Understanding and preventing injury in the Australian led outdoor activity domain: a theory driven approach to injury surveillance and prevention. This project will develop, trial and validate an injury surveillance system for the Australian led outdoor activity industry. An in-depth injury incident study will then be conducted and a model of led outdoor activity injury incident causation produced. This will be used to inform future injury prevention efforts and reduce injury in this domain.
Wearable displays for high-tempo work in mission-critical worlds. This project aims to investigate how effectively head-worn display technology can support mobile work in complex high-tempo environments where workers must complete tasks quickly, handle competing demands, and manage interruptions. The project will draw on field investigations to specify functions and formats for head-worn displays, and will conduct laboratory and simulation studies to test the relative advantages of head-worn dis ....Wearable displays for high-tempo work in mission-critical worlds. This project aims to investigate how effectively head-worn display technology can support mobile work in complex high-tempo environments where workers must complete tasks quickly, handle competing demands, and manage interruptions. The project will draw on field investigations to specify functions and formats for head-worn displays, and will conduct laboratory and simulation studies to test the relative advantages of head-worn displays versus tablet computers. Work environments benefitting from the project should include emergency response, triage, defence, and field service industries.Read moreRead less
The early communicative environment prior to and following cochlear implants: impact on children's early communicative and cognitive development. This research with children with cochlear implants will examine the effect on language development of being in an oral environment or one that also includes sign language. The outcomes will provide information for parents and professionals enabling informed decision about the management of the children to promote the best possible outcomes.
Next-gen accident prevention: a new theory and toolkit for safer systems. This project aims to address limitations associated with existing accident causation theory and methodologies. Accident prevention across high risk industries is constrained by limitations in accident theory and methodologies. As a result, reductions in injuries and fatalities in most domains are plateauing. The expected outputs of the project include a new theory of accident causation, a new proactive risk assessment meth ....Next-gen accident prevention: a new theory and toolkit for safer systems. This project aims to address limitations associated with existing accident causation theory and methodologies. Accident prevention across high risk industries is constrained by limitations in accident theory and methodologies. As a result, reductions in injuries and fatalities in most domains are plateauing. The expected outputs of the project include a new theory of accident causation, a new proactive risk assessment methodology and a new methodology for analysing accidents. This will provide organisations and researchers with a powerful framework for enhanced accident analysis and prevention activities. This will provide significant benefits, associated with reductions in accidents, injuries and fatalities.Read moreRead less
Physical musicality: Optimising lived experience among older adults . The aim of this project is to investigate how music-supported exercise, called physical musicality (PM), can promote wellbeing, quality of life, and cognitive-motor function in older adults, beyond the benefits of exercise or music listening alone. To achieve this aim, we will (a) conduct randomised control trials on PM programs; (b) isolate the ingredients and mechanisms underlying the benefits of PM; and (c) design culturall ....Physical musicality: Optimising lived experience among older adults . The aim of this project is to investigate how music-supported exercise, called physical musicality (PM), can promote wellbeing, quality of life, and cognitive-motor function in older adults, beyond the benefits of exercise or music listening alone. To achieve this aim, we will (a) conduct randomised control trials on PM programs; (b) isolate the ingredients and mechanisms underlying the benefits of PM; and (c) design culturally appropriate programs that optimise wellbeing and cognitive-motor function for older adults. Our research will reveal simple, non-medical steps that all adults of advancing age can take to maintain their wellbeing and cognitive functions so they can lead productive and successful lives into older age. Read moreRead less
Interruptions, work coordination, and resilience. Evidence is emerging of an association between the number of workplace interruptions that hospital clinicians experience and outcomes such as clinical errors that could cause patient harm. However there is still no direct evidence that interruptions cause clinical errors. This project seeks such evidence, but also views interruptions as an integral part of normal work coordination. This project investigates the origin and need for interruptions, ....Interruptions, work coordination, and resilience. Evidence is emerging of an association between the number of workplace interruptions that hospital clinicians experience and outcomes such as clinical errors that could cause patient harm. However there is still no direct evidence that interruptions cause clinical errors. This project seeks such evidence, but also views interruptions as an integral part of normal work coordination. This project investigates the origin and need for interruptions, tests causal connections between interruptions and errors, and explores workplace improvements as a means to handle concerns about interruptions. This research will provide a solid basis from which clinical leaders can formulate policy about distractions and interruptions in the healthcare workplace. Read moreRead less
The impact of light intensity during night shifts on circadian adaptation. Each year, the sleep loss and body clock disruption caused by night work cost the Australian economy $2–3 billion in lost productivity, impaired well-being, and poor health. Current regulations limit sequences of night shifts to a maximum of four in a row. However, recent research suggests that this blanket limit may be a well-intentioned, but ill-informed, policy. As a result, we may be inadvertently increasing, rather t ....The impact of light intensity during night shifts on circadian adaptation. Each year, the sleep loss and body clock disruption caused by night work cost the Australian economy $2–3 billion in lost productivity, impaired well-being, and poor health. Current regulations limit sequences of night shifts to a maximum of four in a row. However, recent research suggests that this blanket limit may be a well-intentioned, but ill-informed, policy. As a result, we may be inadvertently increasing, rather than reducing, work-related fatigue. This project will determine whether longer sequences of night shifts may reduce sleep loss and body clock disruption in some workplaces. The project will provide the evidence base for a more nuanced approach to fatigue regulation and a safer workplace for Australian shiftworkers. Read moreRead less
An innovative theory driven approach to enhancing situation awareness among road users in Australia. This project will develop, via on-road studies exploring road user behaviour, a first of its kind systems theoretic model of situation awareness (SA) for road transport. The model will then be used to inform the development of roadway design solutions to enhance road user SA, which will be tested through advanced simulation.
Understanding, measuring and managing the benefits of urban waterways. This project aims to improve understanding of the contribution of urban waterways to enhanced liveability in cities. Australia needs better water resource management and the rapid growth of Australia’s cities places increased importance on managing natural assets in metropolitan areas. The project focuses on clarifying the link between the benefits of waterways and the measurement techniques used by economists, which in turn ....Understanding, measuring and managing the benefits of urban waterways. This project aims to improve understanding of the contribution of urban waterways to enhanced liveability in cities. Australia needs better water resource management and the rapid growth of Australia’s cities places increased importance on managing natural assets in metropolitan areas. The project focuses on clarifying the link between the benefits of waterways and the measurement techniques used by economists, which in turn inform management choices. The project aims to fill an important gap between the psychology and economics disciplines and outputs should significantly improve the way waterways are valued and managed. This is intended to offer benefits for urban residents and to improve the methodologies used for environmental valuation.Read moreRead less
Investigation of recognition memory in behavioural, electrophysiological, and functional neuro-imaging domains using state-trace analysis. This project utilises a novel methodology to investigate human recognition memory across three separate domains - behavioural, electrophysiological and functional neuro-imaging. The aim is to determine how these three aspects of memory are related and if they can be united by a single theory.