School of Psychology research seminar by Prof Rohan Walker, Wed Oct 21, 12-1pm

 

PhD Scholarship Opportunity in Neuroscience @ UoN

An exciting opportunity for PhD scholarship at the University of Newcastle's Functional Neuroimaging Lab, with a team of heralded Australian and international experts. Check the flyer below, email frini.karayanidis@newcastle.edu.au, or use this link for more details:

https://www.newcastle.edu.au/study/research/phd-scholarships/phd-scholarships/investigating-the-link-between-cerebrovascular-and-brain-structuralfunctional-processes-contributing-to-cognitive-ability-across-the-lifespan.

 

RESEARCH: An unusual explanation for the social support- health links: Dreams and sleep.

 Various researchers have demonstrated that people who have less social support are also more likely to have poorer mental and physical health. Currently, we are living through a pandemic which has reduced the amount of socialising many of us can do. This change has led to many new and unique ways to maintain our social support networks.

A study by UON Psychology Dr Romany McGuffog and A/Prof Mark Rubin explored an unusual explanation for the relation between social support and health. Specifically, they investigated dreams and sleep. Research surrounding dreams has been mixed: Some types of dreams have been found to be associated with better mental and physical health, but nightmares are related to more stress.

To clarify the role that dreams could play in the relation between social support and health, Romany and Mark broke down dreams into various components including dream emotions, dream bizarreness, recall, impact, and frequency of dreams/nightmares.

The results suggest that less social support is related to more negative dream emotions, higher impact of nightmares, and poorer sleep, and (then) also to poorer mental and physical health. In other words, it seems that people who experience good social support then experience more positive dreams and less nightmares, which provides better sleep and better mental health and physical health. 

Does this mean that it might be possible to reduce the impact that having less social support can have on health if we can improve an individual’s sleep?

Romany will be presenting this research at the Early Career Researcher and Postgraduate conference of the Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research on October 16th at HMRI, JH Hospital.

For any questions or to discuss further, contact Romany at:

Romany.McGuffog@uon.edu.au | Twitter: @RomanyMcGuffog

Prof Scott Brown named top Australian Cognitive Scientist, again.

He had done it again!

For the second consecutive year, Prof Scott Brown from the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle was named the top Australian Cognitive Scientist (2020). Scott was among six University of Newcastle researchers that have been named as top in their field in new data published in The Australian’s 2020 Research magazine. Well done Scott.

Link to the special issue: https://specialreports.theaustralian.com.au/1540291/21/

NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE DEGREE COMING IN 2021

NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE DEGREE COMING IN 2021

From Semester 1 2021, a new degree will be on offer – the Graduate Diploma in Psychological Science.  This new program offers undergraduate degree graduates from a broad range of disciplines an alternative pathway into the profession of Psychology.

Graduates will develop a wide range of knowledge and skills which will enable progression into management positions and will be valued across multiple industries including human service organisations, employment agencies, counselling services, personnel management, market research, or health and community services.

LEARN MORE https://www.newcastle.edu.au/degrees/graduate-diploma-psychological-science

School of Psychology research seminar, Thur 24/9/2020, 12-1pm

 

School of Psychology research seminar, Wed 9/9/2020, 12-1pm

 

E&D SERIES: UON Psychology Researchers Partner with Local School to Protect the Academic Aspirations of Vulnerable Students Post-COVID

 Global economic crises, like the one we will experience post-COVID, disproportionately affect vulnerable segments of society. Historical data tell us that they increase disparities and threaten social cohesion. A research team led by A/Prof Paolini at UON Psychology has partnered with a local high school to check on the impact that the COVID crisis is having on the academic aspirations of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Dr Paolini explains: “We know that, even in regular times, vulnerable students, more than other students, struggle to align their aspirations for the future to their academic performance and potential. We have also observed that their academic aspirations tend to decline over time, as vulnerable students approach the time in which they need to make consequential decisions about their future schooling and professional pathways, at the end of middle school”. This dampening in academic aspirations can undermine efforts at forging positive futures for these students and their families. It can be a key contributor to difficult to break cycles of poverty in our local communities.

 These troubling patterns in academic aspirations of vulnerable students are likely to get even worse as the post-pandemic crisis deepens. As the economic pressures increase, stigmatization of social minorities often becomes more pronounced. Narratives of ‘survival of the fittest’ and ‘succumbing of the weakest’ thrive in especially competitive and uncertain job markets, like the one we are facing. These stigmatizing narratives and stereotypes can be used to explain away and normalize differences in rates of recovery in society. Market-oriented views of education can become rampant and reduce education to just an instrument for “preparing individuals for their ‘place’ in the labor market”. 

With their work, Dr Paolini and her UON research team want to minimize the risk that disadvantage students in the Newcastle area will fall through the cracks of the post-pandemic crisis and cut their aspiration short, accepting a bleak future for themselves and their families. For this, they will take a closer look at post-COVID experiences of stigmatization and exclusion of local Indigenous students, students from low SES, Out-of-Home Care, refugee and migrant background. 

Their work will track trajectories of academic success and aspirations of these students and their more advantaged counterparts, over a three year period. This investigative effort will help identify the drivers of debilitating dynamics in academic aspirations and protective factors. It will help the school put in place strategies to ensure that all students at this local school and around Australia do not miss out on the bright futures they can forge and deserve. 

From left to right the research team: A/Prof Stefania Paolini (Psychology), Dr Olivia Evans (Psychology), Dr Stephanie Hardacre (Psychology), Adele Ghabrial (Psychology), Prof John Fischetti (Education)

To know more about this research project and progress with tackling these important challenges, get in touch! S

School of Psychology research seminar, Thur 27/8, 12-1pm

 

The only certainty is that nothing is certain: UON researchers ask why some people struggle to deal with uncertainty

 The world has always been a pretty uncertain place, but it feels like it’s even more uncertain now than ever before. With COVID-19 outbreaks happening unpredictably and restrictions changing rapidly, we’re all struggling to keep up, and uncertainty is making life more stressful for everyone. 

However, uncertainty can affect people in different ways. Some people are happy to fly by the seat of their pants, while others need to have every event for the next month noted in their calendar. Unsurprisingly, people who have a high need for certainty tend to have poorer mental health, experiencing more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress than those with a low need for certainty. But why is certainty so important to some people and not others?

Recently minted UON PhD graduate Dr Monica Gendi considered this question during her PhD studies, supervised by A/Prof Mark Rubin. Monica found that the way that adults respond to uncertainty seems to be related to the way their caregivers responded to their needs as babies. 

Ideally, caregivers respond to children’s needs consistently and appropriately, providing comfort and care when the baby signals that they need it (e.g., by crying!). However, some caregivers consistently disregard or ignore their baby’s needs, while others respond appropriately sometimes but ignore their baby at other times.

Monica’s research suggested that people whose needs were not consistently met when they were children have a high need for certainty as adults. This might be because their early experiences taught them that the world is not a safe place, and those around them can’t be trusted to help if they are in trouble. This lack of confidence in the world and in others translates to a desire for the world to be predictable and unambiguous so that they can plan for how to deal with it.

As life becomes less predictable and more ambiguous, the negative consequences of being unable to deal well with uncertainty are likely to be exacerbated. This research highlights the importance of parenting in creating children’s basic beliefs about the world, the consequences of which echo throughout their adult lives. 

To know more about (just PhD awardee) Dr Monica Gendi’s research: monica.gendi@uon.edu.au

School of Psychology research seminars plan for term II 2020

E&D SERIES: UON Psychology researcher makes strides in understanding and tacking inequality

Dr Stephanie Hardacre was recently awarded her PhD in social and organisational psychology in the School of Psychology. Her research explored political solidarity and leadership processes in the context of gender equality.

Stephanie examined how leader gender shapes the capacity of male and female leaders to mobilise men and women for gender equality as a common cause.

Dr Hardacre’s work has been included in Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program's Gender Action Portal – a resource for decision-makers across sectors to translate research into action. You can read about some of Stephanie’s empirical work in the recently released Frontiers Special Issue on “Understanding Barriers to Workplace Equality: A Focus on the Target’s Perspective” at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02497/full.

 Dr Hardacre is currently working on several projects in the student equity space. These include: a philanthropic-funded longitudinal study on the impact of stereotyping post-COVID on disadvantaged students’ aspirations for higher education; a HEPPP-funded project investigating low-SES student perceptions of success at university; and a NCSEHE-funded project exploring the impact of housing on regional and remote students’ participation in higher education.

If you want to know more about Dr Hardacre and her research, email: Stephanie.Hardacre@uon.edu.au

Concealing their communication: UON research looks at the pervasive issue of smartphone use among young drivers

Young drivers, aged 17-25 years, are more likely than other age groups to access social interactive technologies (e.g., Snapchat, Facebook) on their smartphone while driving. Given many of these functions are only available in hand-held mode, an alarming number of young drivers are deliberately hiding their smartphone use from outside view to avoid getting caught by police.  In doing so, they are moving their eyes away from the road for extended periods of time; dramatically increasing their crash risk and the chance of injuring other road users.

 Honours student, Hazal Eren, and her supervisor Dr Cassandra Gauld, sought to understand why young drivers respond to social interactive technology in a concealed manner while driving, despite being aware of the crash risk and the legal penalties.  Their survey study applied an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour which included the additional predictors of anticipated action regret, anticipated inaction regret, and problematic mobile phone usage.  The study also sought to identify beliefs about this behaviour that were unique to young drivers who do it more often.

With an ever-increasing array of functions available, problematic smartphone usage is a concept that has been gaining traction over the past few years. Most scales measuring this concept are based on behavioural addiction models.  For example, problematic phone usage can be characterised by feelings such as anxiety when without your smartphone and using your smartphone to make you feel better. It can also result in behaviours with serious safety implications, such as smartphone use while driving. 

Indeed, this study found that young drivers who scored high on problematic phone usage were more likely to respond to social interactive technology in a concealed manner while driving.  It also found that young drivers with a positive attitude towards responding in a concealed manner while driving, who believed they could do it easily, and who believed important others would approve of it were more likely to do it.  Young drivers who anticipated a higher level of regret associated with it, were less likely to do it.

With regard to beliefs about the behaviour, young drivers who were more likely to respond in a concealed manner while driving believed that it allowed them to ‘communicate with important people’ and that their ‘partner’, ‘passengers’, ‘friends’, and ‘other drivers’ would approve of it.

Smartphone use among young drivers is a complex and dangerous issue. If this behaviour is to be eradicated (or even reduced) it is important to challenge the predictors and the key beliefs (e.g., perceived normative influences) in targeted interventions (e.g., public education messages).  Hopefully, the new fixed smartphone detection cameras in NSW will detect concealed smartphone use; which may lead to a greater deterrent effect.  With regard to problematic phone usage, perhaps we can learn from successful interventions addressing other behavioural addictions, such as gambling. 

To know more about this work, email: Cassandra Gauld <Cass.Gauld@newcastle.edu.au>

PsycCares provides free food and hygiene items to our students

PsycCares is an initiative of the School of the Psychology at the University of Newcastle, driven by our admin staff and Tara Magnay. PsycCares pantry is now open and is stocked with essentials as well as goodies in memory of Ken Sutton's dedication to student learning and wellbeing. Students have been notified about ways to access the pantry starting. Our staff will keep stocking the pantry.

Dr Ken Sutton, a beloved and respected member of our school, had a sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago. We hope this initiative will help our students and thus persevere the students-first spirit that Ken had championed in our School and Faculty.

Psychologists’ Advice: Navigating Loneliness and Fostering Social Connections in Isolation

The end of COVID-related isolation in Australia finally appears to be within sight. The impacts of loneliness, reduced social connectivity and the associated emotional and physical health issues may soon ease. After such a period, however, it will remain to be seen if these impacts have a lasting effect on the population.

The Australian Psychological Society and the Centre for Social Impact have recently released articles and reports outlining the impact that COVID-19 has had on mental health, concerning loneliness and social connectivity. Such organisations have warned of the health concerns brought about by decreased social interaction (Australian Psychological Society, 2020 here; Centre for Social Impact, n.d. here).

With the need to prioritise physical health and 'flattening the curve', the building and maintenance of social connection have taken a backseat in favour of physical isolation. Activities that encourage social connectivity have been in many cases, either impossible or complicated. As such, the opportunity to make new social connections has significantly lessened.

An article released by the Australian Psychological Society outlines the emotional and physical health issues associated with an increase in loneliness, which has been identified in the Australian population. The number of Australians reporting feeling lonely has dramatically increased in the past few months. This increase presents a significant concern as being lonely increases the chances of poor mental health. Furthermore, loneliness is correlated with physical health symptoms such as sleeping difficulties, headaches, nausea, colds and infections.

In the view that social connections may continue to remain in the background, the Centre for Social Impact recommends ways in which social contact may be improved or somewhat enabled before things in Australia ultimately return to normal. Research conducted by the University of New South Wales, the University of Western Australia and Swinburne University of Technology has revealed that the best conditions for building connections is where contact is a by-product and not the focus of the activities. For example, problem-solving activities, teaching activities, and 'bumping spaces', or spaces of close physical proximity where contact is often unavoidable. The Centre recommends making things fun and mixing things up when connecting with others, such as playing online games, searching for stimulating mediums of connection, and prioritising learning and nurturing.

It comes as a much welcome change that social restrictions are gradually easing. However, it is essential to maintain a focus on ensuring that the largely fortunate state of Australia's COVID-19 situation is sustained. While physical health is of the utmost priority at this time, we should still seek socialising and maintenance of mental health.


If you want to read the primary sources, click below:

Australian Psychological Society. (2020, May 6). Psychologists warn loneliness is a looming health issue. HERE.
Centre for Social Impact. (n.d.). Loneliness, social connection and COVID-19 CSI response. CSI. HERE


Written by Ursula Horton – UON Psychology

School of Psychology research seminar, 28/5/2020: Dr Sharon Savage

Please join us in the  Research Seminar mentioned below – all welcome!

When: 28^th May  2020

Time: 12:00 – 1:00pm

Via Zoom only : https://uonewcastle.zoom.us/j/353370843

E&D SERIES: I tolerate thus I am good and moral; I am tolerated thus I feel bad and devalued

 It was a beautiful day and the café was full of people. A couple of friends were sitting around a table when one of them said: “our society is becoming more diverse. We just need to ‘put up’ with people who are different to us”. “Yes, absolutely”, the other friend said. They nodded to each other and felt pretty about good their standing. 

Social psychologists at the Utrecht University and the University of Canterbury are of the view that, while standing up for minority groups and embrace tolerance may serve as a fence against discrimination and violence, ‘being tolerated’ does not always feel good for individuals from minority groups and might even have some serious psychological consequences. 

‘Being tolerated’ may have some unwanted negative consequences for minority members. In everyday life, feeling that others are ‘putting up’ with us may feel offensive and hurtful. It may convey the implicit message that what one believes and practices is not really approved, but just tolerated. The work by Verkuyten and colleagues suggests that when minority members feel that their values, lifestyle, and views are not genuinely accepted in society, they may engage in a variety of strategies to cope with these negative feelings. For example, they may avoid interacting with people or being present in situations in which they may feel disapproved. As a result, social interactions between individuals from distinct social groups in society may shrink and minority individuals may feel more lonely and isolated. Being tolerated might also place minorities in a dependent position and weaken their feelings of control and ability to affect society to tackle disadvantage, and achieve equality. 

Among majority members who tolerate, tolerance may create a sense of ‘good grace’ and ‘virtuous face’. Tolerance may make it psychologically more difficult for minority members to take action against those who are considered virtuous and with good morals. Hence, practicing tolerance may feel good and virtuous for majority members, but it may have negative consequences for minority members. Identifying, recognizing, and calling out mere tolerance may help us make progress in finding more constructive ways to embrace diversity in society and make the most of it. 

You can find out more about research on these issues in this article:  Verkuyten, M., Yogeeswaran, K., & Adelman, L. (2020). The Negative Implications of Being Tolerated: Tolerance From the Target’s Perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1745691619897974.

UON Psychology farewells beloved Dr Ken Sutton

A message of tribute from conjoint A/Prof Miles Bore (and with him the whole school), who was Ken's friend, colleague and PhD supervisor.

Ken Sutton passed away last Wednesday. Much too young to do so, being in his early seventies.

I worked with Ken for many years. I used to joke with Ken that even in retirement he worked longer hours than many. In early, often around 7am, and leave late, often well after 7pm.

Ken was with the University a long time, and in the School of Psychology when Aviation and Psychology were merged into one School in the restructure in the late 1990’s. He was a great Course Coordinator and teacher. Very organised, detailed, and very student focussed. Our SCIM course, a large service course for the Faculty and the School, struggled badly until the then PVC Bill Hogarth gave the course to Ken with the instruction “fix it”. And Ken did. Student Feedback on Course always greater than 4 under Ken.

Ken completed his PhD, supervised by Andrew Heathcote and myself, in 2011. He also had a Bachelor and Masters degrees in Education. He developed a psychometric test of cognitive special ability and several publications, collaborations and grants flowed from this.

Ken ‘retired’ in 2015, but it was hard to tell the difference. As a Conjoint Senior Lecturer he continued to supervise research students at all levels and was Course Coordinator for the School’s new Work Integrated Learning (WIL) course. The WIL course ran both semesters and required significant outreach to organisations who could provide suitable placements. I was concerned at the time demands this placed on Ken but, to quote him, he used to say “That’s OK. It’s my way of giving back.”

Ken met Yvonne when he was 17 and she 16. Yvonne passed away last year. They had been married for over 50 years. Ken was a quiet and private man, but we used to chat. I know Ken loved the university. But not as much as he loved his family.

As a school, we will think of Ken around a cup of tea on Friday 29th, 2.30pm, as a very private family funeral service takes place. If you would like to join a face-to-face social gathering for Ken at the University on Friday 5th June, please seek details from the school of psychology office by emailing: psyc-admin (psyc-admin@newcastle.edu.au)

School of Psychology HDR progression seminar, Monday 25/5

Please join us for our next HDR Progression Seminar Day:

When: 25^th May  2020

Time: 10:30am – 12:00

Via Zoom only : https://uonewcastle.zoom.us/j/91496716004?pwd=TmNESEFkYjNvUG8vQm44cGZMWHo4UT09

 Password: 390339

 Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

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E&D SERIES: Missed connections: Using online alternatives to improve student social lives

Taking university courses online has become a necessity in the last couple of months. A few weeks ago, Dr Heather Douglas discussed on the blog how more students than ever before are having to move their learning online due to closures and social distancing measures put in place due to the coronavirus. For a lot of students, however, online learning is not new. 

On-line learning has become increasingly popular over the last couple of decades and will remain so beyond COVID, because it offers students the opportunity to be flexible in when and how they complete their studies. To address this new demand, Universities have invested in optimising online engagement in coursework. However there are other vital parts of the university experience that have not been transferred meaningfully to an online context: most notably the social lives of university students.

The friends and networks made at university are important and irreplaceable parts of the university experience. As well as adding to the enjoyment of attending university, UON-led research tells us that being socially active at university has many serious benefits for students during their degrees and beyond. University friends offer social support during what is generally a stressful and busy period of life, provide a sense of belonging and most importantly are a network of people to turn to for help with coursework, assessments and important career decisions.
When students move their studies entirely online they lose the face-to-face interactions that form an important part of their social life at university. Thus, it is important we investigate how students currently manage to engage socially online. And we need to work to improve these aspects of online experiences, so that students can make these vital social connections with other students, even if they never set foot on campus.

To aid in this investigation, myself and A/Prof Mark Rubin have been awarded a research grant from the Australian Research Council to analyse the online social integration of university students. Over the next 3-years we will survey the current online social integration practices of students and then test interventions for promoting online integration.

We will particularly focus on student-led Facebook groups as a social resource for students from non-traditional backgrounds who are unable to afford the time commitment of studying and socialising face to face. In the first year we will investigate how this potential resource is currently being used, and then test some tailored interventions aimed at increasing social activity online. We aim to ensure that university social lives, not just coursework, are going digital.

For more information about this research project, contact chief investigator Dr Olivia Evans: Olivia.Evans@newcastle.edu.au