Changing the lives of young Australians with emotional disorders using a simple three-step treatment based on cognitive-neuroscience insights. Anxiety and depression are emotional disorders that affect many Australian children and place them at risk of lifelong impairment. The latest evidence from cognitive science and neuroscience shows that these children have maladaptive thinking strategies that lead to avoidance and withdrawal. Capitalising on these basic science insights, this project exami ....Changing the lives of young Australians with emotional disorders using a simple three-step treatment based on cognitive-neuroscience insights. Anxiety and depression are emotional disorders that affect many Australian children and place them at risk of lifelong impairment. The latest evidence from cognitive science and neuroscience shows that these children have maladaptive thinking strategies that lead to avoidance and withdrawal. Capitalising on these basic science insights, this project examines a new treatment, referred to as the 'Emotional Flexibility Program', that targets childhood distress in three simple steps over just four weeks of treatment. This treatment could change the way childhood emotional disorders are treated and prevented, improve the quality of life for thousands of young Australians, and offset the associated economic burden of disease.Read moreRead less
Improving workplace productivity via an AI-based physical activity chatbot . This project aims to develop, train and evaluate a physical activity chatbot using artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve workplace productivity in sedentary office workers. Productivity losses, due to high numbers of physically inactive workers, cost the Australian economy $14 billion per year. The cost of effective and scalable workplace physical activity programs acts as a barrier to their implementa ....Improving workplace productivity via an AI-based physical activity chatbot . This project aims to develop, train and evaluate a physical activity chatbot using artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve workplace productivity in sedentary office workers. Productivity losses, due to high numbers of physically inactive workers, cost the Australian economy $14 billion per year. The cost of effective and scalable workplace physical activity programs acts as a barrier to their implementation. As such, innovative programs that can reach large numbers of workers at minimal cost are needed. This project aims to generate new knowledge on the use of artificial intelligence to achieve behavioural improvements and will lead to the development of a new type of behaviour change program with broad applicability.
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Promoting the positive mental health and well being of young Australians. This project will test an innovative multidimensional model of positive mental health and mental illness in young Australians. It will also determine if the application of this model to the development of six online positive mental health tools, improves the mental health and well-being of young people.
Examining the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control and its application to clinical syndromes featuring dyscontrol. This project will examine the cognitive control and its underlying neural mechanisms. Understanding this relationship is of major scientific interest because cognitive control dysfunction is related to a number of Australia's major social and economic problems, including drug dependence.
Enhancing Australia's Social Connectedness and Emotional Well-being. This project aims to redefine scientific understanding of why social connections are good for well-being, conceptualizing it as a process that involves successful regulation of emotions and behaviour. Effective social interventions require precise understanding of psychological process: the project will supply this understanding and leverage it to develop evidence-based interventions that grow social and emotional skills. Expec ....Enhancing Australia's Social Connectedness and Emotional Well-being. This project aims to redefine scientific understanding of why social connections are good for well-being, conceptualizing it as a process that involves successful regulation of emotions and behaviour. Effective social interventions require precise understanding of psychological process: the project will supply this understanding and leverage it to develop evidence-based interventions that grow social and emotional skills. Expected outcomes include generation of a novel literature at the intersection of social- and self-regulation and methodological innovations in the study of social connections. Significant benefits include creation of applied interventions with the potential to provide a ‘social cure’ for Australia’s loneliness problem.Read moreRead less
Racism, Wellbeing and Extremist Identification in Australia. Drawing on established social psychological theories of prejudice, the project aims to combat racism by ascertaining how it is maintained within a multicultural society and how its damaging consequences can be diminished. Racism is a pervasive problem and its harmful effects cost Australia an estimated $46.4 billion each year. The project plans to investigate how small negative interracial interactions can perpetuate racial hostility a ....Racism, Wellbeing and Extremist Identification in Australia. Drawing on established social psychological theories of prejudice, the project aims to combat racism by ascertaining how it is maintained within a multicultural society and how its damaging consequences can be diminished. Racism is a pervasive problem and its harmful effects cost Australia an estimated $46.4 billion each year. The project plans to investigate how small negative interracial interactions can perpetuate racial hostility and segregation; how negative interracial interactions might lead to extremist identification and sympathies; and how prejudice and discrimination develops between different minority groups. It also plans to investigate how positive interactions with majority groups (eg White Australians) might promote wellbeing and healthy behaviours in minority group members. Project outcomes may lead to solutions that promote social cohesion in Australia.Read moreRead less
The multitasking brain: training and individual differences. Difficulties with doing two things at once are experienced by everyone, but are particularly common as we get older and in the context of many neurological and psychiatric conditions. This project will examine how training changes the brain to improve multitasking performance and why some individuals are better at multitasking than others.
The role of social-emotional learning in attaining literacy and numeracy. This project aims to characterise variability in developmental pathways to literacy and numeracy, and the factors that contribute to this variation, utilising innovative analytical approaches and population data. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the role of school-based social-emotional learning programs in supporting children’s achievement of literacy and numeracy. Expected outcomes of the project ....The role of social-emotional learning in attaining literacy and numeracy. This project aims to characterise variability in developmental pathways to literacy and numeracy, and the factors that contribute to this variation, utilising innovative analytical approaches and population data. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the role of school-based social-emotional learning programs in supporting children’s achievement of literacy and numeracy. Expected outcomes of the project include enhanced collaboration with government to deliver policy-relevant information on the most effective targets and timing for delivering social-emotional programs that maximise academic learning. This should assist policy makers to develop better strategies to support every child’s academic achievement.Read moreRead less
A social cure: how multiple social groups are key to health and wellbeing. Building on the increased recognition that social factors affect both mental and physical health, the research will examine how and when social identities and group membership determine wellbeing. The work is at the forefront of current societal concerns relating to coping with social disadvantage and life-transitions.
Supervisor strategies for managing employee stress and strain: a national approach to psychosocial risk management. This research aims to identify supervisor strategies for managing occupational stress in their work teams. Expected outcomes include reduction in the number of employees reporting that they are exposed to stress and suffering from the effects of ill-health, thereby reducing workers' compensation claims for stress and lowering associated costs.