Probing cross modal interactions in the perception of object motion and self-motion. How the brain integrates information from the different senses is not yet understood. This project aims first, to uncover how the brain integrates sound and visual information when perceiving moving objects and second, to probe more complex sensory interactions between sound, vision, and our vestibular senses when perceiving self-motion. This project will expand Australia's knowledge base, strengthen collabora ....Probing cross modal interactions in the perception of object motion and self-motion. How the brain integrates information from the different senses is not yet understood. This project aims first, to uncover how the brain integrates sound and visual information when perceiving moving objects and second, to probe more complex sensory interactions between sound, vision, and our vestibular senses when perceiving self-motion. This project will expand Australia's knowledge base, strengthen collaborative ties between Australia and Japan, and provide unique training opportunities for Australian and Japanese students. Publication of research in top-ranking journals will further promote Australian science abroad. Results will lead to improvements in the design of human-machine interfaces in both industry and entertainment.Read moreRead less
How does Motor Cortex Excitability Influence Internal Model Retention. Each year 40,000 Australians suffer from stroke with many survivors left with problems that limit limb function. With reduced duration of hospital care, the opportunities for retraining in the period immediate following stroke are rapidly diminishing. Effective and efficient strategies of rehabilitation that will maximise the level of recovery following stroke will result in benefits expressed in terms of enhanced quality of ....How does Motor Cortex Excitability Influence Internal Model Retention. Each year 40,000 Australians suffer from stroke with many survivors left with problems that limit limb function. With reduced duration of hospital care, the opportunities for retraining in the period immediate following stroke are rapidly diminishing. Effective and efficient strategies of rehabilitation that will maximise the level of recovery following stroke will result in benefits expressed in terms of enhanced quality of life and functional life-span, as well as significantly reduced costs of health care. In understanding the fundamental principles underlying the stability and adaptability of movement coordination, this research is likely to make a significant contribution to the design of programs for rehabilitation of the upper limb.Read moreRead less
Negotiating the minefield: Social conventions surrounding group criticism and their role in explaining defensiveness. People often describe the delivery of group criticism as a 'minefield', because of the potential for mistrust, hostility and defensiveness. When it comes to group criticism, being right is not enough; one must also obey certain conventions that are designed to minimize hurt and denial. In this project we explore for the first time what these 'rules of engagement' are, and what t ....Negotiating the minefield: Social conventions surrounding group criticism and their role in explaining defensiveness. People often describe the delivery of group criticism as a 'minefield', because of the potential for mistrust, hostility and defensiveness. When it comes to group criticism, being right is not enough; one must also obey certain conventions that are designed to minimize hurt and denial. In this project we explore for the first time what these 'rules of engagement' are, and what this means for those who wish to promote positive change in groups. This will have applied implications in that it will help provide specific recommendations regarding how to negotiate sensitive issues within a range of cultural, national, and corporate groups.Read moreRead less
Race and gender stereotypes on the brain: The case of emotion expression. Australia is a multicultural, multiethnic society in which people from different backgrounds interact every day. Successful interaction among persons from different backgrounds requires a mutual understanding of the manner in which emotions are expressed and perceived as emotions are a central part of any interaction. The current project will investigate whether there are systematic biases in the manner in which emotions ....Race and gender stereotypes on the brain: The case of emotion expression. Australia is a multicultural, multiethnic society in which people from different backgrounds interact every day. Successful interaction among persons from different backgrounds requires a mutual understanding of the manner in which emotions are expressed and perceived as emotions are a central part of any interaction. The current project will investigate whether there are systematic biases in the manner in which emotions are expressed and perceived within and across ethnic groups. It will rely on objective indices to achieve this aim, measures of the electrical activity of the brain. Read moreRead less
Biased information processing in anxiety: Low anxiety scores, but still at risk. Information processing in anxious persons is biased if confronted with threatening stimulus materials such as words or pictures. This finding has considerable implications for our understanding of fear acquisition and maintenance and for the design of therapeutic interventions. More recent research has shown, however, that low anxious persons who employ repressive coping styles show similar biases. The present proj ....Biased information processing in anxiety: Low anxiety scores, but still at risk. Information processing in anxious persons is biased if confronted with threatening stimulus materials such as words or pictures. This finding has considerable implications for our understanding of fear acquisition and maintenance and for the design of therapeutic interventions. More recent research has shown, however, that low anxious persons who employ repressive coping styles show similar biases. The present project will follow up on these findings by combining the expertises of the two CIs in contemporary cognitive and psychophysiological research. It will not only provide new insights, but also offer research opportunities for postgraduate students, and prospects for future collaborative funding.Read moreRead less
Determining global and regional conservation priorities for biodiversity hotspots. The economic wealth of both Australia and Israel is underpinned by biological diversity - for example the remarkable biological diversity of both countries fuels multimillion-dollar tourism industries. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity 'hotspots' of the Mediterranean ecosystems of the world. We will create and test new theory and to ....Determining global and regional conservation priorities for biodiversity hotspots. The economic wealth of both Australia and Israel is underpinned by biological diversity - for example the remarkable biological diversity of both countries fuels multimillion-dollar tourism industries. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity 'hotspots' of the Mediterranean ecosystems of the world. We will create and test new theory and tools for incorporating into decision making the effect of processes such as climate change and invasion by alien species, which will help reduce the huge detrimental impacts on social, economic, health and human-well being. We will share the results of our work with decision makers and with the public.Read moreRead less
Visuomotor Adaptation and Stimulus Response Compatibility: Basic Mechanisms and Safety Implications for Heavy Equipment. This project will explore mechanisms of human visuomotor adaptation using a directional stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) paradigm. The latter refers to the greatly enhanced performance for ?natural? pairings of control movement directions and system output directions. The outcomes are both theoretical (understanding basic processes) and applied (design and training gui ....Visuomotor Adaptation and Stimulus Response Compatibility: Basic Mechanisms and Safety Implications for Heavy Equipment. This project will explore mechanisms of human visuomotor adaptation using a directional stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) paradigm. The latter refers to the greatly enhanced performance for ?natural? pairings of control movement directions and system output directions. The outcomes are both theoretical (understanding basic processes) and applied (design and training guidelines for equipment in construction, mining, transport and aerospace industries). The issue is also significant both theoretically, since models of adaptation and SRC phenomena have not previously been combined, and practically, as serious heavy equipment accidents can result from designs that are not based on sound human performance principles.Read moreRead less
Biodiversity in high rainfall mediterranean-climate ecosystems: Integrating fields of ecological enquiry to achieve improved conservation outcomes. This project targets research priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia' through the management and protection of Australia's terrestrial biodiversity, and by increasing understanding of the impact of climate change and variability at the local to regional level. By linking disparate data sets across similar climatic regions, and through dir ....Biodiversity in high rainfall mediterranean-climate ecosystems: Integrating fields of ecological enquiry to achieve improved conservation outcomes. This project targets research priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia' through the management and protection of Australia's terrestrial biodiversity, and by increasing understanding of the impact of climate change and variability at the local to regional level. By linking disparate data sets across similar climatic regions, and through direct links to management agencies, this project will enable development of a landscape conservation culture for improved conservation outcomes, and more direct information use through science-based adaptive management. Efficient use of existing data and the 'promotion of an innovation culture and economy' by linking global perspectives to local conservation needs, are hallmarks of this project.Read moreRead less