Nominations are now open for the APS Interest Group awards 2011 More information
A number of APS Interest Groups offer awards each year that encourage and recognise excellence in the psychological area relevant to the Interest Group.
Gay And Lesbian Issues And Psychology Interest Group
Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Award: Naomi Overton Thesis title – The role of the Internet in the formation of a sexual identity for Australian same-sex attracted youth Naomi moved beyond the norm of research in the field that typically focuses solely on white middle-class lesbians and gay men, to include Indigenous participants, culturally and linguistically diverse participants, and those living outside major urban centres in her research sample. Naomi was commended for the contribution that her research will make to current understandings of same-sex attracted youth and in particular to the growing use of internet technologies amongst this population.
Psychoanalytically-Oriented Psychology Interest Group
Psychoanalytic Essay Prize: Jayne Orr Essay title – Experience of angst: Learning psychodynamic psychotherapy Jayne’s essay focused on an original insight provided by reflections that a majority of undergraduate psychology students in Australia have scant and frequently inaccurate exposure to psychodynamic psychotherapy. It is hoped that the insights provided by the reflections will inform the development of psychodynamic psychotherapy teaching material that can be imparted effectively in undergraduate programs.
Psychology And Ageing Interest Group
Elsie Harwood Award: Vincent Chan Thesis title – Age-related differences in social and non-social prospective memory Vincent's thesis focused on prospective memory (PM) and its importance in older adults for the performance of necessary daily tasks. The primary aim of the study was to examine the influence of the social goal of a PM task on young and older adults' performance. The study then assessed whether young and older adults were influenced differently by the social goal of a PM task. Conference Travel Award:
Alexa Muratore – University of New South Wales Presentation title – Contrasting planning effort reported before and after retirement (presented at the International Federation on Ageing Conference, Melbourne, 2010) Jacinta Delprado – La Trobe University Presentation title – Naturalistic prospective memory in mild cognitive impairment (presented at the APS College of Clinical Neuropsychologists Conference, Perth 2010) Leander Mitchell – University of Queensland Presentation title – Rehabilitation in Residential Aged Care Facilities (presented at the Emerging Researchers in Ageing Conference, Newcastle 2010)
Psychologists For Peace Interest Group
Peace Project Award: Miriam Capper Project title – Practising self-control decreases reactive aggression in aggressive individuals Miriam investigated the relationship between self-control training and aggressive responding in 70 undergraduate students. At the end of the two weeks of self-control training or a control task, participants were insulted and given the opportunity to retaliate. Self-control training reduced aggression among those high in trait aggression, with those receiving the training reporting less anger than those in the control condition. These results provide initial support that self-control training might prove beneficial for assisting aggressive individuals to overcome aggressive impulses.
Rishani Panawennage Project title – Intergroup forgiveness after the prolonged conflict in a Sri Lankan sample Drawing on intergroup theory and research, Rishani examined intergroup forgiveness and competitive victimhood. She was interested in the relationship between these variables and trust, empathy, in-group identity and common in-group identification. The study was conducted in post-war Sri Lanka. Demographic information was collected along with a self-report questionnaire from 103 Sri Lankan participants. The analyses showed some support for hypothesised relationships and the Reconciliation Orientation Model of intergroup forgiveness.
Psychology Of Relationships Interest Group
Psychology of Relationships Thesis Award: Mandy Matthewson Thesis title – Do mothers and fathers differentially contribute to sons’ and daughters’ anxiety? Mandy’s research explored the contributions mothers and fathers make to childhood anxiety. Her findings show that mothers and fathers play different roles in protecting their children against anxiety. The research also demonstrates that fathers play a particularly important role in their daughters’ social-emotional development, which is a significant contribution to this field of study where fathers are typically ignored in the research. Adam Gerace
Thesis title – The influence of past experience on the process of perspective taking The research examined how individuals take the psychological perspective of another person, specifically investigating the empathic process rather than outcomes such as sympathy or behaviours like altruism and aggression. Across three studies, the role of reflecting on one’s own past experiences emerged as a significant strategy that aided in understanding another person. The nature of this strategy and its relationship to empathic emotions and other strategies was investigated in both community and prison samples. Psychology of Relationships Research Award: Terry Bowles One of Terry's main areas of research has been applied research with practical implications for professional practice. The most numerous and important studies have been in the area of family relationships and their impact on the functioning of individual members. His research also includes papers on adolescent motivation, achievement and talent. Terry is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne and is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society. Women And Psychology Interest Group Elaine Dignan Award: Carmel O’Brien Project title – Dimensions Project: A survey of agencies/services responding to people in the City of Manningham who experience family violence and of people seeking services to assist in their experiences with family violence Carmel’s research and work focuses on supporting and promoting the health and wellbeing of women who have experienced violence. Carmel has contributed her skills to better equip mental health professionals with the knowledge and skills required to work effectively with women who have experienced violence and their families. Liz Mulder [L] and Karen Carlson [R] (joint project) Project title – Family and domestic violence: A gendered crime The aim of Karen and Liz's research was to provide an in-depth analysis of the context and history of the violence used by women in their relationships. Their research was undertaken as concern and interest had been expressed by women's groups and the broader community in Tasmania over the apparent rise in women's use of violence in relationships according to police incident statistics. The research has been supported by FVCSS, DHHS, Tasmania Police and the Department of Planning, Performance and Evaluation.