The effective treatment of drug using offenders: the impact of treatment modality, coercion and treatment readiness on criminal recidivism. Drug use is associated with significant health, social, and economic costs. Given the established drug-crime connection and the high rate of relapse among drug-using offenders, the outcomes of this research will assist policymakers in identifying clinically and cost effective approaches to service delivery. Moreover, in view of the debate that surrounds the ....The effective treatment of drug using offenders: the impact of treatment modality, coercion and treatment readiness on criminal recidivism. Drug use is associated with significant health, social, and economic costs. Given the established drug-crime connection and the high rate of relapse among drug-using offenders, the outcomes of this research will assist policymakers in identifying clinically and cost effective approaches to service delivery. Moreover, in view of the debate that surrounds the efficacy of coerced treatment, and the extent to which Australia should follow the United States of America’s lead of mandating treatment for all substance using offenders, the project will test the proposition that compulsory treatment has positive outcomes in terms of reductions in recidivism.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100945
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,000.00
Summary
Improved interviewing framework in sexual assault cases. This project aims to provide a better interview framework to be used by police in the investigation and possible prosecution of sexual assault allegations. The current interview framework used around the world was not specifically designed for adult sexual assault complainants and has been intensely criticised. This project will design a revised interview framework that meets the complex investigative and evidential requirements for these ....Improved interviewing framework in sexual assault cases. This project aims to provide a better interview framework to be used by police in the investigation and possible prosecution of sexual assault allegations. The current interview framework used around the world was not specifically designed for adult sexual assault complainants and has been intensely criticised. This project will design a revised interview framework that meets the complex investigative and evidential requirements for these interviews. This is expected to increase just outcomes and victim satisfaction with the criminal justice response.Read moreRead less
The neuroscience of group membership and its effects on action perception and empathy. People belong to different groups and sometimes group membership can lead to discrimination of people outside the group. This project will use brain imaging techniques to understand better how our brains make group distinctions and how this can sometimes lead to discrimination of other people.
Killing which averts suffering: the role of norms and empathy. Abattoir workers and butchers kill animals to prepare food, farmers to cull stock, and veterinarians to alleviate suffering. Soldiers kill other humans in war, police or security guards to protect the public, and doctors to enact legal euthanasia. Research shows that these tasks can be confronting, and even traumatic. This project aims to test the processes through which people learn socially supported palliative killing to avert suf ....Killing which averts suffering: the role of norms and empathy. Abattoir workers and butchers kill animals to prepare food, farmers to cull stock, and veterinarians to alleviate suffering. Soldiers kill other humans in war, police or security guards to protect the public, and doctors to enact legal euthanasia. Research shows that these tasks can be confronting, and even traumatic. This project aims to test the processes through which people learn socially supported palliative killing to avert suffering and their neural underpinnings, with a focus on norms and empathic distress. It will focus on two core samples: veterinarians, who must euthanize animals, and health practitioners in Victoria, where legal changes will introduce ‘voluntary assisted dying’ in mid-2019. It will investigate how practitioners learn palliative killing, and what the impact is on psychological variables such as empathy and identity. It will generate new understandings of social influence around life and death decisions, provide an evidence basis to inform policy makers, and help institutions and practitioners seeking to manage distress and respond to fast-moving, controversial policy changes.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100120
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,973.00
Summary
How do we become aware of stimuli in our spatial environment? The brain constantly creates an awareness of the stimuli in our spatial environment but at the moment it is unclear how different brain regions integrate spatial and stimulus information. The aim of this project is to better understand this integration by using a combination of brain imaging and brain stimulation techniques.
Neural substrates of paired decision-making training and brain stimulation. This project aims to provide definitive evidence on the efficacy of cognitive training, brain stimulation for enhancing performance, and will reveal the underlying neural processes involved. Outcomes and benefits include identifying the functional neural mechanisms and structural correlates of these effects for individuals and groups, informing cognitive training and stimulation approaches in a range of current settings, ....Neural substrates of paired decision-making training and brain stimulation. This project aims to provide definitive evidence on the efficacy of cognitive training, brain stimulation for enhancing performance, and will reveal the underlying neural processes involved. Outcomes and benefits include identifying the functional neural mechanisms and structural correlates of these effects for individuals and groups, informing cognitive training and stimulation approaches in a range of current settings, and a possible means of reducing the effects of age-related cognitive decline.Read moreRead less
The mirror system and the perception of actions. Our ability to recognise and understand others' actions is crucial to our everyday social life and appears to be mediated by specialised networks in the brain. This project will bring a greater understanding of the brain processes involved in the perception and recognition of others' actions.
The future of childhood anxiety treatment: translating cognitive-neuroscience insights into clinical practice. The newest adult anxiety treatments use computer-based tasks that provide practice in overcoming maladaptive thinking patterns. This project is among the first to test this approach with children by developing a simple intervention that can be done at home. This new treatment will significantly reduce the burden of disease in Australia.
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
Charting the prevalence, time course and social-cognitive correlates of neonatal imitation. Imitation is something that we do naturally and often. However, because the necessary research has not been done, it remains controversial whether or not humans can imitate from birth and what role this may play for later developments. The proposed research aims to settle these issues through a comprehensive, longitudinal study of infant imitation and its relation to later-developing social skills. A trai ....Charting the prevalence, time course and social-cognitive correlates of neonatal imitation. Imitation is something that we do naturally and often. However, because the necessary research has not been done, it remains controversial whether or not humans can imitate from birth and what role this may play for later developments. The proposed research aims to settle these issues through a comprehensive, longitudinal study of infant imitation and its relation to later-developing social skills. A training condition will examine the viability of potential early interventions aimed at promoting social responding in infants and toddlers. This project will generate new knowledge about the development of early social skills and provide the foundation for new programs to enhance social development in typical and at-risk infants. Read moreRead less