A/Prof Naomi SwellerDepartment of Psychology, Macquarie University Title: I (might!) listen, but I’m also watching: Effects of gestures on learning and communication Abstract: We often think of “communication” as meaning verbal interactions only, or perhaps the effect of a smile or a frown. Less frequently considered are the hand gestures that can co-occur with speech. […]

Dr Oren GriffithsCollege of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University Title: Effects of non-contingency on learning, attention and effort Abstract: Learned helplessness is one of the most widely recognized findings that psychology has produced in the public sphere. Much of the empirical work on this topic has focused on questions related to how repeated failure […]

Dr Khandis BlakeSchool of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne Title: On the causes and consequences of female sexualisation:  A nature/nurture approach that incorporates female agency. Abstract: The last decade has seen an increasing interest in the saturation of popular Western culture by representations of sex. What drives the proliferation of female sexualisation, and is this […]

Dr Laura BradfieldSchool of Life Sciences, UTS Title: Contextual regulation of reinstatement involving choice Abstract: Relapse to substance use disorder, overeating, or other maladaptive actions following abstinence and/or therapy is commonly modelled in animals, however, the majority of these studies employ procedures that are either Pavlovian, or involve only a single instrumental response. Therefore, the […]