UWA School Of Psychology Honours Conference 2013.pdf

University of Western Australia

School of Psychology

Honours Conference 2013

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UWA School of Psychology Honours Conference 2013

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AGENDA UWA School of Psychology Honours Conference 2013 Monday 30th September

08.30-08.45 Head of School Opening Address Bayliss Foyer

08.45-10.15 Session One

Personality G.33 MCS LR Memory Wilsmore LT Person Perception Tattersall LT Sensory & Neuropsychology 2.33 North Block LR

10.15-10.45 Morning Tea Bayliss Foyer

10.45-12.15 Session Two

Sleep and Prospective Memory G.33 MCS LR Workplace Behaviour Wilsmore LT Anxiety and Cognitive Bias Tattersall LT Individual Differences 2.33 North Block LR

12.15-1.15 Keynote Address Wilsmore LT

1.15-2.00 Lunch Bayliss Foyer

Prospective Honours students presentation Wilsmore LT

2.00-3.30 Session Three

Social Change Wilsmore LT Intervention and Perception 2 Tattersall LT Mental Health 2.33 North Block LR

3.30-4.00 Afternoon Tea Bayliss Foyer

4.00-4.30 Closing Address and Prizes Bayliss Foyer

Venues:

Tattersall Lecture Theatre (LT) is adjacent to the Bayliss Foyer, on the right Wilmore Lecture Theatre (LT) is adjacent the Bayliss Foyer, on the left G.33 MCS Lecture Room (LR) is on the right entrance of the Bayliss building 2.33 North Block Lecture Room (LR) is on the third floor of the North Block in the Psychology building

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Keynote Address,

spoken by Dr. Carmen Lawrence

Recognition of the marked and increasing underperformance of children from disadvantaged

backgrounds in Australia prompted the former government to establish the review of school funding (the

Gonski review) of which I was a member. The explicit brief was to devise a fairer funding framework for

education which would ensure that differences in children’s achievements are not the result of differences

in wealth, income, power or possessions. I will outline the international evidence which shows that more

equitable systems regularly achieve higher levels of performance for all students and discuss the

implications of these findings for Australia. As the most recent OECD report emphasises: “The evidence

is conclusive: equity in education pays off. The highest performing education systems across OECD

countries are those that combine high quality and equity”.

After training as a research psychologist at the University of Western Australia and lecturing in a number of Australian universities, Dr Lawrence entered politics in 1986, serving at both State and Federal levels for 21 years. She was at various times W.A Minister for Education and Aboriginal affairs and was the first woman Premier and Treasurer of a State government. She shifted to Federal politics in 1994 when she was elected as the Member for Fremantle and was appointed Minister for Health and Human Services and Minister assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women. She has held various portfolios in Opposition, including Indigenous Affairs, Environment, Industry and Innovation and was the first woman to be directly-elected as the Federal President of the Australian Labor Party in 2004. She retired from politics in 2007. She is now a Professorial Fellow at the University of Western Australia where she is working to establish a centre to research the forces driving significant social change in key areas of contemporary challenge as well as exploring our reactions to that change. She continues to be an advocate of democratic reform, speaks out about refugee policies, and is here today to speak to us about “one of [her] abiding preoccupations – inequality”.

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G.33 MCS Lecture Room 8:45am Huw Flatau Harrison 9:00am Michelle Stephenson 9:15am Wan Yee Chong 9:30am Joseph Gauci 9:45am Matthew Yum 10:00am Jessica Gooden 10:15-10:45am MORNING TEA (FOYER) 10:45am Erica Hodgson 11:00am Caleb Bishop 11:15am Jenny Eisenhauer 11:30am Kristina Bedford 11:45am Benita Large 12:00pm Laura Dondzilo 12:15-1:15am KEYNOTE SPEAKER (WILSMORE LT) 1:15-2:00am LUNCH (FOYER) /PROSPECTIVE HONOURS STUDENT

TALK (WILSMORE LT) 2:00-3:30pm - 3:30-4:00pm AFTERNOON TEA (FOYER) 4:00-4:30pm CLOSING ADDRESS (FOYER)

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 8:45am Alexandre Swanson 9:00am Fiona Allanson 9:15am Kalpana Jayawardana 9:30am Isabelle Stacey 9:45am Mei Jae Lai 10:00am Sarah Meredith 10:15-10:45am MORNING TEA (FOYER) 10:45am Belinda Cham 11:00am Mirella Wilson 11:15am Siobhan Roberts 11:30am Wei Chen Heng 11:45am Victoria Tan 12:00pm - 12:15-1:15am KEYNOTE SPEAKER (WILSMORE LT) 1:15-2:00am LUNCH (FOYER) /PROSPECTIVE HONOURS STUDENT

TALK (WILSMORE LT) 2:00pm Mitchell Irwin 2:15pm Louisa Trainer 2:30pm Michael Wilson 2:45pm Stephanie Babic 3:00pm Casey Lister 3:15pm - 3:30-4:00pm AFTERNOON TEA (FOYER) 4:00-4:30pm CLOSING ADDRESS (FOYER)

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Tattersall Lecture Theatre 8:45am Amber King 9:00am Anita Smith 9:15am Judith Gildenhuys 9:30am Jillian Richards 9:45am Rachel Emiechel 10:00am Ryan Ng 10:15-10:45am MORNING TEA (FOYER) 10:45am Teck Soon Ong 11:00am Katrina Hosszu 11:15am Bridget Wright 11:30am Jenna Buckton 11:45am Eleanor Grinceri 12:00pm Georgina Mann 12:15-1:15am KEYNOTE SPEAKER (WILSMORE LT) 1:15-2:00am LUNCH (FOYER) /PROSPECTIVE HONOURS STUDENT

TALK (WILSMORE LT) 2:00pm Emily Valentine 2:15pm Brooke Barnett 2:30pm Emma Gladwell 2:45pm Julia Brown 3:00pm Hannah Abdul Razak 3:15pm Odette Keely 3:30-4:00pm AFTERNOON TEA (FOYER) 4:00-4:30pm CLOSING ADDRESS (FOYER)

2.33 Lecture Room 8:45am Cheryl Hoe 9:00am Simone Fueggle 9:15am Kirsten Stirling 9:30am Sarah Morgan 9:45am Will Dunlop 10:00am Kimberley Thuijs 10:15-10:45am MORNING TEA (FOYER) 10:45am Simone Mahfouda 11:00am Claire Mitchell 11:15am Nicole McLagan 11:30am Kate Derry 11:45am Julia Pagnozzi 12:00pm Temily Cao 12:15-1:15am KEYNOTE SPEAKER (WILSMORE LT) 1:15-2:00am LUNCH (FOYER) /PROSPECTIVE HONOURS STUDENT

TALK (WILSMORE LT) 2:00pm Khan Collins 2:15pm Ee Pin Chang 2:30pm Erin Hammond 2:45pm Jason Leong 3:00pm Kar Fye Alvin Lee 3:15pm Madeleine Hofmeester 3:30-4:00pm AFTERNOON TEA (FOYER) 4:00-4:30pm CLOSING ADDRESS (FOYER)

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G.33 MCS Lecture Room 8.45am-9.00am

Is our personality a reflection of The Joneses’? Predicting behaviour with absolute and relative versions of the HEXACO-PI

Speaker: Huw Flatau Harrison Supervisor: A/Prof. Patrick Dunlop

Abstract

Historically the assessment of personality has relied heavily on self-report measurement devices such as the 5 point anchored Likert-type scale. This typically asks respondents to indicate their absolute

agreement or disagreement with personality related items. Several authors have highlighted issues with the Likert scale as a means for measuring personality, including the influence of respondent

characteristics and the presence of socially desirable responding on scale reliability (Weijters, Cabooter and Schillewaert, 2010; Garland, 1991). Although Likert-type scales have been used to predict a range of

behaviours, the current study investigated an alternative rating method which draws from relative comparisons in which respondents think about how they behave in relation to how others behave. Social

Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954) suggests that individuals use other people as reference points in the absence of objective criteria. Contemporary researchers investigating personality have suggested that

Social Comparison Theory might explain the greater effectiveness of relative rating scales in predicting behavioural criterion over absolute rating scales. The present study aimed to compare the absolute and

relative means for assessing personality. Preliminary analysis of the data indicates that a traditional absolute Likert rating scale was significantly better than a relative Likert rating scale in predicting

behaviour on an Ethical Decision Making task theoretically linked with the Honesty-Humility HEXACO personality factor. Although scores on a relative Likert rating scale were more strongly correlated than

scores on the absolute rating scale with a novel number sorting task theoretically linked with the Conscientiousness HEXACO personality factor, they were not significant.

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 8.45am-9:00am

The influence of inter-item intervals on memory recollection: do longer intervals facilitate memory consolidation or lead to increased temporal distinctiveness?

Speaker: Alexandre Swanson Supervisor: A/Prof. Ullrich Ecker

Abstract

Memory consolidation theory asserts that recollection from episodic memory is dependent upon a consolidation process that occurs after an item is encoded into memory. However, temporal

distinctiveness theory posits that recollection is dependent upon the temporal isolation of a memory item during encoding. The current study sought to determine which of these theories is more relevant, by

investigating the way in which the time intervals before (pre-interval) and after (post-interval) encoding of a memory item influence memory performance on a recognition task. Sixty-five undergraduates

completed an old/new task requiring them to recognise images of human faces. During encoding of the faces, the pre- and post-intervals were set to be either short (500 ms) or long (5000 ms), in a fully-crossed

within-subjects design. Temporal distinctiveness theory predicts that the pre- and post-intervals should both contribute similarly to recognition performance, while consolidation theory predicts that the post-

interval should be the sole determinant of performance. A 2 × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA found a significant main effect of the pre-interval, with accuracy being higher and reaction times shorter when faces had a short pre-interval. However, no significant main effect for the post-interval or interaction

between the two intervals was found. A multi-level regression analysis confirmed that the main effect of the pre-interval was stable when controlling for the potential effects of study position, facial

distinctiveness, and individual differences in overall performance level. These findings prompt the discussion of an alternative to the mainstream memory theories.

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Tattersall Lecture Theatre 8.45am-9:00am

Are individual differences in face recognition in 8-year olds associated with individual variation in holistic processing or general cognitive abilities?

Speaker: Amber King Supervisors: Dr Linda Jeffery

Abstract

Face recognition plays a vital role in social interaction, and is largely a specialised process. In adults, performance in face recognition tasks has been found to correlate with face-specific mechanisms such as

holistic processing (DeGutis, Wilmer, Mercado, & Cohan, 2013;Richler, Cheung, & Gauthier, 2011; Wang, Li, Fang, Tian, & Liu, 2012), while memory abilities have not (Wilmer et al., 2010). This

study assessed the relationship between face recognition and holistic processing in 8-year-old children, at an age when these processes are well developed, and it is hypothesised that results will be similar to those seen in adult studies. General cognitive abilities have been linked to face recognition in children but this

relationship has not been tested directly (Crookes & McKone, 2009; Pascalis, Demont, de Haan, & Campbell, 2001). This study aimed to investigate whether individual variation in general cognition (IQ) is

associated with face recognition in 8-year-olds.

2.33 Lecture Room 8.45am-9:00am

Working Memory Deficits in Children Born Premature: Are Processing Speed and Storage Capacity Responsible for Working Memory Impairments?

Speaker: Cheryl Hoe Supervisor: A/Prof. Donna Bayliss

Abstract

Working memory (WM) is defined as the ability to store information while processing other information. Studies have shown that WM is significantly weaker for children born premature than children born full-

term, even though their IQ is within the normal range. This study examined the difference in WM performance between children born premature and children born full-term, and the extent to which the components of WM, namely processing speed and storage capacity, mediated any WM impairment in children born premature. It is hypothesised that performance for children born premature on the WM

tasks would be poorer than children born full-term. Also, it is hypothesised that WM impairments would be fully mediated by processing speed or storage capacity or both, indicating that WM impairments in

children born pre-term are due to differences in processing speed and storage capacity, or both together, when compared to children born full-term. Results and implications will be discussed.

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G.33 MCS Lecture Room 9:00am-9:15am

Personality and Faking: Comparing Social Desirability Scales with the HEXACO Personality Inventory.

Speaker: Michelle Stephenson Supervisor: A/Prof. Patrick Dunlop

Abstract

A common concern for many test developers and users is that personality measures rely heavily on self-report. There is a tendency for individuals to engage in socially desirable responding (SDR). Most of the

research investigating the relationship between personality and SDR has been undertaken with older, more traditional scales designed to detect SDR along with the dominant model of personality, the Big

Five. However, after many years, it appears that the SDR scales do not detect SDR and actually measure personality variance. Not one study has examined this finding using a new measure of SDR, the Over-

Claiming Questionnaire (OCQ), or the new model of personality, the HEXACO. Hence, the current study investigated the relationship between self- and peer-reported SDR and personality using a correlational design. It examined older, more traditional scales designed to detect SDR, the OCQ and the HEXACO-PI-R. It was hypothesised that traditional scales designed to detect SDR will be strongly associated with

personality traits outlined by the HEXACO model, in particular honesty-humility, agreeableness and conscientiousness. It was also hypothesised that the factors underlying the OCQ will not be associated with personality. Due to their recent introduction into the literature, the results from the current study

improve our understanding of the HEXACO model and the OCQ.

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 9:00am-9:15am

Do reminders facilitate memory updating? A test of reconsolidation theory.

Speaker: Fiona Allanson Supervisor: A/Prof Ullrich Ecker

Abstract

Reconsolidation theory states that memories can be labilized through reactivation, making them prone to change, before being re-consolidated. It hence claims that reminders of previously learned information may facilitate updating of that information. This study aimed to determine whether reconsolidation is

present in human episodic memory. Participants were given a list of word pairs to be studied (A-B). This list was then be declared irrelevant and participants studied a second list of word pairs that share the first word with list 1 (A-C). Half of the A-C word pairs received a pre-study reminder of what the first word in

the pair was so as to reactivate and labilise the corresponding list-1 (A-B) memory. A reconsolidation effect would show reminders improving performance on a subsequent recognition memory test targeting

list 2. A main effect of reminder was shown for reaction time, however it indicated that the reminders hindered memory updating. No main effect of reminder was seen for accuracy data. Interference theory

could partially explain these findings, as the reminder may have interfered with the learning of the second list.

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Tattersall Lecture Theatre 9:00am-9:15am

Is Face Recognition Ability Associated with Shyness or Social Anxiety in Children?

Speaker: Anita Smith Supervisor: Linda Jeffery

Abstract

Recognition of individuals by their facial characteristics is crucial for psychosocial development in children. Accurate recognition allows children to recognise friend from stranger, affecting how the child

behaves and how the child is responded to. One consequence of childhood shyness is a tendency to avoid the face, a rich source of important social information, and shy children have been found to be less

sensitive to some facial recognition cues. Many studies link shyness as a risk factor for childhood social anxiety. Furthermore childhood anxiety constitutes a 2-3 times greater risk of anxiety in adulthood. It is

therefore important to understand the sources of childhood anxiety and the factors that may aid in its prevention. Poor face recognition ability has been associated with higher social anxiety in typical adults; does this start in childhood? This study intended to determine if individual variation in shyness and social

anxiety is associated with face recognition ability in children.

2.33 Lecture Room 9:00am-9:15am

Error Monitoring in Children Born Very Preterm.

Speaker: Simone Fueggle Supervisor: Dr Allison Fox

Abstract

Preterm birth interrupts a critical period of brain growth and development, which has been associated with difficulties in various executive functions in comparison to children born at term (Woodward, Clark, Pritchard, Anderson & Inder, 2011). Children born very preterm have both structural and functional

abnormalities in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The ACC is an important brain region involved in error monitoring. Error monitoring involves a series of mechanisms, which are critical for the processing

of an error and the adjustment of behaviours to prevent errors from happening again in the future. Therefore, it was predicted that children born preterm would show error monitoring deficits compared to

typically developing controls. In the current study we compared behavioural and electrophysiological measures of error monitoring in 20 children born preterm to 20 typically developing controls during a

Flanker task. Both groups showed expected patterns of performance, where by reaction time and accuracy varied in each condition of the flanker task. All participants were also found to adjust behaviour following

an incorrect response; however, this adjustment did not differ across groups. As predicted, electrophysiological measures indicated a larger negative amplitude (the ERN) following incorrect trials

in comparison to correct trials for both groups. Although this difference did not vary between groups, children born preterm had smaller amplitudes during both correct and incorrect trials, suggesting that

children born preterm have abnormal activity in the ACC, but do not necessarily exhibit a deficit in error monitoring.

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G.33 MCS Lecture Theatre 9:15am-9:30am

Likert was misled? Exploring underlying assumptions of Likert-type scaling and potential use of relative response rating scale in personality assessment

Speaker: Wan Yee Chong Supervisor: A/Prof. Patrick Dunlop

Abstract

Personality assessments play an important role in the field of psychology. In general, many personality assessments rely on Agree-Disagree Likert-type scaling and are based on the Classical Test Theory (CTT) of measurement. Likert-type scaling assumes that all items within a single personality scale are parallel, and that the distance, in terms of the amount of the trait being measured, between consecutive response

anchors is the same. However, some recent studies suggest that these CTT assumptions may not be valid. On the other hand, some recent studies have proposed an alternative method of assessing subjective

constructs called ‘relative referencing’, and have found evidence that this method is superior. Therefore, the present study explored the underlying assumptions of Likert-type scaling and the potential use of

relative response rating scale in personality assessment. Participants were asked to indicate directly their beliefs about the relationship between personality items, response options and trait levels. No known study has attempted to address the relationship between trait levels and response options by using this

novel methodology. Results and implications will be discussed in the presentation.


Correcting Dubious Beliefs

Speaker: Kalpana Jayawardana Supervisor: A/Prof Ullrich Ecker

Abstract

The misinformation effect refers to the continued belief in incorrect information despite attempted retractions or the distribution of corrective information. This effect is apparent across multiple scenarios

and fields and is particularly prominent and important in the science forum. This study aims to investigate the most successful method of reducing belief in dubious claims, specifically in regards to the strength,

order and number of counterarguments presented as corrective information. The Information Deficit Theory (IDT) suggests that misinformation is sustained due to a lack of alternative factual explanations or information. In contrast, an Overkill Backfire Effect (OBE) has been found where excess information has

been found to reduce the chances of correcting misinformation, specifically when the corrective information presents relatively weak counterarguments. This study aims to particularly observe whether the results provide evidence supporting either the IDT or OBE. The results obtained in fact support the

IDT. In particular, the order in which counterarguments were presented and the strength of the counterarguments affected the extent to which beliefs were reduced in the dubious claims. No evidence

was found in favour of the OBE. Suggestions for future research and the implementations of the findings in this study will also be discussed.

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The Effect of Expertise on the Processing of Computer-Generated Faces

Speaker: Judith Gildenhuys Supervisors: W/Prof Gillian Rhodes

& Dr Louise Ewing

Abstract

Computer-generated faces are increasingly commonly used in face perception research, despite only limited evidence that they are processed in the same way as real faces. This study aims to investigate

whether limited experience with these stimuli, relative to real faces, might lead to reduced recognition ability. We also aim to explore whether increased expertise with own race faces will result in increased recognition, and whether or not this own-race effect (ORE) will be affected by the degree of artificiality

of facial stimuli. Asian and Caucasian participants completed a face memory task with own and other race faces that were real photographs, computer-generated versions of real photographs, and completely

artificial computer-generated faces. We predict that memory performance will drop as faces become more artificial. Additionally, we also predict that due to more expertise, people will be better at remembering own race than other race faces. We also predict that the magnitude of this memory bias will decrease as faces become more artificial because low levels of expertise with computer-generated faces will make

people less sensitive to processing differences between own and other race faces. This study will provide information on how computer-generated faces are processed, therefore helping future researchers to make

informed decisions about using these faces as stimuli.


Additional evidence that global shape processing is not reliant on specific shape templates

Speaker: Kirsten Stirling Supervisors: W/Prof David Badcock

& Dr Edwin Dickinson

Abstract

It is widely accepted that shapes are globally processed, despite there being a dispute over the mechanisms involved. Recently, Schmidtmann, Kennedy, Orbach & Loffler (2012) proposed that radial frequency (RF) patterns were processed through ‘AND’ gates, requiring all constituent lobes of the RF

pattern to be visible before it was recognised. This conclusion was supported by data showing a substantial improvement in sensitivity to modulation when the completing lobe was added. However, the

cumulative distribution (CDF) function used to join the region modulated in radius to the circular remainder of the pattern, created two potentially salient cues that may have disrupted a global integration

mechanism. The current study re-examined this idea using the same stimulus and methodology. It was also repeated for a stimulus that employed a D1 function to create a smooth transition between the

modulated and unmodulated parts of incomplete patterns. Under threshold conditions, the validity of the ‘AND’ gate mechanism was rejected, as the D1 stimulus did not show the same lack of integration for incomplete patterns as per Schmidtmann et al. (2012). This provided evidence for a global mechanism

that does not require all components to be available in order to be recognisable. However, we were unable to determine the precise nature of the cue disrupting global processing for the CDF smoothing function

stimulus. An increment detection task highlighted a number of potential flaws in using a probability summation prediction for testing global integration in supra-threshold stimuli, providing an interesting

avenue for future research.

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Are Males Really More Aggressive in Their Humour? Or, Have we Been Fooled by Measures of Inextricably Confounding Sex Bias? A Psychometric Investigation Of The

HSQ and AVHAM

Speaker: Joseph Gauci Supervisor: A/Prof Gilles Gignac

Abstract

Aggressive humour has been associated with a group mean-difference between male and female sexes.

However, these claims have been substantiated by measures that have not yet been validated for such

'construct comparability'. As such, they may be embroiled with a 'measurement bias'. Hence, these claims

are gratuitous based on the level of validation that has been evinced of these measures. The current study

investigated two measures of aggressive humour, for measurement bias: Humour Styles Questionnaire

(HSQ) and the Audio-Visual Humour Appreciation Measure (AVHAM). As such the current study has

provided deliberation as to the credibility of this claim.


The effects of risk framing, anchoring and worldview on carbon emission reduction policy preferences

Speaker: Isabelle Stacey Supervisors: A/Prof. Mark Hurlstone

& W/Prof Stephan Lewandowsky

Abstract

Climate change is currently the biggest global threat of the 21st century. Although urgent carbon emission reduction is required to slow its adverse effects, a large section of the public have failed to accept the science and reduce their emissions. One predictor of this skepticism has been uncovered to be ones

worldview, in particular a pro-free market ideology. In this study we take this into consideration through the use of framing climate change information in a particular way and ask participants to indicate their willingness to reduce Australia’s emissions by a certain percentage. It was predicted that people with a

pro-free market ideology would be more likely to support a higher emissions reduction scheme if presented with an economic frame compared to no frame or an environmental frame. Another technique

that has shown to influence decision-making is the presentation of a recommendation. This study presented a recommendation from the IPCC expressing that humans need to reduce their carbon

emissions by 40% to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change. One hundred and twenty participants from the University of Western Australia were given either no frame, an economic frame, or

an environmental frame, and either no recommendation or the recommendation. They selected their preference for an emission reduction policy as well as answering several questions climate change beliefs, pro-environmental intent, and a free-market ideology. Results presented a significant main effect of free-

market ideology on emission policy preferences, however due to sample limitations, recommendation and framing differences were not significant.

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Investigating Emotion and the Other-Race Effect: The Influence of Neutral, Angry and Happy Expressions on Recognition of Own- and Other-Race Faces.

Speaker: Jillian Richards Supervisors: Gillian Rhodes

& Kate Crookes

Abstract

People are generally better at recognising own-race than other-race faces, a phenomenon known as the other-race effect (ORE). Although the effect is robust, debate surrounds its underlying causal

mechanisms. Two broad accounts of the ORE exist: the perceptual expertise account and the social motivation account. The perceptual expertise account argues that because people are more experienced with own-race faces, their facial processing mechanisms become narrowly ‘tuned’ to this type of face, resulting in better recognition. Conversely, the social motivation account claims that the ORE is not

caused by differential expertise but rather by a lack of motivation to individuate other-race faces. Previous studies have suggested that presenting emotional faces (e.g. angry) can overcome the ORE, possibly by providing motivation to encode other-race faces. The present study aims to extend previous findings in order to distinguish between the two theoretical accounts. Eighty-four Asian and Caucasian participants will complete an old/new recognition task using Asian and Caucasian target faces in neutral, angry and happy expressions. If emotional expressions are found to eliminate the ORE then we will argue that this cannot be explained by the perceptual account. Rather, there must be a social motivational component to the ORE. Results will provide insight into causal underpinnings of the ORE and highlight viable avenues

for future research.


Evidence for aspect-ratio processing independent of linear dimensions: A channel-based system

Speaker: Sarah Morgan Supervisor: W/Prof David Badcock

& Dr Edwin Dickinson

Abstract

The ratio of height to width of a shape, known as the “aspect-ratio,” is a fundamental property by which the visual system discriminates shape. However, the neural mechanisms responsible for processing aspect-ratio are not fully understood. The current study aimed todetermine whether aspect-ratio is

processed by a mechanism sensitive to the combination of separate height and width estimates, or by a mechanism sensitive to the ratio of height:width independent of separate height and width estimates and

size, and aimed to examine how the neurons which deal with this information are grouped together to form the processing system. Previous psychophysical investigations of these mechanisms have been

limited by the difficulty in examining aspect-ratio processing independently from correlated changes in height and width. This study employed a novel method to investigate these components of aspect-ratio processing alone, by producing, measuring, and predicting the distorted perceptions of shape that occur

following observation of a similar shape, known as adaptation aftereffects. Results showed that the percept of aspect-ratio is determined by a neural processing mechanism sensitive to the ratio of

height:width, and adaptation aftereffects at varying adaptor and test aspect-ratios were consistent with a processing mechanism made up of many groups of neurons sensitive to small aspect-ratio ranges along the entire spectrum of aspect-ratio. The reported mechanism of aspect-ratio processing, independent of

size, is proposed to enable shape constancy at varying depth.

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Humour, Personality & Subjective Well-being

Speaker: Matthew Yum Supervisor: A/Prof Gilles Gignac

Abstract

Subjective well-being – the extent to which one thinks or feels that their life is going well – is important for all individuals. Personality is a relatively stable trait that has been found to be related to the experience of subjective well-being. But consider this – have you found that watching a funny movie makes you feel good? Similarly, when people tell jokes and make others laugh, they may feel good too (the joker). Thus, it could be argued that differences in humour appreciation and the way humour is used could also affect

one’s well-being. The current study looks at relative ability of humour (appreciation and styles) and personality to predict subjective well-being, measured in terms of happiness and life satisfaction. The

results will be presented and potential implications will be discussed.


Finding structure in space: Does structure detection in spatial working memory require attention?

Speaker: Mei Jae Lai Supervisor: A/Prof. Mark Hurlstone


Abstract

Little consideration has been given to the role of organization and structure in spatial working memory. This study aimed to examine peoples’ ability to exploit structure in a free recall version of the Corsi-

Blocks task—a popular task used to study spatial working memory—and established whether attention is required for detecting structure in semi-structured and structured spatial sequences. A total of 32

participants were presented with sequences containing 12 locations, after which they were required to recall the locations in any output order. There were three different types of sequences: random sequences

(consisting of randomly chosen locations), structured (consisting of three spatial clusters of four locations, with locations conveyed grouped by cluster) and semi-structured (consisting of three spatial clusters of

four locations, with locations from different clusters conveyed in pseudorandom order). Participants were required to encode the sequences whilst simultaneously performing either an attention non-demanding

forward counting task or attention demanding backward counting task. The results indicated that attention was significantly required for detecting spatial structure in semi-structured sequences and also in

structured sequences.

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Individual Differences in Ensemble Coding, Adaptive Coding and Facial Identity Recognition

Speaker: Rachel Emiechel Supervisor: A/Prof. Romina Palermo

& A/Prof. Markus Neumann

Abstract

Some people are better at distinguishing facial identities than others. Two cognitive processes – norm-based adaptive coding (AC) and ensemble coding (EC) – may contribute to these individual differences in

ability. AC refers to individual faces being coded with relation to an average face or norm while EC refers to the extraction of average information when exposed to numerous faces simultaneously. While it has been demonstrated that AC is associated with facial recognition ability (Dennett, McKone, Edwards

& Susilo, 2012), the same has yet to be done for EC. Furthermore, given that both AC and EC involve the extraction of abstract information, we sought to explore the link between the two. To bridge the gaps in

information, 30 university students took facial recognition, identity aftereffects and EC tests. Correlational analyses were conducted on the results of these tests. Preliminary data suggested that the

relationships between a) AC and identity recognition and b) EC and identity recognition were both positive ones, though both were not statistically significant. AC and EC were found to be significantly

positively related. Together, what the data suggests that AC and EC are indeed related processes and that both may contribute to facial identity recognition ability.


Informative cues and binaural noise improves auditory signal-in-noise detection

Speaker: Will Dunlop Supervisors: E/Prof. Geoff Hammond

& E/Prof. Don Robertson

Abstract

Auditory attention allows healthy listeners to detect low-intensity signals in the presence of background noise. Masker noise disrupts the detection of targets by activating hair cells and the peripheral afferent

nerves, making them less responsive to a transient signal. The mechanisms that normally drive auditory attention are poorly understood. Preceding a target signal with a cue tone of the same frequency can

enhance detection rates, a phenomenon referred to as antimasking. Acoustic stimulation in one ear evokes olivocochlear efferents that modulate the behaviour of both cochleae by suppressing their

micromechanical and neuronal activity. Cue tones suppress the cochlear response to signals of the same frequency, rendering them more responsive to an upcoming signal. Physiological studies have shown that

broadband noise in the contralateral ear suppresses cochlear activity in the target ear. However, few studies have examined the antimasking effects of contralateral stimulation. The current study used a two-

interval forced-choice task to compare thresholds for cued and uncued targets in the right ear when broadband noise in the left ear was on or off. Eleven participants with normal hearing thresholds

completed the task six times each. Cued targets had lower thresholds than uncued targets, and thresholds were lower when contralateral noise was on. There was an interaction between the factors such that the

effect of cue was greater when contralateral noise was off. The effect of cue is supported and new evidence for the effect of contralateral noise is established. The interaction possibly suggests that both

engage the same neural mechanism.

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An Examination of the Relationship between Humour Styles and Empathy

Speaker: Jessica Gooden Supervisor: A/Prof Gilles Gignac

Abstract

The Humour Styles Questionnaire has found that there are four distinct styles of humour, each associated with their own psychological, physical and social impacts. Self-enhancing and affiliative humour styles

have been deemed to be adaptive forms of humour as they assist in maintaining an individual’s psychological well-being and relationships, whereas aggressive and self-defeating humour are considered

to be maladaptive as their usage has been found to have detrimental effects. Even though the use of maladaptive humour is damaging to both the self and to others, many people continue to engage in it. Hampes (2010) found that those who possess lower levels of empathy were more likely to engage in

maladaptive humour. This is thought to be due to the fact that empathy provides an individual with the ability to experience the thoughts and feelings of others, preventing them from engaging in humour that

might hurt another. Further studies have also found a link between personality and humour; with maladaptive humour being found to positively correlate with neuroticism. This study aims to replicate, and overcome, the limitations associated with Hampes (2010) study as it failed to consider the role of

personality and socially desirable responding during the examination of the relationship between humour and empathy. Therefore, this study will use a hierarchical multiple regression to determine if empathy

significantly predicts an individual’s humour style, over and above the predictive ability of personality, whilst controlling for the effects of socially desirable responding. Results and implications will be

discussed.


The Effects of Anecdotal and Empirical Evidence on Climate Change Beliefs

Speaker: Sarah Meredith Supervisors: A/Prof. Mark Hurlstone


Abstract

Despite the fact that more than 90% of climate scientists agree that human carbon dioxide emissions are causing climate change, the general public remains divided on the issue. This discrepancy suggests that

the way information about climate change is presented to the public needs improvement. When communicating information to the public, there are two factors that must be considered; the ideology and

beliefs (‘worldview’) of the individual, and whether the information presented is anecdotal (e.g. subjective perceptions of changes in weather patterns) or empirical (e.g. scientific consensus information or data about the climate system) in nature. In the current study, students from the University of Western

Australia and members of the West Australian public completed an online survey which assessed their climate change beliefs, including their risk perceptions and pro-environmental intentions, and free-market

worldview beliefs. Participants were assigned to one of four conditions, which dictated the information they received before completing the survey. Participants either received no information, information that was anecdotal in nature, information that was empirical in nature, or a mixture of both. It was found that

participants exposed to a combination of information type perceived a greater risk of climate change compared to participants who received no information, or only one type of information. The findings of

the study cast light on the types of information that are likely to be most effective in informing the public about climate change.

18


Efficiency of Ensemble and Exemplar Coding for Facial Identity

Speaker: Ryan Ng Supervisor: A/Prof. Romina Palermo

& A/Prof. Markus Neumann

Abstract

Objects in our visual field are often presented spaced too close together, for each exemplar to be resolved with high precision. To overcome capacity constraints, our visual system employs automatic

averaging strategies to compress across similar features. Known as Ensemble Coding (EC), this process has been demonstrated to be efficient at processing facial expressions – people can accurately extract the

mean emotion of 16 faces in just 500ms, even when they don’t seem to remember details about exemplars. It has also been found that EC can occur for averaging facial identity, which is surprising as

identity is unique, and mean representations could inhibit identification of specific individuals. The current study for the first time, examines the efficiency of EC in processing facial identity; and whether it depends on exemplar coding (EX) of individual faces. Fifty undergraduate participants judged whether a matching or non-matching exemplar or morph (merge of faces) probe face was “present” in its preceding set. Sets varied in a) exposure durations in Experiment 1 and b) sizes in Experiment 2. Preliminary results showed that with increasing durations, “present” responses to morphs remained constant; and increased

for exemplars. Additionally, with increasing sizes, “present” responses to both matching morphs and exemplars decreased; and remained constant for non-matching conditions. These findings suggest

tentatively that for identity, EC is little affected by duration, contrary to EX. However, with increasing set sizes, EC representations may depend on EX.


Alcohol and Risk: The role of craving induction and prospective memory weaknesses in high and low-risk drinkers

Speaker: Kimberley Thuijs Supervisor: A/Prof. Michael Weinborn

& A/Prof. Werner Stritzke

Abstract

Alcohol misuse is becoming an increasing problem in Australia, with 31000 deaths in a 10 year period being the result of alcohol abuse. In order to decrease deaths and injuries due to alcohol misuse, research has focused on the influence that alcohol has on risk-behaviour and decision-making. It has been found

that alcohol has a pharmacological effect on the functions of the frontal lobe of the brain, impairing decision-making. Furthermore, those in states of craving for alcohol demonstrate an attention bias

towards alcohol stimuli, which may impede on other cognitive functions. High-risk alcoholics have also shown prospective memory weaknesses influencing the chance of risk, due to the inability to think ahead

to assess risk. In order to look closely at the relationship between time-based prospective memory weaknesses, alcohol craving and risk behaviours, 109 high and low-risk alcoholic university students underwent lab based and self report risk measures under states of craving for either alcoholic, or non-

alcoholic beverages as well as the MIST, a measure of prospective memory. A newly created measure, the Risk Scenario Questionnaire assessed the likelihood that participants would engage in driving, injury or

sex risks, both when sober, and when intoxicated. It was proposed that those in the high-risk group would demonstrate greater risks than the low-risk group, and that those craved towards alcohol would

demonstrate greater risk than those who weren’t. Furthermore, it is proposed that a regression will show that prospective memory weaknesses will predict risk behaviours.

19

G.33 MCS Lecture Theatre 10:45 am-11:00am

Type 2 Diabetes and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: Similarities and Differences in Cognitive Impairment

Speaker: Erica Hodgson Supervisor: Prof Romola Bucks

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) are two serious illnesses that have been found to have detrimental implications for a range of health outcomes, including cognitive function (e.g. Bucks et al., 2013; Reijmer et al., 2010). Because of the common co-morbidity between

these illnesses, it is important that they are understood together, but little is known about the similarities and differences of their cognitive presentations (Pamidi et al., 2010). Current literature suggests that these

illnesses may be similar in terms of their impact on accuracy of attention, episodic memory and immediate visuo-spatial memory, but T2DM may produce more deficits in speed of information

processing and visuo-spatial learning, and fewer deficits in executive function and delayed visuo-spatial memory, compared with OSA. It is also likely that having both illnesses could result in a confounding

effect in all domains. The present study examines these hypotheses by testing patients with T2DM, OSA or both on all of these cognitive domains, using a range of assessments. Group differences are

investigated using ANCOVA and MANCOVA analyses, controlling for age, IQ, gender and depression. Contrary to expectations, results suggest that there are no significant differences between groups in the majority of cognitive domains. The exception to this is the accuracy of episodic memory, which was

significantly worse in patients with OSA. Implications of these findings, including their relevance to the management and treatment of these illnesses both separately and together, are discussed, as are potential

areas for future research in this field.

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 10:45 am-11:00am

Goal Orientation and Deviance: Can we make honesty the best policy?

Speaker: Belinda Cham Supervisor: W/Prof Mark Griffin

Abstract

A recently established personality measure called the HEXACO contains a factor called Honesty-Humility that has been found to be predictive of deviant behaviours such as cheating. This research

project attempts to uncover goal orientation as a possible moderator of the relationship between Honesty-Humility and cheating. A Mastery Goal Orientation which emphasises learning and understanding, is

expected to reduce the degree of cheating significantly. On the other hand, a Performance Goal Orientation, which emphasises displaying high relative performance, is expected to increase the degree of

cheating significantly. In summary, this study aims to determine if you can reduce a dishonest person’s tendency to cheat by manipulating their goal orientation.

20

Tattersall Lecture Theatre 10:45 am-11:00am Anxiety Linked Attentional Control Deficits: Identification, Manipulation & Consequences

Speaker: Teck Soon Ong Supervisor: W/Prof Colin Macleod

& E.Prof Geoff Hammond

Abstract

Recent studies investigating predispositions to heightened anxiety vulnerability have closely examined anxiety-related attentional deficits. It has been consistently demonstrated that high trait anxious individuals compared to low trait anxious individuals display anxiety-related attention control impairments, using self-report measures of executive control. A separate line of research has

demonstrated that high trait anxious individuals show preferential attentional biases for threatening stimuli, as evaluated by the dot-probe paradigm. At present, little attempt has been made to fully

understand the causal relationship between these two attentional deficits. As such, this study sought to bridge this gap in understanding by first identifying anxiety-linked attentional control deficits, then

manipulate its capabilities to subsequently study potential effects it may have on other anxiety-related attentional constructs, such as attentional bias. This study started by first synthesizing a novel computer

task, the Attentional Bias, Attentional Control Assessment Task (ABACAT) to simultaneously assess both attentional phenomena in a similar format. Concurrently, it employed the utility of transcranial direct

current stimulation (tDCS) over prefrontal areas to manipulate attentional control. Promisingly, this study was successful in demonstrating sensitivity to anxiety-linked attentional control deficits. In addition, the

introduction of tDCS stimulation successfully eliminated the observed attentional control deficit. Subsequent exploration of threat-related attentional bias yielded no significant anxiety-linked bias effects,

hence, further examination of causal effects attentional control deficits may have was rendered inconclusive. This novel methodological format holds promising potential for further research to expand on and develop clearer understandings of the causal relationship between these anxiety-related attentional

constructs.

2.33 Lecture Room 10:45 am-11:00am

Hallucinatory experiences and inhibitory control in hypomania

Speaker: Simone Mahfouda Supervisor: Prof Murray Maybery

& Prof Johanna Badcock

Abstract

Auditory hallucinations in both schizophrenia and in the normative population are linked to a deficit in a very specific subcomponent of inhibitory control termed intentional inhibition. Hallucinatory experiences

have been implicated in hypomania, though their relationship with this form of inhibitory ability is unknown. Undergraduate students with high (n = 26) and low (n = 28) scores on the Hypomanic

Personality Scale-Revised (HPS-20) were compared on: 1) the Launay Slade Hallucination Scale-Revised (LSHS-R), a measure of hallucination proneness, and 2) the Inhibition of Currently Irrelevant Memories (ICIM) task, of which false alarms on run 2 and run 3 provide an index intentional inhibition. The high

hypomania group reported significantly more hallucinatory experiences, and produced significantly more false alarms on run 2 of the ICIM task than the low hypomania group. Results and possible implications

will be discussed.

21


Evaluation of the Relationships between Meta-Prospective Memory, Executive Function, Negative Affect and Objective Prospective Memory Performance

Speaker: Caleb Bishop Supervisors: A/Prof Michael Weinborn & Prof Romola Bucks

Abstract

Prospective Memory (PM) is defined as ‘remembering to carry out intended actions at an appropriate point in the future’, or ‘remembering to remember’. Meta-prospective memory (Meta-PM) is an

awareness of one’s PM ability. PM is composed of two core components; a prospective component (recalling that there was an intention) and a retrospective component (recalling the contents of that

intention). Monitoring of, and implementing, adaptive strategies are required to accurately remember things in the future. Thus, it is hypothesised that executive functions (EF) are crucial to PM and Meta-PM. The current study explored the relationships between objective PM performance, Meta-PM, mood

and executive functions (EF) in sample of older adults. Conducted within HARP (Healthy Aging Research Project), 89 participants, aged 55 and over, completed the Prospective and Retrospective

Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ), Memory for Intentions Screening Test (MIST), a series of EF measures and mood measures, as part of a larger battery of neuropsychological tests. Consistent with previous

research, negative affect was related to more self-reported memory complaints on the PRMQ, however, negative affect was not related to under-confidence in prediction of PM performance. Further,

inconsistent with previous research, EF dysfunction was not related to over-confidence in prediction. The assessment of confidence in prediction of performance is a relatively new paradigm for looking at Meta-

PM; as such, the results of this study can inform subsequent research on Meta-PM. Future research methodology will be discussed with reference to the inclusion of error detection measures and increased

trials on an objective PM task.


Who am I and What Should I Do? Exploring Identity Integration as a Determinant of Pro-environmental Behaviour in the Workplace

Speaker: Mirella Wilson Supervisors: Prof Kerrie Unsworth & W/Prof Mark Griffin

Abstract

Carbon emissions have increased dramatically since 1971 by 117%, estimated at 2% per year. In response to these growing statistics, research has been conducted into understanding what causes, perpetuates and

reduces environmental destruction, particularly in the context of human behaviour. While numerous psychological theories have been posited and indeed contribute to our understanding of why people

behave pro-environmentally, a large gap still exists within our knowledge base. One answer has been to investigate pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in the context of social identities as they are known

behavioural predictors. Specifically, investigating identity integration - a process by which the multiple identities individuals hold are balanced and harmonised to form a sense of internal cohesion. It has been

recognised that identity integration may be fostered by recalling positive past experiences between identities. The current study examined whether recalling positive or negative experiences would alter the

level of identity integration between their pro-environmental and employee identities, and whether an increase in identity integration would lead to a corresponding increase in environmental organisational

citizenship behaviours (E-OCB). Results of the manipulation failed to yield statistically significant differences between groups, whereby no altered levels of identity integration were displayed. A

correlation analysis was performed between the two measures of identity integration and E-OCB revealing a statistically significant relationship between E-OCB and the harmony subscale. Moreover, a

multiple hierarchical regression analysis revealed the harmony subscale predicted E-OCB over and above three known predictors of E-OCB, highlighting identity integration as a unique construct in understanding

PEB.

22


Emotion in motion: A new attentional bias modification paradigm and its causal impact on attentional control and anxiety vulnerability

Speaker: Katrina Hosszu Supervisor: Dr Lies Notebaert

Abstract

Cognitive experimental paradigms developed to train attention towards threat-related stimuli have revealed that an attentional bias to threat causally contributes to anxiety vulnerability, accounting for the

consistently observed finding that high-trait anxious individuals selectively allocate their attention to threat. It has also been found that high-trait anxious individuals tend to exhibit reduced attentional

control, by which attention is reduced to the current goal due to the interference of task-irrelevant stimuli. Research suggests that attentional bias to threat and impaired attentional control interact to elevate anxiety

vulnerability. However, up until now, no research has investigated whether these two attentional phenomena share a causal relationship. This study employed a novel attentional bias modification

paradigm involving the complex, dynamic presentation of emotional faces, and a cognitive-experimental procedure to measure both attentional control in the presence of distracters, and attentional bias at the

same time, therefore reducing method variance. This study seeks to examine whether impaired attentional control mediates the causal relationship between attentional bias to threat and anxiety vulnerability.


Thinking visually: A dual-task investigation of verbal and visuospatial processing in the broader autism spectrum

Speaker: Claire Mitchell Supervisor: Prof. Murray Maybery &

Ms. Suzanna Russell-Smith

Abstract

This study investigated the recent suggestion that individuals with autism-spectrum disorder tend to use visual strategies to solve problems typically solved verbally. To determine whether this strategy

preference extends to the broader autism phenotype, students who scored low (n = 27) and high (n = 32) on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) were recruited. Participants completed a sentence verification

task comprising three types of sentences rated by an independent set of participants as being predominantly verbal, visual or ambiguous with regard to the strategies used to solve them. The task was completed under three interference conditions: (i) baseline (no interference) (ii) articulatory suppression, and (iii) spatial tapping, with the concurrent tasks in the latter two conditions designed to interfere with

verbal and visuospatial strategy use, respectively. It was hypothesised that the high-AQ group would display a greater reliance on visual strategies, while the low-AQ group would show the opposite reliance

on verbal strategies. These effects were predicted to be exhibited in different patterns of performance decrements (response time [RT] and accuracy) under each sentence type and interference condition.

Results indicated that the AQ groups did not significantly differ in RT or accuracy under the different combinations of interference condition and sentence types, suggesting both groups were utilizing similar

strategies. Implications for this pattern of results and directions for future research are discussed.

23


The relationship between Sleep Quality and Prospective Memory

Speaker: Jenny Eisenhauer Supervisor: A/Prof Michael Weinborn & Prof Romola Bucks

Abstract

Prospective memory (PM), referred to as “remembering to remember”, involves the ability to execute future goals. In contrast to PM, retrospective memory (RM) refers to memory for past events and facts.

The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Sleep Quality (SQ) and PM. Participants included 89 healthy-aging older adults over the age of 50 years. Based on data supporting a

positive relationship between RM and SQ, as well as the strong link between RM and PM, we hypothesised that a similar relationship would exist between PM and SQ. Further to this, it was hypothesised that RM and executive function may mediate the relationship between SQ and PM.

Objective PM performance was assessed using the Memory for Intentions Screening Test (MIST) while the Delayed Memory Index of the Repeatable Battery of the Assessments of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was used as an objective measure of RM. Subjective measures of PM and RM were obtained

using the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) and Sleep Quality was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire known as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Preliminary

analyses have revealed a significant relationship between the Sleep Efficiency component of the PSQI and subjective assessment of PM indicating that poorer sleep is associated with impaired PM.

Additionally, this relationship still holds significance after RM is accounted for. This finding leads us to believe that there are distinct aspects in PM, independent of RM, affected by sleep.


Investigating the Influence of Individual Differences on the Propensity to Design Jobs from a Motivational Orientation

Speaker: Siobhan Roberts Supervisor: W/Prof Sharon Parker

Abstract

Neglected in organizational behaviour literature is research pertaining to the individual differences that influence how people design jobs. Recent studies suggest that the ‘work simplification’ job design

approach of the industrial era still predominates in modern organisations, even though there is substantial research supporting the humanistic benefits of a motivational approach to job design. Campion & Stevens (1991) suggest that it is intuitive for untrained individuals to adopt a work simplification approach to job

design. They, like numerous other scholars, propose that individual predispositions may influence job design, but do not follow through to investigate what these predispositions may be. The current study

aimed to fill the gap in work design research by investigating the influence of individual differences in values, implicit leadership theory (ILT), and current working conditions on job design orientation. Two-hundred and twenty participants completed two job design simulation tasks, followed by questionnaire’s concerning their values, ILT’s, attitudes to job design and current working conditions, for the purposes of

this study. Qualitative content analyses supported Campion & Stevens’ (1991) findings that untrained individuals intuitively design jobs using the job simplification method. Results from regression analyses suggested that ILT, values and attitudes to job design were predictors of work design orientation, but not

in the expected direction. Implications of these findings will be discussed.

24


Anxiety-Linked Attentional Bias in Risk Perception

Speaker: Bridget Wright Supervisor: Dr Lies Notebaert

Abstract

An important role of anxiety is to drive behaviour that mitigates potential risks, but research suggests that people with high trait anxiety have a biased interpretation of risk information causing high emotional distress when the risk is minimal. Risk perception is the evaluation of the three components of risk –

likelihood, severity, and controllability. These three components can be used to assess risk and influence behaviour in response to risk. It has been found that anxiety-linked differences in risk perception are

related to the way people allocate attention to a component of threat. Consistent with cognitive models of anxiety, it is predicted that people with high anxiety will demonstrate an attentional bias towards all levels of risk, and attend more to information about severity of an outcome. It is expected that people with low anxiety will only show an attentional bias to high levels of risk, and focus mainly on the probability of a

risk. Fifty undergraduate students will complete a modified dot-probe task which will require them to interpret risk information about a potential noise burst on each trial. Results will assess attentional bias to

the components of risk, and determine patterns of response to high and low risk. These findings will determine whether anxiety impairs the ability to assess risk through an anxiety-linked attentional bias to

threat, and highlight which components of risk account for emotional distress in individuals with high and low trait anxiety.


The Relationship Between Social Anxiety and Self-Disclosure on Facebook and Face-to-Face

Speaker: Nicole McLagan Supervisor: A/Prof. Vance Locke

Abstract

Social networking sites (SNSs) have become increasingly popular in recent years, but none more than Facebook (Sheldon, 2013). Whilst many studies have examined how personality traits can influence how Internet users maintain online and offline relationships (Madell & Muncer, 2006; Orr et al., 2006), few

have examined the relationship between social anxiety and self-disclosure of SNS users. This study aimed to examine the relationship between social anxiety and self-disclosure on Facebook and face-to-face.

Facebook Measure 3.0, the 21-item version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS; Mattick & Clarke, 1998), and the breadth and

depth subsections of a questionnaire developed by Parks and Floyd (1996) were used along with Facebook archive examination to examine the breadth and depth of self disclosure on Faceboook and offline, number of photos posted to Facebook, number of Facebook friends, amount of time spent on Facebook, and information visible on the participant’s Facebook profile. It is predicted that socially

anxious individuals will have fewer Facebook friends and spend more time on Facebook than individuals who do not have social anxiety. Furthermore, it is predicted that the breadth and depth of self-disclosure, as well as number of photos posted, will be negatively correlated with social anxiety. It is also predicted

that socially anxious individuals will share more personal information on their Facebook profile than non-socially anxious people. The present study will add to the growing body of literature investigating

personality and patterns of Internet use.

25

G.33 MCS Lecture Theatre 11.30am-11:45am

A Targeted Attention Bias Modification Intervention for Problematic Sleep Behaviour and Sleep-Related Worry

Speaker: Kristina Bedford Supervisor: Dr Patrick Clarke

Abstract

The current study was designed to assess the potential benefits of an attention bias modification (ABM) procedure among individuals presenting with worry-related sleep disturbance. Forty-one undergraduate

psychology students presenting with moderate to excessive sleep disturbance and pre-sleep worry completed an eight-day home sleep study involving two phases: a 2-day baseline and 5-day training

phase. Participants were randomly allocated to receive ABM training or a control procedure. The ABM training aimed to induce a relative attentional avoidance of sleep related threat information by employing a dot probe discrimination task completed prior to sleep via a novel iPhone application. Sleeping patterns

were evaluated in two ways, first subjectively using daily sleep diaries and second objectively, using a portable wireless sleep-recording device to collect electrophysiological signals from the forehead.

Expected results will implicate worry in the maintenance of sleep disturbance and provide support for the application of ABM at a targeted point in time to ameliorate sleep-related worry and improve overall

sleep quality.

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 11.30am-11:45am

The role of personality in predicting wise proactivity amongst managers

Speaker: Wei Chen Heng Supervisor: W/Prof Sharon Parker

Abstract

Over the years, much work has been dedicated to investigating the value of proactive behavior within modern work place and there has been amassed evidence to suggest the importance of proactivity in

boosting individual and organizational effectiveness. However, despite the benefits of being proactive, some scholars have pointed out that ill-guided proactive behaviors may lead to less desired outcomes. As such, the concept of wise proactivity has been recently proposed to address this issue. The purpose of this

present study was to explore the relationship between personality dimensions and wise proactivity. Contrary to expectations, Honesty-Humility and Openness to Experience were not correlated with wise

proactivity. Also, unlike hypothesized, Honesty-humility did not emerge as the strongest predictor of wise proactivity. Limitations and implications of the study as well as future research directions on the study of

wise proactivity are discussed.

26

Tattersall Lecture Theatre 11.30am-11:45am

At what point in time does a measure of an Attentional Bias to Threat become predictive of intrusions following trauma: an analogue study

Speaker: Jenna Buckton Supervisor: W/Prof Colin MacLeod

Abstract

Intrusions, which can be defined as spontaneous recollections of a traumatic event have been the most commonly endorsed symptom of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This study investigated whether

an Attentional Bias to Threat (ABT) measured immediately after exposure to a distressing film would predict the nature of subsequent intrusions in the seven days that followed. In study 1, 47 non-specific undergraduate students completed a dot probe task using general threat stimuli after being exposed to a

distressing film. With the use of their smart phones, they were required to report all intrusions experienced and rate the level of distress they felt for seven days. Results showed that the measure of ABT did predict the subsequent frequency of intrusions. A second study, including another 45 non-specific undergraduate students was then run to examine whether the predictive nature of the ABT measure was evident even before film exposure. These participants were therefore required to first complete a dot probe task (using the same stimuli as study 1), and were then exposed to the same

distressing film. Results showed that a measure of ABT before film exposure did not predict subsequent intrusions. The combination of these results gives support to the idea that an ABT is elicited during trauma exposure, although further research is required to support these claims. The implications and

suggestions for future research are discussed.

2.33 Lecture Room 11.30am-11:45am

My child is special: Narcissism in children

Speaker: Kate Derry Supervisor: A/Prof. Jeneva Ohan

Abstract

If you have spent much time watching main stream media, you may have noticed what is being dubbed as “the Narcissism Epidemic”. Although this phrase originated in the USA, Australia is by no means exempt.

With our former prime minister being diagnosed by the Sydney Morning Herald as a “grandiose narcissist”, you might have even begun to wonder what this term actually means and what consequences it might have. Narcissism does not just describe a personality disorder or symptom of psychopathy; it is

also a dimensionally distributed personality trait present to a greater or lesser extent in all of us. Although trait narcissism can be adaptive, grandiose narcissism describes its maladaptive counterpart and includes characteristics such as entitlement, exhibitionism and exploitativeness. Maladaptive narcissism has been

consistently linked to aggression and a host of antisocial behavior in adults. However, little is known about when this relationship begins or how it manifests in children. In my honours thesis I have explored trait narcissism and conduct problems in a sample of 8 to 11 year old Australian children and looked into what concoction of moderating variables might make a particularly worrisome blend. Multiple regression

analyses using interaction terms were utilized to explore the relationships between multidimensional narcissism, self-esteem and socio-economic status.

27

G.33 MCS Lecture Theatre 11:45am-12:00pm

It slipped my mind: Anxiety and biases in prospective memory

Speaker: Benita Large Supervisors: Dr Lies Notebaert

Abstract

Information processing models have proposed that a memory bias for threatening information exists in anxiety however previous research investigating this notion has produced an inconsistent pattern of results. This may be a consequence of previous studies failing to isolate whether the threat presented holds immediate or future implications. In addition, previous research has not yet explored whether a

memory bias of this nature is linked with a person’s ability to mitigate the threat. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate whether a memory bias for future-oriented threat information exists in high anxious

people and what impact a person’s ability to control this threat has. High and low anxious groups completed a word recognition task whereby they were asked to remember neutral words categorised into three groups: association with future threat (noise burst played after recognition was tested for that word),

association with future threat that could be mitigated by accurate word recognition and no threat association. Using accuracy of recognition for non-threat words as a comparison, results suggested that high anxious people have a memory bias for information associated with a controllable future-oriented threat but not for that without the control aspect. As expected, the low anxious group did not show this

bias. Implications of these finding are discussed in relation to leading theories of anxiety.

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 11:45am-12:00pm

Implicit Attitudes, Explicit Attitudes and Driving Behaviour

Speaker: Victoria Tan Supervisor: Dr. Mark Griffin

Abstract

With the concept implicit attitudes and the prospects of implicit measures of attitudes in assessing attitudes unaware or withheld by individuals, there has been increasing interest in the use of implicit

measures in research. However, there has yet been any studies in transportation literature that involved implicit attitudinal measures. As such, the aim of the current study is to re-explore the relationship

between drivers’ attitudes towards traffic safety and driving behaviour with the application of an implicit attitudinal measure, the Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald & Banaji, 1995), relative to self-report

measures. The present study propose to assess implicit and explicit traffic safety attitudes, and driving behaviour of 100 to 150 participants. As attitudes towards traffic safety, as assessed by self-report

questionnaires, have been shown to be directly related to risky driving behaviour, traffic safety attitudes as assessed by IAT should similarly be expected to have a relatively strong correlation to driving

behaviour. Traffic safety attitudes assessed by IAT is expected to correlate lowly to moderately with that assessed by the self-report measure due to social desirability concerns.

28

Tattersall Lecture Theatre 11:45am-12:00pm

Analogue Trauma: The Effect of Cognitive Bias Modification on Thought Intrusions

Speaker: Eleanor Grinceri Supervisor: W/Prof Colin MacLeod

Abstract

Human thought is constantly interrupted by spontaneous and unwanted mental intrusions. Research suggests there is an association between attentional bias and intrusions however, the casual contribution of attentional bias on intrusion frequency has received limited research. The aim of this study was to test whether attentional bias casually influences the amount of intrusions reported in the seven days following exposure to an analogue trauma. 78 participants viewed 10 minutes of distressing film clips. To induce an attention bias training effect, participants completed a dot probe task in which they were assigned to avoid

threat, attend threat or the control condition. Participants were then required to record when intrusions about the film clips occurred on their smart phones. An effect of attentional bias training was achieved however this had no casual impact on the number of intrusions reported. These findings suggest that

attentional bias to threat may merely be a characteristic of people who experience intrusive symptoms and does not play a functional a role in producing these intrusive symptoms.

2.33 Lecture Room 11:45am-12:00pm

Age and gender categorisation in unfamiliar faces

Speaker: Julia Pagnozzi Supervisor: A/Prof. Nadine Kloth

Abstract

Every individual face, even those that are unfamiliar to the perceiver, contain a multitude of information that can be extracted within moments of exposure. The perception of categorical information, such as age

and gender, from an unfamiliar face, allows the classification of the individual into multiple social categories, such as ‘old’ or ‘young’, which are used to guide the social behaviours of the perceiver.

Previous research has shown that the processing of information relating to separate categories is interactive, which allows some categories, such as gender, to influence how a second category, such as

race, is perceived. The current study aimed to determine whether such an interaction effect occurs between the processing of age and gender information. Participants completed one age judgment task, and

one gender judgment task, on a series of stimulus faces of both genders, that were aged at either young adulthood, or elderly. It was hypothesised that young female and old male stimulus faces would be

associated with significantly lower response times compared to old female and young male stimuli, as a result of possessing cues that are distinctive to their age and gender. The results support these hypotheses,

indicating that old males and young females were significantly easier to categorise than old female and young male faces, thus demonstrating an interference effect between the processing of age and gender

information. The implications of these results are discussed in terms the mental representations of unfamiliar faces, particularly the multidimensional face-space framework proposed by Valentine (1991).

29

G.33 MCS Lecture Theatre 12:00pm-12:15pm

The effect of beliefs about the waking state and restorative sleep on perceptions of sleep quality

Speaker: Laura Dondzilo Supervisor: Mr Neil McLean

Abstract

The subjective assessment of sleep is frail considering the significant discrepancies between subjective perceptions and objective measures of sleep. This led to research exploring the effect of psychological factors on the perception of sleep. However, considering that non-refreshing sleep is a key criterion of

insomnia, little research exists on the factors which influence the perception of sleep as restorative. The current study investigated the effect of mood and beliefs about sleep on the perception of sleep as

restorative. The links between these perceptions and broader sleep parameters, such as total sleep time, was also examined. Participants were allocated to one of three conditions, differing based on the given information intended to manipulate their beliefs about the waking state. A battery of questionnaires was completed, including a four day sleep diary. It was hypothesised that participants given the belief that feeling refreshed on waking is an essential component of restorative sleep, would perceive relatively greater sleep quality. It was also hypothesised that more negative mood and greater endorsement of

dysfunctional beliefs about sleep would result in more negative perceptions of sleep quality. Results show that although perception of sleep quality differed between the groups receiving different beliefs, the

differences were not significant. Nonetheless, individually the psychological factors significantly and negatively predicted sleep quality.

Tattersall Lecture Theatre 12:00pm-12:15pm

Assessing the efficacy of a targeted attention bias modification (ABM) on anticipatory anxiety in socially anxious individuals: a novel training paradigm

Speaker: Georgina Mann Supervisor: Dr Patrick Clarke

Abstract

Social anxiety is a debilitating disorder, with only half of sufferers seeking treatment after approximately 15-20 years of symptoms (APA, 2013). Given such limited help-seeking it is important to develop treatments free of social interaction, making computerised interventions an appealing avenue for

development. Attention Bias Modification (ABM) has shown promise as a treatment for social anxiety, but the most commonly employed tasks are unreliable at re-training attention. The first aim of the current study is therefore to test a novel, dynamic ABM paradigm. Additionally, while a number of studies have

examined the impact of ABM on emotional vulnerability to unanticipated stressors, no studies have assessed ABM for anticipatory anxiety, a major factor in social anxiety. Therefore, the second aim of the present study was to examine the anxiety-reducing effectiveness of ABM in response to an anticipated

stressor. Across two studies we examined the efficacy of the ABM task, relative to a control task, in reducing both attentional bias to threat and emotional vulnerability among individuals with moderate-to-

high social anxiety traits. A speech stressor was delivered and was either unanticipated (Study 1) or anticipated from the beginning of the experiment (Study 2). Results for both studies indicate that

attentional bias to threat had been reduced in the training group, but no reduction in anxiety had occurred. This is inconsistent with previous ABM findings, wherein effective attentional bias modification reliably

reduced anxiety reactivity, indicating that the explicit attentional processes modified by the new procedure may differ from those implicated in traditional ABM.

30

2.33 Lecture Room 12:00pm-12:15pm

Failure and persistence: The role of perceived burdensomeness and self-discrepancy in desire to ‘escape’ from a task

Speaker: Temily Cao Supervisor: W/Prof Andrew Page

Abstract

There is an urgent need for empirical investigation into the precise circumstances under which suicide is most likely, and in which individuals (Van Orden, Witte, Gordon, Bender, & Joiner, 2008). This requires the ability to weigh the differential influence of the documented risk factors (including their combined or interactive influence) on suicidal behaviour. The present study aimed to contribute to this goal, examining predictions derived from both the interpersonal theory of suicide (Joiner, 2005; Van Orden et al., 2010), and escape theory of suicide (Baumeister, 1990). Desire to disengage from a task was operationalised as analogous to suicidal ideation, guided by the logic that both, in involving the desire to ‘give up’ or ‘drop

out,’ are associated with a decreased motivation to persist. In a situation involving personal failures/shortcomings, it was assessed whether desire to escape the situation was more pronounced when

a person was made to feel burdensome on others (derived from interpersonal theory), as compared to when they merely felt they have fallen below a certain salient standard (derived from escape theory). As a

scenario with elements similar to desire for suicide (e.g., desiring to withdraw from, or ‘escape,’ an aversive situation), the present study was intended to potentially shed light on the specific circumstances

(both external and internal) more strongly associated with suicide-related cognitions.

31

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 2.00pm-2:15pm

Increasing the incidence of environmentally friendly behaviour by the use of rank-order descriptive norms

Speaker: Mitchell Irwin Supervisor: W/Prof. Carmen Lawrence

Abstract

There is evidence to suggest that rank-order (RO) descriptive norms may increase the frequency of a desired behaviour. The present study aimed to determine whether this was the case in relation to

environmentally friendly behaviour (EFB). All participants’ levels of EFB were measured through a self-report questionnaire. Participants were then randomly allocated into one of three conditions. Participants in the control condition received no information about the amount of EFB they engage in. Participants in the “average” condition received information about how much EFB they engage in relative to the average level. Participants in the “rank” condition received information about where they were ranked in terms of

the amount of EFB they engage in. All participants’ intention to engage in EFB was then measured. Results showed that participants who received feedback about their rank significantly increased their level

of EFB compared to the control condition. Future research is needed to investigate whether the patterns observed in the present study extend to other behaviours such binge drinking, donating and weight loss.


The Role of Non-Specific factors in treatment outcome for Anorexia Nervosa

Speaker: Emily Valentine Supervisor: A/Prof. Sue Byrne

Abstract

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a debilitating mental illness that has grave effects on the physical, psychological and social functioning of an individual. AN is difficult to treat, and currently there are few

recommended evidence-based treatments available for adults with AN. The Strong Without Anorexia Nervosa (SWAN) Study is a randomised controlled trial, currently being conducted at the University of Western Australia (UWA). The trial is comparing three new treatments for Anorexia Nervosa in adults, Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the Maudsley Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults and Specialist Supportive Clinical Management. A therapy rating scale, based on the Collaborative Study Psychotherapy Rating Scale (McIntosh et al, 2005) was used in the SWAN Study to measure therapist adherence and non-specific therapeutic factors such as therapist warmth, empathy and level of verbal activity. In the current study, the SWAN rating scale was used to investigate the role of non-specific factors in treatment outcome for AN. Audio-taped recordings of hour-long therapy sessions from 50

SWAN study participants were rated by two independent raters, the honours candidate being one of them. A factor analysis was conducted to investigate the psychometric properties of the non-specific sub-scale

of the SWAN rating scale. This analysis yielded a 3-factor solution, these factors were entered into regression models to investigate whether they were significant predictors of treatment outcome,

specifically treatment completion and improvement in eating disorder psychopathology.

32


Beyond the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide: Does zest for life moderate the effect of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness on suicidal desire as measured by

an experimental analogue?

Speaker: Khan Collins Supervisor: A/Prof. Werner Stritzke

Abstract

The interpersonal psychological theory implicates two proximal risk factors in the causal pathway to suicidal desire: (1) perceived burdensomeness (PB); and (2) thwarted belongingness (TB). This study developed a computerised analogue task to test whether induced PB and TB increased desire to quit, a

proxy for the feeling that life is no longer worth living. In addition, zest for life as a positive psychological trait was incorporated as a potential moderating variable. Participants (N = 80) were

selected on the basis of their zest scores (high/low) and randomly allocated to one of two experimental conditions: high or low PB-TB. They then played a reaction-time game with two fictitious co-players and received feedback to manipulate: (1) the extent to which they perceived themselves to be a burden on the

team; and (2) the extent to which they felt they belonged in the team. The experimental induction was successful, with participants in the high PB-TB condition rating significantly greater perceptions of

burdensomeness and lower feelings of belongingness. These constructs in turn increased desire to quit as predicted, providing the first experimental evidence bearing upon the posited causal relationship between PB, TB and suicidal desire. Additionally, a zest group by PB-TB condition interaction effect suggests that

this trait may buffer the negative impact of PB and TB on persistence. Findings have implications for suicide risk assessment protocols and treatment interventions seeking to mitigate suicidal behaviour.

33

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 2:15pm-2:30pm

Influence of Global Warming Frames on Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours

Speaker: Louisa Trainer Supervisor: W/Prof. Carmen Lawrence

Abstract

Climate change is expected to have negative impacts on Australia’s economy, environment and public health. This study explores the factors that influence an individual’s attitude towards climate change, as well as their intentions to behave pro-environmentally. Previous research has suggested that the way in

which global warming messages are framed can affect pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. Furthermore, there are individual differences in a person’s response to framed messages related to their

political orientation as well as their pattern of moral foundations. A total of 173 individuals were recruited from the University of Western Australia and from a sample of convenience. Participants were randomly

allocated to one of four groups: either to a framing condition, in which a global warming passage was framed in terms of the environment, economy, or public health, or a control condition in which no

message was presented. Individuals exposed to the economic frame were found to be more likely to report intentions to perform environmental behaviours. Results suggest that a left-wing ideology is predictive of

increased environmental concern and stronger climate change beliefs. Certain moral foundations were found to be predictive of climate change concern and intention to behave pro-environmentally. This study provides some insight into the impact of framing on climate change attitudes and behaviours, and some

support for the link between moral foundations theory, political ideology and these attitudes and behaviours.


Investigating Long-Term Physical and Psychological Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery Speaker: Brooke Barnett Supervisor: A/Prof. Sue Byrne Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB) is one of the most popular restrictive surgeries used to overcome morbid obesity (BMI ≥40 Kg/m2) as it has a higher success rate and is less invasive than other

bariatric procedures. However, the success of weight loss after surgery can vary greatly and is unexplainable by surgical variables. Previously, Davis, Byrne and Hamdorf (2012) have identified

significant psychological predictors of weight loss at 1-2 years post LAGB surgery. These predictors grouped into two factors; psychological well-being and eating in response to distress. The present study followed-up to Davis, Byrne and Hamdorf (2012) and continued the investigation of these weight loss

predictors in the same patients but at 3-5 years post surgery. It was expected that the same psychological characteristics would continue to be significant predictors even at the later stage. It was also hypothesised

that a significant relationship exists between change in weight and change in Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS) scores over time, such that greater weight loss would be associated with greater

improvement. Results and implications of this follow-up study will be discussed.

34


Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted Belongingness, and Persistence: A novel experimental study on understanding suicide

Speaker: Ee Pin Chang Supervisor: A/Prof. Werner Stritzke

Abstract

The interpersonal theory of suicide proposes that perceived burdensomeness (BP) and thwarted belongingness (TB) contribute to the desire for suicide. However, the association between PB and TB,

and suicide risk has not been subjected to experimental tests that allow inference of causation. The aim of this study was to develop a novel task to assess the effects that PB and TB have on persistence. A lack of

persistence is analogous to ‘giving up’ on life. Using the Burdensomeness and Belongingness Suicide Analogue Task (BABSAT), the degree of BP and TB were experimentally manipulated in an

undergraduate population (N = 100), and the effects on persistence examined. Findings were consistent with the hypotheses that participants would express a greater desire to drop out in the high BP and TB

condition, and that BP would mediate the relationship between TB and persistence. This is the first experimental evidence in support of the key causal factors proposed by the interpersonal theory of

suicide. A greater understanding of the causal pathways to suicide will improve risk management and contribute to effective prevention strategies.

35


Language-Like Structure as an Environmental Adaptation: An Experimental Simulation

Speaker: Michael Wilson Supervisors: Prof. Nicolas Fay

& Dr Mark Ellison

Abstract

Structure is a universal feature of all human languages. The evolution of language structure has traditionally been attributed to biological change. However, recently there has been a shift to studying how socio-cultural factors influence language evolution. Garrod, Fay, Lee, Oberlander, and MacLeod (2007) conducted an experimental semiotics study and made a qualitative observation that participants

were using systemic language-like structure when communicating about semantically similar items. This study aims to quantitatively examine the factors which lead to the emergence of systematic language-like

structure in a novel communication system. Eighty-two participants engaged in a Pictionary®-like communication task to develop ad-hoc graphical communication systems. Pairs were assigned to one of

two conditions: a semantically crowded condition in which the presented word list was divided into semantic categories; and a semantically sparse condition in which the presented word list had no distinct

categories. This study was the first to use vector shapes which allows for quantitative and objective measures of systematic language-like structure, and of complexity. The comparisons of the

communication systems developed in each condition revealed that the semantically sparse condition produced less complex drawings and had higher identification accuracy. Furthermore, an analysis of the

communication systems developed in the semantically crowded condition revealed the presence of systematic structure. This study provides evidence indicating that systematic language-like-structure

emerges as an adaptation to communicating in a semantically crowded meaning space. Future research will build upon the quantitative measures used in this study and also explore the other factors influencing

the development of structure.


The Influence of Introjected Motivation on Wellbeing and Effort in Various Life Domains

Speaker: Erin Hammond Supervisors: Prof. Marylene Gagne

Abstract

This study examined the effects of introjected motivation on the different life domains of university students. A little understood style motivational style, it involves an individual engaging in a

behaviour as a means of guilt or shame avoidance. It is linked to high achievement but also to frequently negative psychological outcomes such as unstable self-esteem, anxiety and negative affect. Using the

framework of self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2000), a ten-day diary study for 50 university students was conducted to examine a) the concept and the validity of current measurement scales for introjected motivation and b) whether as people who are “introjected” in their motivation

toward their school/work/sport routines show greater fluctuations in wellbeing and task effort in their school/work/sport activities. Results and implications for further research are discussed.

36


When the Curtain Falls...: Career-centred Self-identification in Performing Artists in Relation to Anxiety, Unconditional Self-Acceptance, and Affective Adjustment

Speaker: Emma Gladwell Supervisor: Mr Neil McLean

Abstract

It is understood that an individual’s sense of self is manifested in roles across various domains of life, and that having a balanced sense of identity is conducive to psychological wellbeing. Research suggests that

hinging one’s identity disproportionately upon a singular dimension, such as an occupational role or romantic relationship, may set the stage for impending psychological difficulties. This notion has been

thoroughly researched in elite sports and corporate contexts. Anecdotal evidence suggests that performing artists may be particularly inclined to perceive their professions as intrinsic to their identity, and to assess their self-worth chiefly in terms of their career. However, research in this domain to date has been strictly

qualitative in nature. This study consequently aimed to explore constructions of self-concept in performers, and the associated implications of such constructions, using empirical methodology

previously implemented in health and sports contexts. A cohort of 47 actors, musicians and dancers completed an online survey designed to assess self-concept, performance anxiety, unconditional self-

acceptance, and general psychological wellbeing. It was expected that performing artists would consider their profession to be the principal element in their self-concept composition, and that this tendency

would render them vulnerable to performance anxiety, poor general psychological wellbeing, and low levels of self-acceptance. Results indicated that performers nominated their profession as the most important component of their identity. Implications of this tendency for performers’ wellbeing are currently being analysed and will be discussed, particularly in reference to potential psychological

consequences of departing the performing profession or encountering occupational setbacks.

37

Wilsmore Lecture Theatre 2.45pm-3.00pm

Better adapted communication systems evolve in larger populations

Speaker: Stephanie Babic Supervisor: Prof. Nicolas Fay

& Dr Mark Ellison Studies in the field of group performance have consistently shown that large groups under-perform compared with small groups and individuals. This is in contrast with experimental semiotic studies which have demonstrated that

large groups are able to interact to produce superior signs to small groups. These studies show that large groups are subject to pressures such as competition and variation which then allow them to produce optimal solutions through

the process of cultural evolution. This study aims to extend the experimental semiotic research by using a more naturalistic modality of communication to show that groups can optimise solutions even when using a language that already exists. Sixty-four participants were tested in Experiment 1 in either 8-person or 2-person groups. Participants were required to describe, and match descriptions with, abstract geometric figures by communicating using natural language. In Experiment 2, a further sixty-four participants were shown a selection of descriptions from both the 8-

person and 2-person conditions and asked to match these descriptions with the stimuli. The participants in Experiment 2 were able to match the descriptions generated by the 8-person groups more quickly and accurately

than those from the 2-person groups. This study has implications for the composition of groups in schools, universities and workplaces. Future research should be directed towards exploring manipulations of group structure, as this will prove critical in determining why groups perform well in some situations and under-perform in others.


Mind Your Asana: The Relationship Between Yoga, Mindfulness and Mental Health Speaker: Julia Brown Supervisor: A/Prof. Troy Visser

Abstract

The practice of yoga (asana) has been shown to cultivate both dispositional mindfulness - “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the

unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003 p. 145), and improve physical health. In turn, researchers have shown that both mindfulness and physical health are related to positive outcomes in areas such as depression, anxiety and stress, general well-being and cognitive functioning. Although this

pattern of relationships implies that yoga should be positively related to mental health and cognitive functioning, this relationship has not yet been established. The current study explores the relationship between yoga and mental health and in particular, the mediating effects of mindfulness and physical

activity. Results indicate practicing yoga has a strong positive correlation with mental health and cognitive functioning. Moreover, mindfulness strongly mediates the relationship between yoga practice and all mental health variables measured however, physical activity does not influence this relationship. The significance of these findings are discussed with a focus on the evidence-based feasibility of using

yoga as an efficacious intervention for a range of mental health disorders.

38

2.33 Lecture Room 2.45pm-3.00pm

The Death/Suicide Implicit Association Test: Desire to Die and Desire to Live as Mediators

Speaker: Jason Leong Supervisor: A/Prof. Werner Stritzke

Abstract

Suicide is largely preventable, but there are difficulties in accurately assessing risk. The death/suicide-IAT (d/s-IAT) implicitly measures suicide risk and significantly predicts suicide risk beyond established risk

factors. However currently it is unknown whether the d/s-IAT represents an acquired capacity to die (AC) or a diminished desire to live (Zest). One hundred Psychology students with a range of AC and Zest

scores completed the d/s-IAT and a range of measures, including AC, Zest and risk factors for suicide. It was found that across all but one measure of suicide risk, risk factors were better explained by AC and Zest, rather than the d/s-IAT. Generally AC better explains suicide-specific risk measures i.e. history of suicide attempts, history of suicide gestures, suicidal ideation, self-harm ideation, history of self-harm,

while Zest better explains affective risk measures i.e. depression and distress. The extent to which the d/s-IAT offers unique predictive validity above and beyond measuring AC and Zest is discussed, as well as

where assessment and treatment efforts should lie.

39


Getting Human Communication Started: The Superiority of Gesture over Vocalisation and the Parallels Between Different Modalities

Speaker: Casey Lister Supervisors: Prof. Nicolas Fay

& Dr Mark Ellison

Abstract

Consistent with gesture-first theories of language origin, recent empirical evidence indicates that gesture offers a more effective means of bootstrapping a human communication system than non-linguistic

vocalisation. It is argued that this benefit arises on account of gesture lending itself more naturally to the production of motivated signs (i.e., iconic and indexical signs). Using a referential communication task in

which pairs of participants take turns at communicating a range of recurring pre-specified concepts to their partner, the present study replicates this basic finding. We then examine the extent to which

interlocutors align and refine the signs they use to communicate different types of concepts (emotions, objects and actions). Like spoken language referential communication tasks, interlocutors aligned their

sign systems, using increasingly similar signs to communicate the same concepts. Again, as seen in spoken language studies, they simplified the signs they used, thereby making them easier to produce and

perceive. Our findings indicate: 1) the superiority of gesture over non-linguistic vocalisation when bootstrapping a human communication system, and 2) a similar alignment and refinement process across

different communication modalities.


The Effect of Mental Health Stigma and Diagnostic Labels on Gaze Cueing Speaker: Hannah Abdul Razak Supervisor: A/Prof. Troy Visser

Abstract

Humans are predisposed to shift their focus of attention in response to the eye gaze of others. This process of gaze cueing is largely a reflexive mechanism, but can be influenced by social factors. This research

investigates the influence of stigma towards mental health disorders and labels arising from diagnosis of these disorders, towards gaze cueing. It is suggested that due to an in-group/out-group bias, individuals

who identify themselves as being significantly different from those with mental health disorders will show reduced shifts of attention in response to the gaze of someone with a purported mental illness and/or

attached diagnostic label. In the present study, participants read three vignettes depicting a fictional individual with either: a) normal behaviour, b) symptoms of schizophrenia and c) symptoms of

schizophrenia and a diagnostic label of the disorder. Each vignette was accompanied by a picture of a randomly chosen face. After reading each vignette, participants completed scales assessing levels of

stigma (consisting of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination) towards the individual in each vignette, as well a gaze-cueing task using the accompanying face. It is hypothesized that the gaze cueing will vary as a function of the level of stigma towards those diagnosed with schizophrenia. Specifically, participants

will identify less with schizophrenic individuals and hence, elicit smaller gaze cueing effects.

40


Interpersonal Theory of Suicide and Cognitive Model of Suicide. Do They Come Together to Account for Suicide?

Speaker: Kar Fye Alvin Lee Supervisor: W/Prof Andrew Page

Abstract

The interpersonal theory of suicide by Joiner (2005) proposed that suicidal desire, which is manifest as suicidal ideation, is developed from the presence of both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted

belongingness. By contrast the cognitive model of suicide by Wenzel and Beck (2008) proposed that suicidal desire is a result of activating cognitive processes, such as state hopelessness – induced by

externalizing locus of control. However, there was surprisingly no research looking into the combination of both theories. Although the revised version of the interpersonal theory of suicide by Van Orden et al.

(2010) did proposed that state hopelessness that aroused from both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness develops passive suicidal ideation into active suicidal ideation, there was no empirical evidence provided. Hence, this study purported to empirically test the revised interpersonal

theory of suicide. The results found that there was a main effect of perceived burdensomeness, whereby those in the high burdensomeness group had a high level of persistency than the low burdensomeness

group. However, there was no main effect of locus of control and interaction between both. Therefore this study found evidence supporting the original interpersonal theory of suicide, but not the cognitive model of suicide and the revised interpersonal theory. One possible limitation was that the burdensomeness task not only manipulated both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, which also showed

signs that the locus of control was also affected. Hence, future research should focus on designing a task that would be able to bifurcate and isolate the constructs.

41


Does a perceived change in an observed person's head orientation automatically result in the distracted attention of the observer?

Speaker: Odette Keely Supervisor: A/Prof. Troy Visser

Abstract

Two Posner-style cueing paradigm experiments were conducted to assess the automaticity of observer’s responses to head orientation cues. Participants were asked to make a simple detection response to a

target symbol located to the left or right of a head stimulus that either correctly or incorrectly cued the participant to the target’s location. In the second experiment, participants did this while also remembering

a set of either two or six letters. Reaction times in response to the target symbol were quicker when the head stimulus correctly cued the participant even though participants were told that it was to be ignored

and would not be predictive of target location. These results indicate that head orientation cues meet some criteria for automaticity as responses to head orientation cues occurred rapidly and could not be inhibited. There was, however, a significant difference in reaction times between the two- and six-letter conditions.

Therefore responses to head orientation cues were affected by cognitive load, indicating some level of volitional orienting to these cues. It is argued that these findings are consistent with head orientation cues activating the endogenous attention system; implying their central importance to human attention but also indicates that, as with eye gaze cues, there must some interaction with and mediation of this response by

the exogenous attention control system.

2.33 Lecture Room 3:15pm-3:30pm Dehumanization and Mind Perception of Mental Health Consumers: Psychology Students’ Attitudes toward Mental Illness

Speaker: Madeleine Hofmeester Supervisor: W/Prof. Carmen

Lawrence & Prof. Johanna Badcock

Abstract

Mental health consumers are often subject to negative, dehumanizing attitudes by mental health professionals, yet little research has been conducted on the attitudes of students, which may help

determine when such attitudes to mental illness emerge. This study, employing implicit and explicit measures, assessed dehumanization across three groups comprising undergraduate students aspiring to: (1) be clinical psychologists (n = 28); (2) be psychologists in other specialties (n = 25); or (3) work in a non-psychology field (n = 25), with the aim of investigating whether clinical psychology students were

more or less dehumanizing than other students. No group differences were found across measures; however, a general pattern emerged suggesting people with mental illness were more dehumanized than

other social groups (excluding elderly people). The subsequent implications of these findings are discussed, including practical implications for the development of training and supervision of clinical psychologists in order to improve attitudes and interactions with clients to enhance positive treatment

outcomes.

Documents

UWA School Of Psychology Honours Conference 2013.pdf