2018 Psychology Honours Projects - SCHOOL OF HEALTH AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES - RMIT Australia
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SCHOOL OF HEALTH AND
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
2018 Psychology Honours
Projects
The following pages contain the 2018 Psychology
Honours projects offered by the
School of Health and Biomedical Sciences.
If you are interested in applying for any of these
projects, you are encouraged to discuss your
application with the supervisor(s) listed, prior to
lodging a formal application.
For more information on the School of Health and
Biomedical Sciences’ Psychology Honours programs,
please contact:
Dr Russell Conduit +61 3 9925 6658,
russell.conduit@rmit.edu.au
OR
Professor Stephen Robinson +61 3 9925 7120,
Stephen.robinson@rmit.edu.au
School of Health and Biomedical Sciences
August 20171. Project Title A mindful approach to hoarding disorder 2. Senior supervisor Dr. James Collett 3. Associate Supervisor/s I collaborate with Dr. Alex De Foe, Dr. Imogen Rehm, both fellow RMIT staff members, and will recommend drawing on their expertise as secondary supervisor(s) where appropriate. 4. Project Description Hoarding disorder is a prevalent mental health concern representing a considerable burden to clients, service providers, and the wider community. The strongest evidence-based treatment for hoarding disorder is presently cognitive- behavioural therapy (CBT). However, CBT is associated with only modest treatment effects, and clients typically continue to warrant diagnosis post-treatment. A potentially more beneficial alternative to CBT is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), emphasising mindfulness and acceptance of negative thoughts. The aim of the proposed project is to administer questionnaire measures of hoarding symptoms and ACT-relevant traits (e.g., attachment security, emotion regulation, shame, perfectionism, and loneliness) in order to inform an argument for implementing ACT as a hoarding intervention. If desired, this initial study can serve as a useful foundation for a later Masters or PhD project designing and assessing an ACT-based hoarding treatment program. Particulars of the research design will be specified in collaboration with the interested fourth-year student(s) in early 2018. There is scope to recalibrate the project to focus on hoarding disorder in children and/or adolescents specifically, in order to address a lack of research in this area. Prospective student researchers are encouraged to contact Dr. James Collett (james.collett@rmit.edu.au) to discuss their interest in the project. 1. Project Title Visual perception, decision-making, and affective cognition in hoarding disorder 2. Senior supervisor Dr. James Collett 3. Associate Supervisor/s Dr. Alex De Foe will consult as secondary supervisor on this project due to his expertise in visual perception. 4. Project Description Hoarding disorder is a prevalent mental health concern representing a considerable burden to clients, service providers, and the wider community. The dominant theoretical pathway for hoarding disorder proposes that hoarding symptoms arise as a mechanism for coping with emotional deprivation. However, this theoretical pathway does not explain why neuropsychological deficits have also been consistently observed in hoarding disorder, specifically in relation to decision- making, categorisation, attention, impulsivity, planning, and memory. Research has tentatively linked memory deficits to issues with visual perception, however this link has largely gone unexplored. The aim of the proposed project is to administer task-based assessments of visual perception, decision-making, and affective cognition to a non-clinical sample of individuals screened for vulnerability to hoarding disorder. Particulars of the research design will be specified in collaboration with interested fourth-year student(s) in early 2018, with scope for adding a virtual reality task to the study. Prospective student researchers are encouraged to contact Dr. James Collett (james.collett@rmit.edu.au) to discuss their interest in the project.
1. Project Title A detailed taxonomy of existing reward sensitivity measurement tools 2. Senior supervisor Dr. James Collett 3. Associate Supervisor/s I collaborate with Dr. Alex De Foe and Dr. Imogen Rehm, both fellow RMIT staff members, and will recommend drawing on their expertise as secondary supervisor(s) where appropriate. 4. Project Description Dysregulated processes of reward sensitivity and impulsivity are implicated across many psychological health concerns, including bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and problem gambling behaviour. Multiple self-report measures of reward sensitivity are available. However there is great variability in factor structure, item content, and validity across these measures, with no academic consensus as to which is most useful or most accurate. The aim of the proposed project is to assemble a large-scale quantitative data-set using existing reward sensitivity measures, and then apply factor analysis techniques as well as qualitative thematic analysis in order to identify an appropriate data-driven structure across measures. Particulars of the research design will be specified in collaboration with the interested fourth-year student(s) in early 2018, with scope to integrate risky decision-making tasks and/or a virtual reality task as validation benchmarks. Prospective student researchers are encouraged to contact Dr. James Collett (james.collett@rmit.edu.au) to discuss their interest in the project. 1. Project Title Can binaural beat stimulation help you get to sleep quicker? 2. Senior supervisor Dr Russell Conduit 3. Associate Supervisor/s NIL 4. Project Description When two coherent sounds with nearly similar frequencies are presented to each ear respectively with stereo headphones, the brain integrates the two signals and produces a sensation of a third sound called binaural beat (BB). When the Binaural Beat Frequency is at a slow tempo, it is believed to aid sleep and increase sleeping EEG frequencies in the theta bandwidth. This project will use new portable EEG headphones that produce binaural beats (https://kokoon.io/) and we will investigate EEG frequency changes and the sleep that results from wearing these in a binaural beat condition versus control sound. Starting References Jirakittayakorn N, Wongsawat Y. Brain Responses to a 6-Hz Binaural Beat: Effects on General Theta Rhythm and Frontal Midline Theta Activity. Front Neurosci. 2017 Jun 28;11:365. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00365. Abeln V et al. Brainwave entrainment for better sleep and post-sleep state of young elite soccer players - a pilot study. Eur J Sport Sci. 2014;14(5):393-402.
1. Project Title Imagery vs Virtual Reality – Do we need technology or is our minds eye enough to improve motor performance? 2. Senior supervisor Dr Russell Conduit 3. Associate Supervisor/s Dr Alex De Foe 4. Project Description There is substantial evidence that mental rehearsal with imagery improves motor skill performance in a variety of tasks. However, with new VR technologies, there are claims that virtual environments provide a new method of improving motor skills through “virtual” practice. But do we need the technology? Does the cognitive effort of imagery bring something extra that helps with improvement or does the immersion of VR bring something new and better? This study will compare VR tennis serve training to imagery in serve performance on the tennis court. The results will then have potential implications to a wide variety of other forms of motor learning, training and rehabilitation. Starting References Guillot A et al. Implementation of Motor Imagery during Specific Aerobic Training Session in Young Tennis Players. PLoS One. 2015 Nov 18;10(11):e0143331. Intel Pty LtD. Gaming Pro Athletes and Gamers Train in Virtual Reality. IQ by Intel https://iq.intel.com/pro-athletes- gamers-train-virtual-reality/ 1. Project Title The relationship between sleep and cognitive/perceptual processing across the autism spectrum 2. Senior supervisor Dr Russell Conduit 3. Associate Supervisor/s Dr Robin Laycock 4. Project Description Previously we have shown how naturally occurring sleep disruption has a negative impact on behaviour, cognitive performance and learning outcomes in children (1-3). We have also shown how autistic tendency is related to impairments in visual processing (4-6). However, little research has been conducted to date where cognitive performance and visual processing impairments are investigated after experimental sleep restriction. Using established methods, we will investigate visual (for example perceptual biases towards local or global processing) and cognitive performance after control conditions of normal sleep and conditions of partial and cumulative sleep restriction. We hypothesize that sleep restriction will have cumulative detrimental effects on cognitive performance and visual processing and that those on the Autistic spectrum will show more severe deficits as a result of sleep restriction. References 1. Cohen S, Conduit R, Lockley S, Rajarathnam S, Cornish K. (2014) The relationship between sleep and behaviour in autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a review. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. 6, 44-52. 2. Fletcher, F., Conduit, R., Foster-Owens, M., Rinehart, N., Rajaratnam, S., & Cornish, K. (2016). The association between anxiety symptoms and sleep in school-aged children: a combined insight from the children's sleep habits questionnaire and actigraphy, Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 1–16 3. Fletcher, F., Foster-Owens, M., Conduit, R., Rinehart, N., Riby, D., & Cornish, K. (2016). The development trajectory of parent-report and objective sleep profiles in autism spectrum disorder: Associations with anxiety and bedtime routines, Autism, 1-11. 4. Laycock R, Cross AJ, Dalle Nogare F, Crewther SG. (2014). Self-rated social skills predict visual perception: impairments in object discrimination requiring transient attention associated with high autistic tendency. Autism Research, 7(1), 104-11. 5. Laycock R, Chan D, Crewther SG. (under review). Autistic-traits predict non-conscious cueing of local/global arrows. Frontiers in Psychology, 2017 6. Crewther R, Wright A, Goodale M, Laycock R. (2016) Autism spectrum disorder traits predict reduced attentional priority for faces. Journal of Vision, 16(12): 482-482
1. Project Title Which factors determine 'immersion' in virtual reality (VR)? 2. Senior supervisor Dr Alex De Foe 3. Associate Supervisor/s This project is based at the Psychology VR Lab. It may involve co-supervision by Dr James Collett and/or Dr Imogen Rhem. Co-supervision arrangements will be negotiated with the student and dependent upon the requirements of the finalised project. 4. Project Description You will develop a procedure and/or scale to measure one’s level of presence and immersion in a virtual reality (VR) environment. Your literature review will involve a critical analysis and synthesis of concepts related to presence, such as ‘immersion’, ‘engagement’, ‘social presence’, ‘absorption’, and ‘tele-presence’. Although prior work has demonstrated that fantasy-prone individuals experience more compelling perceptual illusions (with often lingering perceptual effects), similar determinants in full VR have been understudied. As part of your data collection and analysis strategy, you may therefore consider samples who are prone to higher perceptual absorption and/or fantasy, in additional to a general population sample. We anticipate that the outcomes of this project will help better establish 1. how presence in VR can/should be assessed, 2. how the subjective sense of immersion differs across samples, and 3. potential implications associated with immersion in virtual worlds, especially in relation to health and well-being. I encourage my honours students to exercise a high degree of autonomy and independent thinking in their research. Therefore, minor alterations to this project may be accommodated with negotiation. Consultation with relevant ethics bodies and formal ethics approval is required well in advance of commencing research. Students should therefore initiate contact well before semester 1 to negotiate the scope. As this project is based at the city campus, participants in the experiment will be drawn from RMIT city and/or other local sources pending ethics approval. You will be provided access to all required equipment and training to complete the experimental component. 1. Project Title Simulating the out-of-body illusion in virtual reality (VR) 2. Senior supervisor Dr Alex De Foe 3. Associate Supervisor/s This project is based at the Psychology VR Lab. It may involve co-supervision by Dr James Collett and/or Dr Imogen Rhem. Co-supervision arrangements will be negotiated with the student and dependent upon the requirements of the finalised project. 4. Project Description You will induce a haptic/full-body illusion in virtual reality (VR). Experiments based on false motion, such as Henrik Ehrsson’s ‘out-of-body illusion’, have applied visual and haptic multimodal matching to create the sense that one’s presence has moved out of their body. This illusion is thought to influence the vestibular system and produce a temporary disruption in self and body processing. Some scholars think that due to its immersive nature, full virtual reality (VR) can provide a basis for exploring such illusions. Since prior VR research with illusions has been limited, this project provides scope to innovate an existing haptic illusion within VR. It may be suitable for students with an interest in perceptual illusions, the embodiment hypothesis, and/or out-of-body experiences (OBEs). There is also a scope to extend this research into a master’s/HDR project examining the health-related implications of VR on one’s sense of self-hood, body ownership, and presence. I encourage my honours students to exercise a high degree of autonomy and independent thinking in their research. Therefore, minor alterations to this project may be accommodated with negotiation. Consultation with relevant ethics bodies and formal ethics approval is required well in advance of commencing research. Students should therefore initiate contact well before semester 1 to negotiate the scope. As this project is based at the city campus, participants in the experiment will be drawn from RMIT city and/or other local sources pending ethics approval. You will be provided access to all required equipment and training to complete the experimental component.
1. Project Title A critical review and empirical evaluation of attention schema theory (AST) 2. Senior supervisor Dr Alex De Foe 3. Associate Supervisor/s This project will be co-supervised by Dr Glenn Carruthers at Charles Sturt University. Supervision meetings will take place at the RMIT city campus and/or via Google Hangouts. 4. Project Description You will examine Michael Graziano’s assertion that “attention schema theory is entirely mechanistic and therefore scientifically testable”. To evaluate this claim, you will review a broad range of literature related to the evolutionary basis for phenomenal consciousness. You will be required to draw upon and analyse cognitive concepts related to the structural and phenomenological nature of consciousness (e.g., theory of mind and Graziano’s social attribution hypothesis). Additionally, where suitable, you may develop and facilitate an empirical task to either provide support for, or refute, current theoretical approaches to attention schema theory (AST). This could involve, but would not be limited to, an unconscious information processing task or a ToM battery. The outcome of this project will result in contribution to current pragmatic and social models of consciousness (within an evolutionary context), and/or development of a new/refined theoretical framework to conceptualise global states of consciousness. I encourage my honours students to exercise a high degree of autonomy and independent thinking in their research. Therefore, minor alterations to this project may be accommodated with negotiation. Consultation with relevant ethics bodies and formal ethics approval is required well in advance of commencing research. As such, students interested in this project should initiate contact well before semester 1 to negotiate the scope. As this project is based at the city campus, participants in the experiment will be drawn from RMIT city and/or other local sources pending ethics approval. 1. Project Title Emotional memory function and its relationship to depressive symptoms in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. 2. Senior supervisor Dr Melinda Jackson 3. Associate Supervisor/s Maree Barnes (Austin Health) 4. Project Description An intimate relationship exists between sleep, memory, and emotion. Undisturbed sleep is an important process for remembering new information and for regulating emotions. Sleep disturbance and sleep disorders affect a wide range of functions, including memory and mood. Preliminary evidence suggests acute sleep deprivation in healthy individuals alters memory for emotional information, preserving memory of negative information. This “negative memory bias” is also a symptom of depression, and is thought to contribute to the development and maintenance of depression. Whether a negative memory bias also occurs in individuals with a chronic sleep disorder, leading to development of depression, is unknown. This potential mechanistic link between sleep disturbance, negative memory bias and depressed mood will be examined in patients with Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA is a respiratory disorder characterised by frequent airway closures during the night, leading to hypoxia and sleep fragmentation. This project will involve collecting cognitive assessments OSA participants as part of a larger study examining depression in OSA. This project is in collaboration with the Respiratory and Sleep Department at Austin Health, and the student will be based at Austin Health working as part of a team of clinicians, researchers and research assistants on the project.
1. Project Title Autobiographical memory function before and after treatment in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. 2. Senior supervisor Dr Melinda Jackson 3. Associate Supervisor/s Maree Barnes (Austin Health) 4. Project Description Autobiographical memory (memory for events in one’s own life) impairment has been linked to dementia and depression in previous studies. Recent work by our group has shown that autobiographical memory is also impaired in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA is a respiratory disorder characterised by frequent airway closures during the night, leading to hypoxia and sleep fragmentation. Patients with OSA exhibit a range of cognitive deficits, including attention, executive function and memory. The gold standard treatment for OSA, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, improves some of the cognitive dysfunction, however, there is currently no data as to whether autobiographical memory impairments improve after treatment. This project will involve collecting follow up cognitive assessments from a subset of 120 participants who have been assessed for autobiographical memory function before treatment of their OSA, after they have been on treatment for 4 and 12 months. This project is in collaboration with the Respiratory and Sleep Department at Austin Health, and the student will be working as part of a team of clinicians, researchers and research assistants on the project. 1. Project Title The relationship between subjective memory complaints and objective memory performance in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. 2. Senior supervisor Dr Melinda Jackson 3. Associate Supervisor/s Professor Stephen Robinson 4. Project Description OSA is a respiratory disorder characterised by frequent airway closures during the night, leading to hypoxia and sleep fragmentation. As a consequence, many patients experience daytime sleepiness and changes in memory and mood. Research studies have demonstrated a range of cognitive deficits in OSA patients, including attention, executive function and memory. However there is limited data on whether subjective memory complaints are indicative of actual memory impairment. This study aims to determine whether subjective and objective memory are related, and what aspects of OSA severity and daytime symptomatology are associated with memory performance. The student will be involved in collecting cognitive measures and questionnaire responses of memory function in a group OSA patients. This project is in collaboration with the Respiratory and Sleep Department at Austin Health, and the student will be working as part of a team of clinicians, researchers and research assistants on the project, based at Austin Health.
1. Project Title Applied social psychology 2. Senior supervisor Dr Mervyn Jackson 3. Associate Supervisor/s Nil 4. Project Description This research program focusses on applying basic social psychology theories to explain, predict and change behaviour in the following specialist areas: Social-organizational psychology, forensic psychology, health psychology and cross cultural psychology. 1. Project Title Exploration of road side tasks designed to assess driver fatigue and sleepiness. 2. Senior supervisor Professor Gerard A. Kennedy 3. Associate Supervisor/s Nil 4. Project Description Exploration of road side tasks designed to assess driver fatigue and sleepiness. 1. Project Title The relationships between gender, mood, and sleep. 2. Senior supervisor Professor Gerard A. Kennedy 3. Associate Supervisor/s Nil 4. Project Description The relationships between gender, mood, and sleep.
1. Project Title The relationship between chronotype (eveingness/morningness) and pupil dilation (light sensitivity) 2. Senior supervisor Professor. Gerard A. Kennedy 3. Associate Supervisor/s Nil 4. Project Description The relationship between chronotype (eveingness/morningness) and pupil dilation (light sensitivity) 1. Project Title Are there sleep problems in the broader autism phenotyp? 2. Senior supervisor Dr Robin Laycock 3. Associate Supervisor/s Dr Russell Conduit 4. Project Description Sleep problems have been shown to be more prevalent in those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Previously we have shown how naturally occurring sleep disruption has a negative impact on behaviour, cognitive performance and learning outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (1-3). ASD forms the clinical end of a spectrum of behaviours with the broader autism phenotype extending into the general population. This idea suggests that in the non-clinical population there are individuals with lower levels of autism traits or higher (but not necessarily diagnosable) autism traits. A number of studies have demonstrated that those higher on the broader autism spectrum exhibit similar social and communication difficulties, as well as cognitive processing differences, as those with a diagnosed ASD (e.g. 4-6) However, to date there is no research which has examined the incidence of sleep problems in the broader autism phenotype. We hypothesize that autism phenotype traits will correlate with degree of sleep quality. References 1. Cohen S, Conduit R, Lockley S, Rajarathnam S, Cornish K. (2014) The relationship between sleep and behavior in autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a review. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. 6, 44-52. 2. Fletcher, F., Conduit, R., Foster-Owens, M., Rinehart, N., Rajaratnam, S., & Cornish, K. (2016). The association between anxiety symptoms and sleep in school-aged children: a combined insight from the children's sleep habits questionnaire and actigraphy, Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 1–16 3. Fletcher, F., Foster-Owens, M., Conduit, R., Rinehart, N., Riby, D., & Cornish, K. (2016). The development trajectory of parent-report and objective sleep profiles in autism spectrum disorder: Associations with anxiety and bedtime routines, Autism, 1-11. 4. Laycock R, Cross AJ, Dalle Nogare F, Crewther SG. (2014). Self-rated social skills predict visual perception: impairments in object discrimination requiring transient attention associated with high autistic tendency. Autism Research, 7(1), 104-11. 5. Laycock R, Chan D, Crewther SG. (under review). Autistic-traits predict non-conscious cueing of local/global arrows. Frontiers in Psychology, 2017 6. Crewther R, Wright A, Goodale M, Laycock R. (2016) Autism spectrum disorder traits predict reduced attentional priority for faces. Journal of Vision, 16(12): 482-482
1. Project Title First impressions: Rapid judgements of threat, and the effects of unconscious visual processing in the autism spectrum 2. Senior supervisor Dr Robin Laycock 3. Associate Supervisor/s Dr Russell Conduit 4. Project Description ) Individuals on the autism spectrum display difficulties with social-emotional processing, as well as impairments in visual processing (1-3). In human social interactions, not all emotional processing is processed through the main conscious visual pathway. Most visual information projecting onto your retina travels through a ‘conscious’ visual pathway and allows us to deliberately act on the world (e.g, pick up a cup of coffee; recognise that a friend is sad and provide comfort). However, there are also visual regions that have direct contact with emotional neural networks that process information without our conscious awareness. This could be why people sometimes have a negative ‘gut feeling’ about a person they meet for the first time, without fully understanding why. This project will explore how first impressions (including very rapid processing within a fraction of a second) as well as unconscious visual processing (ie. neural processing without conscious awareness) might be different in those on the autism spectrum. Do those on the autism spectrum need longer to form rapid first impressions of threat? Do those on the autism spectrum differ in how unconscious processing of threat influences judgements of human faces? These are the types of questions this project will explore. References 1. Laycock R, Cross AJ, Dalle Nogare F, Crewther SG. (2014). Self-rated social skills predict visual perception: impairments in object discrimination requiring transient attention associated with high autistic tendency. Autism Research, 7(1), 104-11. 2. Laycock R, Chan D, Crewther SG. (under review). Autistic-traits predict non-conscious cueing of local/global arrows. Frontiers in Psychology, 2017 3. Crewther R, Wright A, Goodale M, Laycock R. (2016) Autism spectrum disorder traits predict reduced attentional priority for faces. Journal of Vision, 16(12): 482-482 1. Project Title Student wellbeing and adjustment to university life 2. Senior supervisor Mark Lee 3. Associate Supervisor/s TBD 4. Project Description This project will utilise a cross-sectional design to explore the role of individual aspects including personality, motivation and learning engagement in predicting wellbeing and academic performance among university students at various stages of their studies. A key aspect of the project will be to evaluate this in the context of a blended learning model and students adjustment to university study and life more broadly. Other aspects of the project will involve collaboration with the RMIT Student Counselling Service to evaluate various aspects of help seeking behaviours among students.
1. Project Title
Evaluating models of peer support for anxiety disorders
2. Senior supervisor
Dr Imogen Rehm
3. Associate Supervisor/s
Nil
4. Project Description
Anxiety disorders are estimated to affect 14% of Australian adults in any 12-month period. Avoidance of people and/or
situations across various life domains (e.g., work, study) are key features of anxiety disorders, which can contribute to
social isolation and a lack of connectedness. The Anxiety Recovery Centre of Victoria (ARCVic) is a state-wide, specialist
mental health organisation that has been providing recovery, educational, and support services to adults with anxiety
disorders for 30 years. ARCVic’s support services include (1) peer-led support groups, (2) a telephone helpline staffed by
individuals with lived experience of anxiety disorders, and (3) moderated online peer-support forums. Evaluating
consumer engagement and outcomes associated with each of these peer support models is critical to ensuring ARCVic
continues to deliver and develop high-quality services that meet community needs.
The aim of this research project is to evaluate models of peer support for anxiety disorders offered by ARCVic. Specific
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research questions and evaluation methodology will be developed by the 4 year student(s) in collaboration with ARCVic
stakeholders and Dr Imogen Rehm. As such, the student(s) will gain significant experience in local industry engagement,
project design and management, data analysis, and academic writing and presentation. Research into the effectiveness
of peer support interventions for anxiety disorders is limited despite increasing integration with community mental health
services, and as such, this project will make an important contribution to the literature.
1. Project Title
Self-Regulation in Hair Pulling Disorder and Skin Picking Disorder
2. Senior supervisor
Dr Imogen Rehm
3. Associate Supervisor/s
Dr James Collett
4. Project Description
People with Hair Pulling Disorder and Skin Picking Disorder repeatedly and uncontrollably pull and pick at their hair and
skin, respectively. These are highly distressing and impairing neuropsychiatric conditions, which are thought to affect 2-
4% of the population. Research suggests that compulsive hair pulling and skin picking serves an emotion regulation
function to cope with stress and anxiety. Anecdotally, people report hair pulling and skin picking to regulate their internal
arousal (i.e., sensory regulation), which may suggest high sensitivity to bodily sensations and states. Brain imaging
research and clinical experience indicates that impaired attentional control may also contribute to symptoms. Investigating
these additional aspects of self-regulation could have significant implications for improving cognitive-behavioural models
and treatments for hair pulling and skin picking disorders.
This project will investigate multiple aspects of self-regulation in adults with compulsive hair pulling and skin picking
behaviours compared to non-symptomatic adults, using online surveys. Dependent upon the student’s skills and work
experience in mental health, there may be scope to interview participants under supervision. Working with Dr Imogen
Rehm and her collaborators at Swinburne University of Technology, University of Glasgow and the Anxiety Recovery
Centre of Victoria, the student(s) will develop a research project to satisfy their own and all collaborators’ mutual interests
and strengths. The student(s) will join a small but passionate community of clinical academics investigating hair pulling
and skin picking disorders in Australia.1. Project Title
Investigating attitudes towards and the therapeutic alliance in digital mental health interventions
2. Senior supervisor
Dr Imogen Rehm
3. Associate Supervisor/s
I collaborate with Dr James Collett and Dr Alex de Foe, both RMIT staff members within the Psychology Discipline, and
will recommend drawing on their expertise as secondary supervisor(s) where appropriate.
4. Project Description
Digital technologies such as virtual reality, smartphone apps, web-based programs, and video-conferencing are
increasingly supporting people to access mental health information, assessment and treatment. Many digital mental
health interventions enable people to access support and evidence-based treatment where face-to-face services may be
limited (e.g., in rural and remote communities) or difficult to get to (e.g., due to disability, time pressures). Indeed, the
Australian Government has recently recognised the advantages of video-conferencing, which is now a Medicare rebated
psychological service for individuals living in rural and regional areas. Unfortunately, formal training for psychologists to
deliver such services is typically limited, which can contribute to perceptions that the therapeutic alliance – an important
element of effective psychotherapy – is poorer in comparison to traditional, face-to-face services. This perception is
inconsistent with evidence in support of the therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes achieved in video-conferencing,
for example.
The aim of this project is to investigate public and healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards digital mental health
interventions, with a particular focus on the perceived quality of the therapeutic alliance. This project will be designed in
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collaboration with the interested 4 year student(s) with scope to integrate experimental methodology (e.g., to assess
whether attitudes vary according to participant group or [mock] intervention condition). The student(s) will gain significant
experience in research design and project management in an innovative and rapidly-growing area of clinical psychology.
1. Project Title
Impact of energy drinks on the neural substrates of memory in rats
2. Senior supervisor
Dr Amy Reichelt, 9925 6710, Amy.reichelt@rmit.edu.au
3. Associate Supervisor/s
Nil
4. Project Description
Aims/Hypothesis:
Examine the effects of caffeinated and high sucrose “energy drinks” on learning and memory in rats.
Background/Rationale:
High sugar diets have been demonstrated to have a deleterious impact on learning and memory (e.g. Reichelt et al.,
2015, 2016; Abbott et al., 2016), however caffeine is known to be a cognitive stimulant. Energy drinks contain 10%
sucrose, the same as a soft drink, but with the addition of approximately 35-40mg of caffeine per 100ml. This
concentration is the same as coffee, but typically much greater volumes of energy drinks are consumed. Thus, it can be
hypothesised that these drinks may reverse the cognitive deficits associated with high sugar diet consumption. However,
excessive caffeine is linked to disrupted sleep and anxiety, which can disrupt memory consolidation. In this study we will
expose rats to high sugar or high sugar or high sugar/caffeine supplemented diets and then conduct learning and memory
tests in touchscreen chambers to establish the cognitive impact of these diets, and the effects on neuroproliferation
through immunohistochemistry / Western Blotting.
Outcomes/Benefits:
Students will conduct a novel highly translatable project. They will learn about - Animal behaviour testing, dietary
modification, physiological impact of diets, immunohistochemistry, data analysis and microscopy.1. Project Title Can you be addicted to food? 2. Senior supervisor Dr Amy Reichelt, 9925 6710, Amy.reichelt@rmit.edu.au 3. Associate Supervisor/s Nil 4. Project Description Aims/Hypothesis: To examine the psychosocial and mental health factors that may predispose people to “addiction like” eating behaviours. Background/Rationale: Food is consumed beyond the means of survival homeostatic needs; it may often be consumed for pleasure in the absence of energy deficit. Food addiction can be defined as “an eating behaviour that involves the overconsumption of certain foods in an addiction-like manner” and can be measured by the Yale Food Addiction Scale (Gearhardt, Corbin, & Brownell, 2009), indicative of the emergence of food addiction in a considerable portion of the population. Stress is another factor that may contribute to the development of food addiction, evidenced by its positive associations with a greater drive to eat (stress-induced eating), binge eating, and ineffective attempts to control eating (Groesz et al., 2011; Takeda et al., 2004; Torres & Nowson, 2007). Outcomes/Benefits: Students will conduct a novel highly translatable project. They will learn about clinical scales used for Food Addiction testing 1. Project Title Are adolescent brains more vulnerable to diet induced cognitive deficits? 2. Senior supervisor Dr Amy Reichelt, 9925 6710, Amy.reichelt@rmit.edu.au 3. Associate Supervisor/s Nil 4. Project Description Aims/Hypothesis: Examine the effects of high fat and high sucrose diets on learning and memory in adolescent and adult rats. Background/Rationale: The adolescent brain is undergoing many maturation processes, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, which regulates behaviour. This study will determine how high sugar diets impact on risk taking behaviour in young rats, particularly as teenagers are the biggest consumers of sugary foods and drinks. In this study we will expose rats to high fat or high sugar supplemented diets and then conduct learning and memory tests in touchscreen chambers to establish the cognitive impact of these diets, and the effects on neuroplasticity through immunohistochemistry / Western Blotting. Outcomes/Benefits: Students will conduct a novel highly translatable project. They will learn about - Animal behaviour testing, dietary modification, physiological impact of diets, immunohistochemistry, data analysis and microscopy.
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