Childhood obesity, physical activity and wellbeing: Discovering the influence of children's understandings and experiences of places, spaces and communities. The study aims to discover 3-13 yr old children's understandings, perceptions & experiences of physical activity & associated places & spaces. Childhood obesity is a modern 'epidemic' & governments agree that low physical activity levels contribute significantly. Epidemiological & clinical research has been undertaken, but we lack Australia ....Childhood obesity, physical activity and wellbeing: Discovering the influence of children's understandings and experiences of places, spaces and communities. The study aims to discover 3-13 yr old children's understandings, perceptions & experiences of physical activity & associated places & spaces. Childhood obesity is a modern 'epidemic' & governments agree that low physical activity levels contribute significantly. Epidemiological & clinical research has been undertaken, but we lack Australian studies that systematically listen to & understand the pivotal voices of children themselves. Failure to develop such theoretically sound, practice-based understandings may mean ineffective interventions that misunderstand children's worlds. This collaborative study unites highly experienced researchers, practitioners & policy makers who will actively involve children in creating & using new knowledge.Read moreRead less
Turning Points: Breaking Intergenerational Cycles Of Intimate Partner Abuse And Social Adversity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,328,354.00
Summary
Intimate partner abuse (IPA) is estimated to affect one in four women at some stage in their lives, and to impact on the lives of at least one million Australian children annually. This study will investigate the extent to which exposure to intimate partner abuse during pregnancy and in the first 12 months postpartum predicts child outcomes in middle childhood. The study will provide foundations for better targeting and tailoring of early intervention strategies to support children at risk of ad ....Intimate partner abuse (IPA) is estimated to affect one in four women at some stage in their lives, and to impact on the lives of at least one million Australian children annually. This study will investigate the extent to which exposure to intimate partner abuse during pregnancy and in the first 12 months postpartum predicts child outcomes in middle childhood. The study will provide foundations for better targeting and tailoring of early intervention strategies to support children at risk of adverse outcomes.Read moreRead less
Improving eyewitness identification accuracy using free-report lineups. There is major national and community interest in the successful conduct of criminal investigations. This research addresses the accuracy of eyewitness identification tests. Specifically, we investigate whether developing lineup procedures that separate out witnesses who are unsure of their response will prevent erroneous identifications. Progress on this issue makes an important contribution to decisions about the ideal lin ....Improving eyewitness identification accuracy using free-report lineups. There is major national and community interest in the successful conduct of criminal investigations. This research addresses the accuracy of eyewitness identification tests. Specifically, we investigate whether developing lineup procedures that separate out witnesses who are unsure of their response will prevent erroneous identifications. Progress on this issue makes an important contribution to decisions about the ideal lineup procedure, thereby preventing innocent people from being prosecuted and perpetrators being free to re-offend. Additionally the international collaboration on the project will increase the visibility of Australian social science research and provide crucial development opportunities for young Australian scientists.Read moreRead less
Identifying the bad guy with deadlined confidence judgments. There is major interest in the successful conduct of criminal investigations. Identity tests are commonly used in such investigations, but eyewitness decision accuracy is still unacceptably low. While eyewitness memory research has already contributed significantly to the development of procedures that improve the diagnosticity of identification decisions, our proposal offers radical new alternatives that can significantly improve diag ....Identifying the bad guy with deadlined confidence judgments. There is major interest in the successful conduct of criminal investigations. Identity tests are commonly used in such investigations, but eyewitness decision accuracy is still unacceptably low. While eyewitness memory research has already contributed significantly to the development of procedures that improve the diagnosticity of identification decisions, our proposal offers radical new alternatives that can significantly improve diagnosticity. In refining and evaluating these alternatives we will boost the profile of Australian science research and provide rich international training environments for young Australian and overseas scientists.Read moreRead less
Interviewing eyewitnesses: Enhancing output quantity and diagnosing accuracy. Although there has been general international agreement that open-ended police interviews (e.g., the Cognitive Interview) enhance output quantity and accuracy, it is also well documented that police investigators often depart from these procedures in order to probe for additional information. An approach to eyewitness interviewing that allows police to elicit greater detail while able to assess likely accuracy not only ....Interviewing eyewitnesses: Enhancing output quantity and diagnosing accuracy. Although there has been general international agreement that open-ended police interviews (e.g., the Cognitive Interview) enhance output quantity and accuracy, it is also well documented that police investigators often depart from these procedures in order to probe for additional information. An approach to eyewitness interviewing that allows police to elicit greater detail while able to assess likely accuracy not only has the potential to be widely adopted but would also provide a major breakthrough in the investigation of crimes and other incidents where interview data are so critical. This in turn would further enhance the profile of Australian (and UK) forensic science.Read moreRead less
Child Health And Development: A South Australian Data Linkage Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$283,934.00
Summary
Children’s healthy development is important for their readiness to learn, academic achievement at school, and for their future health and economic capability. This study links whole-of-population administrative data from nine different government sources, and data collected as part of a natural experiment evaluating the effects of the South Australian Family Home Visiting program to inform policy and service delivery in child health and development in South Australia.
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
The Kids in Communities Study: national investigation of community level effects on children's developmental outcomes. This project (a cross-disciplinary collaboration) will investigate community level factors influencing early childhood developmental outcomes using a mixed methods approach in up to 10 communities across Australia. This will result in a potential set of measures or indicators that reflect communities that are good for children.
Healing The Past By Nurturing The Future: Learning How To Identify And Support Indigenous Parents Who Have Experienced Complex Childhood Trauma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,193,719.00
Summary
Complex childhood trauma causes profound and long-lasting effects on physical, social and emotional wellbeing, which can be triggered during the transition to parenthood and impede the capacity of parents to nurture their children. The transition offers a unique opportunity for healing and preventing intergenerational transmission of trauma. This project co-designs and evaluates acceptability and feasibility of screening and support for Indigenous parents experiencing complex trauma.
Examining The Impact Of Language Reclamation On Social And Emotional Well Being Among The Barngarla
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,111,633.00
Summary
Indigenous Australians are at high risk of experiencing mental illness. For many, it is the loss of land, culture, and identity that are causes of ill health. The Barngarla people of South Australia seek to reclaim their language due to its potential reinvigorating cultural identity and wellbeing. This offers a unique opportunity to document the links between language reclamation and wellness in Aboriginal people for the first time.