School of Psychology Events

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Julie Ji (School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia)
2021-06-04 15:00 - 16:00 (Australia/Sydney)
Dr Julie JiSchool of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia
Title: Can mental imagery-based episodic simulation influence behaviour?
Abstract: Mental imagery-based episodic simulation (MI-ES) allows us to pre-experience hypothetical future experiences, which has been shown to evoke emotions in the present (anticipatory emotion) and impact judgments about future outcomes (what might happen and how likely) and its emotional impact (anticipated emotion). While researchers have hypothesised that mental imagery-based episodic simulation drives behaviour, few studies have directly investigated the link between MI-ES and in behaviour. This colloquium will present the latest published and unpublished findings from correlational and experimental studies investigating individual differences in MI-ES and behaviour that have implications for clinical research on emotional and behavioural dysregulation.

Psychology Colloquium: Laureate talks by A/Prof Haryana Dhillon & Prof Justin Harris (School of Psychology – University of Sydney)
2021-08-13 15:00 - 16:00
Please join us for a special two-part colloquium, with Laureate talks by two grant winners in our School:
A/Prof Haryana Dhillon (MRFF Brain Cancer Survivorship Grant, co-CI A/Prof Joanne Shaw) Title: “The BRAINS behind the money: funding a program of work in Brain cancer Rehabilitation, Assessment, Interventions for survivorship NeedS”. Project Summary: Brain cancers are an important, difficult to treat, and commonly fatal cancer. Those affected by brain cancer, both the individuals living with the diagnosis and their caregivers, experience debilitating and distressing changes as a consequence of the disease and its treatment. We have a unique opportunity in Australia to leverage existing knowledge and expertise to deliver better survivorship and supportive care to people affected by brain cancer. This program brings together the strongest teams in brain cancer, primary care, and psycho-oncology, supportive care, and survivorship across Australia to investigate five key areas in brain cancer management that could significantly improve the patient and caregiver experience and outcomes: identification of patient and caregiver needs, models of survivorship care, information and support resources, rehabilitation, and supportive care interventions. These themes permeate the disease, treatment, recovery, and end of life pathways of this population, our research team has the expertise, research, and clinical networks to successfully deliver this program of work. Our BRAINS program will deliver an care which is proactive in assessing and responding to need, in a way that is timely and proportionate to the severity and urgency, integrating the individual with brain cancer and their caregivers.
Prof Justin Harris (ARC Discovery Project) Title: “Learning from the evidence of absence”. Project Summary: Animals and people learn about cues that predict something important and how their own actions can cause important outcomes. They stop responding (known as extinction) when the cue or action is no longer followed by the outcome. In humans, extinction is a primary goal for behaviour therapies that aim to eliminate a variety of problem behaviours that create significant social burden (e.g. addictions, gambling, anxiety disorders). However, the success of extinction treatments is limited because some environmental conditions establish responding that is resistant to extinction and responding that has been extinguished is prone to relapse. Therefore, we need a better understanding of the processes that underlie extinction. Our understanding of extinction has largely come from studying laboratory animals. Indeed, both resistance to extinction and relapse are well established effects in animal studies. The current project builds on recent theoretical developments and exploits methodological advances to reveal what is learned during extinction and what makes behaviours resistant to change or prone to relapse.

Psychology Colloquium: Dr Gail Alvares (Senior Research Fellow, Telethon Kids Institute, WA)
2021-08-20 15:00 - 16:00
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: The Ritual Animal: How rituals made our world… and how they could save it
2022-03-11 15:00 - 16:00
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
