http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1841 2013-06-19T16:46:17Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9070 Title: Harbouring Discontent: World Heritage, the Great Barrier Reef and the Gladstone Port Development Authors: Davey, Madeline Nell Abstract: The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is facing unprecedented pressures from a range of inputs– one of the most prominent being industrial coastal development. Of these developments, none has more current significance than the Gladstone Port Development (GPD) in Gladstone Harbour at the southern end of the GBR in Queensland, Australia. The Port expansion includes the extension of an existing coal terminal, reclamation and development of new land and three gas processing plants on Curtis Island, plus associated dredging works. These developments are causing controversy globally because they are occurring within the GBR World Heritage Area (WHA). Gladstone Harbour was included within the original World Heritage Listing (WHL) as it met the criteria attributed to the entire GBR – natural environmental assets of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV); including turtles, dugongs, mangroves, seagrasses and coral. These environmental attributes are under serious threat with the GPD, causing a clash between development and conservation in Gladstone Harbour. Moreover, the WH listing for the entire GBR is at risk because of the rapid development of the export industry along the GBR coast. These developments have been allowed because they are occurring in the small percent of the WHA that is not managed by the Federal GBR Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA); rather jurisdiction of these coastal waters falls to the Queensland government. The GBR has long been regarded as epitomising ―best-practice‖ management standards for MPA because of management by the GBRMPA. However, the management ‗best-practice‘ title is now under threat. In this study discrepancies in boundaries and management practices between the GBRWHA and the GBR Marine Protected Area (MPA), come to the fore through the perspectives of high-user stakeholders - the fishers and conservationists/researchers of the region. The stakeholders provide localised insights into the OUV together with views about current management approaches. These perceptions were gathered throughout July 2012 using semi-structured interviews in Gladstone. Using these insights this study explores the way in which multiple interests collide – drawing out and questioning the role of state and federal government in regulating the space. Arguably, the management of the GPD should match the values embedded in the area‘s WH designation, granted in 1981. The extent to which this has happened is explored in this study. This study finds that the WHL of Gladstone Harbour remains significant for local user groups. While there are calls to redraw the GBRWHA it is critical to further understand how locals value the area and the WH listing before maps are re-drawn. The incorporation of stakeholder perceptions into environmental governance for marine habitats is essential to achieve better environmental and social outcomes. In this context, this study embraces a political ecology paradigm which provides a conceptual framework for an explanation of the GPD. Such an approach enables an explanation of the forces at work in the GPD - which allows environmental, political and economic factors to be intertwined into explanations and analysis. This overarching conceptual approach illustrates how multiple interests interact in a way which limits the efficacy of the existing environment governance framework 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9069 Title: Magazine approach during a signal for food depends on Pavlovian, not instrumental, conditioning Authors: Harris, Justin; Andrew, Benjamin; Kwok, Dorothy Abstract: In the conditioned magazine approach paradigm, rats are exposed to a contingent relationship between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the delivery of food (the unconditioned stimulus, US). As the rats learn the CS-US association, they make frequent anticipatory head entries into the food magazine (the conditioned response, CR) during the CS. Conventionally, this is considered to be a Pavlovian paradigm because food is contingent on the CS and not on the performance of CRs during the CS. However, because magazine entries during the CS are reliably followed by food, the increase in frequency of those responses may involve adventitious (“superstitious”) instrumental conditioning. The existing evidence, from experiments using an omission schedule to eliminate the possibility of instrumental conditioning (Farwell & Ayres, 1979; Holland, 1979), is ambiguous: rats acquire magazine CRs despite the omission schedule, demonstrating that the response does not depend on instrumental conditioning, but the response rate is greatly depressed compared with that of rats trained on a yoked schedule, consistent with a contribution from instrumental conditioning under normal (non-omission) schedules. Here we describe experiments in which rats were trained on feature-positive or feature-negative type discriminations between trials that were reinforced on an omission schedule versus trials reinforced on a yoked schedule. The experiments show that the difference in responding between omission and yoked schedules is due to suppression of responding under the omission schedule rather than an elevation of responding under the yoked schedule. We conclude that magazine responses during the CS are largely or entirely Pavlovian CRs. 2013-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8990 Title: Cheaters sometimes prosper: targeted worker reproduction in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies during swarming Authors: Holmes, Michael J.; Oldroyd, Benjamin P.; Duncan, Michael; Allsopp, Michael H.; Beekman, Madeleine Abstract: Kin selection theory predicts that honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers should largely refrain from producing their own offspring, as the workers collectively have higher inclusive fitness if they rear the sons of their mother, the queen. Studies that have quantified levels of ovary activation and reproduction among workers have largely supported this prediction. In contrast we show here that the overall contribution of workers to male (drone) production is 4.2%, nearly 40 times higher than is generally reported, and is highest during reproductive swarming, when an average of 6.2% of the males genotyped are worker-produced. Similarly, workers in our samples were 100 times more likely to have active ovaries than previously assumed. Worker reproduction is seasonally influenced and peaks when colonies are rearing new queens. Not all worker subfamilies contribute equally to reproduction. Instead, certain subfamilies are massively over-represented in drone brood. By laying eggs within the period in which many colonies produce virgin queens, these rare worker subfamilies increase their direct fitness via their well-timed sons. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8973 Title: Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise Of 8 Beaches In Shoalhaven: A New Multi-Dimensional Assessment Methodology Authors: Tonmoy, Fahim; El-Zein, Abbas; Ghetti, Isabelle; Massie, Ray Abstract: Coastal councils around the world are likely to be affected by future climatic impacts such as sea level rise and extreme flooding. Shoalhaven City Council is responsible for the sustainable management of 165 kilometres of open coast, the longest of any local government area in New South Wales. In order to prepare a comprehensive coastal zone management plan, Council investigated present and expected future coastal risks on its beaches. Detailed studies identified eight beaches where coastal hazards would significantly impact private properties and public assets. In order to help decision-makers in prioritising management actions for the eight areas, an analytical tool is needed that would not only quantify the physical risks to infrastructure but would also be able to integrate social and environmental considerations towards a holistic assessment of the vulnerability of each beach area. Following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conceptualisation, the vulnerability of a community to a climate hazard can be seen as determined by the degree of physical exposure to the hazard, as well as the community’s sensitivity to its impacts and its ability to cope with, or adapt to, these impacts. Hence, vulnerability assessment presents a number of theoretical and methodological challenges, the most important of which are epitomized by the following questions: 1. how to determine, say whether a community with high exposure and high adaptive capacity is more vulnerable or less vulnerable than a community with lower exposure but lower adaptive capacity? (problem of compensation). 2. how to incorporate the imprecision and value-judgments inevitably present in multistakeholder vulnerability assessments while maintaining a consistent and robust scientific process? (problem of fuzziness). A new methodology has been developed at the University of Sydney that addresses these questions and offers a clear and consistent approach for conducting vulnerability assessments. The paper describes the application of this methodology to the ranking of vulnerabilities to sea level rise of eight beaches in Shoalhaven. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8971 Title: sDR code Authors: Bolejko, Krzysztof Abstract: The code solves the Sachs equations in a similar fashion as the Dyer-Roeder approximation but in addition it allows to account for the null shearing. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8955 Title: Can a witness report hearsay evidence unintentionally? The effects of discussion on eyewitness memory Authors: Paterson, Helen M; Kemp, Richard I; McIntyre, Sarah Abstract: When eyewitnesses are exposed to misinformation about an event from a co-witness, they often incorporate this misinformation in their recall of the event. The current research aimed to investigate whether this memory conformity phenomenon is due to change in the witness's memory for the event, or to social pressures to conform to the co-witness's account. Participants were shown a crime video and then asked to discuss the video in groups, with some receiving misinformation about the event from their discussion partners. After a one week delay some participants were warned about possible misinformation before all participants provided their own account of the event. In Study 1, participants made remember/know judgments about the items recalled, and in Study 2 they indicated the source of their memories. Co-witness information was incorporated into participants' testimonies, and this effect was not reduced by warnings or source monitoring instructions, suggesting memory change may have occurred. However, there was some indication that remember/know judgments may help distinguish between "real" memories and co-witness information. 2011-02-28T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8901 Title: ARC Open Access Policy Info Session Authors: Holcombe, Alex; Todd, Matt; Arndell, Michael; Christensen, Sten; Stanton, Kate Abstract: Presentations from the ARC Open Access Policy Info Session for the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney 2013-01-25T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8796 Title: Predicting adolescent breakfast consumption in the UK and Australia using an extended theory of planned behaviour Authors: Mullan, Barbara A; Wong, Cara; Kothe, Emily J Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with the addition of risk awareness could predict breakfast consumption in a sample of adolescents from the UK and Australia. It was hypothesised that the TPB variables of attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (PBC) would significantly predict intentions, and that inclusion of risk perception would increase the proportion of variance explained. Secondly it was hypothesised that intention and PBC would predict behaviour. Participants were recruited from secondary schools in Australia and the UK. A total of 613 participants completed the study (448 females, 165 males; mean = 14 years ±1.1). The TPB predicted 42.2% of the variance in intentions to eat breakfast. All variables significantly predicted intention with PBC as the strongest component. The addition of risk made a small but significant contribution to the prediction of intention. Together intention and PBC predicted 57.8% of the variance in breakfast consumption. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8783 Title: Splitting attention reduces temporal resolution from 7 Hz for tracking one object to <3 Hz when tracking three Authors: Holcombe, Alex; Chen, Wei Ying Abstract: Overall performance when tracking moving targets is known to be poorer for larger numbers of targets, but the specific effect on tracking's temporal resolution has never been investigated. We document a broad range of display parameters for which visual tracking is limited by temporal frequency (the interval between when a target is at each location and a distracter moves in and replaces it) rather than by object speed. We tested tracking of one, two, and three moving targets while the eyes remained fixed. Variation of the number of distracters and their speed revealed both speed limits and temporal frequency limits on tracking performance. The temporal frequency limit fell from 7 Hz with one target to 4 Hz with two targets and 2.6 Hz with three targets. This decrease was so profound that, at high speeds in the two-target condition, participants would have done better by tracking only one of the two targets and ignoring the other. These effects are predicted by serial models involving a single tracking focus that must switch among the targets, sampling the position of only one target at a time. Under parallel processing models, supplemental assumptions are required to account for why dividing the tracking resource so markedly diminishes temporal resolution. Description: Experiment program code, raw data, and data analysis scripts 2012-11-21T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8722 Title: Predicting adolescents' safe food handling using an extended theory of planned behavior Authors: Mullan, Barbara A; Wong, Cara; Kothe, Emily J Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with the addition of risk perception could predict safe food handling in a sample of adolescents from the UK and Australia over and above the explanatory power of knowledge. It was hypothesized that knowledge would predict both intention to prepare food safely and self-reported food hygiene behavior. It was expected that attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and risk perception would predict intentions over and above knowledge. It was hypothesized that intentions and PBC would significantly predict food hygiene behavior over and above the influence of knowledge. Participants were recruited from secondary schools in Australia and the UK (n=205). Knowledge alone predicted 4% of intention and 1.4% of behaviour. TPB variable with the addition of risk perception accounted for an additional 60% of the variance in intention. PBC and intention accounted for an additional 24% of the variance in behavior. Knowledge was not a significant predictor of intention or behaviour once other variables were added to the model these results provide further support for criticisms of interventions that have targeted food safety through knowledge based interventions. The results provide further support for the utility of the TPB in predicting safe food handling. The addition of risk perception added to the predictive utility of the model, suggesting that researchers may want to incorporate that factor into future considerations of food hygiene using the TPB. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8648 Title: Tactile Motion Adaptation Reduces Perceived Speed but Shows No Evidence of DIrection Sensitivity Authors: McIntyre, Sarah Abstract: Introduction: While the directionality of tactile motion processing has been studied extensively, tactile speed processing and its relationship to direction is little-researched and poorly understood. We investigated this relationship in humans using the ‘tactile speed aftereffect’ (tSAE), in which the speed of motion appears slower following prolonged exposure to a moving surface. Method: We used psychophysical methods to test whether the tSAE is direction sensitive. After adapting to a ridged moving surface with one hand, participants compared the speed of test stimuli on the adapted and unadapted hands. We varied the direction of the adapting stimulus relative to the test stimulus. Results: Perceived speed of the surface moving at 81mms-1 was reduced by about 30% regardless of the direction of the adapting stimulus (when adapted in the same direction, Mean reduction = 23mms-1, SD=11; with opposite direction, Mean reduction = 26mms-1, SD=9). In addition to a large reduction in perceived speed due to adaptation, we also report that this effect is not direction sensitive. Conclusions: Tactile motion is susceptible to speed adaptation. This result complements previous reports of reliable direction aftereffects when using a dynamic test stimulus as together they describe how perception of a moving stimulus in touch depends on the immediate history of stimulation. Given that the tSAE is not direction sensitive, we argue that peripheral adaptation does not explain it, because primary afferents are direction sensitive with friction-creating stimuli like ours (thus motion in their preferred direction should result in greater adaptation, and if perceived speed were critically dependent on these afferents’ response intensity, the tSAE should be direction sensitive). The adaptation that reduces perceived speed therefore seems to be of central origin. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8571 Title: Failures to bind spatially coincident features Authors: Holcombe, Alex; Clifford, Colin Abstract: N/A Description: Letter to appear in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences 2012-07-02T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8569 Title: The role of self-regulation in predicting sleep hygiene in university students Authors: Todd, Jemma; Mullan, Barbara Abstract: University students have poor sleep hygiene, leading to poorer health. Facets of self-regulation such as planning, behavioural inhibition, cognitive flexibility and working memory were explored in relation to three sleep hygiene behaviours: avoiding stress or anxiety before bed, avoiding going to bed hungry or thirsty, and making the bedroom restful. One hundred and thirty-seven participants took part in an internet-based survey over two time points separated by a period of 2 weeks. Only cognitive flexibility and behavioural inhibition correlated with sleep hygiene. Cognitive flexibility significantly predicted an aspect of sleep hygiene after controlling for past behaviour. However, when past behaviour was controlled for, behavioural inhibition no longer predicted sleep hygiene. Thus cognitive flexibility may play a role in explaining sleep hygiene, however behavioural inhibition does not appear as important as previously assumed. Further research could build on this study to determine whether cognitive flexibility can be experimentally improved. Description: This is a preprint of an article whose final and definitive form has been published in Psychology, Health & Medicine © 2012 Taylor & Francis; Psychology, Health & Medicine is available online at: www.tandfonline.com 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8564 Title: Consequences of Play: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Online Gaming Authors: Sublette, Victoria; Mullan, Barbara Abstract: Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) have received considerable attention in news headlines describing gamers who have died while engaging in excessive play. However, more common physical and psychosocial effects attributed to online video gaming are social isolation, increased aggression, and negative academic and occupational consequences. In consideration of the bias in reporting negative consequences of video gaming, a systematic review was conducted to evaluate the evidence of the effects of MMOGs on those who play them. In the sixteen studies that met the inclusion criteria, analysis revealed that only those players who were classified as “addicted” or engaged in “problematic game play” experienced significant negative consequences, with many gamers finding positive aspects to video gaming such as enjoyment, feelings of achievement, friendship, and a sense of community. However, significant limitations in the studies point to the need for further research so that appropriate treatments and interventions can be developed for problematic game play. Description: The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8563 Title: Children’s Understandings of Mediated Health Campaigns for Childhood Obesity Authors: Babooram, Melanie; Mullan, Barbara; Sharpe, Louise Abstract: Purpose: The present study investigated children’s understandings of the intent and importance of current media initiatives designed to target childhood obesity. Semi structured interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis, for the responses of overweight and normal weight children. Methodology: Thirty-three children were interviewed, 24 of normal weight and 9 overweight. They were shown 2 print and 4 television advertisements from the New South Wales Health Department website that were popularly broadcast between 2003-2007. Children were then asked if they had seen the advertisement prior to the interview, and their understanding of the intent and importance of the advertisements. Findings: Most children in both weight groups recalled seeing 5 out of the 6 presented advertisements prior to interview. The main themes identified were ‘Health Maintenance’ and ‘Illness Prevention’ for 5 of the 6 advertisements. Overweight children were more numerous in their detection of a health message as opposed to normal weight children who mostly commented on the safety aspect of advertisement 6. Practical implications: Future evaluations of mediated health campaigns should go beyond recording simple recall of campaign material and investigate instead the understandings of target groups. Mediated health campaigns should also specify messages to particular target groups, as they appear to be most likely to facilitate behaviour change. Originality/value: Mediated health campaigns are mostly evaluated quantitatively rather than by qualitative means. In addition, no study has evaluated the views of overweight and normal weight children with regards to these health campaigns. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8433 Title: A pilot evaluation of appetite-awareness training in the treatment of childhood overweight and obesity Authors: Bloom, Taryn; Sharpe, Louise; Mullan, Barbara; Zucker, Nancy Abstract: Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of Children’s Appetite Awareness Training (CAAT), a treatment for childhood obesity which encourages overweight children to eat in response to internal appetite cues. Method: Overweight children (ages 6 – 12 years old) were randomized to either the CAAT treatment group (N=23), to receive one-hour treatment sessions over six weeks, or a wait-list group (N=24). Weight and height of children and parents in both groups were assessed at pre- and post-treatment (or equivalent time for wait-list control) and at a six-month follow-up for those in the CAAT group. Results: The intervention had a significant, short-term effect on the BMI of children who participated. Although at six-month follow-up, children’s BMI has not increased significantly, the difference between pre-treatment and follow-up BMI was no longer significant. Discussion: These results are encouraging for the use of CAAT with overweight children. Long-term effectiveness could be enhanced through increasing the duration of the program, adding booster sessions and increased involvement of parents. Description: The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8422 Title: Okamoto's space for the first Painlevé equation in Boutroux coordinates Authors: Duistermaat, Johannes (Hans) J.; Joshi, Nalini Abstract: We study the completeness and connectedness of asymptotic behaviours of solutions of the first Painlev ́e equation d^2 y/ dx^2 = 6 y^2 + x, in the limit x → ∞, x ∈ C. This problem arises in various physical contexts including the critical behaviour near gradient catastrophe for the focusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation. We prove that the complex limit set of solutions is non-empty, compact and invariant under the flow of the limiting autonomous Hamiltonian system, that the infinity set of the vector field is a repellor for the dynamics and obtain new proofs for solutions near the equilibrium points of the autonomous flow. The results rely on a realization of Okamoto’s space, i.e., the space of initial values compactified and regularized by embedding in CP2 through an explicit construction of nine blow-ups. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8397 Title: Predictors of undergraduates' intention to incorporate glycaemic index into dietary behaviour Authors: Goodwin, Robyn; Mullan, Barbara 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8396 Title: A systematic review of the quality, content and context of breakfast consumption Authors: Mullan, Barbara; Singh, Monika Abstract: Purpose: Consumption of breakfast is often associated with important health related behaviours. For example, skipping breakfast is related to obesity and eating breakfast is also correlated to cognitive, behavioural, and affective components. This paper attempts to review the breakfast eating literature, and investigate the circumstances under which people consume breakfast, what is actually being consumed, and how much breakfast is eaten therefore Method/Approach: This systematic review summarised the results from 24 studies which focus on who is eating what, where, and with whom. Findings: All 24 of the included studies were of a self report nature, from which nine were analyses from second-hand survey data. Sample sizes varied from 100 to a total of 35119 with a reported participants’ age range from two years old to 70 years of age. Ready-to-eat cereal and dairy foods were the most commonly consumed breakfast items across the studies. Between 1.7 and 30% of participants were found to skip breakfast and approximately one quarter of the studies reported that those with lower socio-economic status, non-whites and females were the groups more likely to omit breakfast. Practical implications and Limitations: The evidence provided in this review suggests that there is still considerable variation in studies into breakfast consumption. This has implications for future research into breakfast eating if interventions are based on these studies. Originality/Value: There are very few systematic reviews detailing the quality, context and content of breakfast consumption and the lack of consistency in the results show the need for further research to be conducted to find a degree of consistency in how breakfast should be defined and measured. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8395 Title: Trust not in money: The effect of financial conflict of interest disclosure on dietary behavioural intention Authors: Goodwin, Robyn; Mullan, Barbara Abstract: Purpose To determine the impact of financial conflict of interest (FCI) disclosure on dietary behavioural intention related to the glycaemic index (GI) of food. Design/methodology/approach Seventy-two participants were randomly allocated to two conditions by reading an academic journal article about GI that contained an FCI disclosure (conflict) or a statement detailing that the authors had no FCI to declare (no-conflict). Using a questionnaire, participants made judgments about the article and authors as well as intention to perform GI-related behaviour. These were then analysed for significant differences between the two conditions. Findings Although no significant differences emerged between group means of judgments about the article, those in the conflict condition judged the authors as significantly less trustworthy and credible than those in the conflict condition. Contrary to expectation, those in the conflict condition reported significantly higher intentions to perform GI-related behaviour. Research limitations/implications The present research must be conducted in other populations of interest in order to establish if the results can be generalised. Practical implications The results suggest that FCI disclosure might be best placed at the beginning of articles and that education about FCI be made available to the general public. Originality/value This paper examines the practical implications of FCI disclosure. It also focuses on a readership beyond an academic community who is well-acquainted with the subject area and issues pertaining to FCI. 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8394 Title: Predicting food hygiene: An investigation of social factors and past behaviour in an extended model of the Health Action Process Approach. Authors: Chow, S; Mullan, Barbara 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8393 Title: Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to design a Food Hygiene Intervention Authors: Mullan, Barbara; Wong, Cara 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8392 Title: Consumer food-safety education for the domestic environment: a systematic review Authors: Milton, Alyssa; Mullan, Barbara Abstract: Purpose Despite the recognised importance of food-safety, a large number of consumers do not practice adequate food-safety in the home. Many studies have recommended that education is a key step in preventing food borne illness in the domestic environment. However, few educational or psychosocial interventions have been designed and implemented to improve food-safety knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. Even fewer of these studies have been subject to rigorous appraisal. A systematic review of studies that described and evaluated a food-safety intervention in a non-clinical adult sample was conducted. Design/methodology/approach A total of ten studies met the criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. Outcomes of interest included food-safety behaviour, behavioural intention, attitudes, knowledge, microbial transfer and the use of Social Cognition Models. Findings The evidence regarding the effectiveness of the reviewed interventions on these food-safety outcomes was somewhat positive, however, many gaps remained. For example, of the 5 self-report behaviour change studies all reported some significant improvement post intervention. However, the percentage of specific behaviours that significantly changed within each study varied between 0.04 to 100%. There were methodological flaws in many of the studies which complicated the interpretation of these results and indicate a need for more research. Research limitations/implications Future research should include better defined outcomes, longer follow-up, more rigorous reporting of results and intervention design, the use of randomised controlled trial protocols, and utilising health models to have a greater theoretical underpinning to the studies. Originality/value This is the first systematic review examining the effect of psychosocial food-safety interventions on behaviour, attitudes and knowledge. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8391 Title: Randomised controlled trial of a brief theory-based intervention promoting breakfast consumption Authors: Kothe, Emily Jane; Mullan, Barbara; Amaratunga, Rajith Abstract: The present study sought to test the efficacy of a brief theory-based intervention to promote regular consumption of breakfast, and to expand previous results suggesting that the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) can be meaningfully applied to breakfast consumption. A four-armed randomised controlled trial was conducted. Participants (n = 349) were allocated to receive either a (1) positively framed attitude intervention, (2) negatively framed attitude intervention, (3) Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC) intervention, or (4) control task. Attitude, subjective norm, PBC and behaviour were measured at baseline and 4-week follow-up. All three interventions employed persuasive communication and an implementation intention task. The intervention did not result in expected increases in breakfast consumption, or in changes in attitude, subjective norm or PBC. However, baseline attitude, subjective norm and PBC predicted 39.3% of baseline intention. Baseline intention in turn predicted 33% of breakfast consumption at 4 weeks. Change in breakfast consumption was predicted by change in attitude, subjective norm, and PBC between baseline and follow-up. Despite a lack of intervention effects, the TPB provided a good model of breakfast consumption over the four-week follow-up period. By expanding on previous work investigating breakfast consumption using the TPB, this study provides further support for the argument that that theory based interventions could result in meaningful increases in breakfast consumption. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8390 Title: Health-related content in Australian television advertising Authors: Baker, Julia; Mullan, Barbara Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the proportions of health-related content in non-program time on Australian television, and how this relates to channel, product category, program genre and whether it is an advertisement or public service announcement (PSA). Design/methodology/approach – Australian prime time television was recorded across three commercial television stations in Sydney. Non-program content (NPC) was coded according to the channel, program genre, length of content and product advertised. In total, 44 hours of programming was recorded. Findings – Not surprisingly, significant differences were found in the percentage of health-related content between advertisements (22 percent) and PSAs (67 percent). Again unsurprisingly there was also a significant relationship between the product category and health-related content (χ 2=366.601, p=0.000), but also between health-related content and program genre (χ 2=20.594, p=0.024), particularly situation comedies (31 percent) and sport (15 percent). No difference was found in the percentage of health-related content between the channels. Research limitations/implications – Differences existing in the amount of NPC across program genre suggest that viewers of programs with high rates of health-related content in advertising may have higher exposure to product dependant health information. Originality/value – Health information is examined in a general sample without focus on particular demographics or health topics and the role of program genre is investigated. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8389 Title: Measuring beliefs about gluten free diet adherence in adult coeliac disease using the theory of planned behaviour Authors: Sainsbury, Kirby; Mullan, Barbara Abstract: The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was used to elicit the salient beliefs about gluten free diet (GFD) adherence in adults with coeliac disease (CD) and to design a TPB questionnaire to predict adherence levels. This questionnaire was administered to 265 CD participants with adherence and quality of life (QOL) measures, a GFD knowledge test, and self-reported psychiatric history. Regression analyses were used to test the fit of the TPB in predicting adherence, and to determine the nature of the relationships between adherence, QOL, knowledge, and psychiatric history. The TPB combined with self-reported depression and anxiety, and QOL explained significant variance in intention (41.0%) and adherence (33.7%). Poorer dietary adherence and psychiatric history were also associated with lower QOL. Findings suggest that the TPB provides an adequate model for predicting GFD adherence in CD, and the presence of psychiatric conditions represents a potential intervention target to improve adherence and QOL. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8388 Title: The Role of Executive Function in Bridging the Intention-Behaviour Gap for Binge-Drinking in University Students Authors: Mullan, Barbara; Wong, Cara; Allom, Vanessa; Pack, Sophia Abstract: Background Alcohol consumption contributes to a significant proportion of disease and the high prevalence amongst young adults is a worldwide health concern. Purpose To determine which aspects of executive function (EF) distinguish binge-drinkers from non binge-drinkers and to establish the role of EF in predicting behaviour. Methods Self-report questionnaires, four tests of self-regulation and a behaviour measure were administered to 153 students. Results The Theory of Planned Behaviour model was significant in predicting both intentions and behaviour. Although binge-drinkers and non binge-drinkers were found to differ on three of the four measures of EF, none predicted additional variance in behaviour. Planning ability and inhibition control moderated the relationship between intention and behaviour such that for individuals who intended to binge-drink, those with high planning ability or high inhibitory control were more likely to avoid doing so. Conclusions Interventions targeting binge-drinking behaviour should aim to develop planning skills and inhibitory control. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8386 Title: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Immediate Hedonic Behaviors and Distal Benefit Behaviors Authors: Collins, Anna; Mullan, Barbara Abstract: The importance of understanding different behaviortypes is fundamental to changing patterns of dietary consumption toward optimal health. This study investigates fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption as a distalbenefitbehavior and snacking as an immediatehedonicbehavior, within the framework of the theory of plannedbehavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991). The model was extended to examine the predictive value of past behavior and self-regulatory ability across these two dietary behaviors. A total of 190 undergraduate students from an Australian university were administered two online questionnaires over two measurement points with 1-week interval. At time one, participants completed TPB questionnaires and a behavioral measure of self-regulation. At time two, self-reported dietary behavior was measured. Multiple and hierarchical regression analyses showed that the TPB model significantly predicted intention to perform both dietary behaviors and intention significantly predicted both behaviors. However consistent with hypotheses, there was a large intention-behavior gap and the predictive value of the TPB differed depending on whether the behavior had immediate vs. distal rewards. When past behavior was added to the model, intention was a significant predictor for the hedonicbehavior, but not for the distalbehavior. Differences in the predictive variables for the two behavior types suggest that the distalbenefitbehavior vs. immediatehedonicbehavior distinction may be useful when designing interventions by considering the temporal element of health decision-making. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8373 Title: Predicting breakfast consumption: A comparison of the theory of planned behaviour and the health action process approach Authors: Mullan, Barbara; Wong, Cara; Kothe, Emily; MacCann, Carolyn Abstract: Purpose: Breakfast consumption is associated with a range of beneficial health outcomes including improved overall diet quality, lower BMI, decreased risk of chronic disease, and improved cognitive function. Although there are many models of health and social behaviour, there is a paucity of research utilising these in breakfast consumption and very few studies that directly compare these models. This study compares the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) in predicting breakfast consumption. Methodology: University students (N=102; M = 19.5 years) completed a questionnaire measuring demographics, TPB and HAPA motivational variables, and intentions. Behaviour and HAPA volitional variables were measured four weeks later. Findings: Using structural equation modelling, it was found that the TPB model was a superior fit to the data across a range of model indices compared to the HAPA. Both models significantly predicted both intentions and behaviour at follow up; however, the TPB predicted a higher proportion of the variance in breakfast consumption (47.6%) than the HAPA (44.8%). Further, the volitional variables did not mediate the intention-behaviour gap, and the data were not an adequate statistical fit to the model compared to the TPB. Research Implications: The results support the use of the TPB and shows that that some aspects of the HAPA are useful in predicting breakfast consumption, suggesting that risk perception and self-efficacy be targeted in interventions to increase behaviour. The volitional variables did not appear to mediate breakfast consumption indicating that intention is still the strongest predictor, at least in this behaviour Originality: The current study is the first to compare the TPB and HAPA in predicting breakfast consumption 2012-05-28T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8213 Title: The content of compound conditioning Authors: Harris, Justin A; Andrew, Benjamin J; Livesey, Evan J Abstract: In three experiments using Pavlovian conditioning of magazine approach, rats were trained with a compound stimulus, AB, and were concurrently trained with stimulus B on its own. The reinforcement rate of B, rB, was either ½, ⅔, or ⅖ of rAB. After extended training, the conditioning strength of A was assessed using probe trials in which A was presented alone. Responding during A was compared with that during AB, B, and a third stimulus, C, for which rC = rAB – rB. In each experiment, the rats’ response rate during A was almost identical to that during C (and during B, when rB = ½rAB). This suggests that, during AB conditioning, the rats had learned about rA as being equal to [rAB – rB], and implies that the content of their learning was a linear function of r. The findings provide strong support for rate-based models of conditioning (e.g., Gallistel & Gibbon, 2000). They are also consistent with the associative account of learning defined in the Rescorla-Wagner (1972) model, but only if the learning rate during reinforcement equals that during non-reinforcement. Description: 'This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.' 2012-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8188 Title: Using the theory of planned behaviour and prototype willingness model to target binge drinking in female undergraduate university students Authors: Todd, Jemma Abstract: The current study investigated whether binge drinking in female undergraduates could be reduced by the mere measurement effect (MME), and by altering binge drinker prototypes from the prototype willingness model (PWM). Whether willingness added to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was also explored. Female undergraduates aged 17-25 (N=122) were randomly allocated to a prototype manipulation, mere measurement, or control group, and completed two online questionnaires separated by 14-21 days. Controlling for past behaviour, MME group consumed less alcohol than the control group, and this effect was more extreme for those who previously consumed more alcohol. However, the prototype manipulation had no effect. The TPB variables were predictive of intentions and behaviour, but willingness was not. Despite limitations, the MME could be utilised to reduce binge drinking in female undergraduates. The TPB appears to model binge drinking in female undergraduates better than the PWM, implying that binge drinking can be a reasoned behaviour. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8153 Title: Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption: Testing an intervention based on the theory of planned behaviour Authors: Kothe, Emily Jane; Mullan, Barbara; Butow, Phyllis Abstract: This study evaluated the efficacy of a theory of planned behaviour (TPB) based intervention to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. The extent to which fruit and vegetable consumption and change in intake could be explained by the TPB was also examined. Participants were randomly assigned to two levels of intervention frequency matched for intervention content (low frequency n = 92, high frequency n = 102). Participants received TPB-based email messages designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, messages targeted attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (PBC). Baseline and post-intervention measures of TPB variables and behaviour were collected. Across the entire study cohort, fruit and vegetable consumption increased by 0.83 servings/day between baseline and follow-up. Intention, attitude, subjective norm and PBC also increased (p<.05). The TPB successfully modelled fruit and vegetable consumption at both time points but not behaviour change. The increase of fruit and vegetable consumption is a promising preliminary finding for those primarily interested in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. However, those interested in theory development may have concerns about the use of this model to explain behaviour change in this context. More high quality experimental tests of the theory are needed to confirm this result. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7877 Title: Constructivism for Philosophers (Be it a Remark on Realism) Authors: Gal, Ofer Abstract: Bereft of the illusion of an epistemic vantage point external to science, what should be our commitment towards the categories, concepts and terms of that very science? Should we, despaired of the possibility to found these concepts on rock bottom, adopt empiricist skepticism? Or perhaps the inexistence of external foundations implies, rather, immunity for scientific ontology from epistemological criticism? Philosophy’s “realism debate” died out without providing a satisfactory answer to the dilemma, which was taken over by the neighboring disciplines. The “symmetry principle” of the “Strong Programme” for the sociology of science-the requirement that truth and error receive the same kind of causal explanations-offered one bold metaphysical answer, under the guise of a methodological decree. Recently, however, it has been argued that this solution is not bold enough, that the social constructivists replaced the naïve presumption of an independent nature which adjudicates our beliefs with a mirror-image presumption of a sui generis society which furnishes these beliefs autonomously. The proper metaphysics for a foundationless epistemology,argues Bruno Latour, is one which grants nature and society, object and subject, equal roles in the success and failure of science and technology; one in which history of society merges with a history of things-in-themselves. The paper analyzes the philosophical and methodological motivations and ramifications of this extraordinary suggestion. 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7876 Title: The 'absolute existence' of phlogiston: the losing party's point of view. Authors: Gal, Ofer; Boantza, Victor Abstract: Long after its alleged demise, phlogiston was still presented, discussed and defended by leading chemists. Even some of the leading proponents of the new chemistry admitted its ‘absolute existence’. We demonstrate that what was defended under the title ‘phlogiston’ was no longer a particular hypothesis about combustion and respiration. Rather, it was a set of ontological and epistemological assumptions and the empirical practices associated with them. Lavoisier’s gravimetric reduction, in the eyes of the phlogistians, annihilated the autonomy of chemistry together with its peculiar concepts of chemical substance and quality, chemical process and chemical affinity. The defence of phlogiston was the defence of a distinctly chemical conception of matter and its appearances, a conception which rejected the chemist’s acquaintance with details and particularities of substances, properties and processes and his skills of adducing causal relations from the interplay between their complexity and uniformity. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7875 Title: The Body as Object and Instrument of Knowledge:Embodied Empiricism in Early Modern Science Authors: Gal, Ofer; Wolfe, Charles T. Abstract: It was in 1660s England, according to the received view, in the Royal Society of London, that science acquired the form of empirical enquiry we recognize as our own: an open, collaborative experimental practice, mediated by specially-designed instruments, supported by civil discourse, stressing accuracy and replicability. Guided by the philosophy of Francis Bacon, by Protestant ideas of this worldly benevolence, by gentlemanly codes of decorum and by a dominant interest in mechanics and the mechanical structure of the universe, the members of the Royal Society created a novel experimental practice that superseded former modes of empirical inquiry, from Aristotelian observations to alchemical experimentation. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7874 Title: Empiricism Without the Senses: How the Instrument Replaced the Eye Authors: Gal, Ofer; Chen-Morris, Raz Abstract: On receiving news of Galileo’s observations of the four satellites of Jupiter and the rugged face of the moon through his newly invented perspicillum, Kepler in great excitement exclaimed: Therefore let Galileo take his stand by Kepler’s side. Let the former observe the moon with his face turned skyward, while the latter studies the sun by looking down at a screen (lest the lens injure his eyes). Let each employ his own device, and from this partnership may there some day arise an absolutely perfect theory of the distances. This Hollywood-like scene of the two astronomers marching hand in hand toward the dawn of a new scientific era was no attempt by Kepler to appropriate Galileo’s success or to diminish the novelty of the telescope. On the contrary, Kepler repeatedly asserted how short sighted he was in misjudging the potential for astronomical observations inherent in lenses, and how radically Galileo’s instrument transformed the science of astronomy. It was a deep sense of recognition that beyond their different scientific temperaments and projects, they shared a common agenda of a new mode of empirical engagement with the phenomenal world: the instrument. For Kepler and Galileo, empirical investigation was no longer a direct engagement with nature, but an essentially mediated endeavor. The new instruments were not to assist the human senses, but to replace them. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7873 Title: Baroque Optics and the Disappearance of the Observer: From Kepler’s Optics to Descartes’ Doubt Authors: Gal, Ofer; Chen Morris, Raz Abstract: In the seventeenth century the human observer gradually disappeared from optical treatises. It was a paradoxical process: the naturalization of the eye estranged the mind from its objects. Turned into a material optical instrument, the eye no longer furnished the observer with genuine representations of visible objects. It became a mere screen, on which rested a blurry array of light stains, accidental effects of a purely causal process. It thus befell the intellect to decipher one natural object—a flat image of no inherent epistemic value—as the vague, reversed reflection of another, wholly independent object. In reflecting on and trespassing the boundaries between natural and artificial, orderly and disorderly, this optical paradox was a Baroque intellectual phenomenon; and it was the origin of Descartes’ celebrated doubt— whether we know anything at all. 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7872 Title: NSW Young People on Community Orders: Key Findings Report Authors: Kenny, Dianna; Nelson, Paul; Butler, Tony; Lennings, Chris; Allerton, Mark; Champion, Una 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7869 Title: Attentional Changes During Implicit Learning: Signal Validity Protects a Target Stimulus from the Attentional Blink Authors: Livesey, Evan J; Harris, Irina M; Harris, Justin A Abstract: Participants in two experiments performed two simultaneous tasks: one, a dual-target detection task within a rapid sequence of target and distractor letters; the other, a cued reaction time task requiring participants to make a cued left/right response immediately after each letter sequence. Under these rapid visual presentation conditions, it is usually difficult to identify the second target when it is presented in close temporal proximity of the first target, a phenomenon known as the attentional blink. However, here, participants showed an advantage for detecting a target presented during the attentional blink if that target predicted which response cue would appear at the end of the trial. Participants also showed faster reaction times on trials with a predictive target. Both of these effects were independent of conscious knowledge of the target-response contingencies assessed by post-experiment questionnaires. The results suggest that implicit learning of the association between a predictive target and its outcome can automatically facilitate target recognition during the attentional blink, and therefore shed new light on the relationship between associative learning and attentional mechanisms. 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7868 Title: Tracking a single fast-moving object exhausts attentional resources Authors: Holcombe, Alex; Chen, Wei-Ying Abstract: Driving on a busy road, eluding a group of predators, or playing a team sport involves keeping track of multiple moving objects. In typical laboratory tasks, the number of visual targets that humans can track is about four. Three types of theories have been advanced to explain this limit. The fixed-limit theory posits a set number of attentional pointers available to follow objects. Spatial interference theory proposes that when targets are near each other, their attentional spotlights mutually interfere. Resource theory asserts that a limited resource is divided among targets, and performance reflects the amount available per target. Utilising widely separated objects to avoid spatial interference, the present experiments validated the predictions of resource theory. The fastest target speed at which two targets could be tracked was much slower than the fastest speed at which one target could be tracked. This speed limit for tracking two targets was approximately that predicted if at high speeds, only a single target could be tracked. This result cannot be accommodated by the fixed-limit or interference theories. Evidently a fast target, if it moves fast enough, can exhaust attentional resources. Description: NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Cognition. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. 2011-10-31T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7865 Title: Power and Responsibility: The Mekong River Commission and Lower Mekong mainstream dams Authors: Lee, Gary; Scurrah, Natalia Abstract: The revival of plans to build up to 11 hydropower dams on the Lower Mekong mainstream focuses attention on the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an international river basin organisation assigned with the task of ensuring the sustainable use and management of water and related resources of the Lower Mekong Basin. Although questions regarding MRC’s role have been posed since its inception, the proposed mainstream dams signal an especially critical time for MRC. How MRC addresses key concerns and balances different interests in the basin will have signifi cant bearing on MRC’s perceived relevance to its member states, donors and the people of the basin. This report focuses on two aspects of MRC’s structure and activities in relation to mainstream dams: its governance role and its role as a knowledge-based organisation. In regard to governance, MRC asserts that it is an intergovernmental organisation, not a supranational one and, as such, its role is primarily to serve its member states. This position calls for a better understanding of MRC power and responsibilities, and whose interests the MRC serves. MRC’s governance structure has implications for a river basin organisation that portrays itself as an independent producer of knowledge and science. There are many areas of knowledge in which MRC can use its science to help manage and develop the river more equitably and sustainably. This report reviews MRC’s fi sheries research and modelling of development scenarios and examines how MRC acts on its knowledge base to infl uence planning and decision making on mainstream dams. The final section examines the responsiveness of MRC to the wider basin community and the opportunities and challenges arising from its recent efforts to engage various stakeholders more actively. Drawing heavily on MRC’s own research and statements, this report seeks to inform and open discussions regarding MRC’s role in relation to the proposed lower mainstream dams. 2009-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7859 Title: Comparing learned predictiveness effects within and across compound discriminations Authors: Livesey, Evan J; Thorwart, Anna; De Fina, Nicole L; Harris, Justin A Abstract: In four human learning experiments, we examined the extent to which learned predictiveness depends upon direct comparison between relatively good and poor predictors. Participants initially solved (1) linear compound discriminations in which one or both of the stimuli in each compound were predictive of the correct outcome, (2) biconditional discriminations where only the configurations of the stimuli were predictive of the correct outcome, or (3) pseudo-discriminations in which no stimulus features were predictive. In each experiment, subsequent learning and test stages were used to assay changes in the associability of each stimulus brought about by its role in the initial discriminations. Although learned predictiveness effects were observed in all experiments (i.e. previously predictive cues were more readily associated with a new outcome than previously non-predictive cues), the same changes in associability were observed regardless of whether the stimulus was initially learned about in the presence of an equally predictive, more predictive, or less predictive stimulus. The results suggest that learned associability is not controlled by competitive allocation of attention, but rather by the absolute predictiveness of each individual cue. 2011-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7857 Title: Response Rate and Reinforcement Rate in Pavlovian Conditioning Authors: Harris, Justin A Abstract: Four experiments used delay conditioning of magazine approach in rats to investigate the relationship between the rate of responding, R, to a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the rate, r, at which the CS is reinforced with the unconditioned stimulus (US). Rats were concurrently trained with four variable-duration CSs with different rs, either as a result of differences in the mean CS-US interval or in the proportion of CS presentations that ended with the US. In each case, R was systematically related to r, and the relationship was very accurately characterized by a hyperbolic function, R = Ar/(r+c). Accordingly, the reciprocal of these two variables – response interval, I (=1/R), and CS-US interval, i (=1/r) – were related by a simple affine (straight line) transformation, I = mi+b. This latter relationship shows that each increment in the time that the rats had to wait for food produced a linear increment in the time they waited between magazine entries. We discuss the close agreement between our findings and the Matching Law (Herrnstein, 1970), and consider their implications for both associative theories (e.g., Rescorla & Wagner, 1972) and non-associative theories (Gallistel & Gibbon, 2000) of conditioning. 2011-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7856 Title: Summation of reinforcement rates when conditioned stimuli are presented in compound Authors: Andrew, Benjamin J; Harris, Justin Abstract: Three experiments used delay conditioning of magazine approach in rats to examine the summation of responding when two conditioned stimuli (CSs) are presented together as a compound. The duration of each CS varied randomly from trial-to-trial around a mean that differed between the CSs. This meant that the rats’ response rate to each CS was systematically related to the reinforcement rate of that CS, but remained steady as time elapsed during the CS (Harris & Carpenter, in press; Harris, Gharaei, & Pincham, in press). When the rats were presented with a compound of two CSs that had been conditioned separately, they responded more during the compound than during either of the CSs individually. More significantly, however, in all three experiments, the rats responded to the compound at the same rate as they responded to a third CS that had been reinforced at a rate equal to the sum of the reinforcement rates of the two CSs in compound. We discuss the implications of this finding for associative models (e.g., Rescorla & Wagner, 1972) and rate-based models (Gallistel & Gibbon, 2000) of conditioning. 2011-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7796 Title: Elemental Representations of Stimuli in Associative Learning Authors: Harris, Justin A Abstract: This paper reviews evidence and theories concerning the nature of stimulus representations in Pavlovian conditioning. It focuses on the elemental approach developed in Stimulus Sampling Theory (Atkinson & Estes, 1963; Bush & Mosteller, 1951b) and extended by McLaren and Mackintosh (2000; 2002), and contrasts this with models that that invoke notions of configural representations that uniquely code for different patterns of stimulus inputs (e.g., Pearce, 1987, 1994; Rescorla & Wagner, 1972; Wagner & Brandon, 2001). The paper then presents a new elemental model that emphasizes interactions between stimulus elements. This model is shown to explain a range of behavioral findings, including those (e.g., negative patterning and biconditional discriminations) traditionally thought beyond the explanatory capabilities of elemental models. Moreover, the model offers a ready explanation for recent findings reported by Rescorla (2000; 2001; 2002b) concerning the way that stimuli with different conditioning histories acquire associative strength when conditioned in compound 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7793 Title: The arguments of associations Authors: Harris, Justin A Abstract: This chapter considers associative solutions to “non‐linear” discrimination problems, such as negative patterning (A+ and B+ vs AB‐) and the biconditional discrimination (AB+ and CD+ vs AC‐ and BD‐). It is commonly assumed that the solution to these discriminations requires “configural” elements that are added to the compound of two stimuli. However, these discriminations can be solved by assuming that some elements of each stimulus are suppressed when two stimuli are presented in compound. Each of these approaches can solve patterning and biconditional discriminations because they allow some elements, as the arguments of associations, to have differential “presence” on reinforced versus nonreinforced trials, and thus differential associability and control over responding. The chapter then presents a more specific version of one of these models, describing how interactions between stimuli, particularly the competition for attention, provide a mechanism whereby some elements are more suppressed than others when stimuli are presented simultaneously as a compound. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7792 Title: Increasing the frequency of breakfast consumption Authors: Kothe, Emily J; Mullan, Barbara A Abstract: Purpose – A number of interventions aimed at increasing breakfast consumption have been designed and implemented in recent years. This paper seeks to review the current research in this area with the aim of identifying common features of successful interventions and strengths and weaknesses in the current research methodology. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic review of interventions aimed at increasing breakfast-eating frequency in a non-clinical sample was conducted. Findings – A total of 11 interventions were identified and reviewed; of these, only three resulted in an increase in breakfast consumption at follow-up. The three studies that were successful in changing breakfast consumption all included a psychosocial component that was successful in increasing positive attitudes towards nutrition in the intervention protocol. Many of the breakfast-eating interventions included in this review have methodological weaknesses, including difficulties in implementing interventions, small sample sizes, and selection biases, which future researchers should consider when designing and evaluating their own interventions. Research limitations/implications – These findings highlight the importance of including psychosocial components in interventions designed to increase breakfast consumption, while also signalling issues that should be addressed when designing and reporting future interventions. Originality/value – This review was the first to investigate the efficacy of interventions aimed at increasing breakfast consumption. The identification of weaknesses in the current body of research, and of successful and unsuccessful intervention practices is an important step in developing successful interventions in the future. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7791 Title: An attention modulated associative network. Authors: Harris, Justin A; Livesey, Evan J Abstract: We present an elemental model of associative learning that describes interactions between stimulus elements as a process of competitive normalization. Building on the assumptions laid out in Harris (2006), stimuli are represented as an array of elements that compete for attention according to the strength of their input. Elements form associations among each other according to temporal correlations in their activation but restricted by their connectivity. The model moves beyond its predecessor by specifying excitatory, inhibitory, and attention processes for each element in real time and describing their interaction as a form of suppressive gain control. Attention is formalized in this model as a network of mutually inhibitory units that moderate the activation of stimulus elements by controlling the level to which the elements are suppressed by their own inhibitory processes. The model is applied to a range of complex discriminations and related phenomena that have been taken as evidence for configural-learning processes. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7782 Title: The acquisition of conditioned responding Authors: Harris, Justin A Abstract: This report analyzes the acquisition of conditioned responses in rats trained in a magazine approach paradigm. Following the suggestion by Gallistel, Fairhurst and Balsam (2004), Weibull functions were fitted to the trial-by-trial response rates of individual rats. These showed that the emergence of responding was often delayed, after which the response rate would increase relatively gradually across trials. The fit of the Weibull function to the behavioral data of each rat was equaled by that of a cumulative exponential function incorporating a response threshold. Thus the growth in conditioning strength on each trial can be modeled by the derivative of the exponential – a difference term of the form used in many models of associative learning (e.g., Rescorla & Wagner, 1972). Further analyses, comparing the acquisition of responding to a continuously reinforced stimulus (CRf) and a partially reinforced stimulus (PRf), provided further evidence in support of the difference term. In conclusion, the results are consistent with conventional models that describe learning as the growth of associative strength, incremented on each trial by an error-correction process. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2123/7781 Title: Response rates track the history of reinforcement times Authors: Harris, Justin A; Gharaei, Saba; Pincham, Hannah L Abstract: When conditioning involves a consistent temporal relationship between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US), the expression of conditioned responses within a trial peaks at the usual time of the US relative to the CS. Here we examine the temporal profile of responses during conditioning with variable CS-US intervals. We conditioned stimuli with either uniformly distributed or exponentially distributed random CS-US intervals. In the former case, the frequency of each CS-US interval within a specified range is uniform but the momentary probability of the US (the hazard function) increases as time elapses during the trial; with the latter distribution, short CS-US intervals are more frequent than longer intervals, but the momentary probability of the US is constant across time within the trial. We report that, in a magazine approach paradigm, rats’ response rates remained stable as time elapses during the CS when the CS-US intervals were uniformly distributed, whereas their response rates declined when the CS-US intervals were exponentially distributed. In other words, the profile of responding during the CS matched the frequency distribution of the US times, not the momentary probability of the US during the CS. These results are inconsistent with real-time associative models, which predict that associative strength tracks the momentary probability of the US, but may provide support for timing models of conditioning in which conditioned responding is tied to remembered times of reinforcement. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z