Building successful diverse communities: what works and why? This project is focused on strengthening locally-based interventions to maximise community harmony in the context of demographic diversity (ethnic, cultural, religious). It also will strengthen the relationship between world-leading researchers and senior policy experts and provides valuable research training for three junior scholars.
Adjustment to retirement through social identity change. This project aims to improve our understanding of the factors governing successful adjustment to retirement. Retirement involves a major life change, to which 30 per cent of people fail to adjust successfully. Previous work in the social identity tradition suggests that the negative effects of significant life changes (eg moving into care) can be buffered by access to social group networks, but this possibility has not been examined in the ....Adjustment to retirement through social identity change. This project aims to improve our understanding of the factors governing successful adjustment to retirement. Retirement involves a major life change, to which 30 per cent of people fail to adjust successfully. Previous work in the social identity tradition suggests that the negative effects of significant life changes (eg moving into care) can be buffered by access to social group networks, but this possibility has not been examined in the context of retirement. This project plans to address this gap through studies that establish the importance of social group factors for successful adjustment among Australian, English, American and Chinese retirees. It also plans to test the efficacy of a new model that seeks to improve adjustment to retirement by incorporating various forms of social planning into preparation for this transition.Read moreRead less
Toward a social-psychology of prejudice reduction: Examining lay beliefs. This project aims to expand social–psychological knowledge of prejudice by examining beliefs about what prejudice is, as well as the social and psychological factors affecting these beliefs. If people believe their own intergroup attitudes (even negative ones) to be correct and normative, anti-prejudice appeals will likely be rejected. What is needed, then, is an analysis of what people believe to be prejudice or not in th ....Toward a social-psychology of prejudice reduction: Examining lay beliefs. This project aims to expand social–psychological knowledge of prejudice by examining beliefs about what prejudice is, as well as the social and psychological factors affecting these beliefs. If people believe their own intergroup attitudes (even negative ones) to be correct and normative, anti-prejudice appeals will likely be rejected. What is needed, then, is an analysis of what people believe to be prejudice or not in the first place, and how these beliefs are changed. This project aims to provide this analysis via qualitative and quantitative experimental social-psychological research. Project outcomes are expected to clarify social–psychological theory, offering new insight into how anti-prejudice arguments can be successful.Read moreRead less
A community based social identity approach to loneliness. Loneliness across Australia is a deep concern. Social prescribing is a novel community-based approach to managing loneliness, however it is unclear when and in what circumstances it is effective. This project aims to test a social identity approach to loneliness, incorporating longitudinal, cross-sectional, and experimental methods to understand how best to engage isolated people in group programs. The expected benefits of this project ar ....A community based social identity approach to loneliness. Loneliness across Australia is a deep concern. Social prescribing is a novel community-based approach to managing loneliness, however it is unclear when and in what circumstances it is effective. This project aims to test a social identity approach to loneliness, incorporating longitudinal, cross-sectional, and experimental methods to understand how best to engage isolated people in group programs. The expected benefits of this project are to produce a validated social prescribing model that can be implemented in multiple settings across Australia in order to reduce loneliness, strengthen communities, and guide more appropriate uses of health services.Read moreRead less
Social relations and social engagement in older adulthood: implications for health, well being and cognition. This project will examine the nature of changes in peoples social networks that occur with age and the effects of these changes on health and well being in later life. The project will use information collected as part of several ongoing Australian studies of ageing and will have implications for social policy.
Social relations and social engagement in older adulthood: implications for health, well being and cognition. This project will examine the nature of changes in peoples' social networks that occur with age, and the effects of these changes on health and well being in later life. The project will use information collected from several ongoing Australian studies of ageing, and will have important implications for social policy in Australia.
Improving the Well-Being of Low Socioeconomic Status Students at University. This project aims to investigate a new approach to improving the mental well-being of university students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. University students have a high risk of experiencing mental health problems, and students from low SES backgrounds have a particularly high risk. This project aims to investigate university-relevant Facebook groups as a method of improving the mental well-being of low ....Improving the Well-Being of Low Socioeconomic Status Students at University. This project aims to investigate a new approach to improving the mental well-being of university students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. University students have a high risk of experiencing mental health problems, and students from low SES backgrounds have a particularly high risk. This project aims to investigate university-relevant Facebook groups as a method of improving the mental well-being of low SES students by improving their online social integration at university. Expected outcomes and benefits include a scalable, low-cost approach to reducing an SES inequality that costs Australia billions of dollars each year.Read moreRead less
The impact of outdoor youth programs on positive adolescent development: an empirical evaluation. This project will seek to ensure that the nation's outdoor resources are fully utilised for the benefit of young people. Accordingly, this project will conduct the first comprehensive randomised controlled trial of a structured outdoor youth program in order to inform more strategic investment in outdoor programs to promote positive youth development.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100592
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,000.00
Summary
Does shared group membership increase social risk-taking? This project aims to develop a social identity model of social risk-taking to inform the development of more effective public safety communications. Replying to a fraudulent email, investing in a pyramid scheme, or having unprotected sex – why do such behaviours persist when people know that they are dangerous? This project proposes that people evaluate risk by using shared group membership as a psychological proxy for ‘safe’. It is propo ....Does shared group membership increase social risk-taking? This project aims to develop a social identity model of social risk-taking to inform the development of more effective public safety communications. Replying to a fraudulent email, investing in a pyramid scheme, or having unprotected sex – why do such behaviours persist when people know that they are dangerous? This project proposes that people evaluate risk by using shared group membership as a psychological proxy for ‘safe’. It is proposed that people may be less likely to see other people as a source of potential harm when they are from the same social group. This project may have implications for policy and practice in the areas of policing, internet security, crowd management and disease control.Read moreRead less
Approaching the Out group Unlocks Intergroup Contact's Benefits for Society. Extensive research on group desegregation shows that intergroup contact (face-to-face interactions between people of opposing groups) should be encouraged for harmonious group relations; such contact maximises social integration, self-esteem, health, and productivity. However, these benefits are often missed as people actively avoid intergroup contact. This research introduces a theoretically- and empirically-grounded t ....Approaching the Out group Unlocks Intergroup Contact's Benefits for Society. Extensive research on group desegregation shows that intergroup contact (face-to-face interactions between people of opposing groups) should be encouraged for harmonious group relations; such contact maximises social integration, self-esteem, health, and productivity. However, these benefits are often missed as people actively avoid intergroup contact. This research introduces a theoretically- and empirically-grounded typology of contact approach-avoidance that aims to: identify personal and situational determinants driving out-group approach in natural settings; delineate outcomes of out-group approach for psychological processes critical to intergroup relations; and, indicate new interventions for encouraging intergroup contact.Read moreRead less