Psychology

Predicting treatment success based on physiological and psychological markers at baseline
Wendy Li
01 Sep 2022 - 31 May 2024
this study examines whether physiological and psychological markers at baseline can predict treatment success of a stress intervention in 50 university students, 25 each from JCUA and JCUS. This project will provide the foundation for a larger study focused on predicting treatment efficacy based on individual differences at baseline, which may inform clinicians in choosing person-focused interventions to increase efficacy and reduce the burden and costs related to ineffective and delayed treatment.
Mindful Warriors Full-Day Retreat
Wendy Li
12 Oct 2024 - 12 Oct 2024
The Mindful Warriors Full-Day Retreat at the Central Plaza, James Cook University, Townsville, is an initiative during the Queensland Mental Health Week, offering veterans and their family members a day to connect with nature, reduce stress, and cultivate inner peace. Guided by a qualified mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teacher, participants will practice mindfulness meditation away from daily distractions. This practice encourages being fully present and observing thoughts and feelings without judgment. It is a powerful tool for emotional regulation and overall well-being for veterans and community members. The retreat includes various meditation techniques (body scan, attention-focus meditation, lying down yoga meditation, standing yoga, meditation, sit meditation, walking meditation), and a mindful BBQ and eating session.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Group Intervention for Victim-Survivors of Violence against Women in Regional and Rural North Queensland
Wendy Li
01 Sep 2023 - 30 Aug 2024
Violence against women (VAW) is a major public health problem in Australia. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023 report, 23% Australian women experienced violence by an intimate partner and 12.6% women experienced sexual harassment in the past 12 months1. Women living in regional, rural and remote areas are more likely to experience VAW compared to metropolitan women3. VAW commonly results in post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD)3 that is often a comorbid condition of depression and anxiety4. Prolonged exposure, cognitive processing and cognitive behavioural therapies are the most well-studied first- and second-wave psychotherapies, that have demonstrated effectiveness for individuals with PTSD4. However, about 30-60% individuals do not respond well to these treatments5, indicating a critical need for research into alternative treatments for PTSD among victim-survivors of VAW, such as third-wave psychotherapies. As a prominent third-wave psychotherapy, MBSR has been employed as a safe and effective treatment for victim-survivors of VAW in the past decade; but is predominately USA-based4. The proposed activity is to deliver MBSR to 30 victim-survivors of VAW in Townsville and evaluate its effectiveness for this population. This study is the first in Australia to evaluate the effectiveness of MBSR for this population.
Delivery of the Veterans’ Individualised Physical Education, Rehabilitation, Recovery and Reintegration (VIPER3) program
Wendy Li
26 Aug 2024 - 31 Dec 2026
The Veterans’ Individualised Physical Education, Rehabilitation, Recovery and Reintegration program (VIPER 3) will pilot a novel approach to address the challenges faced by military veterans that have transitioned to civilian life, through a combination of exercise and mindfulness interventions. Utilising a "battle buddy" system, 20 veterans will participate in a 12-week regime of tailored exercise and mindfulness sessions, designed to provide the psychosocial, health and wellness framework to support their reintegration into the community. Greater compliance, positive participant feedback, and improvements in physical and mental health and quality of life will support wider implementation of the program and future funding support.
Enhanced network of real-time tropical cyclone monitoring weather stations
Connar McShane
01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2026
This project seeks to build a fully functional mobile weather station network for disseminating real-time, community-based, weather data during tropical cyclones. The second aspect to this program is to relate the measured wind data against community perceptions.
Project Smiling Gecko CAMBODIA - What Gaps can we impact?
Connar McShane
21 Oct 2025 - 23 Oct 2025
JCU's mission is to create a brighter future for life in the Tropics, and this project aims to increase JCU's impact on livelihoods in remote communities in SE Asia. By working with NGO Smiling Gecko Cambodia (SGC) which supports the needy population in Cambodia, the team can contribute to their self sustaining, ecologically and economically vibrant activities that aligns with UN SDG goals 4(quality education), 12 (responsible consumption & production), 14 (life below water) and 17 (partnerships for the goals). SGC runs a school for 500 students, a farm house resort that employs several hundred employees, grows food crops, and runs tilapia ponds at their 105-hectare site that benefits 30,000 Cambodians in surrounding villages. SGC is committed to continuing growth and seeking partnerships with universities to develop programs for the continuing education of its young community. The team seeks to identify how we can partner with SGC to identify gaps where we can make a difference to the local population, and where we can make an impact on their operation by building capacity. We propose a 3 days/ 2 nights site study and stakeholder engagement in October 2025. The immediate output will be a blue print for our future work with SGC and other remote communities, how we participate in their continual growth and showcase as a working model for other remote communities in SE Asia. We will seek suitable future funding opportunities from international financial institutions such as the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank.
Conceptualisation and measurement of maternal-fetal bonding
Sam Teague
01 Jul 2025 - 31 Dec 2025
The purpose of this work is to build evidence relating to the (lack of) suitability of existing measures of maternal-fetal bonding for clinicians and researchers. Evidence of this nature will support our pitch for an ARC Discovery Project application to validate and test a new measure of the construct that is suitable for use in various populations (including CALD and Indigenous women).
Exploring Student Perspectives on Generative artificial intelligence Integration in Education
Klaire Somoray
Students are increasingly using GenAI, but institutional practices and educator approaches to GenAI integration remain varied and sometimes restrictive. Understanding how students navigate these tensions is critical to informing effective and ethical educational practices. This project investigates CHS students’ perspectives on the integration of GenAI into their education. Specifically, it will explore: 1) Student GenAI use in learning: This includes their usage patterns, challenges faced, and their views on current institutional policies and practices. and 2) Educator GenAI use in teaching: This covers student perceptions of GenAI-generated educational materials, its role in assessments, and their views on how GenAI should be effectively integrated into teaching and learning practices.
Leveraging AI simulations for allied health education: Pilot study for Psychology
Klaire Somoray
Healthcare students require hands-on experience to develop critical clinical competencies. Recent advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) enable virtual simulations where students can practice their skills in a safe environment. While commercial options exist, they often raise safety concerns and restrict features behind paywalls. IDA (Interactive Dialogue Agent) is a customisable LLM-powered virtual patient simulator with speech capabilities. IDA is specifically designed for healthcare education with built-in safety measures. This project will test IDA with psychology students to determine its effectiveness before expanding to other healthcare disciplines, ultimately providing students college-wide (and university-wide) dynamic and scalable simulations.
GenAI in the classroom: Transforming Assessment Practice
Klaire Somoray
Our project will examine both the student and educator perspectives, aiming for high-impact outcomes: • Phase 1-2 will assess AI's impact on students’ learning and assessment, informing AI literacy frameworks, assessment reforms and development of OER guides for ethical and critical use of AI. • Phase 3 will focus on educator’s perspectives, guiding future professional development programs. A resource toolkit for educators will be developed to teach AI literacy to staff and reduce bias in evaluating AI-assisted student work. • Findings from all phases will be presented at conferences and published in academic journals positioning JCU as a leader in AI-integrated assessment reform.
Title: Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
Reseracher: Chae Rose (Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2020
End Date: 01 Jan 2024
Title: Teaching Excellence: Inclusive Teaching Practice - JCU
Reseracher: Kannan Singaravelu Jaganathan (Lecturer Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2022
Title: Visualise Your Thesis Runner-Up
Reseracher: Kannan Singaravelu Jaganathan (Lecturer Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2021
Title: Trimester Implementation Working Group
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2023
End Date: 01 Jan 2023
Title: Psychology Statistics Subjects Sequence Discussion Group
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2023
End Date: 01 Jan 2023
Title: Psychology Community of Practice
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2025
End Date: 01 Jan 2026
Title: The Animal Ambassador Effect on Human Pro-Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviours: A Scoping Review
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2026
Title: Wagging the Therapeutic Tail: A Systematic Review of Canine Assisted Therapy for Treating Trauma Related Symptomology in Children and Adolescents
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2022
Title: Companion Animal Ownership, Loneliness, and Mental Health in Older Adults During COVID-19
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
Title: Evaluating the Impact of Biosecurity Detector Dog Visibility on Traveller Behaviour (25B)
Reseracher: Jessica Oliva (Senior Lecturer, Psychology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2025