School of Psychology Events

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Gail Alvares (Senior Research Fellow, Telethon Kids Institute, WA)
2021-08-20 15:00 - 16:00 (Australia/Sydney)
Dr Gail AlvaresSenior Research Fellow, Telethon Kids Institute, WA
Title: From biobank to clinic: translating autism research into clinical practice
Abstract: Nearly 80 years on from the first descriptions of what we now refer to as autism spectrum disorder, we are now at a crossroads in balancing essential research seeking to understand the mechanisms contributing to differences in neurodevelopment with the imperative from the community to accelerate priority-driven research that makes a meaningful differences in individual’s lives. In this talk, I will discuss a program of research spanning basic science discoveries to clinical intervention evaluations aiming to further evidence-based policies and clinical practices that ultimately benefit individuals on the spectrum and their families. I will present data from the Australian Autism Biobank, the largest biological and clinical repository of information on children on the autism spectrum and their families in Australia, as well as data from a state-wide autism diagnostic registry. I will also discuss recent findings and protocols of several large completed and ongoing trials that, together with our broader program of research, has informed the establishment of a new early intervention clinical research service for children on the autism spectrum and their families, CliniKids. Together, this program of work will provide evidence to challenge long-held dogmas and misconceptions about how we may understand and support individuals on the autism spectrum.

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Kylie Radford (Senior Research Scientist and Group Leader, NeuRa & Conjoint Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, UNSW)
2021-08-27 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Kylie RadfordSenior Research Scientist and Group Leader, NeuRa & Conjoint Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, UNSW
Title: Ageing, dementia, and longevity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Abstract:
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia is ageing rapidly and is projected to exceed half a million older people in the next 30 years. With increasing lifespan, healthy ageing is becoming synonymous with healthy brain ageing, and dementia prevention is now a national and global priority. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have higher rates of all-cause dementia, from relatively younger ages of onset, compared to non-Indigenous Australians and many other populations. Culturally safe dementia diagnosis, health and aged care pathways, and dementia literacy are thus emergent community health priorities, but so too is dementia prevention. There is accumulating evidence for potentially modifiable risk factors across the life course and targeting these could have a major impact on reducing rates of dementia. However, there is considerable diversity across populations in the nature and prevalence of dementia risk factors, currently little evidence related to early life determinants, and a need for co-design and evaluation of multi-factorial and culturally responsive risk reduction initiatives. The Koori Growing Old Well Study (KGOWS) was initiated in 2008 to determine the rates of dementia and cognitive decline in older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in urban areas of eastern Australia, where much of the population reside. This study also aimed to validate several cognitive tests, examine sociocultural and biomedical risk (and protective) factors, and translate these findings into policy and practice. Working in close collaboration with five Aboriginal communities, KGOWS found higher prevalence and incidence of dementia (predominantly Alzheimer’s disease) and cognitive decline at age 60 years and older; highly consistent with findings in remote settings. A range of potentially modifiable risk factors across the lifespan were identified, alongside older age, male sex, and APOE-ɛ4, which were also significant risk factors for cognitive decline over six years. Life-course social determinants of health appear to play a substantial role in disparities in brain health and dementia for Indigenous peoples and need to be addressed in conjunction with appropriate late-life risk reduction programs, to improve healthy ageing and longevity.

Psychology Colloquium: Prof Robert Krueger (University of Minnesota)
2021-09-03 15:00 - 16:00
Prof Robert KruegerUniversity of Minnesota
Title: Empirical classification of psychopathology: The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) consortium
Abstract: Traditionally psychopathology has been classified based on the publications of authoritative bodies, such as the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA’s DSM). Recently, researchers have expressed an interest in basing classification more on data, as opposed to authority. This movement led to the formation of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) consortium. Working from data, the HiTOP approach emphasizes dimensions of human individual differences that are arranged hierarchically, as opposed to categories that are arranged based on traditional DSM chapter rubrics. In this talk, I will describe the origins and current status of the HiTOP approach, as well as current and future HiTOP directions and priorities.

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Steph Kershaw (Matilda Centre, University of Sydney)
2021-09-10 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Steph KershawMatilda Centre, University of Sydney
Title: A digital health initiative about crystal methamphetamine (‘ice’)
Abstract:
Crystal methamphetamine (‘ice’) presents not only a ‘substance use problem’ but also a mental health problem in Australia. Cracks in the Ice (CITI) is a digital public health initiative that was developed as part of a national response to concerns about the drug. Cracks in the Ice aims to provide evidence-based information and resources about ice to the Australian community including people who use ice, families & friends, community members and health workers. In 2019, a large scale online national survey was conducted to assess participants’ perceptions of the toolkit along with their knowledge and attitudes towards ice and the people who use it. This presentation will include an introduction to Cracks in the Ice, as well as findings from the survey.

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Adam Bulley School of Psychology and Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney
2021-09-17 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Adam Bulley Adam Bulley is an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow at the School of Psychology and Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, and the Department of Psychology at Harvard University
Title: Making decisions about the future: lessons from research in prospection
Abstract:
Aside from its role in remembering the past, human memory also contributes to our capacity to think about and imagine what might happen in the future. This prospective cognition is a foundation of adaptive behaviour and serves multiple functions in everyday life. In this talk, I will explore one such function: making flexible decisions that take delayed consequences into account. Trade-offs between sooner and later consequences are pervasive and consequential in human affairs, arising in decisions about our finances, health, relationships, politics, the environment, and in a range of other domains. A great deal of research has therefore attempted to leverage prospection to encourage patience across these domains, and I will review the promise of those efforts. However, I will also show why increasing patience is not necessarily a desirable goal and demonstrate how farsightedness can sometimes paradoxically encourage people to be less patient, not more. Throughout, I will draw lessons from the cognitive science of prospection for our understanding of impulsivity and self-control.

Adam Bulley is an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow at the School of Psychology and Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, and the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. He completed his PhD at the University of Queensland in cognitive science before moving overseas for his postdoctoral research. He is now back in Australia and has recently joined the school here at the University of Sydney. His research focuses on how people imagine and make decisions about the future.

Psychology Colloquium: Prof Emily Cross (Macquarie University)
2021-09-24 15:00 - 16:00
Prof Emily CrossMacquarie University
Title:
Mind meets machine: Towards a cognitive science of human—machine interactions
Abstract:
As robots advance from the pages and screens of science fiction into our homes, hospitals, and schools, they are poised to take on increasingly social roles. Consequently, the need to understand the mechanisms supporting human-machine interactions is becoming increasingly pressing, and will require contributions from the social, cognitive and brain sciences in order to make progress. In this talk, we introduce a framework for studying the cognitive and brain mechanisms that support human-machine interactions, leveraging advances made in social cognition and cognitive neuroscience to link different levels of description with relevant theory and methods. Also highlighted are unique features that make this endeavour particularly challenging (and rewarding) for brain and behavioural scientists. Overall, the framework offers a way to conceptualize and study the cognitive science of human-machine interactions that respects the diversity of social machines, individuals’ expectations and experiences, and the structure and function of multiple cognitive and brain systems.

No colloquium this week – PsychFest
2021-10-08 15:00 - 16:00

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Jess Taubert (University of Queensland)
2021-10-15 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Jess TaubertUniversity of Queensland
Title: The mechanisms underlying the recognition of social signals in the primate brain.
Abstract:
The overarching goal of my research is to understand how we recognize different visual objects in the environment, with a specific focus on the recognition of social signals. Our remarkable ability to “read the room” is a form of social intelligence that emerges during infancy and contributes to our social wellbeing, yet its neural basis is only partially understood. How do we detect and locate other social agents while we are walking around? How do we seem to know when a stranger standing at a distance is looking directly at us? How do we track changes in someone’s mood during a conversation (and can we do this efficiently via zoom)? To address these questions and others, I combine psychophysics with state-of-the-art neuroscientific methods (including whole brain functional imaging, single-cell recordings and inactivation techniques) and I test multiple primate species, including rhesus macaques.
In this talk I will describe some of my recent discoveries including (1) the causal role of the amygdala in face detection and (2) the neural correlates of emotional body language in the macaque brain. These experiments set the stage for future studies that will identify the neural circuits responsible for interpreting facial signals and guiding social behaviour in both human and nonhuman primates.
https://psychology.uq.edu.au/profile/10567/jess-taubert

The inaugural Professor Sally Andrews Lecture on Cognitive Psychology: Prof Frini Karayanidis (University of Newcastle)
2021-10-22 15:00 - 16:00
Prof Frini KarayanidisSchool of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle
Title:
Cognitive control ability: An early warning signal?
Abstract:
Cognitive control processes support goal-directed behaviour and flexible adaptation in response to changing contexts. These processes are enabled by prefrontal cortical regions and are sensitive to genetic, biological and environmental impacts (e.g., age, physical and mental health conditions, substance use, lifestyle choices). Cognitive control ability varies across the developmental lifespan, and level of ability in early life is predictive of adaptive or maladaptive outcomes in adulthood. It has been suggested that cognitive control processes may be a sensitive early warning system of the need for intervention to prevent cascading effects of cognitive decline across multiple contexts and areas of functioning. However, there are currently no approaches to reliably assess cognitive control trajectories and identify patterns of deviation. In this talk, I argue that the task-switching paradigm may be a promising candidate as the “canary in the coalmine”. I briefly review our current understanding about the task-switching paradigm, including the underlying cognitive control processes, the link to prefrontal cortical function and the paradigm’s sensitivity to developmental trajectories, clinical conditions and lifestyle variations. I outline our current work with this paradigm in healthy ageing and briefly touch on challenges ahead.
Please join us online at https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/83525864994 on Friday 22nd October at 3pm.

Psychology Colloquium: Associate Professor Richard Ramsey (Department of Psychology – Macquarie University)
2021-10-29 15:00 - 16:00
Associate Professor Richard RamseyDepartment of Psychology – Macquarie University
Title: Perceiving and Interacting with Social Agents: Insights from Brain and Behaviour
Abstract: The ability to perceive and interact with others typically occurs in an effortless manner, but is underpinned by complex cognitive and neural processes. In this talk, I review recent evidence from behavioural and brain imaging studies that uncover deeper insight into social cognition and brain function. Using examples from person perception and theory-of-mind paradigms, as well as work investigating individual differences and loneliness, I highlight the importance of considering distributed and connected brain circuits when aiming to understand how we perceive and interact with others in a social world.

Psychology Colloquium: Laureate talks by Prof Olivier Piguet & A/Prof Damian Birney (School of Psychology – University of Sydney)
2021-11-05 15:00 - 16:00
Please join us for a special two-part colloquium, with Laureate talks by two grant winners in our School:Prof Olivier Piguet
Human hippocampus subregions organisation and associative memory processes.
This proposal will investigate the hippocampus, a highly inter-connected structure containing many subregions. Although considered the memory centre of the brain, we still do not know the exact roles of these subregions during memory processes. Using novel brain neuroimaging acquisition methods and analyses, this project aims to map the internal structure and functions of the hippocampus and its functional networks under different memory conditions and how these functions change with age. The intended outcome of this proposal is to provide the foundations for the first integrated model of human memory and its biological basis and to generate a benchmark against which future development of memory interventions and retraining can be measured.

A/Prof Damian Birney
A paradigm shift in understanding cognitive flexibility.
The project aims to model cognitive flexibility as a dynamic process within people that varies across situations and occasions using advanced data analytics. Significance: The project intends to generate new knowledge in intelligence theory using recent advances that overcome known theory-testing limitations that have historically been ignored. Expected Outcomes: An authentic account of cognitive flexibility and a new paradigm for developing and testing models of dynamic change within people. Benefits: Dynamic models are needed to understand authentic problem-solving and cognitive function. The advances benefit research and applied areas where dynamic processes are important, including education, work, and cognitive aging.

Please join us on Friday 5th November at 3pm online at: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/81648124363.

CANCELLED Psychology Colloquium: Prof Jessica Grisham (University of New South Wales)
2021-11-12 15:00 - 16:00
CANCELLEDProf Jessica Grisham
University of New South Wales
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA

Psychology Colloquium: Professor Emerita Phyllis Butow: How hard should we try? Evaluating implementation strategies for embedding an anxiety/depression clinical pathway into routine oncology practice
2024-02-23 15:00 - 16:00
Professor Emerita Phyllis Butow (USYD)Bio
Prof Phyllis Butow (BA(Hons), MPH, MClinPsych, PhD) is Emeritus Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney. She founded the Australian Psycho-Oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG) and the Centre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based Decision-making (CeMPED). Prof Butow has worked for over 30 years leading research in health professional-patient communication and Psycho-Oncology. She has conducted research on psychosocial issues in cancer genetics, doctor-patient communication, patient involvement in cancer consultations and decision-making (including informed consent), interventions to reduce fear of cancer recurrence, implementation of clinical pathways for anxiety and depression in cancer patients, and disparities in outcomes and needs of immigrants with cancer. She has won many awards, including the International Psycho-Oncology Society Bernard Fox award for outstanding contribution to Psycho-Oncology research in 2009, the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia Tom Reeve award for outstanding contribution to cancer care in 2011, NSW Cancer Researcher of the year in 2012, and an Order of Australia (AM) in 2014.
How hard should we try? Evaluating implementation strategies for embedding an anxiety/depression clinical pathway into routine oncology practice
Abstract
Background: Evidence on the efficacy of psychosocial oncology interventions is mounting, yet their inclusion in routine clinical practice remains low. Optimal strategies to facilitate implementation of evidence-based clinical pathways are unclear. Implementation science must guide the next wave of research in our discipline. We developed a clinical pathway for anxiety/depression (the ADAPT CP) and resources to support it, including health professional (HP) training, an online patient intervention and HP and patient portals to facilitate the process. We evaluated two implementation strategies (core versus enhanced) to facilitate implementation of the ADAPT CP in routine care.
Methods: Twelve cancer services in NSW Australia were cluster randomised, stratified by service size, to a core (standard) versus enhanced (more proactive, ongoing support by the research team) implementation strategy for the ADAPT CP over 12 months. All patients at participating sites were offered the ADAPT CP as part of routine care, and if agreeable, completed screening measures at regular intervals. They were allocated a severity step for anxiety/depression from one (minimal) to five (severe) and recommended management appropriate to their severity step. Staff completed questionnaires and interviews prior to, and at 6 and 12 months after implementing the ADAPT CP. Health economic data were collected.
Results: Of 1,280 registered patients, 696 (54%) completed at least one screening, and there were 1,323 screening events (883 in core and 440 in enhanced services) in total. Adherence was high for screening, moderate for referral and low for checking uptake and progress. Adherence was significantly higher when anxiety/depression step was less severe, and in the enhanced versus control arm (p=.02) for step 3 anxiety/depression and trending to significance for step 4. Anxiety/depression dropped significantly between screens. Health service costs (attending medical appointments, use of drugs) were lower in patients following registration on ADAPT CP. The cost of implementing ADAPT CP for individual services was approximately $12,000 a year. Staff perceived the CP as of high value, acceptable, appropriate, fit for purpose for services and a catalyst for change. However, timing screening was difficult, online screening was challenging and burdensome, and referral pathways were sometimes unclear.
Discussion: These results support ongoing implementation effort for the first year of implementation to ensure successful uptake of new clinical pathways in over-burdened clinical services. We need to understand the barriers and facilitators of uptake for psychosocial oncology interventions, and ensure that appropriate resourcing is allocated for this purpose.

Psychology Colloquium: Prof Sally Andrews Memorial Lecture on Cognitive Psychology: Prof Erik Reichle (Macquarie University)
2025-05-30 15:00 - 16:00
Professor Erik Reichle (Macquarie University)

Professor Sally Andrews Memorial Lecture on Cognitive Psychology: Towards a Model of the Reconstructed Self

Abstract

Our sense of self is dependent upon our experiences and how the “thread” of our autobiography is reconstructed from memories of our contextually rich experiences. In this talk, I will describe how an instance-based model of human memory, MINERVA 2 (Hintzman, 1986), can be used as a framework for understanding how this happens. I will report simulations that show how autobiographical sequences can be generated from discrete memories of unrelated episodes, and how the basic processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval can give rise to distortions of self (e.g., dissociative identity disorder; Boag, 2024).

Bio

Erik D. Reichle received a BS in psychology from Iowa State University and a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Since 2017, he has worked at Macquarie University where he is a professor of cognitive psychology. His research uses computer modelling, eye-tracking, and brain-imaging to understand the mental processes that support skilled reading and how those processes are influenced by languages and writing systems. He has published more than 120 articles on these topics and has recently authored two books: Computational models of reading: A handbook (Oxford University Press) in 2021, and The psychology of reading: Insights from Chinese (Cambridge University Press) in 2024.
