Discovering genes for singing ability in Australian families. Music abilities are core to what makes us human, with singing ubiquitous in all cultures. Anecdotal evidence suggests that singing ability runs in families, supporting its genetic basis, however no research has systematically traced it across generations. Using an innovative web-based singing program and the latest molecular genetic techniques, this project aims to discover singing ability genes through the first Australian study of l ....Discovering genes for singing ability in Australian families. Music abilities are core to what makes us human, with singing ubiquitous in all cultures. Anecdotal evidence suggests that singing ability runs in families, supporting its genetic basis, however no research has systematically traced it across generations. Using an innovative web-based singing program and the latest molecular genetic techniques, this project aims to discover singing ability genes through the first Australian study of large families with many talented singers. This will generate new knowledge on the origins of human musicality and help Australia develop a sustainable source of cultural capital. It will build interdisciplinary research capacity and inform bespoke music learning programs that account for individual differences.Read moreRead less
The genetic basis of singing ability. This project aims to explore the heritability of music ability, focusing on singing and the contribution of genetic and environmental influences. Research suggests that deliberate practice (more than 10,000 hours) produces skilled musicianship, with minimal investigation of genetic influences. Mapping the human genome has opened up a new scientific frontier, and this project’s findings are expected to lead to the discovery of genes for singing. This will hel ....The genetic basis of singing ability. This project aims to explore the heritability of music ability, focusing on singing and the contribution of genetic and environmental influences. Research suggests that deliberate practice (more than 10,000 hours) produces skilled musicianship, with minimal investigation of genetic influences. Mapping the human genome has opened up a new scientific frontier, and this project’s findings are expected to lead to the discovery of genes for singing. This will help design and deliver music education programmes that take individual differences into account, differentiating between heritable aspects of musicianship and those more influenced by training.Read moreRead less
Locating genes for cognitive traits using linkage and association analyses. Our study is the 1st in the world to find significant linkage for IQ.The dataset is one of only 2 such in the world (based on sample size, range & type of measures).Identifying genes for cognitive ability using healthy subjects is important in understanding individual differences in normal cognitive functioning, but it may also provide clues into the underlying mechanisms of impaired cognitive ability. Diverging conditio ....Locating genes for cognitive traits using linkage and association analyses. Our study is the 1st in the world to find significant linkage for IQ.The dataset is one of only 2 such in the world (based on sample size, range & type of measures).Identifying genes for cognitive ability using healthy subjects is important in understanding individual differences in normal cognitive functioning, but it may also provide clues into the underlying mechanisms of impaired cognitive ability. Diverging conditions like reading disorder, schizophrenia, depression, alcoholism, and dementia all share deficits in cognitive ability.Downstream practical applications of identifying 'genes for cognition' include better educational, behavioural and biomedical management of learning and memory disorders, and other intellectual disabilities.Read moreRead less
Evidence-based improvement of statistical inference practices in psychology and other disciplines. The commonest ways that many researchers currently draw conclusions from their data have been shown to be inefficient, and often used incorrectly. This project will develop new, better statistical representations and software tools for data analysis. It will evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of these. Wide adoption of these techniques and tools will enhance the international reputation ....Evidence-based improvement of statistical inference practices in psychology and other disciplines. The commonest ways that many researchers currently draw conclusions from their data have been shown to be inefficient, and often used incorrectly. This project will develop new, better statistical representations and software tools for data analysis. It will evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of these. Wide adoption of these techniques and tools will enhance the international reputation and competitiveness of Australian psychological science. Adoption by Australian researchers across the social and behavioural sciences, and in other disciplines including medicine, economics and ecology, will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Australian research, with consequential wide-ranging benefits to the Australian community.Read moreRead less
Identifying genes for cognition. We have established a large twin sample and are the Australian arm of an international consortium to identify genes for cognition. This work will transform our understanding of brain functions that affect normal cognitive functioning. It has potentially enormous public health significance by providing clues into the underlying mechanisms of impaired cognitive ability. Many different conditions affect people's ability to think and remember (e.g. schizophrenia, dem ....Identifying genes for cognition. We have established a large twin sample and are the Australian arm of an international consortium to identify genes for cognition. This work will transform our understanding of brain functions that affect normal cognitive functioning. It has potentially enormous public health significance by providing clues into the underlying mechanisms of impaired cognitive ability. Many different conditions affect people's ability to think and remember (e.g. schizophrenia, dementia). By understanding how cognitive processes work in healthy individuals, we can better identify the fundamental mechanisms of impaired cognitive ability. This may have future applications for treating brain dysfunction, and managing memory of intellectual disabilities.Read moreRead less
Do director board appointments predict whether CEO pay is in line with company performance? Increasing pay differences between CEOs and the average working Australian have resulted in a less equitable and economically divided society. This issue has reached a critical point as taxpayer money is now needed to fund stimulus packages and finance companies facing insolvency while CEO pay on average has remained unchanged or increased. This inequity has the potential to cause social and political ins ....Do director board appointments predict whether CEO pay is in line with company performance? Increasing pay differences between CEOs and the average working Australian have resulted in a less equitable and economically divided society. This issue has reached a critical point as taxpayer money is now needed to fund stimulus packages and finance companies facing insolvency while CEO pay on average has remained unchanged or increased. This inequity has the potential to cause social and political instability. This research will provide much needed knowledge of how to address this issue including pay benchmarks, knowledge derived from international practice, corporate governance indices as well as understanding of how widespread pay norms have developed.Read moreRead less
The structure and dynamics of social contact for human disease transmission models. The methodological advances of this project will enable new insights in important social research. They will not only add significantly to national capacity in the modelling of complex social systems but they will also yield practical scientific outcomes in a significant policy domain in Australia and overseas. In Australia, response to diseases such as HIV, HCV and TB need new approaches, and the threat of pan ....The structure and dynamics of social contact for human disease transmission models. The methodological advances of this project will enable new insights in important social research. They will not only add significantly to national capacity in the modelling of complex social systems but they will also yield practical scientific outcomes in a significant policy domain in Australia and overseas. In Australia, response to diseases such as HIV, HCV and TB need new approaches, and the threat of pandemic influenza is significant. Read moreRead less
Categorization and Working Memory: Bridging two Pillars of Cognition. Categorization is a fundamental cognitive skill that underlies much expert behavior, including medical diagnosis. A given task often gives rise to widely divergent strategies across individuals, and flawed strategies have been implicated in prediction errors of experts (e.g., bush fire fighters). This project seeks to identify the underlying variables that determine an individual's strategy acquisition by relating working memo ....Categorization and Working Memory: Bridging two Pillars of Cognition. Categorization is a fundamental cognitive skill that underlies much expert behavior, including medical diagnosis. A given task often gives rise to widely divergent strategies across individuals, and flawed strategies have been implicated in prediction errors of experts (e.g., bush fire fighters). This project seeks to identify the underlying variables that determine an individual's strategy acquisition by relating working memory performance to categorization. Working memory is a core cognitive construct that is quite well understood, but its relationship to category learning has so far remained unexplored. Being able to predict the development of categorization strategies can help maximize expert performance.Read moreRead less
A new kind of dynamics for psychology. In order to remain efficient in real-world decisions, people must dynamically monitor and adjust their cognitive processes. This project aims to develop innovative methods and analyses for dynamics in experimental psychology, using standard paradigms in which task parameters are dynamically manipulated. The development of models of dynamic behaviour will advance the science of psychology and serve as a practical measurement tool for individuals.
Are two processes one too many? An investigation of the viability of the dual-process model of recognition memory. Memory is the glue that holds together our lives and personal identities. While psychologists are developing better and more sophisticated accounts of how it works, many deep questions remain. The present research examines some of these questions in relation to how memory can be decomposed into its component processes and how we are to understand these processes. An appropriate unde ....Are two processes one too many? An investigation of the viability of the dual-process model of recognition memory. Memory is the glue that holds together our lives and personal identities. While psychologists are developing better and more sophisticated accounts of how it works, many deep questions remain. The present research examines some of these questions in relation to how memory can be decomposed into its component processes and how we are to understand these processes. An appropriate understanding of these questions is vital to the development of interventions (both psychological and pharmacological) designed to halt or even reverse memory decline associated with normal aging and age-associated brain disease (such as Alzheimer disease).Read moreRead less