Expectations and commitments in the Australia-USA alliance. This project aims to investigate the gap between the high expectations of mutual support and the lack of detailed security commitments in the Australia-US Alliance. The project intends to use a focused approach that captures thematic aspects of the alliance through project frames and historical slices across time. Expected outcomes can advance understanding of how alliances operate as security institutions. The outcomes can help to prom ....Expectations and commitments in the Australia-USA alliance. This project aims to investigate the gap between the high expectations of mutual support and the lack of detailed security commitments in the Australia-US Alliance. The project intends to use a focused approach that captures thematic aspects of the alliance through project frames and historical slices across time. Expected outcomes can advance understanding of how alliances operate as security institutions. The outcomes can help to promote a more informed national conversation about the costs and benefits of Australia's security relationship with the United States of America (USA) and contribute to debates over the future of the Australia-USA Alliance during a period of strategic uncertainty.Read moreRead less
Evaluative learning: do all roads lead to Rome? This project aims to enhance understanding of how likes and dislikes are acquired and changed across a range of different settings. Evaluative learning, the acquisition and change of likes and dislikes, is ubiquitous and occurs in situations that range from trivial to traumatic. However, it is unknown whether evaluative learning in these different situations is mediated by a single or distinct learning mechanisms. Answering this question is critica ....Evaluative learning: do all roads lead to Rome? This project aims to enhance understanding of how likes and dislikes are acquired and changed across a range of different settings. Evaluative learning, the acquisition and change of likes and dislikes, is ubiquitous and occurs in situations that range from trivial to traumatic. However, it is unknown whether evaluative learning in these different situations is mediated by a single or distinct learning mechanisms. Answering this question is critically important for emotion science and the design of effective interventions for anxiety disorders and public health campaigns. The expected outcomes from this project will provide significant benefits, such as creating new knowledge to assist in applied areas ranging from the design of public health messages to the treatment for anxiety.Read moreRead less
Examining scientific, philosophical, and folk perspectives on time=. This project aims to consider three very different physical theories, each of which reconciles quantum mechanics and general and special relativity in a different way. While science is more accessible than ever, we are increasingly faced with a scientific world-view that is antithetical to the way we see the world and experience ourselves in it. This project will consider the tension between the scientific picture of the world ....Examining scientific, philosophical, and folk perspectives on time=. This project aims to consider three very different physical theories, each of which reconciles quantum mechanics and general and special relativity in a different way. While science is more accessible than ever, we are increasingly faced with a scientific world-view that is antithetical to the way we see the world and experience ourselves in it. This project will consider the tension between the scientific picture of the world and our experience of the world, and aims to reconcile the two by bridging the gap between lived experience and scientific findings. The project will provide a range of ways of bridging the tension between these physical theories with our lived experience.Read moreRead less
Goal pursuit decisions under environmental and social uncertainty. This project aims to develop an integrative computational model that explains how people prioritise the allocation of resources to different goals in the face of uncertainty. The project seeks to test a new theory through a series of experiments in which participants pursue goals by themselves in unpredictable environments, or in competition against an opponent. Expected outcomes include an integrated theory that accounts for the ....Goal pursuit decisions under environmental and social uncertainty. This project aims to develop an integrative computational model that explains how people prioritise the allocation of resources to different goals in the face of uncertainty. The project seeks to test a new theory through a series of experiments in which participants pursue goals by themselves in unpredictable environments, or in competition against an opponent. Expected outcomes include an integrated theory that accounts for the effects of both environmental and social uncertainty in the pursuit of multiple goals. Intended benefits include the development of computational models that can simulate human decision making in complex environments, analyse new concepts of operation, redesign work roles, and identify factors that reduce risk in decision-making.Read moreRead less
The extinction of human fear. Excessive fear negatively impacts the lives of many Australians - so how can we increase the effectiveness of exposure based treatments to reduce human fear? The present basic research will investigate the process thought to underlie exposure-based treatments, extinction of human fear learning, in order to answer this applied question.
The feasibility, acceptability and cost-effectiveness of nurse-led models of chronic disease management in general practice. This study directly relates to the National Research Priority of 'promoting and maintaining good health' through our approach to trial a new and innovative model of chronic disease management specifically for CVD and Type II diabetes in general practice. This project aims to test a new model of health service delivery - that is, the use of a practice nurse to provide chro ....The feasibility, acceptability and cost-effectiveness of nurse-led models of chronic disease management in general practice. This study directly relates to the National Research Priority of 'promoting and maintaining good health' through our approach to trial a new and innovative model of chronic disease management specifically for CVD and Type II diabetes in general practice. This project aims to test a new model of health service delivery - that is, the use of a practice nurse to provide chronic disease care rather than a general practitioner. Our strategy involves collaboration with health providers, stakeholders and consumers to help achieve this by providing patient education and disease management through a registered nurse in general practice.Read moreRead less
Modelling human decision making in complex environments. The project aims to extend quantitative psychological models of simple choice tasks to decision-making with complex stimuli in complex environments. The new formal models are designed to provide a comprehensive account of behaviour, including the choices that are made, how long it takes to make them, and how choices and choice times vary within and between decision-makers. The models would explain how people adapt to changes in task demand ....Modelling human decision making in complex environments. The project aims to extend quantitative psychological models of simple choice tasks to decision-making with complex stimuli in complex environments. The new formal models are designed to provide a comprehensive account of behaviour, including the choices that are made, how long it takes to make them, and how choices and choice times vary within and between decision-makers. The models would explain how people adapt to changes in task demands when dealing with multiple stimuli or performing multiple tasks concurrently under time pressure. The project aims to provide the basic research that is needed to extend psychological models of choice to complex ‘real-world’ tasks, such air traffic control and maritime surveillance.Read moreRead less
Calibration Free Coulometric Sensors Based on Polymeric Thin Layer Films. The world faces enormous environmental and clinical challenges that require accurate data from remote deployable and disposable sensors. Many key parameters important to global warming (carbon dioxide cycle) and clinical diagnostics (blood electrolytes) may be assessed with a polymeric membrane sensing technology, but the measurement principle is not sufficiently robust for remote sensing applications. This research will m ....Calibration Free Coulometric Sensors Based on Polymeric Thin Layer Films. The world faces enormous environmental and clinical challenges that require accurate data from remote deployable and disposable sensors. Many key parameters important to global warming (carbon dioxide cycle) and clinical diagnostics (blood electrolytes) may be assessed with a polymeric membrane sensing technology, but the measurement principle is not sufficiently robust for remote sensing applications. This research will make this possible by adapting calibration free measurement principles (coulometry, or charge counting) to this class of sensors, where a thin layer of sample solution will be depleted by instrumental control. This forms the scientific basis for successfully tackling the measurement challenges of the future.Read moreRead less
Using visual science to reduce the dangers of night driving. This project aims to develop novel tests of visual function relevant to the modern night driving environment. Night driving is challenging for all drivers and has been linked to poor visibility under low light conditions. This project will characterise the visual challenges of the modern night driving environment, develop visual tests that incorporate the dynamic light levels typical of night-time roads and assess the association of th ....Using visual science to reduce the dangers of night driving. This project aims to develop novel tests of visual function relevant to the modern night driving environment. Night driving is challenging for all drivers and has been linked to poor visibility under low light conditions. This project will characterise the visual challenges of the modern night driving environment, develop visual tests that incorporate the dynamic light levels typical of night-time roads and assess the association of these tests with night driving performance. The outcomes will contribute new knowledge regarding dynamic visual processing and the ageing visual system and will inform vision testing, potential interventions to improve visual function for night driving and reduce the dangers of night driving.Read moreRead less
Collective futures: The effects of beliefs about future states of society on the support for and enactment of social change. This research addresses a novel and potentially critical factor in support for social change, beliefs about society in the future, that helps build Australia's capacity to effectively address important social issues that depend on widespread support and action, such as climate change. The research provides a basis for a more informed public debate about these issues, and e ....Collective futures: The effects of beliefs about future states of society on the support for and enactment of social change. This research addresses a novel and potentially critical factor in support for social change, beliefs about society in the future, that helps build Australia's capacity to effectively address important social issues that depend on widespread support and action, such as climate change. The research provides a basis for a more informed public debate about these issues, and enhances the effectiveness of policy-makers and information campaigns. Scientifically, it enhances Australia's reputation as a leader in social change research. Read moreRead less