Automatic detection and modelling of acoustic markers of speech timing. This project aims to create new automatic sensing, analysis and assessment of cognitive, affective, mental and physical state from voice for mobile and computing devices. This project expects to generate new understanding of the effects of these states on detailed timing indicators of speech motor control, and new signal processing and machine learning methods that best exploit it. Expected outcomes from this project include ....Automatic detection and modelling of acoustic markers of speech timing. This project aims to create new automatic sensing, analysis and assessment of cognitive, affective, mental and physical state from voice for mobile and computing devices. This project expects to generate new understanding of the effects of these states on detailed timing indicators of speech motor control, and new signal processing and machine learning methods that best exploit it. Expected outcomes from this project include a new and accurate deep neural network framework for learning, analysing and detecting human states from speech automatically using articulatory timing markers. This should provide significant benefits, such as individually-tailored, frequent and low-cost automatic detection, monitoring and analytics for adverse states.Read moreRead less
Innovative hands-free technology to give the severely disabled greater mobility control. Half of the serious neurological injuries in Australia result in tetraplegia. Combined with other disabilities that involve severe mobility impairments the cost to the community economically, psychologically and socially is huge. This new Australian technology will facilitate effective sharing of control between a disabled person and a computer control system, taking advantage of their unique strengths and e ....Innovative hands-free technology to give the severely disabled greater mobility control. Half of the serious neurological injuries in Australia result in tetraplegia. Combined with other disabilities that involve severe mobility impairments the cost to the community economically, psychologically and socially is huge. This new Australian technology will facilitate effective sharing of control between a disabled person and a computer control system, taking advantage of their unique strengths and enabling each to aid the other in areas of weakness. The social and personal benefits are potentially very large. Scope also exists to significantly reduce healthcare costs and to develop a new industry in hands-free technology.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
Stimulus Representation in Associative Learning: Testing a New Computational Model. This research investigates how animals represent their experiences when learning about the associations that exist between events in their world. This is crucial for our understanding of associative learning in general, and will also provide valuable theoretical knowledge to guide research into the neural basis of learning. It will also have important implications for the development of computational models in ar ....Stimulus Representation in Associative Learning: Testing a New Computational Model. This research investigates how animals represent their experiences when learning about the associations that exist between events in their world. This is crucial for our understanding of associative learning in general, and will also provide valuable theoretical knowledge to guide research into the neural basis of learning. It will also have important implications for the development of computational models in artificial intelligence and cognitive neuroscience programmes, and for applications of learning principles to clinical settings (such as the treatment of phobias and drug addiction).Read moreRead less
Developing a general theory of reaction time (RT) control. Speeded responses are used widely as a tool to study cognitive processes. Context has a large effect on speeded responses, undermining the assumption that reaction time (RT) provides a direct measure of the complexity or efficiency of underlying cognitive processes. Understanding the role of context in initiating speeded responses will bring both basic and applied benefits: It will help refine theories of cognitive processes, many of wh ....Developing a general theory of reaction time (RT) control. Speeded responses are used widely as a tool to study cognitive processes. Context has a large effect on speeded responses, undermining the assumption that reaction time (RT) provides a direct measure of the complexity or efficiency of underlying cognitive processes. Understanding the role of context in initiating speeded responses will bring both basic and applied benefits: It will help refine theories of cognitive processes, many of which are based on data collected with RT tasks, and it will be useful in designing tests that measure an individual's cognitive capacity.Read moreRead less