The nature of self-recognition: novel approaches to vexing questions. Mirror self-recognition has often been interpreted as evidence for the presence of some form of self-concept/awareness. Children from age 2 onwards investigate their own bodies after seeing a novel mark on their heads in the mirror (surreptitiously placed in their hair by the experimenter). Younger children and most animals do not respond to their images in such a way (instead, for example, treating it as another individual). ....The nature of self-recognition: novel approaches to vexing questions. Mirror self-recognition has often been interpreted as evidence for the presence of some form of self-concept/awareness. Children from age 2 onwards investigate their own bodies after seeing a novel mark on their heads in the mirror (surreptitiously placed in their hair by the experimenter). Younger children and most animals do not respond to their images in such a way (instead, for example, treating it as another individual). The present experiments probe the nature of self-recognition using novel digital video technology rather than mirrors. This technology allows us to manipulate the contingency and appearance of the image. Five studies investigate the performance of 2 to 4-year-old children, autistic children, chimpanzees and dolphins to determine whether they recognize themselves and what underwrites their performance on the tasks. The innovative use of modern technology is expected to answer some of the most persistent questions in psychology.
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Thinking about the future: The nature and development of mental time travel. This project is one of the first systematic investigations into the development of the human capacity to consider future events. A variety of novel tasks will probe what children know about the future and how it relates to their ability to reason about past events. Comparisons between children and apes will further inform us about the nature of this crucial mental skill. The findings will provide valuable information fo ....Thinking about the future: The nature and development of mental time travel. This project is one of the first systematic investigations into the development of the human capacity to consider future events. A variety of novel tasks will probe what children know about the future and how it relates to their ability to reason about past events. Comparisons between children and apes will further inform us about the nature of this crucial mental skill. The findings will provide valuable information for developing appropriate educational approaches and for our understanding of abnormalities. As international leaders in this field, we are in an ideal position to conduct this research, offer unique opportunities for postgraduate training, and to continue in Australia's outstanding tradition of excellence in basic research.Read moreRead less
Electrophysiological correlates of verbal and visuospatial working memory. Successful interaction with the world is dependent on "working memory". This memory system holds things in mind, while relating them to the past and planning for the future. A carefully controlled task, presented on a computer screen, systematically increases the number of items to be kept in mind. Accuracy and speed of matching the items are measured. The results will contribute to a theory of what processes are used ....Electrophysiological correlates of verbal and visuospatial working memory. Successful interaction with the world is dependent on "working memory". This memory system holds things in mind, while relating them to the past and planning for the future. A carefully controlled task, presented on a computer screen, systematically increases the number of items to be kept in mind. Accuracy and speed of matching the items are measured. The results will contribute to a theory of what processes are used in working memory and how the human brain manages these processes.Read moreRead less
Checking the validity of photographic identification documents: Enhancing the performance of security personnel through increased understanding of unfamiliar face processing. The ability to accurately establish the identity of an individual is central to the national security of Australia. Identity checking often relies on facial photographs contained on passports and other documents. Despite the introduction of automated systems, the decision whether a photograph is of a person rests with human ....Checking the validity of photographic identification documents: Enhancing the performance of security personnel through increased understanding of unfamiliar face processing. The ability to accurately establish the identity of an individual is central to the national security of Australia. Identity checking often relies on facial photographs contained on passports and other documents. Despite the introduction of automated systems, the decision whether a photograph is of a person rests with human operators. Research by CI has demonstrated that this task is difficult and error prone. The proposed research seeks to improve performance by developing a fuller understanding of the nature of the task and the limits of the operators' abilities and by testing possible training and selection procedures.Read moreRead less
Disgust as a psychosocial defence against infectious disease. Globally, around 1 in 4 deaths result from infectious disease. Humans have evolved two basic means to combat this - an immune system and behaviours to avoid getting sick. This project examines one such behaviour, disgust, and aims to determine its role in disease avoidance. Studying disgust can lead to novel insights into behaviours as diverse as risky sexual decision-making and illness-related stigmatisation (e.g. of people with AID ....Disgust as a psychosocial defence against infectious disease. Globally, around 1 in 4 deaths result from infectious disease. Humans have evolved two basic means to combat this - an immune system and behaviours to avoid getting sick. This project examines one such behaviour, disgust, and aims to determine its role in disease avoidance. Studying disgust can lead to novel insights into behaviours as diverse as risky sexual decision-making and illness-related stigmatisation (e.g. of people with AIDS or cancer). Disgust can also be used to directly improve human health. For example, it can be exploited to boost hand hygiene. If widely applied, this simple measure could annually save an estimated 1.5 million children's lives, reduce rates of flu, colds, food poisoning and hospital acquired infections.Read moreRead less
Combining Community Based Social Marketing and Technological Innovation to Combat Wood-Smoke Pollution in Regional Australia. There is considerable evidence to suggest that wood smoke pollution represents a serious health threat. This project will provide valuable information about the relative effectiveness of social marketing and technology-based interventions to reduce wood smoke pollution, and how these interventions may be combined to maximise their impact. The resulting improvements in ai ....Combining Community Based Social Marketing and Technological Innovation to Combat Wood-Smoke Pollution in Regional Australia. There is considerable evidence to suggest that wood smoke pollution represents a serious health threat. This project will provide valuable information about the relative effectiveness of social marketing and technology-based interventions to reduce wood smoke pollution, and how these interventions may be combined to maximise their impact. The resulting improvements in air quality may produce substantial health benefits for the residents of Australian communities that depend heavily on wood as a domestic heating fuel during winter months. Read moreRead less
Expecting the Unexpected: Learning Complex Temporal and Rhythmic Relations. Music is one of the most accessible routes to experience, and to learn about, cultures other than our own. A new implicit method for learning complex rhythm and underlying metre promotes inter-group understanding and communication. We hypothesize that implicit learning (IL) of unfamiliar complex metres through music generalizes to spoken language built on similar metres; IL facilitates segmentation of previously unfamili ....Expecting the Unexpected: Learning Complex Temporal and Rhythmic Relations. Music is one of the most accessible routes to experience, and to learn about, cultures other than our own. A new implicit method for learning complex rhythm and underlying metre promotes inter-group understanding and communication. We hypothesize that implicit learning (IL) of unfamiliar complex metres through music generalizes to spoken language built on similar metres; IL facilitates segmentation of previously unfamiliar spoken language and enhances recognition of English spoken with the stress pattern of a 'foreign' metre. Future intervention programs based on implicit learning of temporal relations will benefit people with reading difficulties or timing problems characteristic of cerebellar and basal ganglia patients.Read moreRead less
Improving the identification of juvenile firesetters at high risk of recidivism. Young firesetters are not only responsible for some fifth of all fires, they also are at risk of becoming adult arsonists. Australian fire services provide educational programs for young firesetters but about a third may continue to light fires. This project will allow clarification of variables most associated with ongoing firesetting behaviour (recidivism), better prediction of high risk juveniles, understanding ....Improving the identification of juvenile firesetters at high risk of recidivism. Young firesetters are not only responsible for some fifth of all fires, they also are at risk of becoming adult arsonists. Australian fire services provide educational programs for young firesetters but about a third may continue to light fires. This project will allow clarification of variables most associated with ongoing firesetting behaviour (recidivism), better prediction of high risk juveniles, understanding of the predictive value of a screening tool, valid assessment of recidivism rates and an increased understanding of mental health agency involvement with firesetter families. These outcomes will help improve programs involving juvenile firesetters, thereby reducing arson and the high cost of uncontrolled fire.Read moreRead less
Cue Acquisition as a Mediator of Cognitive Skills Development. As the Australian workforce ages and there is a consequent reduction in the availability of experienced practitioners, organisations are going to be faced with the dilemma of placing relatively inexperienced staff in positions that were once occupied by experts. The result is a potential increase in the risks to critical infrastructure, such as electricity transmission. In this project, we expect to develop a set of principles that c ....Cue Acquisition as a Mediator of Cognitive Skills Development. As the Australian workforce ages and there is a consequent reduction in the availability of experienced practitioners, organisations are going to be faced with the dilemma of placing relatively inexperienced staff in positions that were once occupied by experts. The result is a potential increase in the risks to critical infrastructure, such as electricity transmission. In this project, we expect to develop a set of principles that can ensure that scenario based training is targeted to those aspects of the situation that are most important in maintaining the integrity of the system. The outcome is not only a safer system, but one that provides a structured approach to the acquisition of skills amongst employees.Read moreRead less
The Role of Communication in Sino-Australian Business Negotiations: An Appraisal. Communication difficulties together with the lack of cultural understanding are a major barrier preventing many Australian businesses from succeeding in the Chinese market, a primary estination for Australian exports. Yet up til now, the study of Australian-Chinese cross-cultural communications has been largely unattended. This project addresses this need by integrating an emotions perspective on communication wi ....The Role of Communication in Sino-Australian Business Negotiations: An Appraisal. Communication difficulties together with the lack of cultural understanding are a major barrier preventing many Australian businesses from succeeding in the Chinese market, a primary estination for Australian exports. Yet up til now, the study of Australian-Chinese cross-cultural communications has been largely unattended. This project addresses this need by integrating an emotions perspective on communication with a well-established communication theory. Using a grounded theory approach, the proposed project will result in a model that will assist businesses to identify points where communications may falter and formulate strategies for dealing with such intricacies in the context of Sino-Australian business negotiations.Read moreRead less