief psycho-educational program, Time Together, on maternal self-efficacy, mother-infant bonding, and mood/anxiety for community-based mothers. This program centered on maternal voice, timing of interplay, and recognition of infant cues. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design included quantitative measures: the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale, the Mother-Infant Bonding Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and State & Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a sequential qualitative analysis to elaborate on the quantitative findings. Significant changes on the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale were found. Qualitative analysis of the participant interviews and reflective diaries from the two weeks following the psycho-educational program confirmed that participation enhanced mothers’ ability to understand their infant, to soothe their infant when distressed, to play and to establish an effective bedtime routine. This feasibility study indicated that this is a promising approach to improve early mother-infant interaction and maternal self-efficacy.
The challenges and benefits of a genuine partnership between Music Therapy and Neuroscience: a dialog between scientist and therapist
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 05-2015
The Mechanism of Speech Processing in Congenital Amusia: Evidence from Mandarin Speakers
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 08-02-2012
Dental Ontogeny in Pliocene and Early Pleistocene Hominins
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 18-02-2015
An Agenda for Best Practice Research on Group Singing, Health, and Well-Being
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2019
Abstract: Research on choirs and other forms of group singing has been conducted for several decades and there has been a recent focus on the potential health and well-being benefits, particularly in amateur singers. Experimental, quantitative, and qualitative studies show evidence of a range of biopsychosocial and well-being benefits to singers however, there are many challenges to rigor and replicability. To support the advances of research into group singing, the authors met and discussed theoretical and methodological issues to be addressed in future studies. The authors are from five countries and represent the following disciplinary perspectives: music psychology, music therapy, community music, clinical psychology, educational and developmental psychology, evolutionary psychology, health psychology, social psychology, and public health. This article summarizes our collective thoughts in relation to the priority questions for future group singing research, theoretical frameworks, potential solutions for design and ethical challenges, quantitative measures, qualitative methods, and whether there is scope for a benchmarking set of measures across singing projects. With eight key recommendations, the article sets an agenda for best practice research on group singing.
Correction for Thompson et al., Reduced sensitivity to emotional prosody in congenital amusia rekindles the musical protolanguage hypothesis
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 24-01-2013
Reducing Chronic Visuo-Spatial Neglect Following Right Hemisphere Stroke Through Instrument Playing
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 11-06-2014
Affective evaluation of simultaneous tone combinations in congenital amusia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA.2015.10.004
Abstract: Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired pitch processing. Although pitch simultaneities are among the fundamental building blocks of Western tonal music, affective responses to simultaneities such as isolated dyads varying in consonance/dissonance or chords varying in major/minor quality have rarely been studied in amusic in iduals. Thirteen amusics and thirteen matched controls enculturated to Western tonal music provided pleasantness ratings of sine-tone dyads and complex-tone dyads in piano timbre as well as perceived happiness/sadness ratings of sine-tone triads and complex-tone triads in piano timbre. Acoustical analyses of roughness and harmonicity were conducted to determine whether similar acoustic information contributed to these evaluations in amusics and controls. Amusic in iduals' pleasantness ratings indicated sensitivity to consonance and dissonance for complex-tone (piano timbre) dyads and, to a lesser degree, sine-tone dyads, whereas controls showed sensitivity when listening to both tone types. Furthermore, amusic in iduals showed some sensitivity to the happiness-major association in the complex-tone condition, but not in the sine-tone condition. Controls rated major chords as happier than minor chords in both tone types. Linear regression analyses revealed that affective ratings of dyads and triads by amusic in iduals were predicted by roughness but not harmonicity, whereas affective ratings by controls were predicted by both roughness and harmonicity. We discuss affective sensitivity in congenital amusia in view of theories of affective responses to isolated chords in Western listeners.
A study protocol for testing the feasibility of a randomised stepped wedge cluster design to investigate a Community Health Intervention through Musical Engagement (CHIME) for perinatal mental health
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-11-2019
DOI: 10.1186/S40814-019-0515-5
Abstract: Perinatal mental health problems affect up to one in five women worldwide. Mental health problems in the perinatal period are a particular challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where they can be at least twice as frequent as in higher-income countries. It is thus of high priority to develop new low-cost, low-resource, non-stigmatising and culturally appropriate approaches to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression perinatally, for the benefit of both mother and child. Music-centred approaches may be particularly useful in The Gambia since a range of musical practices that specifically engage pregnant women and new mothers already exist. This protocol is for a study to examine the feasibility of undertaking a stepped wedge trial to test how a Community Health Intervention through Musical Engagement (CHIME) could be beneficial in alleviating perinatal mental distress in The Gambia. In this study, we plan to recruit 120 pregnant women ( n = 60 intervention, n = 60 control) at four antenatal clinics over two 6-week stepped sequences. Women in the intervention will participate in weekly group-singing sessions, led by local Kanyeleng singing groups, for 6 weeks. The control group will receive standard care. We will assess symptoms of anxiety and depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). The feasibility of the design will be assessed through recruitment, retention and attrition rates of participants, clinics' adherence to the schedule and completeness of data by site. Qualitative interviews and video and audio recordings will be used to evaluate the acceptability of the intervention. This feasibility trial will allow us to determine whether a larger trial with the same intervention and target group is feasible and acceptable in The Gambia. Retrospectively registered (24/01/2019) with Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR): PACTR201901917619299 .
Social singing, culture and health: interdisciplinary insights from the CHIME project for perinatal mental health in The Gambia
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 16-02-2022
Abstract: Arts in Health initiatives and interventions to support health have emerged from and been applied to mainly WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) contexts. This overlooks the rich cultural traditions that exist across the globe, where community groups often make prolific use of participatory song and dance as a part of ceremonies, ritual and gatherings in everyday life. Here, we argue that these practices can provide a valuable starting point for the co-development of health interventions, illustrated by the CHIME project for perinatal mental health in The Gambia, which worked with local Kanyeleng groups (female fertility societies) to design and evaluate a brief intervention to support maternal mental health through social singing. Here, we use the project as a lens through which to highlight the value of co-creation, cultural embeddedness and partnership building in global health research.
Does the model reflect the system? When two-dimensional biomechanics is not ‘good enough’
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 2023
Abstract: Models are mathematical representations of systems, processes or phenomena. In biomechanics, finite-element modelling (FEM) can be a powerful tool, allowing biologists to test form–function relationships in silico , replacing or extending results of in vivo experimentation. Although modelling simplifications and assumptions are necessary, as a minimum modelling requirement the results of the simplified model must reflect the biomechanics of the modelled system. In cases where the three-dimensional mechanics of a structure are important determinants of its performance, simplified two-dimensional modelling approaches are likely to produce inaccurate results. The vertebrate mandible is one among many three-dimensional anatomical structures routinely modelled using two-dimensional FE analysis. We thus compare the stress regimes of our published three-dimensional model of the chimpanzee mandible with a published two-dimensional model of the chimpanzee mandible and identify several fundamental differences. We then present a series of two-dimensional and three-dimensional FE modelling experiments that demonstrate how three key modelling parameters, (i) dimensionality, (ii) symmetric geometry, and (iii) constraints, affect deformation and strain regimes of the models. Our results confirm that, in the case of the primate mandible (at least), two-dimensional FEM fails to meet this minimum modelling requirement and should not be used to draw functional, ecological or evolutionary conclusions.
Reduced sensitivity to emotional prosody in congenital amusia rekindles the musical protolanguage hypothesis
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 29-10-2012
Abstract: A number of evolutionary theories assume that music and language have a common origin as an emotional protolanguage that remains evident in overlapping functions and shared neural circuitry. The most basic prediction of this hypothesis is that sensitivity to emotion in speech prosody derives from the capacity to process music. We examined sensitivity to emotion in speech prosody in a s le of in iduals with congenital amusia, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in processing acoustic and structural attributes of music. Twelve in iduals with congenital amusia and 12 matched control participants judged the emotional expressions of 96 spoken phrases. Phrases were semantically neutral but prosodic cues (tone of voice) communicated each of six emotional states: happy, tender, afraid, irritated, sad, and no emotion. Congenitally amusic in iduals were significantly worse than matched controls at decoding emotional prosody, with decoding rates for some emotions up to 20% lower than that of matched controls. They also reported difficulty understanding emotional prosody in their daily lives, suggesting some awareness of this deficit. The findings support speculations that music and language share mechanisms that trigger emotional responses to acoustic attributes, as predicted by theories that propose a common evolutionary link between these domains.
Related Organisations
Cleveland Museum Of Natural History
Location: United States of America
Arizona State University Institute Of Human Origins
Location: United States of America
Evolutionary Studies Institute University Of The Witswatersrand
Location: South Africa
Related Funding Activities
Developing A Community Singing-Based Intervention For Perinatal Mental Health In The Gambia
Start Date: 2018
End Date: 2019
Funder: Medical Research Council
View Funded Activity