Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Early Detection Of Ultra High Risk For Psychosis In A Norwegian Catchment Area: The Two Year Follow-Up Of The Prevention Of Psychosis Study, Inge Joa, Jone Bjornestad, Jan O. Johannessen, Johannes Langeveld, Helen J. Stain, Melissa Weibell, Wenche T. V. Hegelstad

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objectives: Most individuals experience a relatively long period of sub-clinical psychotic like symptoms, known as the ultra high risk (UHR) or at risk mental states (ARMS), prior to a first episode of psychosis. Approximately 95% of individuals who will later develop psychosis are not referred to specialized clinical services and assessed during the UHR phase. The study aimed to investigate whether a systematic early detection program, modeled after the successful early detection of psychosis program TIPS, would improve the detection of help-seeking UHR individuals. The secondary aim was to examine the rates and predictors of conversion to psychosis after 2 …

The Power Of The Individual Voice: Interrogating Continuity At A Time When The Open Communication Of Research Is Disrupted By Unruly Speakers And Publics, Lelia Green, Viet Tho Le

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Hyperconnected societies offer new opportunities for the role of the individual voice. A deregulated world of information poses a paradox, however, in which fake news might conceivably underpin the political agenda more than informed research. The sheer amount of information available forces publics and audience members to seek shortcuts to knowledge through access to preferred academic, public intellectual or ‘thought leader’ perspectives. Drawing upon theories of deliberative democracy and open communication, this paper critiques the roles of academic, public intellectual and thought leader to move beyond discussion of the value of individual voices in the sharing of knowledge. It suggests …

Meta-Analysis Of Genome-Wide Dna Methylation Identifies Shared Associations Across Neurodegenerative Disorders, Marta F. Nabais, Simon M. Laws, Tian Lin, Costanza L. Vallerga, Nicola J. Armstrong, Ian P. Blair, John B. Kwok, Karen A. Mather, George D. Mellick, Perminder S. Sachdev, Leanne Wallace, Anjali K. Henders, Ramona A. J. Zwamborn, Paul J. Hop, Katie Lunnon, Ehsan Pishva, Janou A. Y. Roubroeks, Hilkka Soininen, Magda Tsolaki, Patrizia Mecocci, Simon Lovestone, Iwona Kłoszewska, Bruno Vellas, Sarah Furlong, Fleur C. Garton, Robert D. Henderson, Susan Mathers, Pamela A. Mccombe, Merrilee Needham, Shyuan T. Ngo, Garth Nicholson, Roger Pamphlett, Dominic B. Rowe, Frederik J. Steyn, Kelly L. Williams, Tim J. Anderson, Steven R. Bentley, John Dalrymple-Alford, Javed Fowder, Jacob Gratten, Glenda Halliday, Ian B. Hickie, Martin Kennedy, Simon J. G. Lewis, Grant W. Montgomery, John Pearson, Toni L. Pitcher, Peter Silburn, Futao Zhang, Peter M. Visscher, Jian Yang, Anna J. Stevenson, Robert F. Hillary, Riccardo E. Marioni, Sarah E. Harris, Ian J. Deary, Ashley R. Jones, Aleksey Shatunov, Alfredo Iacoangeli, Wouter Van Rheenen, Leonard H. Van Den Berg, Pamela J. Shaw, Cristopher E. Shaw, Karen E. Morrison, Ammar Al-Chalabi, Jan H. Veldink, Eilis Hannon, Jonathan Mill, Naomi R. Wray, Allan F. Mcrae, The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, The Australian Imaging Biomarkers And Lifestyle Study

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: People with neurodegenerative disorders show diverse clinical syndromes, genetic heterogeneity, and distinct brain pathological changes, but studies report overlap between these features. DNA methylation (DNAm) provides a way to explore this overlap and heterogeneity as it is determined by the combined effects of genetic variation and the environment. In this study, we aim to identify shared blood DNAm differences between controls and people with Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. Results: We use a mixed-linear model method (MOMENT) that accounts for the effect of (un)known confounders, to test for the association of each DNAm site with each …

Educational Outcomes Of Adolescents Participating In Specialist Sport Programs In Low Ses Areas Of Western Australia: A Mixed Methods Study, Eibhlish O'Hara, Craig Harms, Fadi Ma'ayah, Craig Speelman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Specialist Sport Programs (SSPs) are an underexamined activity that combines the best features of two different contexts for adolescent development: a sporting program and a secondary school. A mixed-methods study was conducted to determine the influence of participation in SSPs on the educational outcomes of lower secondary students in Western Australia. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in specialist students' mean grade for Mathematics over the course of a year, while their mean grade for all other subjects, and their level of engagement with school, remained stable over the same period of time. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with key …

Educative Power And The Respectful Curricular Inclusion Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Music, Michael Webb, Clint Bracknell

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This chapter argues for the full, respectful curricular inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music in order to promote a more balanced and equitable social and cultural vision of the nation-state in Australian schools. It challenges views that claim Indigenous cultures have been irretrievably lost or are doomed to extinction, as well as the fixation on musical authenticity. We propose that the gradual broadening of Indigenous musical expressions over time and the musical renaissance of the new millennium have created an unprecedented opportunity for current music educators to experience the educative power of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music. …

Evaluating The Impact Of Sandbox Applications On Live Digital Forensics Investigation, Reem Bashir, Helge Janicke, Wen Zeng

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Sandbox applications can be used as anti-forensics techniques to hide important evidence in the digital forensics investigation. There is limited research on sandboxing technologies, and the existing researches on sandboxing are focusing on the technology itself. The impact of sandbox applications on live digital forensics investigation has not been systematically analysed and documented. In this study, we proposed a methodology to analyse sandbox applications on Windows systems. The impact of having standalone sandbox applications on Windows operating systems image was evaluated. Experiments were conducted to examine the artefacts of three sandbox applications: Sandboxie, BufferZone and ToolWiz Time Freeze on Windows …

Contact, Moral Foundations Or Knowledge? What Predicts Attitudes Towards Women Who Undergo Ivf, Alicja Malina, Marta Roczniewska, Julie Ann Pooley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The willingness to try in vitro fertilization (IVF) as an infertility treatment, as well as its psychosocial consequences for couples, may be influenced by how they perceive the attitudes of general public towards this procedure. The focus of the current study was to identify predictors of attitudes towards mothers who underwent IVF to conceive a child. Three predictors were derived from attitude components: contact with someone who had undergone IVF (behavior), moral foundations (emotions), and the level of knowledge (cognition) about IVF. Method: In total, 817 participants (118 male and 692 female, 7 unreported) from Poland took part in …

A Game-Based Online Tool To Measure Cognitive Functions In Students, Valeska Berg, Mark Mcmahon, Shane L. Rogers, Michael Garrett, Dominic Manley, Gabbie Miller

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Cognitive assessments can be expensive, lengthy and fatiguing for students and are often conducted in an artificial clinical context. In an effort to make the assessments more fun, researchers have started to introduce game elements to traditional cognitive tasks and training. This comes with a number of challenges. The main challenge is to develop an engaging tool that at the same time reliably assesses cognitive constructs in students. To address these challenges, this research aims to improve cognitive assessment with a new game-based assessment app that has been designed and developed in collaboration with researchers, teachers, students, and software engineers …

The Efficacy Of Aligning Lessons Learnt From Significant Bushfire Incidents To The Organisational Stratum, Jennifer Medbury, David J. Brooks, Michael Coole

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Australia's bushfire seasons are expected to become longer and more severe due to the effects of climate change and an increasing population living in rural-urban fringes. Social and economic vulnerability to extreme natural hazards means that Australia’s emergency services sector plays a significant role in community safety and wellbeing. Therefore, it is important that the sector continually improves. Australia has a long history of conducting external reviews into significant bushfires. While these reviews receive good support and seek to identify relevant lessons, barriers remain that prevent these lessons from being effectively learnt. It is possible that some of these barriers …

Problems, Policy And Politics – Perspectives Of Public Health Leaders On Food Insecurity And Human Rights In Australia, Stephanie L. Godrich, Liza Barbour, Rebecca Lindberg

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

To achieve zero hunger targets set within the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, high-income countries such as Australia must reconsider current efforts to improve food security. This study aimed to; explore perspectives from public health nutrition experts on the usefulness of drawing on the international human right to food, and associated mechanisms, to address food insecurity; identify potential roles of key stakeholders in Australia to implement a rights-based approach; and examine barriers and enablers to achieving the right to food in Australia.

Methods:

Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants ( > 10 years professional experience). Braun and Clarke’s (2006) …

The Influence Of Camera Perspective And Viewer Attitudes Towards Police On Perceptions Of Police-Civilian Encounters, Anna-Louise Skidmore

Theses : Honours

Research suggests there may be a Camera Perspective Bias (CPB) effect across different camera footage types which influences viewer perceptions of police use of force encounters. Police body-worn camera (BWC) footage presents a first-person perspective from the officer’s point of view which predominantly captures the civilian. It is suggested that viewing an encounter from this perspective elicits a positive bias towards the officer when compared to CCTV footage. Additionally, research also shows that attitudes towards police influence perceptions of a filmed police-civilian encounters. This research aimed to investigate the effect of different camera evidence types (i.e., CCTV, BWC without audio …

A Genetic Investigation Of Anticoagulant Rodenticide Resistance In Mus Musculus Of Western Australia: Implications For Conservation And Biosecurity, Bridget Judith Maria Lucrezia Duncan

Theses : Honours

Human-wildlife interactions have developed since the agricultural revolution that occurred 10,000 years ago, and the expansion of commensal species’ geographical distribution led to conflicts that prompted humans to adopt a wide range of control methods for pest species (Horvitz, Wang, Wan, & Nathan, 2017; Riyahi et al., 2013; Saraswat, Sinha, & Radhakrishna, 2015). The order Rodentia is characterised by a high number of successful invaders, which humans have attempted to manage with the use of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) since the 1940s (Capizzi, Bertolino, & Mortelliti, 2014; Ruiz-Suárez et al., 2014). The rise and spread of a genetic mutation that infers …

The Impact Of Voluntariness Of Apologies On Victims’ Responses In Restorative Justice: Findings Of A Quantitative Study [Dataset], Alfred Allan, Justine De Mott, Isolde Larkins, Laura Turnbull, Tracey Warwick, Lacey Willett, Maria M. Allan

Research Datasets

Combined data of three studies (N=164; 121 and 236 respectively) that investigated whether the voluntariness of apologies influenced recipients’ perception of the sincerity of apologies; acceptance of apologies; willingness to forgive offenders; and intended retributive behavior towards offenders.

Attitudes And Knowledge Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Australian Undergraduate Psychology Students, Tiffany Williamson

Research Datasets

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has generated much research interest in recent times due to a soaring increase in diagnosis rates and a movement to recognise ASD as a cognitive style, rather than a cognitive deficit. Psychologists are responsible for the timely and accurate diagnosis of ASD and supporting clients on the spectrum with general mental health care. Undergraduate psychology students may go on to further study to become registered psychologists or choose to pursue other careers in mental health care and support work in which they will likely have contact with members of the autistic community. However, little research into …

Towards An Evidence-Informed Differentiated Learning Consolidation Process To Support Classroom Instruction, Nicola Carr-White

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Despite many years of teaching experience, the differentiation and consolidation of classroom learning presented challenges for the researcher. In response, a Differentiated Learning Consolidation Process (DLCP) was developed through informal classroom-based action research over several years. Using low cost and accessible resources, it developed into a manageable supplementary intervention to support individual student needs and the retention of classroom instruction. Increasing interest from colleagues led the researcher to provide professional development on the instructional design and implementation of the DLCP. Through this experience, it became apparent that the DLCP theoretical assumptions were largely unknown. The current study was pursued to …

The Youth Work Career: Exploring Long-Term Careers Of Professional Youth Workers In Western Australia, John Sutcliffe

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this research was to explore the meaning and experiences of the long-term careers of youth workers. This study selected a Western Australian sample group of 10 degreequalified youth workers who had graduated between 1990 and 1999 and had experienced careers in youth work spanning 20 years. The existing literature pertaining to long-term youth work careers was sparse in certain aspects, which established the primary need for the research focus. The related literature was found to represent a negative image of youth work as a career. Youth work was considered lacking in professional identity and was most commonly …

Power, Perspective And Affordance In Early Childhood Education, Amelia Ruscoe

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The position of a young child beginning school is unique and precarious. Children are capable of making their own decisions about what to participate in and contribute to, but often guided by adults charged with the responsibility of their education and care. The beliefs and values of these adults are pivotal to what a child may experience but are seldom examined to ascertain what they may or may not afford young children in their early education.

Through examination of the literature, neoliberal reform, developmentally appropriate practice and the quality agenda have surfaced as particularly strong discourses influencing early childhood education. …

Siblings Of People With Intellectual Disability: Relationships And Decision-Making Across The Life Span, Wendy Simpson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A growing amount of research focuses on siblings of children with disabilities. However, limited evidence exists to provide a solid understanding and depth of knowledge of the issues that affect adult sibling relationships when one has intellectual disability. Since sibling relationships are the longest lasting family relationship, they are becoming more important because people with disability are outliving their parents or main caregivers. The increased longevity of people with disability has a societal and economic impact that has been recognised in the context of the recently introduced National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia. By exploring the experiences of siblings …

Drumbeat© For Arthritis “ A Shared Purpose” Rather Than A “Lonely Struggle”, Jannette Warhurst

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Australia is regarded as a healthy nation, with life expectancy one of the highest in the world. Yet the latest National Health Survey tells a very different story. Almost 50% of Australians are now living with one or more chronic conditions, with arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions representing the most expensive chronic disease group in Australia. As the leading cause of chronic pain and second most common cause of disability and early retirement due to ill health in Australia, Arthritis is costing the economy over $7 billion a year, in addition to over $1.1 billion in extra welfare costs …

Exploring The Experiences Of Australian Science Researchers; Library, Google And Beyond, Ewa Maria Niewiadomska

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Universities and research institutions in Australia are under pressure to produce high-quality research outputs. To generate the desired level of research, continuous provision of information is required. As a result of developments of digital technologies, the information behaviour of academics, both as consumers and creators of new information and knowledge, has evolved and changed over the decades.

In this study, the primary research question focused on how science academics based at Australian universities experience digital information sources as part of their scholarly activities. To support these research goals, the thesis explores where science academics seek information to support their research …

Mindfulness Practices In Secondary Schools: Exploring Teachers’ Attitudes, And The Barriers And Facilitators To Achieving Teacher Buy-In To A Whole-School Approach, Willow Jefferies

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Mindfulness practices are increasingly being introduced into schools as a whole-school approach, with teachers often responsible for implementing the exercises with their students. The aim of this research project was to explore the attitudes secondary teachers hold towards mindfulness practices and determine the barriers to and facilitators of teachers buying-in to a mindfulness initiative. A qualitative research methodology was utilised with twelve semistructured interviews conducted across three Perth metropolitan secondary schools. Interview questions were devised using both attitudinal constructs and the Revised Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF-R). In order to separately explore both teachers’ attitudes towards mindfulness practices and the barriers …

Through A Lens Of Therapeutic Jurisprudence: A Case Study Of The Children’S Court Drug Court In Perth, Suzanne Ellis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Children’s Court Drug Court (CCDC) has operated for 20 years in Perth as an alternative Court for drug-using young offenders who present at the Children’s Court. Despite the CCDC’s relative longevity, researchers have examined neither the inner workings of the Court nor the experiences of its actors. The current study aimed, not to evaluate the CCDC, but to identify measures needed to refine CCDC processes to enhance the experiences and outcomes of young people who participate in the CCDC. It argues that despite the CCDC’s foundations in contentious therapeutic jurisprudence principles, on balance, the actors – young people, their …

The Characteristics And Effectiveness Of Treatment For Young Sex Offenders In Australia And New Zealand: A Systematic Review, James Finney

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Sexual offending by young people presents a serious and devastating issue effecting victims, families, and wider society. This has led investigative efforts to understand the efficacy of treatment programs to cease or at minimum reduce sexual recidivism. Evaluations examining treatment efficacy have predominately been conducted in the United States and Canada, with limited research focused exclusively on young sex offenders in Australia and New Zealand. To address the paucity of information, a systematic review of young sex offender treatment research in Australia and New Zealand was conducted. The systematic review employed a comprehensive search strategy and rigorous vetting procedure, which …

Identity: A Crisis Of Confidence? Or Is It Resemblance? An Exploration Of The Different Approaches By Which Eyewitness Evidence Can Be Obtained From Lineups, Dominic T. Jordan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research has shown that eyewitness identification decisions are fallible and often mistaken. Although considerable attention has been afforded to identification decision accuracy and its improvement, mistaken identification decisions continue to contribute to costly errors at the evidentiary stage of the criminal justice system process (i.e., wrongful convictions). Several prominent researchers have suggested, by way of explanation, that the existing framework for obtaining eyewitness evidence from lineups, namely, identification, is inadequate. Indeed, the assumption that witnesses when presented with a lineup, can make reliable identification decisions (i.e., can reliably determine that a lineup member is the same unfamiliar person seen previously …

Escape Velocity Walks The City: Kindness And Intimacy In Public Space In The Transgender And Gender Diverse Teen Experience, Renée Newman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Escape Velocity Walks the City took place 23rd-26th October 2019 as part of the Future Echoes Festival in Melbourne, Australia. Created by Rosana Cade with Ivor MacAskill, Laurie Brown and St Martins Youth Theatre, audience and performer walk and talk together through the inner city of Melbourne. Walking and sitting, hand in hand with transgender and gender non-conforming teens, the performance was often silent, uneasy and yet, kind. Simultaneously fragile and powerful the work provoked a gentle expectation to open our hearts and minds. From the surreal zone of isolation (mid COVID-19 pandemic) this paper is a memory of a …

The Coaches’ Eye: Exploring Coach Decision-Making During Talent Identification, Alexandra Hannah Roberts

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

For decades, researchers and practitioners interested in talent identification have discussed the coaches’ eye: the elusive ability that allows some coaches to ‘see’ qualities in an athlete that point to their talent or future potential. While there is significant anecdotal evidence of coaches who possess this ability, there is little empirical research supporting the validity or reliability of the coaches’ eye. Guided by ecological dynamics, this thesis employs mixed methodologies to explore the decision-making that underpins how high-level coaches identify talent in Olympic combat sports. These four studies captured the processes of thirty- four coaches during the talent identification process, …