Psychology Colloquium: The Ritual Animal: How rituals made our world… and how they could save it
2022-03-11 15:00 - 16:00 (Australia/Sydney)
Professor Harvey Whitehouse, University of Oxford
Abstract: Rituals provide a way of defining the boundaries of social groups and binding their members together. In this talk, Harvey Whitehouse attempts to unravel the psychology behind these processes, to explain how ritual behaviour evolved and how different modes of ritual performance have shaped global history over many millennia. Efforts to test the ‘ritual modes’ theory have used a wide variety of methods ranging from field research, large scale multi-country surveys, and controlled experiments through to mathematical modelling and quantitative analysis of archaeological, ethnographic, and historical datasets. The results of this research point to new ways of addressing cooperation problems in the twenty-first century: from preventing violent extremism and tackling crime to managing global pandemics and motivating action on the climate crisis.
Bio: Harvey Whitehouse is Professor of Social Anthropology and Director of the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion at the University of Oxford. He is currently the recipient of an ERC Advanced Grant to investigate the role of rituals in binding groups together and motivating inter-group competition and conflict. Whitehouse is also a founding director of Seshat: Global History Databank which is being used to explore the role of rituals in the evolution of social complexity.
IN PERSON VENUE: A08.02.217.Heydon Laurence Building. Heydon Laurence Lecture Theatre 217 (DT Anderson)
OR
JOIN VIA ZOOM

Psychology Colloquium: Applied Sport and Performance Psychology: Effects of Stereotypes on Athletes’ and Coaches’ Wellbeing and Performance
2022-03-25 15:00 - 16:00
Speaker: Dr Kotryna K. Fraser (she/her/hers) is a Lecturer and an early career researcher in the Discipline of Exercise and Sport Sciences at the School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney. She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in positive youth development through sport before joining the academic team at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Kotryna’s current research focuses on equity and inclusion in sport and the effects the stereotypes have on players, coaches, and support staff. Kotryna also is a BASES Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist (Psychology Support) and has been working with athletes and coaches since 2013.Abstract: Both Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic Games are the most gender-representative Games in history. This is due to the increasing efforts to challenge the existing gendered stereotypes and status quo of the white heterosexual cis-gender abled-bodied male preserve of sport. Nonetheless, a gender gap and lack of representation are still seen among coaches, leaders and technical officials as only 13% of the accredited coaches at the Tokyo 2020 Games were female. No statistics are available on other protected characteristics such as ethnic identity or sexual orientation. In this presentation, I will offer a brief overview of how stereotypes affect our physical performance, result in emotional consequences, and may lead to adverse mental health and eventual withdrawal from sport. I will make links between social self-identity in the evaluative context and research on imposter feelings so that the high-performance sectors could draw lessons from.

IN PERSON VENUE: A08.02.217.Heydon Laurence Building. Heydon Laurence Lecture Theatre 217 (DT Anderson)
OR
JOIN VIA ZOOM

Psychology Colloquium: A/Prof Sabina Kleitman (School of Psychology, University of Sydney)
2022-04-01 15:00 - 16:00
A/Prof Sabina Kleitman (School of Psychology, University of Sydney)Title: Adapting, surviving and thriving during different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract: How do people maintain their mental well-being, adapt, and comply with different protective behaviours during COVID-19 in Australia & abroad? In this talk, I will discuss the fascinating findings of four studies focusing on the contribution of psychological, health-related, political, cultural, and circumstantial factors (like the impact of COVID-19 and demographics) on the quality of survival, adaptation and thriving during different stages of the pandemic.
Details of the studies:
Study 1 (April-May 2020): “The Great Unknown”—The peak of the 1st wave, marked by unprecedented uncertainty and the introduction of strictly enforced public health measures. This study included 1575 participants from Australia, the US, the UK, and Canada.
Study 2 (July-August 2020): “The 1st recovery stage”—Post first-wave lockdown, characterised by the easing of restrictions in Australia, except in Victoria, where the 2nd lockdown was imminent. This study was based on an Australian sample (N=453) (funded by the Australian Army HQ and done in collaboration with the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group).
Study 3 (October-November 2020): “The 2nd lockdown and recovery stage”— The final stages of the 2nd lockdown in Victoria, while the other states maintained a new ‘COVID normal’. This study was based on an Australian sample (N=1693) (collaboration with Prof Madeleine King and the Sydney Quality of Life Office)
Study 4 (Jan-March 2022): “The self-regulated stage”— Most restrictions were waived, the highly infectious Omicron variant spread, and vaccination and booster being promoted as the best, and often only, line of defence. This study was based on an Australian sample (N= 598) (collaboration with Prof Madeleine King and the Sydney Quality of Life team with the support of booster funds).
Across studies, the main findings are highly consistent. Certain psychological factors played a major role in adapting and thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic despite differences in regulations, demographic characteristics, and diverse situational factors, including COVID-related impacts, albeit they also played an important role.
Brief Bio: Associate Professor Sabina Kleitman’s expertise and principal research lie in decision-making, differential psychology, applied psychology, multivariate data analytics and human factors. Her research is cross-disciplinary, and she embraces diverse areas such as Psychology, Defence Sciences, Human Factors, Computer Science and Education. A/Prof Kleitman engages strategically with various industry partners, including the Australian Government Defence Science & Technology (DST) Group and Australian Army Headquarters with funded collaborative research programs. She and her team are pioneers in assessing resilience and decision-making using novel methodologies, simulation embedded metrics and computer log files. In her most current collaboration, she investigated the role of cognitive fitness constructs in adjustment and recovery during crises amid the unique situation presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. By invitation, she has recently joined the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Presidential Working Group for Pandemic Prevention.
Sabina’s h-index is 28. Her research is recognised nationally and internationally with more than 4,200 citations (https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=oLZEjwwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao ) and national and international invited talks and fellowships.

Psychology Colloquium: A/Prof Andrew Holmes (Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, USYD)
2022-04-08 15:00 - 16:00
A/Prof Andrew Holmes (Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, USYD)Title: Behavioural microbiomics: How the environment can influence behaviour via the gut
Abstract: The past two decades have resulted in a wealth of evidence that our gut microbiome profoundly influences many aspects of our physiology. It is now clear that this extends to behaviour and is relevent to many mental health issues including autism, depression and eating disorders. The concept of the microbiome-gut-brain axis has emerged as a framework to better understand these diseases. I will give a background to the history of this new field and then discuss our recent research on how to promote health via mechanisms dependent on microbial metabolism, particularly using dietary glycans (fibre). A major challenge is that both host and microbial responses to dietary glycan supplementation are variable, poorly predictable and the underlying mechanisms to deliver effects not well understood. We postulate that a significant component of this variability arises from interactive effects of other diet components (especially protein) with microbial community assembly processes. Our aim is to identify the ecological mechanisms that constrain the host and microbiome response to dietary fibre components and elucidate design principles to improve diet-based interventions in a range of diseases including metabolic disease, immunotherapy for cancer and mental health.

Psychology Colloquium: Forever foreign? Exploring national identity denial in perceptions of Asian people
2022-04-29 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Michael Thai is from the University of Queensland. He will present his work on racial and national identity in Asian Australians and Asian Americans. His full title and abstract are copied below, and his staff webpage can be seen here: Dr Michael Thai – School of Psychology – University of Queensland (uq.edu.au)Title:
Forever foreign? Exploring national identity denial in perceptions of Asian people
Abstract:
Racial minorities in Western nations (particularly those of Asian descent) are stereotyped to be “perpetual foreigners” – they are chronically perceived and treated as though they are outsiders in their own land. In this talk, I will present research examining how Asian Australians and Asian Americans negotiate this denial of national identity. I will also discuss my line of work investigating the factors that can bolster the perceived national identity of Asian people, and diminish the discrepancy in perceived national identity between Asian and White people.
ZOOM LINK: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/88106363673

Psychology Colloquium: Body, Heart & Mind in Business: Creating Engaged and Collaborative Research Partnerships to Advance Knowledge on Well-Being & Performance at Work
2022-05-06 15:00 - 16:00
The Body, Heart and Mind (BHM) in business is a large, highly active research group in the University of Sydney Business School. Our research seeks to advance knowledge on employee health, wellbeing and performance at work using rigorous, multidisciplinary, multimethod and multilevel methodologies. We are passionate about doing applied, engaged research and work closely with organisations to help solve important practical questions and to advance theory and knowledge on how to maximise employee performance, health and well-being at work. In this talk, we will start with a behind the scenes look at how we have built the collaboration with our partners in health and the data we collect and we use the data to help build their capacity for evidence based practice. We will also discuss a paper using data collected from our industry collaboration. This study uses a dyadic design (nurse-patient interactions) to investigate the psychological factors that influence the process and successful transmission of compassion from one individual to another and extends practical insights into the malleable, person-level levers to creating more compassionate interactions at work.Presenters: Helena Nguyen and Anya Johnson are Associate Professors at the University of Sydney Business School, Work and organisational studies and Co-Directors of the Body Heart and Mind in Business (BHM) Research Group: http://sydney.edu.au/business/research/bhmb
Helena Nguyen (helena.nguyen@sydney.edu.au) received her PhD and Masters of Organisational Psychology from School of Psychology, University of New South Wales. Helena’s area of research expertise is in the areas of emotions at work and employees’ health and wellbeing. Her research aims to improve the lives of employees and the effectiveness of organisations by examining the factors that facilitate well-being and job performance. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards and grants, such as Australian Research Council, NHMRC and most recently, as part of a team (including A/Professor Anya Johnson) received the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) 2020 Award for Innovation and Excellence in Research. Helena is also Associate Editor for the Australian Journal of Management and has published in leading journals including the Academy Management Journal, Journal of Management, British Journal of Management, Annual Review of Organisational Psychology and Organisational Behaviour and the Journal of Service Research
Associate Professor Anya Johnson is Co-Director of the Body, Heart and Mind in Business Research Group and Deputy Head of Discipline with Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. She was awarded her PhD from Manchester University and her Masters in Organisational Psychology from Sheffield University in the UK and her Bachelors degree from the University of Western Australia. Anya’s research is in the area of Organisational Behaviour. Specifically, Anya investigates how employees regulate their emotions and cognitions in the workplace, and the relationship between the design of jobs and teams and outcomes such as engagement, wellbeing and performance. Anya is Associate Editor for Group and Organization and her research has been published in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Journal of Service Research
Zoom webinar at https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/81358411713

Psychology Colloquium: “Perception in real-time: predicting the present, reconstructing the past”
2022-05-13 15:00 - 16:00
A/ProfHinze Hogendoorn
Principal Research Fellow In Psychology
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
The University of Melbourne

Abstract:
We feel that we perceive events in the environment as they unfold in real-time. However, this intuitive view of perception is impossible to implement in the nervous system due to biological constraints such as neural transmission delays. In this talk, I will propose a new way of thinking about real-time perception, in which perceptual mechanisms represent an entire timeline, rather than individual timepoints. On this timeline, predictive mechanisms predict ahead to compensate for delays in incoming sensory input, and reconstruction mechanisms retroactively revise perception when those predictions do not come true. This addresses a crucial gap in our understanding of a fundamental aspect of our everyday life: how our brains enable the experience of perceiving the present.
Bio:
I am a Principal Research Fellow at the Melbourne School of Psychological Science (University of Melbourne), where I lead the Time in Brain and Behaviour Laboratory. Previously, I was Assistant Professor in the Department of Experimental Psychology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. My primary research interests lie in the time-course of visual processing and visual perception. By combining psychophysical, behavioural, computational and neuroimaging techniques, I investigate questions such as how the brain keeps track of time and how the brain functions in real-time. I am currently especially interested in how the brain solves the computational problems that result from its own internal delays.
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/83347424497

Psychology Colloquium: Causal investigations of cognitive training
2022-05-20 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Hannah FilmerThe University of Queensland
Abstract:
What happens in the brain during cognitive training? How can we maximise the benefits of training? Functional imaging has provided insights into the neural basis of training, but this approach is correlational. An alternative is to use non-invasive brain stimulation which not only allows for causal inferences to be made, but also has the potential to enhance performance outcomes. Here, I will present my work using electrical brain stimulation to further our understanding of training both for single session and multi-session paradigms. Through a combination of group level and individual differences approaches, and in combination with imaging (MRI and MRS) and computational modelling, this work has provided insights into the regions and processes involved in training, the potential to enhance training outcomes, and the factors relating to individual differences in the efficacy of such approaches.
About Dr Hannah Filmer:
Hannah is an ARC DECRA Research Fellow at The University of Queensland. Her research covers a range of themes, including frontal lobe function, brain training, ageing, and attention. She uses a variety of research methods, namely brain stimulation (tDCS, tRNS, tACS, TMS), imaging techniques (MRI, MRS, fMRI), cognitive paradigms, and psychophysics. Hannah is a principle investigator of the Queensland Attention and Control lab, and the president of the Australasian Brain Stimulation Society.
WEBINAR LINK: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/82914216825

Psychology Colloquium: Expert Bias: Perceptions, Misperceptions, and Their Implications
2022-05-27 15:00 - 16:00
Tess Neal, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences Arizona State University
Abstract:
Do experts assume that their expertise protects them from bias? One might hope and expect experts to be more protected than the average person against various psychological biases that affect judgment and decision making, yet the evidence supporting this expectation of expert objectivity is mixed at best. Therefore, this project answers the question: Do people have too much faith in the objectivity of expert judgment? Serious consequences might result from such an illusion of objectivity. We answer questions about experts’ susceptibility to bias as well as the accuracy of people’s (and especially experts’ own) perceptions of experts’ susceptibilities. Across multiple preregistered studies with different methods and in different decision domains, we measure experts’ vulnerabilities to several biases, document laypeople and experts’ blindness to experts’ biases, and investigate the consequences of exaggerated confidence in experts’ objectivity for society. Theoretically-informed ideas for managing these problems will be discussed.
Bio:
Tess Neal is an associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University and a founding faculty member of ASU’s Law and Behavioral Science Initiative. She is a scientist, a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, and a parent of two young children. She studies the nature and limits of expertise. Her basic work focuses on understanding and improving human judgment processes – especially among trained experts, and her more applied work focuses on improving forensic experts’ judgments in particular. Her work has been funded by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation, and she has been awarded numerous research and teaching awards. She serves as editor for the Journal of Personality Assessment and Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, and as an Open Science Advisor for Clinical Psychological Science. She was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to work with Kristy Martire and others at UNSW Sydney for the Spring of 2022 on a project about how the different evidence laws of the U.S. and Australia lead to similar and different patterns of judicial decision making about psychological evidence, with the potential to inform revisions to laws governing the admissibility of expert evidence in both countries. Website: https://psych-law.lab.asu.edu/
WEBINAR LINK: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/86430526873

Psychology Colloquium: The ‘light’ and ‘dark’ sides of addiction: animal models, psychological processes, and the development of novel pharmacotherapies.
2022-08-05 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Nicholas Everett, The Brain and Mind Centre, School of Psychology, University of Sydney.Abstract:
While psychosocial interventions for substance use disorders can be effective for some, they are inaccessible for the many, and relapse occurs in 60-80% of people despite successful abstinence. Unfortunately, addiction medicine is in its infancy, with very few therapies approved for use, and even fewer which are effective long-term. This is at least partially due to a lack of understanding of the psychological and neural processes which underpin the distinct symptoms which drive, maintain, and trigger relapse to substance use disorders. Additionally, within the psychological, neuroscience, and drug-discovery fields, there has been an overwhelming focus on the ‘light’ side of addiction, characterised by drug-induced euphoric highs, positive reinforcement, and incentive sensitisation. In contrast, only recently has significant attention been given to the ‘dark’ side of addiction, characterised by drug- and withdrawal-induced dysphoria and negative reinforcement. Together, these (and other) issues have precluded the development of pharmacotherapies which specifically target the neurobiology underpinning these problematic affective and motivational states.
Here, I will present my work using rodent models of opioid and methamphetamine use disorders to develop novel pharmacotherapies for treating the dark and light behavioural symptoms and neural markers of addiction. I will discuss the therapeutic effects and neural mechanisms of administered oxytocin for methamphetamine addiction, including potential solutions to its translational hurdles, and will present research using a novel clinical-stage molecule, KNX100, for treating both opioid and methamphetamine use disorder.
Bio:
Nick is a post-doctoral researcher at The Brain and Mind Centre in the School of Psychology, with A/Prof Michael Bowen. His research using preclinical rodent models of behaviour and neurobiology, in the context of normal function and psychiatric disease states spans a range of themes including pavlovian and operant conditioning, social motivation, substance use disorders (particularly methamphetamine and opioids), nucleus accumbens function, and oxytocin neurobiology. Overarching these themes is a focus on the discovery and development of novel brain-targeting molecules which interact with disease-relevant neural systems, to treat intractable psychiatric diseases. Recently, through A/Prof Bowen’s start-up, Kinoxis Therapeutics, Nick’s industry-sponsored development of KNX100 for treating the negative affective symptoms of opioid withdrawal has helped to progress this potentially first-in-class therapy to Phase-I clinical trials. Nick’s translational work continues to progress KNX100 and other novel molecules towards clinical trials for methamphetamine use disorder, and to discover translatable biomarkers of addiction symptomology and of therapeutic intervention, while his basic psychology and neuroscience research continues to understand how neural systems (e.g. oxytocin) contribute to normal and aberrant motivational states. Across these projects, Nick uses a combination of contemporary neural recording and manipulation techniques including in vivo calcium imaging, chemogenetics, optogenetics, neuropharmacology, immunohistochemistry, in combination with pavlovian conditioning tasks (e.g. conditioned place aversion, sign-tracking), and operant tasks of intravenous drug self-administration and social motivation (behavioural economics), and mutually exclusive choice between drugs and social rewards (modelling the Community Reinforcement Approach). Nick also co-supervises PhD candidates in the School, spanning topics including: novel cannabinoid-based therapies for opioid use disorder; the neurobiology of social fear; the interactions between oxytocin, sleep deprivation, and social motivation; and improving the translation of oxytocin for treating methamphetamine use disorder. Nick serves on the executive council for the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society and on the USYD Animal Ethics Committee. Nick is eager to collaborate with other School of Psychology researchers.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Zoom Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/88411869946

Psychology Colloquium: There and Back Again: Bleed from Extraordinary Experiences
2022-08-12 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Tom van Laer, Associate Professor of Narratology, University of SydneyAbstract:
From re-enactments to pilgrimages, extraordinary experiences engage consumers with frames and roles that govern their actions for the duration of the experience. Exploring such extraordinary frames and roles, however, can make the act of returning to everyday life more difficult, a process prior research leaves implicit. The present ethnography of live action role-playing explains how consumers return from extraordinary experiences and how this process differs depending on consumers’ subjectivity. The emic term “bleed” captures the trace that extraordinary frames and roles leave in everyday life. The subjective tension between the extraordinary and the ordinary intensifies bleed. Consumers returning from the same experience can thus suffer different bleed intensities, charting four trajectories of return that differ in their potential for transformation: absent, compensatory, cathartic, and delayed. These findings lead to a transformative recursive process model of bleed that offers new insights into whether, how, and why consumers return transformed from extraordinary experiences with broader implications for experiential consumption and marketing.
Bio:
Membership Executive Manager of the Association for Consumer Research. He is an expert on the science of how storytelling works. His research is published in leading and highly-regarded academic journals, including the Journal of Consumer Research, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Service Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing Management, et cetera. In addition to opinion pieces he has written for the Guardian, he has appeared on the ABC, Nine Network, Network 10, SBS, in the Age, the Australian, Australian Financial Review, Sydney Morning Herald, Newsweek, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, the Independent, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and on national TV and radio stations in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, among other news outlets.
Previously, Tom has been Reader of Marketing at City University of London, UK, a consultant of the European Commission, and a visiting scholar at several Australian Group of Eight universities. He holds a doctorate (PhD) in marketing from Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Though he has won awards for his academic research, teaching, and media exposure, Tom counts winning his high school’s story recital competition in 1995 as his most impressive accomplishment.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/83771973924

Psychology Colloquium: Long-COVID what is it and what role can psychology play?
2022-08-19 15:00 - 16:00
Professor Andrew Baillie, The Sydney School of Health Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of SydneyBio:
Andrew is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Allied Health with Sydney Local Health District and The Sydney School of Health Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine and Health. He works within SLHD to build Allied Health Research Capacity. He also convenes the Academic Implementation Science Network for Sydney Health Partners, and the Long-COVID Australia Collaboration. Andrew collaborates with the Matilda Centre for Research in Substance use and Mental Health, the Edith Collins Centre (Translational Research in Alcohol, Drugs and Toxicology; and the Sydney Institute of Women Children and their Families. He also works with Drug Health Services at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the Psychology Team at RPAVirtual. Prior to joining the University of Sydney in 2017 he was director of the Clinical Psychology program at Macquarie University.
Abstract:
Long-COVID is a recently described syndrome that follows a COVID-19 infection in around 5-10% of people. Because COVID-19 is so widespread Long-COVID may become the largest single source of disability. This presentation reviews the experience of Long-COVID and research on the epidemiology, assessment, and treatment of Long-COVID and provides an update on the gaps and opportunities for psychological research.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/84941881499

Psychology Colloquium: Where are the self-correcting mechanisms in science?
2022-08-26 15:00 - 16:00
Professor Simine Vazire, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of MelbourneAbstract:
We often hear the self-correcting mechanisms in science invoked as a reason to trust science, but it is not always clear what these mechanisms are. Some quality control mechanisms, such as peer review for journals, or vetting for textbooks or for public dissemination, have recently been found not to provide much of a safeguard against invalid claims. Instead, I argue that we should look for visible signs of a scientific community’s commitment to self-correction. These signs include transparency in the research and peer review process, investment in error detection and quality control, and an emphasis on calibration rather than popularization. We should trust scientific claims more to the extent that they were produced by communities that have these hallmarks of credibility. Fields that are more transparent, rigorous, and calibrated should earn more trust. Metascience can provide scientists and the public with valuable information in assessing the credibility of scientific fields.
Bio:
Simine Vazire is a professor in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She has two lines of research. One examines people’s self-knowledge of their personality and behaviour and another examines the individual and institutional practices and norms in science, and the degree to which these norms encourage or impede self-correction and credibility. She is a board member of PLOS and the Berkeley Institute for Transparency in the Social Sciences, was a member of the US National Academy of Science study committee on replicability and reproducibility, and co-founded the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (SIPS). She is Editor in Chief of Collabra: Psychology and has served as editor at several other journals.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/85943288395

Psychology Colloquium: Consciousness
2022-09-02 15:00 - 16:00
Professor Jakob Hohwy, Monash University.Bio:
Professor Jakob Hohwy is the Director of the Monash Centre for Consciousness & Contemplative Studies. M3CS received a $12M philanthropic grant from the Three Springs Foundation. The Centre aims to conducts philosophical, neuroscientific and psychological research in consciousness and contemplative science. The Centre aims to make contemplative practices central to our conscious connection with each other and our environment, helping us better solve the many challenges the world confronts.
I conduct interdisciplinary research in the areas of philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. In M3CS and in my Cognition & Philosophy Lab we study: the science of consciousness (what is consciousness, how does it arise in the brain, what is the nature of the self, how do contemplative practices change the mind and connect to action?); theoretical neurobiology (what are the foundational principles of brain function, what does that tell us about the human mind?); decision-making and rationality (what is rationality and how do we form rational decisions, how can decisions be wise, or compassionate?); psychiatry and neurology (understanding conditions such as autism, substance abuse, eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, Parkinson’s disease). I collaborate with neuroscientists and psychologists from Monash University and around the world.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/82271977002

Psychology Colloquium: Social Cognition, bench to clinic
2022-09-09 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Michelle Kelly, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychological Sciences, University of NewcastleBio:
Dr Michelle Kelly is a Clinical Psychologist and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Newcastle. Her research focus is on social functioning in clinical groups including dementia and traumatic brain injury. She also works closely with carers of people with dementia and brain injury to support them in their roles. Michelle collaborates with researchers at the National Ageing Research Institute in Melbourne, University of New South Wales and University College London in this work. She also work closely with clinicians in public health settings, aged care service providers and not for profit organisations.
Abstract:
Social cognition refers to the sum of processes that allow individuals to pay attention to and process other people’s emotions, intentions and actions in order to behave in socially appropriate ways. This includes reading emotions from peoples facial expressions, tone of voice and body language, as well as utilising and applying social knowledge to understand, predict and respond to others’ behaviour. Examination of social cognition occurs through self- and informant-report, as well as more objective performance based tests and physiological measurement. Despite advances in assessment of social cognition and emerging evidence for treatment programs, most clinicians still fail to examine this area of cognition, and rarely is it treated. This has implications for personal and workplace relationships. In this talk I will discuss some of the work we are doing, from bench to the clinic and pose some potential solutions to these problems.

This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/87591868247

Psychology Colloquium: Visual Perception and Metacognition
2022-09-16 15:00 - 16:00
Prof. Derek Arnold, University of QueenslandAbstract:
When people make decisions, they experience a level of confidence in relation to their decisions. In visual perception, these levels of confidence are typically accurate – we tend to be more confident about decisions that are more precise. This insight into the quality of the information that has informed our decisions is known as metacognitive sensitivity. The most popular means of estimating metacognitive sensitivity is based on signal-detection-theory (SDT). In this talk, I will explain why I believe SDT-based analyses of confidence are fundamentally flawed. I will also outline how measures of confidence can be used as a research tool, to help distinguish between situations where perception has been changed and situations where people have merely been biased to reach different conclusions about perceptually ambiguous inputs.
Bio:
Prof. Derek Arnold studied at Macquarie University before taking up positions as a postdoctoral research fellow at University College London and the University of Sydney. He took up a continuing position at the University of Queensland in 2006. He has held a sequence of ARC funded research fellowships and Discovery Project funding. He has published in some of the world’s leading outlets for perceptual neuroscience, including Nature, PNAS, Current Biology and Proceedings of the R. Soc. Lond. B. His’ research broadly focusses on visual perception, with specific focuses on temporal perception and confidence in perceptual decisions.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/83403319532

No Colloquium this week due to the Teaching Retreat
2022-09-23 15:00 - 16:00

No Colloquium this week, Mid Semester Break and PsychFEST
2022-09-30 15:00 - 16:00

Psychology Colloquium: Seeking signatures of perceptual experience in human visual cortex. Sam Schwarzkopf, University of Auckland
2022-10-07 15:00 - 16:00
Associate Professor Sam Schwarzkopf, School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of AucklandBio:
Sam did a neuroscience degree at Cardiff University and subsequently decided to stay there also to do his PhD with Frank Sengpiel where he used optical imaging to investigate experience-dependent plasticity of visual cortex. Subsequently, he did a brief postdoc project at the University of Birmingham, where he moved into human neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience. In 2008, he moved to University College London to postdoc with Geraint Rees and developed a research interest in individual differences. In 2012, he was awarded a ERC Starting Grant and set up his own lab at UCL. In 2017, he decided he had enough of Brexit, crowds, air pollution, and the banana republic that the UK had become and moved to the School of Optometry & Vision Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, although he still maintains an active affiliation at UCL.
Overview:
In this talk, I will present the results of three studies using population receptive field (pRF) modelling to better understand how representations in human visual cortex generate our perceptual experience. First, we estimated the neural signature of the famous Muller-Lyer illusion in V1 supporting a low-level explanation for this effect. Next, we established that pRF sizes in visual cortex can be modulated by adaptation, an effect that is consistent with behaviourally measured modulation of spatial frequency perception. Beyond visual object size, this finding has implications for the perception of blur and recognising fine spatial detail. Finally, we also used a novel data-driven method for estimating pRFs to map the retinotopic structure of the physiological blind spot in detail. We then used these maps to ask if there is a neural correlate of perceptual completion in early visual cortex.

This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/87579289391

Psychology Colloquium: No Colloquium
2022-10-14 15:00 - 16:00

Psychology Colloquium: Affective Neuroscience, Professor Elaine Fox, University of Adelaide
2022-10-21 15:00 - 16:00
Professor Elaine Fox, Head of School, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of AdelaideBio:
Elaine Fox, PhD, is a psychologist and author and became Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide, Australia in early 2022. Originally from Dublin, most of her academic career has been in the UK. Following a 5-year period working at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand after her PhD studies in Dublin, she moved to the UK to take up a Senior Lectureship at the University of Essex in 1994. Promoted to Professor in 2000, she became the Head of the School of Psychology and Centre for Brain Science there from 2007 to 2011. She moved to take up a Professorship of Psychology and Affective Neuroscience at the University of Oxford in 2012 and became a Fellow at University College, one of Oxford’s oldest colleges shortly afterwards.
Elaine is a leading scholar on the science of resilience, wellbeing and mental health and her work was awarded with a prestigious European Research Council Advanced Investigator fellowship from 2013-2019 to set up a large study at the University of Oxford investigating why some people are emotionally vulnerable (to anxiety, depression, & addictions) while others are resilient. She was appointed to a national role by the UK Department of Research and Innovation in 2019 as the Impact & Public Engagement Co-ordinator for eight UKRI-funded Mental Health Networks, which she held alongside her Oxford Professorship until her move to Australia in February 2022.
Apart from her academic work, Elaine is an engaging writer and speaker with a passion for the science behind how our mind works. Her first book RAINY BRAIN SUNNY BRAIN describes the fascinating science and stories behind why some of us are optimistic and resilient while others take a more pessimistic slant on things. Translated into more than 20 languages, it is a bestseller in several countries. Her new book SWITCHCRAFT: Harnessing the Power of Mental Agility to Transform Your Life is being published worldwide in 2022. Switchcraft is a highly accessible introduction to the science of flexibility and explains why it so critical to become as mentally agile as we can. It is packed full of helpful ways to cope with a complex and uncertain world. Like having your own personal life coach, Switchcraft shows you how you can not only survive, but also thrive in a constantly changing and uncertain world.
Abstract:
The CogBIAS longitudinal study provides a rich dataset on mental health, wellbeing, and resilience through adolescence. Data was collected from a starting sample of 504 and a wide range of variables were assessed when adolescents were approximately 13 (n=504), 14.5 (n=450) and 16 (n=411) years of age. Investigations using growth mixture modelling revealed four distinct developmental trajectories for anxiety and depressive symptoms and we found that these trajectories were closely related to changes in cognitive biases, specifically interpretational and memory biases. Further analysis evaluated the role of cognitive biases in resilient functioning, which was measured in terms of ‘better than expected levels of functioning’ in response to significant adversity. Once again, cognitive factors were associated with resilient functioning. Specifically, selective biases in memory and resilient functioning were found to be reinforcing mechanisms across the different assessment points. Finally, a moderated network modelling analysis revealed that good mental health – flourishing – was associated with higher levels of positive memory and interpretation biases and with lower levels of negative memory biases. Of particular interest, network connectivity decreased with higher positive mental health ratings. We conclude that cognitive biases, negative and positive, are important emotion regulation mechanisms that underpin resilience, good mental health as well as anxiety and depression symptoms in a cohort of adolescents.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/84533278727

Psychology Colloquium: The Sally Andrews Lecture on Cognitive Psychology. The magic of reading: How vision and language interact to transform inkmarks into ideas. Dr Aaron Veldre, University of Sydney & Macquarie University
2022-10-28 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Aaron Veldre, Research Associate, School of Psychology, University of SydneyBio:
Dr Aaron Veldre is a postdoctoral research associate in the School of Psychology at The University of Sydney and the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University. His research uses eye tracking, computational modelling, and behavioural paradigms to investigate the cognitive processes underlying language comprehension. He currently works on two ARC-funded projects investigating the coordination of vision, attention, and linguistic processing during online reading in younger and older adults, and on the development of a complete computationally implemented model of reading.
Abstract:
Reading is a remarkable acquired skill that is fundamental to educational and vocational success in modern societies. But it is a relatively recent cultural invention—writing systems have existed for less than 6000 years and literacy has only been a widespread skill for about 200 years. Reading is therefore not part of our genetic blueprint and relies on neural systems that evolved for other purposes. A complete theory of reading needs to describe how perceptual, linguistic, and oculomotor processes are precisely coordinated to support the rapid extraction of meaning from print. In this talk, I will present evidence from a series of recent studies characterizing how readers allocate attention in the fovea and parafovea to identify words and decide when and where to move their eyes. I will also describe work investigating the impact of ageing that provides insight into the balance between perceptual and linguistic processes during reading.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/89638045313

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Kiley Seymour: This talk will not take place as scheduled and has been postponed until 2023.
2022-11-04 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Kiley Seymour, Senior Lecturer in Psychological Science, Western Sydney University
Bio:
My research aims to advance both our basic understanding of human brain function and brain dysfunction through the development, application, and translation of innovative neuroscientific methods. I combine visual psychophysics and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI and MR-Spectroscopy) to investigate the neural basis of conscious visual perception and the brain mechanisms underlying altered states of consciousness, such as those experienced in psychosis (e.g., hallucinations and delusions). Recently, my interests have extended to the field of neurolaw, where I aim to examine the degree to which the Australian system of criminal justice is compatible with the lessons of modern neuroscience.
This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Zoom Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/82022571425

Psychology Colloquium: Towards domain-general predictive coding: Linking motor and sensory attenuation using TMS and EEG, Dr Dominic Tran, University of Sydney
2022-11-11 15:00 - 16:00
Dr Dominic Tran, University of Sydney.I will briefly discuss my DECRA application on response inhibition and then I wanted to share some exciting data recently collected in the lab on predictive coding:
The brain’s response to sensory input is modulated by prediction. For example, sounds that are produced by one’s own actions, or those that are strongly predicted by environmental cues, elicit an attenuated auditory evoked potential measured with EEG. It is thought that this form of sensory attenuation to stimulation produced by one’s own actions is the reason we are unable to tickle ourselves. We examined whether the neural response to direct stimulation of the brain is attenuated by prediction in a similar manner using combined EEG and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) applied over the primary motor cortex. The findings provide compelling evidence that predictive coding is governed by domain-general properties across distinct neural systems and has shared mechanisms responsible for all forms of predictive learning.
Bio:
Dr Tran conducts research in behavioural and cognitive neuroscience. His research expertise is in learning, memory, and cognition and uses behavioural and neurophysiological methods (e.g., transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography) to investigate the relationship between brain and behaviour. Dr Tran is interested in understanding how our past experiences shape our beliefs, actions, and habits. Dominic is also an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) recipient.

This is a Hybrid event so you can join in person or via the Webinar link below:
HEYDON LAURENCE LECTURE THEATRE 217 (DT ANDERSON) (You are encouraged to please wear a mask if attending in person)
Zoom Webinar Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/s/87311249955

Psychology Colloquium: Consent, assent, and competence determination in dementia care
2023-03-01 00:00
Dr Hojjat Soofi, University of SydneyBio:
Dr Hojjat (Hoji) Soofi is a Lecturer in Bioethics at Sydney Health Ethics (School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health). He is a pharmacist by training and an early career bioethics researcher. He received his PhD and MRes in bioethics from Macquarie University in October 2021 and April 2018, respectively. He is also an alumnus of Erasmus Mundus Master of Bioethics (KU Leuven, Radboud University Nijmegen, and the University of Padua). Before joining Sydney Health Ethics in January 2023, he was an MQCR Postdoctoral Fellow at Macquarie University Research Centre for Agency, Values, and Ethics (CAVE).
Abstract:
I present a strand of my current research program on ethics in dementia care. It involves investigating issues around competence determination. I aim to develop a hybrid externalist/internalist account of competence determination. The account would be externalist in the sense that welfarist considerations can be relevant to judgments of competence inasmuch as they trigger pursuing further evidence of the values of people with dementia. That is, the riskier a decision appears to be, the more stringent the standards of appraising evidence are to be applied. The prosed account would also have internalist elements: the aim is to investigate the individuals’ internal aspects of decision-making and identify what they value (most). I then connect these to another direction of my research on assent: I present an argument to the effect that decisional incompetence should not be conflated with (and does not entail) the inability to ‘assent’ to care.

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Susan Nolan: Sex, Gender Expression, and Gender Identity: Embracing Variability, Ending Discrimination, and Enhancing Psychological Well-Being
2023-03-08 12:00 - 13:00
Dr Susan Nolan (Seton Hall University (USA); University of New South Wales (Australia))Bio:
Susan Nolan is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Seton Hall University (USA). She is Past President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. Susan is conducting a project on global psychology higher education at the University of New South Wales from January through May 2023 as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar. She was also a Fulbright Scholar in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015-2016, and received the Fukuhara Award for Advanced International Research and Service from the International Council of Psychologists.
Sex, Gender Expression, and Gender Identity: Embracing Variability, Ending Discrimination, and Enhancing Psychological Well-Being
A recent Pew survey found that although about 90% of people in the U.S. report that they know someone who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual, only about 40% report knowing someone who is transgender. The percentage of people who report knowing someone who is intersex seems to be even lower. Although parallel data in other countries are scarce, the pattern is likely to be similar in other Western countries. As psychology instructors and researchers, we can expand our discussions of the variability among humans in terms of sex, gender expression, and gender identity in introductory and advanced psychology courses as well as in our research. This presentation will explore ways in which instructors might incorporate research, as well as stories of people from underrepresented groups, with the goal of reducing stigma and increasing understanding, awareness, and empathy. There is an urgent need for discussions of these and related topics due to the far-reaching psychological repercussions of prejudice and discrimination.

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Katharina Helming: Mentalizing and the problem of coordination
2023-03-15 12:00 - 13:00
Dr Katharina Helming (Department of Philosophy at Leipzig University)Abstract
Common knowledge, that is the ability to know things together, underlies uniquely human forms of coordination. However, there is a puzzle in the existing literature about how to characterize this kind of knowledge. Traditionally philosophers propose that common knowledge requires the ability to compute higher-orders of embedded knowledge states (i.e. I know that you know that I know that you know and so forth at infinitum that X). However, more empirically oriented accounts suggest that recursive mindreading is cognitively too demanding and thus not a plausible basis for human coordination. Instead, common knowledge is said to be achieved either on the basis of short-cuts or an arbitrary cut-off within the spiral of embedded knowledge states. But on such accounts, it remains an open question if and when (after how many steps) certainty about knowing things together can be achieved. The aim of this talk is to propose a new solution to this debate. By drawing on empirical literature across fields such as developmental, social and comparative psychology as well as linguistics I will investigate how people actually solve coordination tasks. A review of the literature shows that there is a reoccurring structure of embedded knowledge states that people use to cooperate successfully in different areas. More specifically, empirical data suggests that people actively generate three levels of embedded knowledge coordinate. Such tertiary structures are known as a “three way handshake” in computer science and can be redescribed as a mutual acknowledgment about content in social interactions. It is concluded that certainty about knowing things together in coordination is achieved based on a non-arbitrary cut-off within embedded knowledge states. The broader implications for the evolution of social cognition are discussed on this basis.

(Special time/place!) Psychology Colloquium: Prof Richard Lucas: Can Happiness Change?
2023-03-23 16:00 - 17:00
SPECIAL TIME (THURSDAY 4-5PM) AND PLACE (SUSAN WAKIL HEALTH BUILDING) CLICK HERE TO REGISTERProf Richard Lucas (Michigan State University)
Abstract
For many years, psychologists have debated whether or not happiness is impacted by our life circumstances. Some argue that life events, such as getting married or becoming unemployed, affect our happiness, whereas others argue that happiness is more or less fixed — regardless of what’s happening in our lives, our happiness is determined by our personality. The scientific results are messy and often contradictory. In this talk, I take a critical look at the science of happiness, identify flaws in the scientific record, and present new results from studies following large, representative samples of people over many years. These results show that happiness isn’t fixed – it can and does change in response to changing life circumstances, often in ways that match people’s intuitions. A more rigorous science of happiness is vital to developing better public policy, interventions, and tools for people to increase their own happiness.

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Lindsay Squeglia: Adolescent Alcohol and Cannabis Use: Using Neuroscience to Inform Treatment and Outreach
2023-04-05 12:00 - 13:00
Dr Lindsay Squeglia (Medical University of South Carolina)Abstract
Adolescent alcohol and cannabis use is pervasive and affects the developing brain. Substance use prevention and treatment efforts are typically underutilized and only modestly effective. Utilizing neuroscience in prevention and treatment efforts can make tangible differences in substance use outcomes. Findings from recent neuroscience-informed adolescent substance use treatment interventions will be presented, as well as promising results from a youth-focused, neuroscience-based outreach and educational program.
Biography
Dr. Squeglia is an Associate Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, co-Director of the Youth Collaborative, and current Fulbright Scholar at University of Sydney. Her research focuses on: (1) understanding the effects of substance use on brain development and (2) using neuroscience to improve adolescent substance use disorder interventions.
https://education.musc.edu/MUSCApps/facultydirectory/Squeglia-Lindsay

Psychology Colloquium: A/Prof Fiona Kumfor: The role of social cognition in neuropsychology
2023-04-19 12:00 - 13:00
A/Prof Fiona Kumfor (USYD)Abstract
Historically, neuropsychologists have focused on examining traditional cognitive domains such as attention, memory and visuospatial ability. However, people with some neurological conditions can perform well on traditional neuropsychological tests, despite having difficulties in everyday life. This is particularly the case in frontotemporal dementia, where the earliest changes are in behaviour and personality. In this talk, I will discuss the potential role of tests of social cognition in improving the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. I will also outline how social cognition impairment manifests in everyday life. Finally, I will discuss how this work might be applied in other neurological conditions which are also characterised by changes in behaviour and personality.
Bio
Fiona Kumfor is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology, a NHMRC Career Development Fellow and a Clinical Neuropsychologist. Her work focuses on improving the diagnosis, management and quality of life of people living with neurological conditions, especially younger-onset dementia. She has published >90 papers and has received >$5.2M in funding. She is currently member-at-large for the International Neuropsychological Society and Vice-President of the Australasian Society for Social and Affective Neuroscience.
