Prof Susan Hespos (Western Sydney University) Abstract Human cognition is striking in its brilliance and adaptability. To gain an understanding of our species’ extraordinary cognition we investigate the origins and development of these abilities in infants. How do infant’s initial abilities change with experience, and what conditions foster or impede learning? Answers to these questions […]

Dr Daniel Bennett (Monash University) Abstract Contemporary sports-betting products offer a raft of novel in-play betting features designed to incentivise customer engagement. Among these, one prominent feature available on most interactive betting platforms is ‘cash out’. The cash-out feature allows customers who have wagered on an event to forgo their stake in the event prior to its conclusion in exchange for […]

A/Prof Marta Garrido (University of Melbourne) Abstract Much of what we know about brain circuitry for human vision comes from neuroimaging studies and investigations on people with brain damage. A remarkable example are the studies in blindsight patients, who despite being blind after injury to their primary visual cortex (V1), display remarkable visual abilities. Indeed, […]

Dr Betty Luu (USYD) Abstract This talk considers the pervasiveness of Western models of thinking in relation to child development and parenting practices, and its impact on child welfare practices for ethnic minority families in Australia. It highlights key projects I have been involved in at the Research Centre for Children and Families that spurred […]

Dr Kate Storrs (University of Auckland) Abstract Computational visual neuroscience has come a long way in the past 10 years. Deep neural networks can recognise objects with near-human accuracy, and predict brain activity in the ventral visual cortex better than any previous models. However, vision is far from explained. Our most successful models have been […]

Dr Karly Turner (UNSW) Abstract It has been suggested that habits spiral out of control to produce compulsive behaviours, such as those experienced in people with addiction and OCD, and this process has been associated with higher levels of impulsivity. However, studying habits in the lab has been challenging and there is limited preclinical evidence […]

Dr MIke Kendig (UTS) Abstract Processed foods rich in fat, sugar and salt now form a substantial part of the modern diet of most countries around the world, including Australia. Studies in human and rodents indicate that in addition to negative effects on physical health, high-fat, high-sugar foods are associated with an increased risk of […]

School of Psychology staff and postgraduate students are welcome and encouraged to attend. Time Given name Surname Presentation Supervisor 9.00 Welcome       9.10 Adrienne Turnell Research Plan – PhD Mark Dadds 9.30 He (Hester) Xiao Research Plan – PhD Carolyn Maccann 9.50 Sarah Walker Final – PhD Carolyn Maccann 10.10 Ellen Shi Research […]

Prof Carl Bergstrom (University of Washington) Abstract Scientific researchers may be driven by curiosity, but they are constrained by the realities of the scientific ecosystems in which they operate and motivated by the incentives with which they are confronted. We can use mathematical models of the research enterprise to understand how scientific norms and institutions […]