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New Staff: Dr. Oliver Suendermann

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Dr. Oliver Suendermann joined our department in July 2016 as Clinical Psychologist and Manager at the Clinical and Health Psychology Centre (CHPC). He holds a Ph.D. and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, both from the Institute of Psychiatry at the Maudsley, King’s College London. He is also accredited with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies.

Oliver is a Clinical Psychologist and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist with a special interest and expertise in treating and researching Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He gained his skills in various specialist in- and outpatient clinics for OCD and BDD in the UK. Prior to joining NUS, he was the lead psychologist and manager of the national obsessional disorders clinic at the Priory Hospital North London. He has extensive experience in running workshops, training and supervising other professionals, as well as developing specialist OCD and BDD clinics.

 


New Staff: Dr. Lim Sheng Mian Matthew

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Dr. Matthew Lim joined our department in October 2016. He obtained a B.Soc.Sci. (Hons.) degree in psychology in NUS, and later read a doctorate in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University with a research focus on gambling-related cognitive distortions. His doctoral clinical training was completed at University College London (UCL) where he practiced Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and systemic-informed therapies. His research on this clinical programme focused on the development and validation of a recovery-based outcome measure for a Vietnamese refugee charity in London.

Matthew has an interest in understanding the development of poor emotion management in the context of early life attachments and culture-dependent beliefs about parenting in Asia. He is also interested in how the over- or under-regulation of emotions can impact on one’s ability to self-reflect and choose helpful coping strategies. Moreover, he would like to explore how these psychological processes could influence mental health, educational and social outcomes in both clinical and community contexts.

New Staff: Dr. Ding Xiao Pan

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ding_xiaopanDr. Ding Xiao Pan joined our department in October 2016. She obtained her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from East China Normal University, China. Prior to starting her position with NUS, she was a postdoc at University of Toronto, Canada, and an associate professor at Zhejiang Normal University, China.

The central question guiding Xiao Pan’s research is how children acquire moral behaviour and how to facilitate its development. As a starting point in addressing this complex issue, she has focused on the topic of lying both because of its theoretical implications for understanding children’s moral development, and because of its practical importance for legal, clinical, and educational settings.

She employs both behavioural and cognitive neuroscience methods in her research. For neuroimaging work, she is currently using an emerging technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which uses near-infrared light to record the neural activity of children’s brain. fNIRS is very safe and comfortable for children, allowing us to get a glimpse of how a child’s brain changes and develops.

Nov 2016 Research Highlight | Depletion suspends the comparator mechanism in monitoring

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Research by Dr. Jia Lile sheds light on the psychological processes underlying depletion with a focus on the comparator mechanism in self-regulatory monitoring. 

 

Self-control underlies many of our daily activities, including persisting on difficult tasks and striving to attain our goals. Yet, self-control exertion depletes our limited pool of inner resources, leaving us prone to subsequent self-regulation failure.

Current theories posit that this occurs because depletion shifts our attention away from self-regulatory monitoring.

Specifically, recent research by Dr. Jia Lile from the Department of Psychology in NUS and Dr. Edward Hirt from Indiana University Bloomington has found that prior exertion of self-control, or ego depletion, suspends our ability to monitor (or compare) discrepancies between our self and goal standards — an ability that is thought to require self-focused attention.

Dr. Jia commented that while the ego depletion model of limited and depletable self-regulatory resources has dominated scholarly inquiry in the past two decades or so, recent calls have been made to examine the underlying process of ego depletion. He said,

By examining the goal pursuit mechanism that ego depletion affects, our paper offers a small piece of the puzzle.

In their study, higher self-consciousness indicating an effective comparator mechanism led to better self-regulation when individuals were not depleted, i.e., when individuals had not engaged in a strenuous mental activity.

Under depletion, however, the comparator mechanism was disabled and self-consciousness no longer predicted self-regulation. Instead, depleted individuals’ self-regulatory effort was guided by implicit goal pursuit. This suggests that depletion does not directly reduce task motivation, but specifically shifts attention away from self-focused monitoring.

A novel possibility emerged from this view: While depletion has often been associated with poorer self-regulatory effort, this may not always be the case.

Interestingly, depletion was found to increase task persistence for people with high self-consciousness who expected to be very bad at the task (low goal expectancy). Because an effective comparator mechanism encourages reduced effort when we have low expectations of attaining our goal, the suspension of such monitoring after depletion increases effort instead. Intriguingly, then, depleted people perform better than non-depleted people in such situations.

“Counterintuitive as it may be,” Dr. Jia noted, “it corroborates emerging literature showing that the classic ego depletion phenomenon is moderated by perception, beliefs, and expectancies.”

Indeed, this work deepens our understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying depletion, while broadening our perspective on when and for whom depletion impacts self-regulation.

To capture the diverse views in the field of self-regulation and ego depletion, Dr. Jia has recently co-edited a book entitled “Self-Regulation and Ego Control” with Dr. Hirt and Dr. Joshua J. Clarkson, to which 20 teams of scholars have contributed.

 

References

Hirt, E. R., Clarkson, J. J., & Jia, L. (2016). Self-regulation and ego control. San Diego, CA: Elsevier.

Jia, L., & Hirt, E. R. (2016). Depletion suspends the comparator mechanism in monitoring: The role of chronic self-consciousness in sequential self-regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111, 284-300. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000108

Nov 2016 Research Highlight | A guide to conducting a meta-analysis

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Guide by Dr. Mike Cheung and Ranjith Vijayakumar offers a summary of background knowledge on conducting a meta-analytic study.

 

When synthesizing and combining research findings in a discipline, conducting a meta-analysis of individual studies is a useful way to statistically estimate the magnitude of the effect.

A recent introductory guide by Dr. Mike Cheung and Ph.D. candidate, Ranjith Vijayakumar, from the Department of Psychology in NUS, has discussed when and how to conduct a meta-analysis.

The authors suggest that a meta-analysis may be particularly useful if the topic is of high importance to human lives and society, and if there are sufficient primary studies available. Primary studies can be identified and included based on comprehensive literature searching strategies, such as combing through databases that are relevant to the field in question.

Three common effect sizes are often used in meta-analytic procedures: 1) odds ratios based on binary outcomes, 2) mean differences, and 3) correlation coefficients. The choice of effect size depends on the research question of interest — whereas odds ratios are frequently used in the medical and health sciences, mean differences are commonly used in experimental or between-group comparisons, while correlation coefficients are used in observational studies. It is possible for researchers to convert these effect sizes as necessary, besides computing their approximate sampling variances.

Researchers have to choose between two kinds of meta-analysis that posit different models about the population of effect sizes. If the effects are assumed the same across studies, a fixed-effects meta-analysis may be used. On the other hand, if it is understood that there are differences in study design, operationalization of construct, and measurement errors, then the studies are not investigating a single population effect size. Random meta-analysis takes into account this random variation between the true effect sizes estimated by each study.

Although published studies are susceptible to issues such as publication bias, different research designs and methods of individual studies, and non-independent effect sizes, there are statistical methods available to address these concerns. For example, the authors illustrate how a theory can be tested across different designs, measures, and samples via the use of random- and mixed-effects models.

The authors further illustrate various software packages for meta-analysis, such as Comprehensive Meta-Analysis, SPSS macro, Stata, Mplus, and the metaSEM package implemented in the R statistical environment. Readers may be interested in referring to supplemental materials (including a sample dataset, analyses, and output) provided by the authors, available at: https://goo.gl/amYoGC

 

Reference

Cheung, M. W.-L., & Vijayakumar, R. (2016). A guide to conducting a meta-analysis. Neuropsychology Review, 26, 121-128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11065-016-9319-z

Nov 2016 Research Highlight | Media multitasking predicts video-recorded lecture learning performance through mind wandering tendencies

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Research by Dr. Stephen Lim and NUS Psychology graduates reveals that media multitasking is associated with poorer video-recorded lecture learning through mind wandering.

 

With the increasing accessibility of portable and multi-functional Internet technologies, media multitasking has risen in ubiquity. For instance, we can browse several web pages in multiple windows, listen to music, and carry out a chat conversation simultaneously on a single device.

At the same time, the rapid evolution of our educational landscape means that online education is gaining popularity among students, who can learn in the convenience and comfort of their homes through online learning platforms such as Coursera and Khan Academy.

What is the impact of media multitasking in academic settings, particularly in online learning environments?

A recent study by a team from the NUS Cognition and Education Lab, including Dr. Stephen Lim (pictured, right) and NUS Psychology graduates, Loh Kep Kee (pictured, left) and Tan Zhi Hui Benjamin (pictured, center), has revealed that habitual media multitasking has adverse effects on video-recorded lecture learning.

In their study, participants were asked to learn the content of a Coursera lecture video as they normally would under regular classroom settings. Participants’ actual mind wandering tendencies were tracked via direct probes while they watched the video. Mimicking actual examination settings, participants then completed open-ended questions that tested the content of the video lecture.

The researchers found that habitual media multitasking was associated with poorer video-recorded lecture learning, even after controlling for anxiety, mental fatigue, and prior subject knowledge. Furthermore, this relationship was mediated by increased distractibility, as measured by mind wandering tendencies.

Learners who engage in heavier media multitasking may be more susceptible to distractibility and mind wandering during video-recorded learning because of their breadth-biased style of attention control – focusing on peripheral and irrelevant thoughts during learning may have compromised their processing of the lecture material.

Dr. Lim commented, “We are furthering this work via a second study in which we examine potential links between media multitasking and creativity.” Kep Kee, whilst pursuing his doctoral studies in neuroscience in France, continues to maintain close links with the NUS Cognition and Education Lab.

 

Reference

Loh, K. K., Tan, B. Z. H., & Lim, S. W. H. (2016). Media multitasking predicts video-recorded lecture learning performance through mind wandering tendencies. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 943-947. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.06.030

Full-time Research Assistant Position Available

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A full-time Research Assistant post is available as part of a project funded by NMRC (Health Services Research) titled “Building the Kidney Confidence Program – a study to identify factors associated with suboptimal initiation into dialysis” at the National University of Singapore, Department of Psychology.

We are looking for an enthusiastic psychology or nursing graduate who wishes to work on a project to improve education and support for patients with Chronic Renal Failure.

The purpose of the job is to carry out and analyze interview data and questionnaire-based studies with patients, their family members and renal health care professionals in order to identify their needs and barriers and facilitators to decision-making and preparation for dialysis. This information will then be used to develop an intervention and refine care pathways for patients.

You should have: a first degree in psychology, nursing or related field with good academic records. Experience in one or more of the following is essential: systematic data collection and/or qualitative research; experience with patients; or previous employment/experience of research in a healthcare setting, and be fluent in Mandarin or Malay. Excellent interpersonal skills, self-motivation and organisational ability are essential requirements for the role.

The post is available from 1 January 2017, or as soon as possible thereafter, on a full-time basis for a period of 24 months in the first instance. Further funding to support the post may be available when The Kidney Confidence moves on to intervention stage. Interested candidates should submit their CV to the email below. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

Interested candidates are invited to contact Dr. Konstadina Griva for informal discussion about this post via email (psygk@nus.edu.sg) or telephone (6516 3156).

A/P Konstadina Griva wins Faculty Award for Excellent Researcher 2016!

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We extend our warmest congratulations to A/P Konstadina Griva for recently winning the Award for Excellent Researcher (AER) 2016!

This award is presented to researchers based on the overall impact and strength of their research. The successful researcher has achieved consistent research excellence and/or produced a piece of research work of great impact. He/she should be recognised by the research community as having achieved significant breakthroughs or outstanding accomplishments.

A/P Griva’s research focus is on chronic disease management, especially kidney disease and dialysis. She has carried out interlinked studies in Singapore to evaluate outcomes (emotional and behavioural) in renal patients established on different therapeutic treatment/dialysis methods in a local context. In addition, she has developed and evaluated the effectiveness of theory-driven yet pragmatic interventions to support adherence and adjustment in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. These interventions are culturally sensitive and have been produced in partnership with community groups and patients.


4 Graduate Student Teaching Award Winners and 1 Honor Roller

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We are pleased to announce that four of our graduate students have recently won the Graduate Students’ Teaching Award (GSTA) for Semester 2 AY2015/2016!

Eri Sasaki Elizabeth Jane Teh Ning Yen Leong Li Fang Ruth Leung Chi Ching

Eri will be placed on the Honor Roll as this is the third time she has won the GSTA. Congratulations!

Since Elizabeth, Ruth, and Chi Ching are first-time winners, we also took the opportunity to find out what makes them such effective teachers.

 

Elizabeth

1. What inspires you to teach?

I have had some very good teachers and mentors in my life, who showed me different ways to learn and reason about things. These skills have shaped my outlook on life. So, I hope to guide others on their learning journey, especially during the important undergraduate years. Sometimes, people think of university education as the ‘final stage’ after all the years of schooling and exams. But I think it is really a new stage, where students develop new ways of looking at information, discussing and testing ideas, and hopefully reasoning critically before forming conclusions. In other words, this is an important formative period for young adults, and I’d like to them help in that journey in some small, useful way.

2. What are some of the major challenges you face as a teacher?

The main challenge is how to reach out to students in every tutorial. In every class of students, there are diverse interests, abilities and personalities. So, for any given tutorial, the topic may be more interesting to some students than to others, some students will learn faster than others, and some will be more participative than others. I sometimes find it challenging to reach out to every student, help him/her participate and learn, in every tutorial.

The other main challenge is time management – balancing our own commitments with tutorial prep, marking, etc. For this, it really helps to have a collaborative team of TAs in the same module. I’ve been blessed with good teammates in all my modules so far!

3. Why do you think you are an effective teacher?

Well, that’s a tough question! I think some key ingredients for effective teaching as a TA are good communication skills, a real interest in the subject, and a sincere desire to share knowledge and motivate students’ learning process. Since the main contents are already covered in lectures, I think the TA’s role is largely to make learning a little bit easier for students by sharing what we know through activities and clear examples, creating a ‘safe’ space to discuss their thoughts and doubts, and thereby motivating their interest to extend the knowledge themselves. So those are the things I strive to achieve in my classes.

 

Ruth

1. What inspires you to teach?

I am inspired to teach for two reasons. Firstly, it is the hope of every university student that they discover an area of study that they will excel at and find joy in pursuing for years to come. It is both a fun task and a privilege to assist in this venture. The second reason I love to teach is because I have been personally blessed with excellent teachers, and have had first-hand experience of the impact that good teaching brings.

2. What are some of the major challenges you face as a teacher?

A major challenge would be thinking about how to explain difficult concepts in a clear way, or to deliver the lesson in a way that is memorable. Students get quite tired out by all the lectures and tutorials they have going on, and I’d hope for them not only to learn from my tutorial but also to enjoy it.

3. Why do you think you are an effective teacher?

I think being an undergraduate here helps a lot. I’m able to understand what concepts students may find hard, and the aspects of school they find challenging. Being genuine is important too. Students are more comfortable about asking questions when a tutor is approachable!

 

Chi Ching

1. What inspires you to teach?

My own teachers! As a student, I really enjoyed lessons where the teacher can bring theories to life and challenge you to think. And there is always a lecture or a tutorial where you will always remember because the professor did something to show you how psychology theories come to life and that is how I want my classes to be like. Psychology, after all, is the study of human behaviour!

2. What are some of the major challenges you face as a teacher?

Challenging students to talk and ask questions! Don’t be afraid to give a comment or ask questions, I have asked my fair share of stupid questions but to me, it is better to ask a silly question than never knowing the answer if it really matters to you. So be thick-skinned and ask away!

3. Why do you think you are an effective teacher?

I would like to believe that students like my enthusiasm! =) Also, I make sure I myself am very clear of the concepts that I am teaching and if possible to always use illustrations or examples to bring across a point. I try not to give all the answers and to bounce questions around the class, after all, we are here to learn from each other!

Dr. Stephen Lim promoted to Associate Professor!

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It is with great pleasure that the Department announces that Dr. Lim Wee Hun Stephen has been promoted to Associate Professor on the Educator Track with effect from 1 January 2017.
We warmly congratulate A/P Lim!

Full-time Research Assistant position available

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A full-time Research Assistant position is available for prospective candidates interested in research on management topics under the supervision of Dr. Amy Ou at the Department of Management and Organisation, NUS Business School.

Interested candidates may refer to the notice below for more details about the position and application procedure.

Research Assistant Position at NUS Infant and Child Language Lab

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The NUS Infant and Child Language laboratory is looking to hire a part-time Research Assistant (20 fixed hours a week, including some Saturdays).

Job responsibilities include designing experiments, testing children, and data processing and coding. The position involves interacting with babies and children, so the candidate should be comfortable and professional in interactions with families. The position starts in February 2017 and ideally, would run for 4-6 months.

If interested, please send your CV and letter of interest to A/P Leher Singh at psyls@nus.edu.sg. Undergraduate students as well as graduates are welcome to apply.

Research Assistant position available at Institute of Mental Health

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We are looking for a full-time Research Assistant to be part of a multidisciplinary team in psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health.

You will be required to work with the team to coordinate research projects in psychosis and depressive spectrum disorders. Responsibilities include patient assessments, data management, aspects of ethics monitoring, literature review and statistical analyses.

Training on clinical assessments and analyses of neuroimaging and genetics data will be provided. Highly driven individuals can dovetail into independent projects within context of the research theme.

You should have: a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in neuroscience or psychology, or fields related to quantitative sciences (engineering, physics, computer sciences, biomedical sciences). Experience with quantitative research, signal processing or programming is a plus.

To apply, please email both a cover letter and CV with contact information of 2 referees to:

The Human Resource Department
Institute of Mental Health / Woodbridge Hospital
10 Buangkok View Singapore 539747
Email: careers@imh.com.sg

Ms. Wong Shi Hui Sarah promoted to Instructor!

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It is with great pleasure that the Department announces that Ms. Wong Shi Hui Sarah has been promoted to Instructor with effect from 1 January 2017.
We extend our warmest congratulations to Ms. Wong!

Dr. Lee Li Neng promoted to Instructor!

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The Department is very pleased to announce that Dr. Lee Li Neng has been promoted to Instructor with effect from 1 January 2017.
We extend our heartiest congratulations to Dr. Lee!

Full-time Research Assistant position available

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A full-time Research Assistant post is available as part of a project funded by NMRC (Health Services Research) titled “Building the Kidney Confidence Program – a study to identify factors associated with suboptimal initiation into dialysis” at the National University of Singapore, Department of Psychology.

We are looking for an enthusiastic psychology or nursing graduate who wishes to work on a project to improve education and support for patients with Chronic Renal Failure.

The purpose of the job is to carry out and analyze interview data and questionnaire-based studies with patients, their family members and renal health care professionals in order to identify their needs and barriers and facilitators to decision-making and preparation for dialysis. This information will then be used to develop an intervention and refine care pathways for patients.

You should have: a first degree in psychology, nursing or related field with good academic records. Experience in one or more of the following is essential: systematic data collection and/or qualitative research; experience with patients; or previous employment/experience of research in a healthcare setting, and be fluent in Mandarin or Malay.

Excellent interpersonal skills, self-motivation, and organisational ability are essential requirements for the role.

The post is available from 1 February 2017, or as soon as possible thereafter, on a full-time basis for a period of 24 months in the first instance. Expected annual salary will be between S$45,000-50,000.

Further funding to support the post may be available when The Kidney Confidence moves on to intervention stage. Interested candidates should submit their CV to the email below.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

Interested candidates are invited to contact Dr. Konstadina Griva for informal discussion about this post via email (psygk@nus.edu.sg).

Talk by Dr. Goh Yong Wah on “The Revised Transactional Model of Work Stress and Coping: Its manifestation across countries”

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Speaker: Dr. Goh Yong Wah

Title: The Revised Transactional Model of Work Stress and Coping: Its manifestation across countries.

Date: Friday 20 January, 1-2 pm 

Venue: AS4/02-08 (Psychology Department Meeting Room) 

Abstract:

The Revised Transactional Model of Work Stress and Coping (RTM) by Goh, Sawang and Oei (2010) outlines the etiological process of work stress. The RTM has been successfully tested in Singapore, Australia, China, and Sri Lanka. This model is currently part of a joint research project into workplace health and wellbeing across countries in Europe and East Asia. This seminar will present findings from Australia, China and Singapore samples. Our research has identified appraisal and coping processes that correspond to past empirical evidence on the preferred coping behavior and control appraisal of specific cultural orientation (i.e. Individualism and Collectivism). The implications of these findings will be discussed with focus on their impact on the design of stress management program.

Bio:

Self-Bio: Dr Goh Yong Wah is an organizational psychologist trained at the University of Queensland, Australia. His Alma mater was The National University of Singapore. Presently he is a senior lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia and an organizational development consultant. Dr. Goh’s area of expertise is in work place stress and wellbeing across cultures. He has been involved in various international research collaborations and is currently the chief investigator of a multinational joint research endeavor with Hungary, China, Australia, Singapore and Japan.  He currently teaches cross cultural and indigenous psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, social processes, and provides work-integrated projects to undergraduates majoring in psychology.  Dr Goh has wide-ranging consulting experience in both private and public sectors; he was a personnel psychologist at MINDEF’s Applied Behavioral Sciences Department and now engages in various organizational training, selection and assessment projects in Singapore and Australia.

Talk by Dr. Camilo Libedinsky on “Neural networks involved in the maintenance of working memory in the face of Distractors”

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Speaker: Dr. Camilo Libedinsky

Title: Neural networks involved in the maintenance of working memory in the face of Distractors

Date: 27 January, 12-1 pm 

Venue: AS4/02-08 (Psychology Department Meeting Room) 

Abstract:

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) maintains working memory information in the presence of distracting stimuli. I will show that upon the presentation of a distractor, information in the dlPFC is reorganised into a different pattern of activity to create a morphed stable code without losing information. Further, I will show that a subpopulation of neurons, those with non-linear mixed selectivity, are necessary and sufficient to morph the code. I will discuss how this code-morphing capability may underlie cognitive flexibility. 

Bio:

Camilo is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology, NUS, a PI at the Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology, and a co-PI at Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR. His research interest relates to understanding the neural network mechanisms that underlie basic cognitive functions, including perception, working memory and attention. 

Talk by Dr. Iliana Magiati on “Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autistic traits and anxiety: an overview of our research work on phenomenology, correlated and mediators”

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Speaker: Dr. Iliana Magiati

Title: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autistic traits and anxiety: an overview of our research work on phenomenology, correlated and mediators

Date: 3 February, 1-2 pm 

Venue: AS4/02-08 (Psychology Department Meeting Room) 

Abstract:

Anxiety and related problems are very common in individuals with ASD across the lifespan, with rates much higher compared to the general population and individuals with other disabilities or conditions. A positive relationship has also been consistently found across age groups and cultures between autistic traits – subclinical but elevated ASD-related traits and symptoms found in the general population and in relatives of individuals with ASD- and anxiety. This talk will critically summarize and try to synthesize the work that my students, collaborators and I have carried out in the last 3-4 years in a number of different studies involving individuals with ASD as well as studies investigating autistic traits dimensionally in the general population. These studies have explored individual differences and factors associated with anxiety (i.e. age, gender, autism symptomatology and level of functioning) as well as proposed mediators explaining the relationship (i.e. social competence, sensory issues, social problem solving, intolerance of uncertainty, emotional regulation, etc.). Possible research, theoretical and clinical implications are discussed in light of the strengths and limitations of the research work presented and future directions are also discussed.

Bio:

Dr. Iliana Magiati is a chartered clinical psychologist and currently Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at NUS. She completed her doctoral training in clinical psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London and her PhD at St George’s Hospital Medical School, London, in early interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her areas of expertise and interest include the assessment, screening, diagnosis of and interventions for individuals with ASD and other related neurodevelopmental conditions;  mental health and psychopathology in ASD, with a focus on anxiety; long term outcomes in individuals with ASD in adulthood; and the relationship between autistic traits and mental health in the general population. She is a member of the NUS Clinical Psychology Faculty and supervises postgraduate clinical psychology interns on their clinical placements. She is also the research co-ordinator of the NUS and NUS-UM clinical psychology programmes. She is an independent international trainer on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), a gold-standard diagnostic observation tool for ASD. She currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and of the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder (RASD).

Jan 2017 Research Highlight | Semantic richness effects in spoken word recognition

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A megastudy by Dr. Winston Goh, Dr. Melvin Yap, and NUS Psychology graduates examines the relative contributions of semantic properties to auditory word processing.

 

The ultimate goal of listening and reading is to understand the meaning of words and sentences—the semantics of the message. Yet, while the role of semantic influences has been investigated in the visual word recognition literature, such effects remain relatively unexplored in the field of spoken word recognition, and have been overlooked in models and theories. Instead, spoken word recognition research continues to be dominated by variables such as word frequency or structural properties (e.g., word-form similarity).

This gap has been addressed in recent research by Dr. Winston Goh (pictured, left), Dr. Melvin Yap (pictured, right), and NUS Psychology graduate students, Mabel Lau, Melvin Ng, and Tan Luuan-Chin, through a megastudy approach that used a large corpus of word stimuli for which lexical decision and semantic categorization responses were collected.

In their study, participants underwent 936 experimental trials in which they were presented with sound clips of spoken stimuli, and had to classify each stimulus as a word or nonword (lexical decision task), or as a concrete or abstract word (semantic categorization task).

The researchers found that a range of semantic richness variables predicted spoken word recognition. Dr. Goh noted,

People recognized spoken words faster when their referents were associated with many semantic features and when they evoked stronger sensory and motor experiences.

In addition, positive (e.g., muffin) and negative (e.g., murder) words were recognized faster than neutral words (e.g., table). Interestingly, the researchers also found that semantic influences were less powerful in spoken, compared to visual, word recognition, consistent with the view that resolving the competition between phonologically similar lexical candidates remains a crucial aspect of listening. These findings provide important new constraints for models of auditory lexical processing.

The researchers plan to continue using the megastudy approach, where the properties of the language or stimuli are not experimentally controlled for as in traditional factorial designs, but their influence can still be ascertained using multiple regression analyses, to investigate other psycholinguistic phenomena. Findings from this approach will complement traditional experiments in advancing knowledge in the cognitive sciences.

Mabel Lau is now doing her doctoral studies on memory processes with Steven Roodenrys at the University of Wollongong. Melvin Ng is also doing his doctoral studies on gestures with Catherine So at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Tan Luuan-Chin is now an entrepreneur.

 

Reference

Goh, W. D., Yap, M. J., Lau, M. C., Ng, M. M. R., & Tan, L.-C. (2016). Semantic richness effects in spoken word recognition: A lexical decision and semantic categorization megastudy. Frontiers in Psychology, 7:976. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00976

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