Establishing how head and face movement properties contribute to the perception of speech and identity. The proposed studies provide an extensive research program into audio-visual speech processing and person identification: key components of face-to-face communication. The likely impact and benefits of the project concern its contribution to perceptual theory (linking signal, brain and behaviour) and its practical implications: For determining the viability of multimodal biometric identificati ....Establishing how head and face movement properties contribute to the perception of speech and identity. The proposed studies provide an extensive research program into audio-visual speech processing and person identification: key components of face-to-face communication. The likely impact and benefits of the project concern its contribution to perceptual theory (linking signal, brain and behaviour) and its practical implications: For determining the viability of multimodal biometric identification procedures by assessing the distinctiveness and permanence of AV speech characteristics. In the development of a visual dubbing technique that has potential for communication in noisy environments (and for the deaf) and for the development of a morphable model for AV presentation that has application for both first and second language learning.Read moreRead less
Surfacing urban wetlands in two urban renewal sites in Sydney. Urban wetlands in Australia provide benefits for climate change mitigation, pollution reduction, habitat provision and socioecological connection. However, in large cities like Sydney, urban wetlands are unseen because undergrounded, and, therefore not adequately understood. This illegibility, and loss of understanding by residents, planners and policy makers impedes wetlands' good management. This project surfaces wetlands through v ....Surfacing urban wetlands in two urban renewal sites in Sydney. Urban wetlands in Australia provide benefits for climate change mitigation, pollution reduction, habitat provision and socioecological connection. However, in large cities like Sydney, urban wetlands are unseen because undergrounded, and, therefore not adequately understood. This illegibility, and loss of understanding by residents, planners and policy makers impedes wetlands' good management. This project surfaces wetlands through visualisation in a multimodal knowledge platform focusing on two urban renewal sites, Green Square and Marrickville South. We leverage design ethnography to develop resources for strengthening multiple stakeholders’ socioecological engagement through methods empowering just, creative and open participation.Read moreRead less
Avatars and Identities. The avatar, a virtual representation of its user, is the key element of interface technology for everyday computer use in the twenty-first century. While specialist aspects of the avatar have received intensive attention from the technology industries and scholars, the focus of the work to date has been on the technical efficiency of the interface, rather than understanding the full social implications of its use. Through a historical, ethnographic and critical analysis o ....Avatars and Identities. The avatar, a virtual representation of its user, is the key element of interface technology for everyday computer use in the twenty-first century. While specialist aspects of the avatar have received intensive attention from the technology industries and scholars, the focus of the work to date has been on the technical efficiency of the interface, rather than understanding the full social implications of its use. Through a historical, ethnographic and critical analysis of the role of the avatar, in consultation with industry, this project offers a unique opportunity to develop a wider perspective that will contribute to an understanding of the uses and policies for the digital economy.Read moreRead less
A Design History of Australian HIV/AIDS Public Health Campaigns 1983-2004. This project investigates the differing roles of governments and community organisations as influential factors in the formulation of graphic representations which characterise the prevention campaigns used in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Australia 1983-2004. It explains how graphic representations, functioning as an index of official and public responses to the epidemic, impact on the aesthetic and professional autonomy of t ....A Design History of Australian HIV/AIDS Public Health Campaigns 1983-2004. This project investigates the differing roles of governments and community organisations as influential factors in the formulation of graphic representations which characterise the prevention campaigns used in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Australia 1983-2004. It explains how graphic representations, functioning as an index of official and public responses to the epidemic, impact on the aesthetic and professional autonomy of the designer. Complimenting existing quantitative assessments this study uses a textual-visual analysis and triangulation method to demonstrate the agency of these institutional constraints placed within the broader range of material forms relating to the campaigns including brochures, posters, and videos.Read moreRead less
'As-if thinking': an experimental analysis of human reasoning and decision-making. The failure to respond adequately to the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 highlighted the difficulty of sequential decision-making. Responses to such emergencies require detailed contingency plans, necessitating a consideration of all possible outcomes of a situation regardless of their objective probability. This project takes an innovative approach to the experimental analysis of human reasoning and de ....'As-if thinking': an experimental analysis of human reasoning and decision-making. The failure to respond adequately to the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 highlighted the difficulty of sequential decision-making. Responses to such emergencies require detailed contingency plans, necessitating a consideration of all possible outcomes of a situation regardless of their objective probability. This project takes an innovative approach to the experimental analysis of human reasoning and decision-making, with the aim of identifying the mechanisms, factors, and boundary conditions affecting inferences and decisions about uncertain alternatives. The research will inform planning for Australia's readiness to respond to unpredictable events with uncertain outcomes and enhance the reputation of Australian science.Read moreRead less
Associability processes in propositional learning. A novel attentional model of learning is evaluated in this project. In this model, learning is seen not as a consequence of a low-level, evolutionarily old system shared with our ancestors, but as a product of our capacity to apply rules and engage in reasoning. Understanding the role of attention in learning will allow a better understanding of the attentional biases seen in clinical disorders such as addiction and a new way to think about the ....Associability processes in propositional learning. A novel attentional model of learning is evaluated in this project. In this model, learning is seen not as a consequence of a low-level, evolutionarily old system shared with our ancestors, but as a product of our capacity to apply rules and engage in reasoning. Understanding the role of attention in learning will allow a better understanding of the attentional biases seen in clinical disorders such as addiction and a new way to think about the neuroscience of attention. These benefits may further suggest new lines of research in the development of drugs to combat attentional disorders.Read moreRead less
A new theory of visual word recognition and reading aloud. The results of this research will lead to an improvement in the theory of reading, which will in turn improve the quality of advice to speech pathologists, teachers, parents and the broader community about children’s reading difficulties and their treatment.
Studies of lexical contagion: Interactions between lexical and episodic memory. Episodic memory allows us to recognize previously experienced items or events. Lexical memory represents orthographic (spelling), phonological (sound) and semantic (meaning) information about words. This project applies recent developments in the study of lexical memory to systematically investigate orthographic and phonological effects on episodic memory for words and nonwords. The new findings will be compared with ....Studies of lexical contagion: Interactions between lexical and episodic memory. Episodic memory allows us to recognize previously experienced items or events. Lexical memory represents orthographic (spelling), phonological (sound) and semantic (meaning) information about words. This project applies recent developments in the study of lexical memory to systematically investigate orthographic and phonological effects on episodic memory for words and nonwords. The new findings will be compared with well known semantic effects that give rise to false memories. The results will be important for evaluating and developing unified models of memory, and providing objectively defined stimulus materials and baselines of memory performance that can be used in applied research.Read moreRead less
Masked priming in the Bayesian Reader. This project brings three benefits. One is scientific, by advancing understanding of unconscious cognition, and of automatic aspects of word recognition. This will lead to the second, applied benefit in developing better assessment tools for reading skill. The third benefit is in enhancing Australia's growing reputation in word recognition research by strengthening links with a top international researcher, as well as providing research training opportun ....Masked priming in the Bayesian Reader. This project brings three benefits. One is scientific, by advancing understanding of unconscious cognition, and of automatic aspects of word recognition. This will lead to the second, applied benefit in developing better assessment tools for reading skill. The third benefit is in enhancing Australia's growing reputation in word recognition research by strengthening links with a top international researcher, as well as providing research training opportunities for Australia's future researchers via international collaboration. Read moreRead less
Predicting the future: testing a unitary account of judgment under uncertainty. The research uses innovative techniques to examine how people use multiple sources of information to make judgments in situations when the outcomes are uncertain. This basic ability is a key feature of many aspects of our lives, thus understanding the fundamental mechanisms involved has considerable potential to improve judgment and decision-making skills across a range of environments. These include, economic foreca ....Predicting the future: testing a unitary account of judgment under uncertainty. The research uses innovative techniques to examine how people use multiple sources of information to make judgments in situations when the outcomes are uncertain. This basic ability is a key feature of many aspects of our lives, thus understanding the fundamental mechanisms involved has considerable potential to improve judgment and decision-making skills across a range of environments. These include, economic forecasting, predicting consumer behaviour, understanding and rectifying gambling behaviour, and improving educational training. In addition, the research will be published in international journals enhancing the reputation of Australian science, and conduct of the project will provide valuable research training for students. Read moreRead less