Education Commons^™

Garden-Related Environmental Behavior And Weed Management: An Australian Case Study, Ren Hu, Nicholas J. Gill

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study aims to identify the key drivers of two garden-related environmental behaviors (GEBs): plant choice and bush-friendly behavior. This is important for biodiversity conservation threatened by weed invasion from domestic gardens. The effects of self-control, time pressure, and knowledge of weed-control initiatives were examined. A mail survey was sent to suburban residents living adjacent to native bushland in Wollongong, New South Wales. Regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used. The path models for SEM were based on the theory of reasoned action. The results indicate that attitude, perceived harm, and knowledge of weed-control initiatives exert an effect …

Protocol For A Systematic Review Of Evaluation Research For Adults Who Have Participated In The 'Smart Recovery' Mutual Support Programme, Alison K. Beck, Amanda Baker, Peter James Kelly, Frank P. Deane, Anthony Shakeshaft, David Hunt, Erin Forbes, John F. Kelly

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART Recovery) offers an alternative to predominant 12-step approaches to mutual aid (eg, alcoholics anonymous). Although the principles (eg, self-efficacy) and therapeutic approaches (eg, motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy) of SMART Recovery are evidence based, further clarity regarding the direct evidence of its effectiveness as a mutual aid package is needed. Relative to methodologically rigorous reviews supporting the efficacy of 12-step approaches, to date, reviews of SMART Recovery have been descriptive. We aim to address this gap by providing a comprehensive overview of the evidence for SMART Recovery in adults with problematic alcohol, substance …

The Role Of Personalised Choice In Decision Support: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of An Online Decision Aid For Prostate Cancer Screening, Glenn P. Salkeld, Michelle Cunich, Jack Dowie, Kirsten Howard, Manish I. Patel, Graham Mann, Wendy Lipworth

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Importance Decision support tools can assist people to apply population-based evidence on benefits and harms to individual health decisions. A key question is whether "personalising" choice within decisions aids leads to better decision quality. Objective To assess the effect of personalising the content of a decision aid for prostate cancer screening using the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting Australia. Participants 1,970 men aged 40-69 years were approached to participate in the trial. Intervention 1,447 men were randomly allocated to either a standard decision aid with a fixed set of five attributes or a personalised decision …

A Nutrient Profiling Assessment Of Packaged Foods Using Two Star-Based Front-Of-Pack Labels, Amy Carrad, Jimmy Chun Yu Louie, Heather Yeatman, Elizabeth K. Dunford, Bruce Neal, Victoria M. Flood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To compare two front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems for the assessment of packaged foods and drinks with Australian Dietary Guidelines. Design: A cross-sectional nutrient profiling assessment. Food and drink products (n 20 225) were categorised into scoring levels using criteria for the Institute of Medicine (IOM) three-star system and the five-star Australian Health Star Rating (HSR). The effectiveness of these systems to categorise foods in accordance with Australian Dietary Guidelines was explored. Setting: The study was conducted in Australia, using a comprehensive food database. Subjects: Packaged food and drink products (n 20 225) available in Australia. Results: Using the IOM …

Efficiency Of Respirator Filter Media Against Diesel Particulate Matter: A Comparison Study Using Two Diesel Particulate Sources, Kerrie Burton, Jane L. Whitelaw, Alison L. Jones, Brian Davies

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Diesel engines have been a mainstay within many industries since the early 1900s. Exposure to diesel particulate matter (DPM) is a major issue in many industrial workplaces given the potential for serious health impacts to exposed workers; including the potential for lung cancer and adverse irritant and cardiovascular effects. Personal respiratory protective devices are an accepted safety measure to mitigate worker exposure against the potentially damaging health impacts of DPM. To be protective, they need to act as effective filters against carbon and other particulates. In Australia, the filtering efficiency of respiratory protective devices is determined by challenging test filter …

Correlates Of Children's Objectively Measured Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior In Early Childhood Education And Care Services: A Systematic Review, Karen Tonge, Rachel A. Jones, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To systematically review the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services. Appropriate levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior are important to promote in ECEC services. Methods: A systematic search of 8 databases identified 27 studies published between 1992 and 2015 that met the inclusion criteria. The data were collected and analyzed in 2014 and 2015, and variables were categorized using a Social Ecological Framework. Results: Sixty-six variables were identified. The domains of child characteristics (18 studies) and physical environmental factors (17 studies) were most consistently studied, and, for …

Length Of Stay As A Predictor Of Reliable Change In Psychological Recovery And Well Being Following Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, Brie Turner, Frank P. Deane

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Purpose Longer length of stay (LOS) in residential drug and alcohol treatment has been associated with more favourable outcomes, but the optimal duration has yet to be determined for reliable change indices. Optimal durations are likely a function of participant and problem characteristics. The current study aims to determine whether LOS in a residential therapeutic drug and alcohol treatment community independently predicts reliable change across a range of psychological recovery and well being measures.. Design/methodology/approach Three hundred and eighty clients from Australian Salvation Army residential drug and alcohol treatment facilities were assessed at intake and three months post-discharge using the …

'Physical Activity 4 Everyone' School-Based Intervention To Prevent Decline In Adolescent Physical Activity Levels: 12 Month (Mid-Intervention) Report On A Cluster Randomised Trial, Rachel Sutherland, Elizabeth Campbell, David R. Lubans, Philip J. Morgan, Anthony D. Okely, Nicole Nathan, Luke Wolfenden, Jarrod Wiese, Karen Gillham, Jenna Hollis, John Wiggers

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Adolescence is a recognised period of physical activity decline, particularly among low-income communities. We report the 12-month (midpoint) effects of a 2-year multicomponent physical activity intervention implemented in disadvantaged secondary schools. Methods: A cluster randomised trial was undertaken in 10 secondary schools located in disadvantaged areas in New South Wales, Australia. Students in Grade 7 were recruited, with follow-up in Grade 8. The intervention was guided by socioecological theory and included seven physical activity strategies, and six implementation adoption strategies. The primary outcome was mean minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day assessed using Actigraph GT3X accelerometers. Outcome …

Gesturing During Mental Problem Solving Reduces Eye Movements, Especially For Individuals With Lower Visual Working Memory Capacity, Wim T. Pouw, Myrto F. Mavilidi, Tamara Van Gog, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Non-communicative hand gestures have been found to benefit problem-solving performance. These gestures seem to compensate for limited internal cognitive capacities, such as visual working memory capacity. Yet, it is not clear how gestures might perform this cognitive function. One hypothesis is that gesturing is a means to spatially index mental simulations, thereby reducing the need for visually projecting the mental simulation onto the visual presentation of the task. If that hypothesis is correct, less eye movements should be made when participants gesture during problem solving than when they do not gesture. We therefore used mobile eye tracking to investigate the …

Dynamic Facial Expressions Are Processed Holistically, But Not More Holistically Than Static Facial Expressions, Alanna Tobin, Simone K. Favelle, Romina Palermo

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is evidence that facial expressions are perceived holistically and featurally. The composite task is a direct measure of holistic processing (although the absence of a composite effect implies the use of other types of processing). Most composite task studies have used static images, despite the fact that movement is an important aspect of facial expressions and there is some evidence that movement may facilitate recognition. We created static and dynamic composites, in which emotions were reliably identified from each half of the face. The magnitude of the composite effect was similar for static and dynamic expressions identified from the …

An Integrated Model Of Staff Education And Service Support To Strengthen The Efficacy Of Technology-Based Crisis Services, Taneile Kitchingman, Peter Caputi, Ian G. Wilson, Alan Woodward

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Paper presented at the National Suicide Prevention Conference, 24-27 July 2016, Canberra, Australia.

Within Australia, non-clinical telephone and online crisis support services provide readily accessible support without the requirement of referral. Research shows that up to one third of callers to crisis lines and half of all visitors to crisis chat services may be suicidal at the time of contact. Research also shows that contact with these services reduces caller suicidality and facilitates engagement with necessary intervention. The number of contacts to crisis support services in Australia is increasing. An increase in contacts to technology-based crisis services highlights the need …

Navigating The Knowledge Sets Of Older Learners: Exploring The Concept Of Experiential Capital Amongst First-In-Family Mature Age Students, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper is based upon research with university students who were first in their family to come to university. The studies sought to explore how attending university impacted upon both the learners and their families, particularly the intergenerational implications of this attendance. Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with older university students, this paper will focus on how this mature cohort articulated the ways in which they drew upon life and work experiences in their transition to university. The research indicates that these learners had access to additional capitals in the higher education environment including what has been termed as 'experiential …

Children Talking About Writing: Investigating Metalinguistic Understanding, Honglin Chen, Debra Myhill

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Much of the literature on explicit teaching about language has suggested that equipping students with metalinguistic knowledge is as an important means of enhancing students' participation in learning. Yet in the context of international jurisdictions which are placing a renewed emphasis on knowledge about language, there is a notable lack of research into the nature of learners' metalinguistic understanding about writing, as evident in their ability to reflect on written language. Using an analytical framework shaped by Vygotsky's and Hallidayan theories of concept formation and language learning, this paper provides insights into the nature of metalinguistic understanding as manifested in …

Electrophysiology Of Memory-Updating Differs With Age, Genevieve Z. Steiner, Craig J. Gonsalvez, Frances M. De Blasio, Robert J. Barry

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In oddball tasks, the P3 component of the event-related potential systematically varies with the time between target stimuli-the target-to-target interval (TTI). Longer TTIs result in larger P3 amplitudes and shorter latencies, and this pattern of results has been linked with working memory-updating processes. Given that working memory and the P3 have both been shown to diminish with age, the current study aimed to determine whether the linear relationship between P3 and TTI is compromised in healthy aging by comparing TTI effects on P3 amplitudes and latencies, and reaction time (RT), in young and older adults. Older adults were found to …

The Nature And Timing Of Tele-Pseudoscopic Experiences, Stephen Palmisano, Harold C. Hill, Robert S. Allison

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Interchanging the left and right eye views of a scene (pseudoscopic viewing) has been reported to produce vivid stereoscopic effects under certain conditions. In two separate field studies, we examined the experiences of 124 observers (76 in Study 1 and 48 in Study 2) while pseudoscopically viewing a distant natural outdoor scene. We found large individual differences in both the nature and the timing of their pseudoscopic experiences. While some observers failed to notice anything unusual about the pseudoscopic scene, most experienced multiple pseudoscopic phenomena, including apparent scene depth reversals, apparent object shape reversals, apparent size and flatness changes, apparent …

Geography And The New Social Contract For Global Change Research, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Anxious about the failure of decisionmakers to significantly reduce 'the human impact' on Earth, many global change researchers are looking for ways and means to influence public policy, business strategy and civil society more strongly. As part of this, there is a greater emphasis on understanding and altering the 'human dimensions' of global environmental change. A number of physical and society-environment geographers are involved in this endeavour, building on some valuable past achievements. But what lies ahead? I address this question by examining the rich idea of a 'social contract' - one little used in disciplinary debates about Geography's past, …

Loneliness And Schizotypy Are Distinct Constructs, Separate From General Psychopathology, Johanna C. Badcock, Emma Barkus, Alex S. Cohen, Romola Bucks, David R. Badcock

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Loneliness is common in youth and associated with a significantly increased risk of psychological disorders. Although loneliness is strongly associated with psychosis, its relationship with psychosis proneness is unclear. Our aim in this paper was to test the hypothesis that loneliness and schizotypal traits, conveying risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, are similar but separate constructs. Pooling data from two non-clinical student samples (N = 551) we modeled the structure of the relationship between loneliness and trait schizotypy. Loneliness was assessed with the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3), whilst negative (Social Anhedonia) and positive (Perceptual Aberrations) schizotypal traits …

Cultures And Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings In Disaster Risk Reduction By F. Kruger, G. Bankoff, T. Cannon, B. Orlowski And E.L.F. Shipper, Christine Eriksen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Book review of: Cultures and Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings in Disaster Risk Reduction F. Krüger, G. Bankoff, T. Cannon, B. Orlowski and E.L.F. Shipper. Routledge, London and New York, 2015, xv + 282 pp, ISBN 978 0 415 74560 4 (paperback).

Anthropocene, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Coined by two environmental scientists, the term "Anthropocene" is currently a buzzword in sections of the earth and environmental science community, as well as in the social sciences and humanities. It may in time assume the status of a "keyword" and become an established part of the academic lexicon. It describes human-induced changes to the earth's biophysical and chemical environment of such scope, scale, and magnitude as to mark the end of the Holocene (i.e., the roughly 11,700 years prior to the 21st century). The Anthropocene is thus an epochal term: it proposes that modern humans possess powers equivalent to …

Principals As Literacy Leaders With Indigenous Communities (Pallic) Building Relationships: One School's Quest To Raise Indigenous Learners' Literacy, Tasha Riley, Amanda A. Webster

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In 2011 to 2012, 48 schools in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland participated in the Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC) project. Central to this project was the establishment of positive working relationships between school principals and Indigenous community leaders in order to improve Indigenous literacy rates. Professional development in leadership skills and effective literacy instruction was provided through five professional learning modules. Participants worked together to create an action plan to support the literacy achievement of Indigenous students in their schools and communities. This article presents a case study of one participating school in Northern …

Relative Visual Oscillation Can Facilitate Visually Induced Self-Motion Perception, Shinji Nakamura, Stephen Palmisano, Juno Kim

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Adding simulated viewpoint jitter or oscillation to displays enhances visually induced illusions of self-motion (vection). The cause of this enhancement is yet to be fully understood. Here, we conducted psychophysical experiments to investigate the effects of different types of simulated oscillation on vertical vection. Observers viewed horizontally oscillating and nonoscillating optic flow fields simulating downward self-motion through an aperture. The aperture was visually simulated to be nearer to the observer and was stationary or oscillating in-phase or counter-phase to the direction of background horizontal oscillations of optic flow. Results showed that vection strength was modulated by the oscillation of the …

Identifying Objective Eeg Based Markers Of Linear Vection In Depth, Stephen Palmisano, Robert J. Barry, Frances M. De Blasio, Jack Fogarty

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This proof-of-concept study investigated whether a time-frequency EEG approach could be used to examine vection (i.e., illusions of self-motion). In the main experiment, we compared the event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) data of 10 observers during and directly after repeated exposures to two different types of optic flow display (each was 35° wide by 29° high and provided 20 s of motion stimulation). Displays consisted of either a vection display (which simulated constant velocity forward self-motion in depth) or a control display (a spatially scrambled version of the vection display). ERSP data were decomposed using time-frequency Principal Components Analysis (t-f PCA). …

A School-Based Intervention Incorporating Smartphone Technology To Improve Health-Related Fitness Among Adolescents: Rationale And Study Protocol For The Neat And Atlas 2.0 Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial And Dissemination Study, David R. Lubans, Jordan J. Smith, Louisa Peralta, Ronald Plotnikoff, Anthony D. Okely, Jo Salmon, Narelle Eather, Deborah Dewar, Sarah G. Kennedy, Chris Lonsdale, Toni A. Hilland, Paul Estabrooks, Tara Finn, Emma Pollock, Philip J. Morgan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction Physical inactivity has been described as a global pandemic. Interventions aimed at developing skills in lifelong physical activities may provide the foundation for an active lifestyle into adulthood. In general, school-based physical activity interventions targeting adolescents have produced modest results and few have been designed to be 'scaled-up' and disseminated. This study aims to: (1) assess the effectiveness of two physical activity promotion programmes (ie, NEAT and ATLAS) that have been modified for scalability; and (2) evaluate the dissemination of these programmes throughout government funded secondary schools. Methods and analysis The study will be conducted in two phases. In …

Test-Retest Reliability Of A Single-Channel, Wireless Eeg System, Jeffrey M. Rogers, Stuart J. Johnstone, Anna Aminov, James Donnelly, Peter H. Wilson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recording systems to acquire electroencephalogram (EEG) data are traditionally lab-based. However, there are shortcomings to this method, and the ease of use and portability of emerging wireless EEG technologies offer a promising alternative. A previous validity study demonstrated data derived from a single-channel, wireless system (NeuroSky ThinkGear, San Jose, California) is comparable to EEG recorded from conventional lab-based equipment. The current study evaluated the reliability of this portable system using test-retest and reliable change analyses. Relative power (RP) of delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands was derived from EEG data obtained from a single electrode over FP1 in 19 …

Vection Depends On Perceived Surface Properties, Juno Kim, Sieu Khuu, Stephen Palmisano

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Optic flow provides important information for the perception of self-motion and can be generated by both diffuse and specular reflectance. Previous self-motion research using virtual environments has primarily considered the properties of diffuse optic flow, but not of specular flow. We used graphical simulations to examine the extent to which visually induced self-motion (vection) is robust against the variations in optic flow generated by different surface optics. We found that specular flow alone was capable of generating vection that was equivalent in strength to that generated by diffuse flow (Exp. 1). To test whether this specularly induced vection depends on …

Evaluation Of A Broadly-Based Control Model Of Fascioliasis (Liver Fluke) In Central Vietnam, T M. Quy, Heather Yeatman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Fascioliasis (liver fluke) has raised significant public health concerns in the 15 regional provinces of Central Vietnam. However, comprehensive strategies for fascioliasis control are not in place with reliance on chemotherapy as the main control measure. This study implemented a broadly-based control model comprising of five main components: vector control, health education, improvement of local health systems, involvement of concerned bodies, and chemotherapy. Following the intervention, significant reductions in seroprevalence (4.2% vs. 8.8%, p<0.05) was found in the Intervention 1 commune (broadly-based model), but not in the Intervention 2 commune (model comprising of human chemotherapy and animal chemoprevention) or the Control commune (Control commune, human chemotherapy only). Improvements in knowledge and practice of fascioliasis control were found in the intervention communes 1 and 2, although there remained significant differences in the levels of awareness in these two cohorts (80.2% vs. 37.5% respectively, p <0.017). Considerable changes in practices were found in the Intervention 1 commune with all poor practice items reduced significantly in comparison with the baseline level (p<0.017). Findings in this study also supported the effectiveness of the recommended chemotherapy (triclabendazole 250mg, 10mg/kg body weight) for selective treatment of fascioliasis. Having established the effectiveness of the broadly-based control model, it is important to explore the factors that enable, or act to impede, the implementation of a broadly based control model.

Psychological States Underlying Excellent Performance In Professional Golfers: "Letting It Happen" Vs. "Making It Happen", Christian F. Swann, Richard J. Keegan, Lee Crust, David Piggott

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: In this study we aimed to better understand the occurrence and experience of flow in elite golf. As flow is more likely to occur during peak performances, and for elite athletes, our objectives were to: (i) identify golfers who achieved exceptional performances (e.g., winning a professional tournament), and (ii) explore if and how they experienced flow within that performance. Design: Mixed-method multiple case study. Method: Participants were 10 professional golfers (M age = 30; SD = 9.9). Performance data and participant observations informed semi-structured interviews which took place as soon as possible after an excellent performance (M = 4 …

Opportunity Through Online Learning: Experiences Of First-In-Family Students In Online Open-Entry Higher Education, Cathy Stone, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Josephine May, Janine Delahunty, Zoe Partington

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Online learning has an important place in widening access and participation in higher education for diverse student cohorts. One cohort taking up online study in increasing numbers is that of mature-age, first-in-family students. First-in-family is defined as those who are the first in their immediate family, including parents, siblings, partners and children, to undertake university studies. This paper looks at the experience of 87 first-in-family students, for whom the opportunity to study open-entry, online undergraduate units through Open Universities Australia made it possible for them to embark on a university education. Using a qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews and surveys were …

The Bioeffects Resulting From Prokaryotic Cells And Yeast Being Exposed To An 18 Ghz Electromagnetic Field, The Hong Phong Nguyen, Vy T. Pham, Song H. Nguyen, Vladimir Baulin, Rodney J. Croft, Brian Phillips, Russell Crawford, Elena Ivanova

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The mechanisms by which various biological effects are triggered by exposure to an electromagnetic field are not fully understood and have been the subject of debate. Here, the effects of exposing typical representatives of the major microbial taxa to an 18 GHz microwave electromagnetic field (EMF)were studied. It appeared that the EMF exposure induced cell permeabilisation in all of the bacteria and yeast studied, while the cells remained viable (94% throughout the exposure), independent of the differences in cell membrane fatty acid and phospholipid composition. The resulting cell permeabilisation was confirmed by detection of the uptake of propidium iodine and …

Personality And Body-Mass-Index In School-Age Children: An Exploration Of Mediating And Moderating Variables, Mark S. Allen, Stewart A. Vella

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study explored longitudinal associations between personality and body-mass-index (BMI) in school-age children, including the potential mediating role of screen time and physical activity, and the potential moderating roles of child demographics and neighbourhood socioeconomic position. Participants were the parents (and teachers) of 3857 ten-year-old children, who completed questionnaires at baseline with a two-year follow-up. After controlling for child demographics (e.g., sex, pubertal status), we found that personality was unimportant for concurrent BMI, but was important for subsequent BMI and change in BMI over two years. Low levels of introversion and persistence at baseline, and decreases in persistence over time, …