School of Psychology research seminar: Real-world impact of psychological research (Prof Miles Hewstone)

Wed, 26TH SEPTEMBER, 3-4pm

GUEST SPEAKER: Prof Miles Hewstone

Title: Real-world impact of psychological research: What it is, and some tips for how to achieve it

Prof Miles Hewstone (Oxford University and UON Global Innovation Chair on Social Cohesion) will share his experience from the UK REF (equivalent to our own ERA) research assessment process, and the increasing importance attached to research impact. Research impact is the effect that research has on “the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, environment, quality of life that is beyond academia”.

Two illustrative case studies will be considered – one from clinical psychology, and one from social psychology. Emphasis will be placed on how long it takes to have impact, and hence the need to identify potential impacts early, the need to work closely with people in the worlds of policy and practice, as well as government, and the need to document ‘impact’ as objectively as possible.

The seminar will be interactive, and we can hopefully discuss some of your own actual or developing impacts, and how to maximise their effectiveness.

Location: Keats AVLG-17

zoom conference to Ourimbah science room SOE.131-132 via link: https://uonewcastle.zoom.us/j/786538107

No rsvp required. Light refreshments will be provided

School of Psychology research seminar: Modeling Dynamic Social Networks

The UoN School of Psychology is proud to present:

19TH SEPTEMBER GUEST SPEAKER: Dr MOHSEN ZAMANI

Location: Keats AVLG-17 

and video conference to Ourimbah EXSA-102 Room

No rsvp required

Light refreshments will be provided

Date: Wednesday 19th September 2018 Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Title: Modeling and Analysis of Dynamic Social Networks

Mohsen did his undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering at the Shiraz University of Technology. He then did his master studies again in Electrical Engineering at the National University of Singapore in 2009. He did his PhD under supervision of Prof. Brian. D.O. Anderson at Research School of Engineering inthe Australian National University in 2014. He iscurrently a post-doctoral researcher at the NewcastleUniversity, Australia. His research interests includesecurity, control, estimation and optimization for cyber-physical systems and analysis of social networks.In the past, social networks consisted of a limited number of individuals discussing an issue. However, with the ever-growing speed of technology, this number has increased exponentially. Individuals in a social network can influence each other's opinions on various topics. Hence, it is of utmost importance to comprehend the underlying structure of opinion dynamics in social networks. Understanding how opinions are formed in a social network and the patterns of relationships among individuals can help us realize the weaknesses, strengths, and interests of individuals. In this talk, I introduce some of the existing model sets that have been proposed for capturing evolution of opinions within social groups. Several model sets will be introduced and relations between them will be analyzed

Cognitive Group seminar on Aviation Cmmunication

Dr Dominique Estival from the University of Western Sydney will visit Newcastle this coming Thursday and will present her work on Aviation Communication.

WHEN: Thursday Sept 6, 12-1pm

WHERE: Keats room, Psychology/Aviation building

WHAT: Cog seminar on 'Aviation Communication'

Abstract:

Between 1976 and 2000, more than 1,100 passengers and crew lost their lives in accidents in which investigators determined that language had played a contributory role.Although Aviation English has been established as the international language of aviation, communication between pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC) is still not always error-free. Problems can be exacerbated when one or more of the speakers use English as a second (or third) language.  Conducted from a human factors and a linguistic perspective, research on communication errors made by pilots investigated the factors impacting on communication accuracy (including workload, information density, rate of speech and native language). Results from experiments conducted in a flight simulator and results from a recent study of LiveATC recordings at Sydney airport will be presented.

Bio:

Dominique Estival holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. As a linguist, her research spans the computational modelling of language change, machine translation, linguistic engineering, spoken dialogue systems and aviation communication. As a pilot and a flight instructor, she has first-hand experience of student pilots’ difficulties with radio communication and she studies how pilot training, language background and contextual factors affect pilots’ ability to communicate while flying. Her recent book “Aviation English: A lingua franca for pilots and air traffic controllers” will soon appear in paperback.

School of Psychology research seminar: 'How the brain makes sense of the world'

The School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle is proud to host a research seminar by Dr Kara Federmier

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept 5, 12-1pm

WHERE: Keats room ( video conference to Ourimbah EXSA-201 )

No RSVP required, light refreshments will be provided


FINDING MEANING IN TIME : WHAT ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY REVEALS ABOUT HOW THE BRAIN MAKES SENSE OF THE WORLD

Kara D. Federmeier received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego. She is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Neuroscience Program at the University of Illinois and a full-time faculty member at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, where she leads the Illinois Language and Literacy Initiative and heads the Cognition and Brain Lab.  She is also currently serving as the President of the Society for Psychophysiological Research. Her research examines meaning comprehension and memory using human electrophysiological techniques, in combination with behavioral, eyetracking, and other functional imaging and psychophysiological methods.

Research Student Presents at Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam

Duy Le, a Master of Philosophy student at the School of Psychology under the supervision of A/Profs Ross Wilkinson and Mark Rubin, recently attended and presented at the sixth conference on school psychology in Vietnam. 

The conference, titled “The Role of School Psychology in Promoting Wellbeing of Students and Families”, was co-organised by The Consortium to Advance School Psychology – International (CASP-I) and Hanoi National University of Education. The conference’s objective was to bring together psychologists and related stakeholders to advance the profession and services of school psychology to promote the well-being of students and their families. In two days (August 1 – 2, 2018), the conference attracted around 300 American and Vietnamese psychological researchers and practitioners, policy makers, university managers and lecturers, psychological students, parents, and school managers and teachers from different education sectors.

At the conference Duy presented his paper, co-authored by A/Prof Ross Wilkinson, titled “Students’ mental health during university transition across the cultures: An attachment perspective”. The presentation focused on an attachment theory perspective of mental health issues of students during their transition to university. Up to now, studies on attachment in Vietnam have been focused on the infant – mother relationship rather than adult (including university students) attachment. With his presentation, Duy hoped to popularise the concept of adolescent and adult attachment and promote the use of this concept among school psychologists and researchers in Vietnam.

Duy began his research program this year with a cross-cultural project looking at the mental health, attachment and social integration of first-year university students in Australia and Vietnam. With the support of an Australia Awards Scholarship, this former university lecturer and psychological counsellor hopes to be successful with his studies before returning to Vietnam and using his new knowledge and experience to develop a support program for university students in Ho Chi Minh City.

Photo: Duy Le (blue shirt) and his former lecturers at the conference

School of Psychology research seminar: Music and Emotions

The School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle is proud to host a research seminar by Dr Genevieve Dingle.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 22, 12-1pm

WHERE: Keats room ( video conference to Ourimbah EXSA-201 )

No RSVP required, light refreshments will be provided

WHAT: seminar on "Music and Emotions across the Lifespan"

Abstract:

Australian household surveys have shown that music is among the top strategies people use to regulate negative emotions; and the number one strategy among young adults. It is interesting therefore that so little is known about the link between music, emotions, and emotion regulation in various age groups. In this seminar I will present several studies from our lab on emotion perception and emotional response to music and other sound stimuli in children, young adults, and older adults. I will also describe the Tuned In music emotion regulation program, and some results from school and community samples. This seminar is likely to interest academics in the emotion, developmental and clinical psychology disciplines.

Dr Genevieve Dingle

COPE: The ‘Choose your Own Parenting Experience’ Study

Being a new parent can be difficult. Psychoeducation has been shown to significantly benefit parents in the transition to parenthood. 

Researcher from the FIND lab (Family Interactions & Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) at the University of Newcastle investigate the effects of game-based learning using an interactive m-health game. M-health is the use of mobile phones in health-based communication and games. The ‘Choose Your Own Parenting Experience’ is a fun, interactive, game-based experience modelled on the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ format designed to be played on your mobile phone. It is designed to equip parents with parenting tips and knowledge to help them on their parenting journey. 

This week, Miranda Cashin – Honours student at the Ourimbah campus under the supervision of Dr Linda Campbell – talked about her Honours research on ABC central Coast (7/8/2018) and 2NURFM (8/8/2018). Miranda did a fantastic interview that we would like to share with you. 

If you would like listen to it, or to know more about the research and perhaps participate – please go to the lab's website http://www.findlab.net.au/the-cope-study.html.

The study is the brain child of PhD candidate, Jaime Wroe – a graduate from our School.

Well done Miranda (left) and Jaime (right) !  

CBMHR Early Career Researcher conference

PhD Students and Postdocs from the School of Psychology recently presented talks and posters as part of the Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health’s (CBMHR) annual Early Career Researcher (ECR) conference. The conference brings together ECRs working in preclinical neurobiology, psychological processes, and mental health across several different schools at the University of Newcastle. Our psychology ECRs presented on topics across cognitive, clinical, social, and biological psychology. We’d like to thank all the psychology presenters, who gave excellent and engaging talks and posters: Alexander Thorpe, Mattsen Yeark, Jade Goodman, Paul Garrett, Sharon Hollins, Ashlea Rendell, Gavin Cooper, Jon-Paul Cavallaro, Max Katz-Barber, and Yasser Saeedian,

We’d also like to congratulate the prize-winners from the School of Psychology!

Jade Goodman won Best Talk for her work with Associate Professor Kerry Chalmers and Dr Emily Freeman on the associations between childhood trauma and working memory ability in adulthood.

 

Alexander Thorpe was the runner-up for Best Talk for his work with Dr Keith Nesbitt, Associate Professor Ami Eidels, and Conjoint Associate Professor Rachel Heath on measuring workload capacity with a continuous task.

 

Jon-Paul Cavallaro won Best Poster for his work with Professor Scott Brown and Dr Guy Hawkins on consumer choices under time pressure.

 

Thanks to everybody who was involved, and we hope to see you next year!

Elise Kalokerinos, Sally Hunt, and Guy Hawkins

Psychology Early Career Researcher Representatives on the Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research Committee