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2023 APS Prize winners

The APS Prize is awarded to each student who gains first place at the end of an accredited fourth-year program in psychology through an Australian higher education provider. The APS is thrilled to announce our 2023 APS Prize winners below.

Full Name Higher education provider Thesis title
Alice Hudson Australian Catholic University Weight Stigma and Mental Health: The Role of Social Identity and Self-Compassion
Emma Bellamy-Dodd Australian College of Applied Professions “There is More to it Than Applying Interventions”: A Thematic Analysis of Psychologists’ Creativity in the Context of Psychological Therapy
Lara Norrlin Bond University The Neural Correlates of Body Image Processing in Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia  Nervosa: An Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-analysis of fMRI Studies
Grant Duthie Central Queensland University Do Narrative Transportation and Positive Framing Affect the Mental Health Beliefs,  Attitudes, and Intentions of Older Adults?
Rosa Humphery Charles Darwin University "I Think I’m Handling It Pretty Well": Lived Experiences of Managing Chronic Pain and Meeting Social Goals in Later Life
Peter Danckwerts Charles Sturt University Speed-Accuracy Trade-Offs in Facial Trait Judgements
Jennifer Bohnet Curtin University Loneliness and Alexithymia
Caroline Novak Deakin University Does Nature Exposure or Connection to Nature Change the Strength of the Relationship Between Sleep and Quality of Life?
Julia Kreger Edith Cowan University The Effects of Anticipated Heatwave Severity on Place Attachment and Migration Intentions
Phoebe Coyle Federation University Australia Adverse Childhood Experiences and Infidelity: The Mediating Role of Insecure Attachment Style
Sasha Cox Flinders University Is the intensity of disgust reactions to a trauma analogue more persistent in memory than the intensity of fear reactions?
Dean Bestmann Griffith University Indiscriminate Trauma Preventions May Discriminate: A Randomised Controlled Trial of Psychological First Aid
Felicity Saber-Hoese James Cook University Wellbeing and Motivation of Students in Online Accelerated Programs: Examining the role of Sense of Belonging
Rhys Davies Noulton La Trobe University How Intergroup Conflict and Political Ideology Influence Endorsements of Dominant and Prestigious Leadership
James Franklin Macquarie University Fool Me Twice: Investigating Gullibility as a Shortcoming in Cheater Detection.
Sarcia Stills-Blott Monash University Can social media compensate for a lack of face-to-face support? The impact of online and in-person social support on sexual orientation acceptance in LGBQ+ youth.
Joanna Delalande Murdoch University Music and Noise Interact to Influence the Vividness and Sentiment of Directed Mental Imagery
Jacqueline Fyffe Queensland University of Technology Do Sociodemographic Factors Moderate the Association between Connection to Nature and Social-Emotional Competencies in Middle Childhood?
Jessica Wilson RMIT University Too Much of a Good Thing? Exploring Experiences of Obsession with Self-monitoring Technology
Mimirose Lorraway Southern Cross University Social Representations of Therapist Self-Care and Well-being: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Peak Body Media
Jessie Elizabeth Swinburne University of Technology Does Self-Compassion Moderate the Relationship between PTSD and Disordered Eating?
Taylah McCluskey The Australian National University The Effect of Esteem Support on Resilience During a Cycling Time Trial 
Savannah Allen The Cairnmillar Institute The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion in The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychological Distress in People with Multiple Sclerosis
Andrew Franze The University of South Australia Comparing Immersive and Non-Immersive Virtual Environments for Learning Independent Living Skills in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
Iona Gurney The University of Sydney Informing the Development of an Internet-Delivered CBT Intervention for Carers of Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Study of Clinician Perspectives
Sophie Meagher The University of Western Australia Protecting Wellbeing in Parents of Transgender Children: Empowerment as a Buffer Against Parental Self-Stigma
Elizabeth Edyvane University of Adelaide Is school readiness at age 5-6 associated with academic performance at age 14-15? A prospective cohort study of data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.
Edward Barrow University of Canberra Understanding Age and Gender Differences in Psychological Distress in Young People: The Influence of Resilience, Well-being, and Physical Activity
Edric Widjaja University of Melbourne The Utility of the Five-Factor Model of Personality as an Organising Framework for Autism-Related Traits
Zen Flynn University of New England Attachment Anxiety, Self-Ambivalence, Fear of Self, and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptomatology: Testing a Serial Mediation Model
Nikki Huang University of New South Wales Amygdala Neuronal Ensemble Dynamics During Punishment Learning
Charlotte Hunt University of Newcastle Attitudes Towards Convicted Offenders Experiencing Schizophrenia 
Phuong Dang University of Queensland Do Predictions Modulate the Representation and Perception of Objects?
Charisse Gatt University of Southern Queensland Why Aren’t They Here? Belongingness as a Predictor of Attendance at Synchronous Classes for On-campus and Online University Students
Joel Kovacs University of Tasmania The Structure and Predictive Utility of the PsyCap Meta-Trait: A Bifactor Analysis
Molly Cooper University of Wollongong Mental Health Stigma in Borderline Personality Disorder: An Attachment Perspective
Genevieve Papavasiliou Victoria University Social Cognitive Abilities Among Those With Elevated Autistic Traits and Eating Disorder Psychopathology: A General Population Study
Jessica Rochford Western Sydney University Potential of Cannabidiol to Treat Cocaine Relevant Behaviours in a Rodent Model of Substance Use Susceptibility