ClinicalResearch ProjectsAvailable for2018

You candiscusspotentialPhDprojectswith anystaff inPsychology.Their research interestscan befound at:

Therearealsoavarietyof specificprojectareasthat havebeenoutlined below,somebyexternal supervisors,othersbystaffin Psychology.

ProjectsSupervised byPsychologyStaff

Michelle Arnold (Lecturer inPsychology)

My interests include the reconstructive nature of memory (e.g., subjective experience of remembering, false memory), strategic regulation of accuracy (e.g., knowing when to act on a piece of information or when to keep quiet), and judgment and decision making across a variety of situations. One current interest in our lab is understanding how the context of a situation affects strategic regulation; for example, whether punishing people for reporting wrong information works better than rewarding people for reporting correct information.

Another current interest is understanding anomalistic belief (i.e., belief in the paranormal, extra-terrestrials, etc.). Previous work in this area is limited, but typically indicates there are performance differences between people who hold such beliefs and those who do not. Our work focuses on understanding these differences, as well as how other variables may be related to anomalistic belief (e.g., religiosity, schizotypy, belief in complementary and alternative medicine, etc.).

Mariëtte Berndsen(Lecturer inPsychology)

Myprimaryresearch interestsinvolvethesocial psychologyof emotions, stigma, and prejudice. I would like to supervise projects in the area of:

-Guilt and shame. How do people cope with these emotions (e.g., avoiding specific situations) and how can we mitigate these emotions?

-Stigma. Individuals who deviate (in negative ways) from normative standards in their behaviour and/or appearance are often stigmatized. This is especially so when they are perceived to have some control over their behaviour/appearance (e.g., obese people, people who suffer from depression). How do stigmas affect one’s life and can we reduce stigmas?

Junwen Chen (Senior Lecturer inPsychology)

My research primarily focuses on anxiety disorders, specifically social anxiety(disorder)and excessive worry, as well as the cross-cultural study of these problems in different populations. For 2018, I am keen on supervising projects related to these areas. Examples of projects are:

  • Investigating the maintaining mechanisms of, and factors pertaining to social anxiety, excessive worry(e.g., cognitive processes such as interpretation bias or post-event rumination; intolerance of uncertainty);
  • Investigating preventative strategies for school refusal behaviours in youth with anxiety and depression, targeting excessive worry as a transdiagnostic process
  • Developing and examining the effects of brief interventions for social anxiety disorder
  • Investigating the efficacy of a Mindfulness and Acceptance Based Group Therapy for excessive worry
  • Undertaking a cross-cultural comparison of underlying factors and symptoms of these disorders/problems.

Sarah Cohen-Woods ( Matthew Flinders Fellow, Psychology)

My research focuses on establishing the role of genetics and epigenetics in psychological outcomes, and how environmental risk/protective factors mediate their influence through our biology (i.e. via epigenetic change. Understanding how it is the environment interacts with our genetics to either increase or decrease risk of poor mental health). Epigenetics provides a possible mechanism by which the environment can interact with our genome. Current projects that could be of interest to Masters and PhD students include: 1) investigating epigenetic change in context of cross-generational inheritance of childhood maltreatment (poor outcomes in children born to fathers exposed to childhood maltreatment); 2) understanding the genetic and epigenetic basis of psychosis in context of childhood maltreatment, and neuroimaging-related and cognitive phenotypes in psychosis; 3) understanding the mechanisms of comorbidity between depressive symptoms, and obesity through child and adolescent development, and the impact of stressors in that time; 4) investigating if there is evidence for psychological disorders mediating the effect of obesity genetic risk variants from childhood through to adulthood; and 5) investigating epigenetic and biological effects of interventions, and if biological changes are related to psychological change.

Some of the terms and ideas may sound intimidating, particularly if you have not yet had exposure to behavioural genetic research, however I will provide information and resources for gaps in knowledge, and the appropriate support to develop required skills. Please could interested students contact me at to discuss potential projects.

Eva Kemps (Professor in Psychology)

I am interested in supervising projects that apply experimental cognitive psychology to the study of health behaviours, in particular eating behaviour and physical activity. Examples of possible projects include:

  • Investigating the role of mental imagery in the experience and reduction of food cravings
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive bias modification for reducing unhealthy as well as dysfunctional eating behaviour (including emotional eating and over-eating, as well as the consumption of beverages such as energy drinks and soft drinks) and/or increasing physical activity
  • Examining effects of nutrition (including dietary supplementation) and/or physical activity on cognition and psychological well-being
  • Making subtle changes to the food environment to combat unhealthy eating and weight gain

Julie Mattiske(Senior Lecturer inPsychology)

ForMastersprojects,I am broadlyinterested in anxiety,anxietydisorders,and health-related issues. I havesupervisedMastersprojectsin arange ofotherareasincluding perfectionism,schizophrenia,and alcohol dependence. Iwould be very happytoserveastheinternal co-supervisor formostof the nominated health projects,e.g., diabetes,oncology.

Reg Nixon (Professor inPsychology)

My primaryinterestischild and adult responsetotraumaticstressorsthatcan include(among others)physicaland sexual assault,motor vehicleaccidents,losing relatives tohomicideand combat/war-relatedtrauma.I amspecifically interested in howpsychological difficultiessuchasacutestressdisorder(ASD)and posttraumatic stressdisorder(PTSD)develop followingtrauma,and in thetreatmentofthesedisorders. Iam currentlyresearching memoryintraumatisedchildren,intrusivememoryintraumatised adults and the treatmentof posttraumaticstressin adults. I have several possible projects in these and related domains that I am happy to discuss further.

Michael Tlauka (Lecturer in Psychology)

My research focuses on human spatial memory. I am interested in supervising projects examining people's ability to learn spatial information in a variety of contexts. Recent investigations include forgetting, virtual learning and sex differences in spatial ability.

Tracey Wade (Professor in Psychology)

There are three areas on ongoing research that may be of interest to postgraduate students:

  • Evaluation of perfectionism interventions in various settings, including schools, online with university populations, online with the general population. The impact on perfectionism and associated psychopathology is of interest, as is impact on learning motivation in the face of failure.
  • Developing a better understanding of which clients with eating disorders are best suited to an intensive 10-session CBT versus other forms of CBT (guided self-help, 20 session versions).
  • Evaluation of imagery rescripting in the prevention of disordered eating.
  • Development and evaluation of combined metacognitive therapy and cognitive remediation therapy for eating disorders.

Michael Wenzel(Professor in Psychology)

Myresearchcurrentlyfocuseson responses tovictimizationsand wrongdoingininterpersonalor intergroup contexts. Iam interested in victims’ and wrongdoers’ responses to wrongdoing in the form of confession, apology, forgivenessand self-forgiveness, punishment and self-punishment, etc., and the role of these responses intherestorationof justice perceptions,moral identities,and social relationships. I am also specifically interested in the dynamics between these victim and offender responses, the co-engagement of relationship partners about the wrongdoing, and their effects on self and relationship repair.

Tim Windsor (Senior Lecturer in Psychology)

I am interested in projects concerned with changes in social behavior and emotion regulation that occur during adulthood and ageing. Potential projects might involve examining the different types of emotion regulation strategies that older and younger adults use, and whether use of different strategies are more or less effective for younger and older adults in managing their emotional reactivity to different stimuli. I am also interested in age differences in peoples’ attempts to regulate the emotions of social partners (extrinsic emotion regulation), and whether older and younger adults can be primed to engage in self-regulatory behaviors (e.g., avoidance of negative stimuli) using implicit means (i.e., outside of conscious awareness).

Urry,H.L , & Gross, J.J. (2010). Emotion regulation in older age. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19, 352-357.

Robyn Young (Assoc Professor in Psychology)

My research is in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I am interested in outcomes of persons with ASD ( children and adults) as well as comorbidity issues. I am also interested in early detection of autism, and female profiles. I am also interested in people’s fitness to stand trial and other matters related to ASD and criminality; either perpetrators or victims.

I am engaged in a collaborative research project with Neil Brewer (Professor Psychology) which provides many possible avenues for clinical projects. Broadly speaking the project is concerned with the interactions that adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have with the criminal justice system. We have recently completed a book manuscript titled The Crimes of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Myths and Mechanisms. In this we identify numerous interesting but largely unresearched issues. These primarily relate to those social-cognitive characteristics of individuals with ASD that might contribute to their becoming involved in crime (as a culprit or a victim) or to prejudicial (i.e., negative) interactions with the police and the courts. We can accommodate a couple of students working on projects in this area, particularly projects that might tackle closely related investigations of the same basic issue. Many of these projects are amenable to laboratory experimentation – so, just to illustrate (note: these are but a couple of examples from numerous possibilities), one might examine how some particular characteristics of the verbal or nonverbal presentation of individuals with ASD affect the way in which others perceive or respond to them, or how an inability to detect the intentions of others through reading their nonverbal behaviour may contribute to a problematic interaction with that person.

Pleasenotethatanyresearchoffered by externalorganizationswillrequirean internaluniversitysupervisor,whererelativesupervisoryinput will needto benegotiatedon a case-by-casebasis.

Projects Offered by External Supervisors / Organisations

Jeremy Goldring, Senior Clinical Psychologist,CALHN Mental Health Services.

Phone: (08) 7087 1120.Email:

Psychology has a number of opportunities for students who are interested in research in the treatment of adult mental health conditions and clinical psychology service provision within the public sector. We have a number of clinicians interested in collaborating on varied research topics including:

  • Evaluation of group programs/mechanisms of change (i.e. DBT, MBCT, metacognitive training, Mood Disorder Groups, schema therapy group programs)
  • Establishing and trialing a family-based therapy program for families affected by Borderline Personality Disorder.
  • Clinician attitudes towards working with consumers with a diagnosis of personality disorder.
  • Exploring rates of PTSD amongst mental health consumers and available interventions.
  • Exploring the overlap between complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder and implications for treatment.
  • Exploring the role of psychologists within acute settings – opportunities for brief intervention.
  • Exploration of what frameworks mental health clinicians use when developing a risk management plan. How does this fit with best practice/evidence-based models?
  • Exploring potential factors that might assist in predicting future adherence to treatment (i.e. DBT) for consumers with personality disorders.
  • Perceptions on the accessibility of clinical psychology services.
  • Perceptions re: the role of clinical psychologists within public mental health service settings (comparing views of consumers/multi-D staff/psychologists).
  • Recruitment and retention of clinical psychologists within the public sector.
  • Evaluation of the "Lifting the Cloud" group program for depression
  • Various projects in perinatal mental health (Western Perinatal Service)
  • Exploring the overlap between complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder and implications for treatment.

We are also very interested in ideas for new projects and will make every effort to accommodate these.

Dr Kath Moores, Senior ClincialPscyhologist

Brief Therapy Program , Outer South Community Mental Health Service

Southern Mental Health
Southern Adelaide Local Health Networkk

Evaluation of the DBT group program/ mechanisms of change in the Outer South Community Mental Health Service (OSCMH)

group programs/mechanisms of change. This project is likely to involve a clinical placement in the DBT program at OSCMH in order to understand the therapy and how the groups are run.

If you are interested in this project please email or call me to discuss the project further. Tel: 8384 9599 / Email:

Supervisor: Dr Anne Sved Williams, MBBS, FRANZCP, Dip Psychother,

, Helen Mayo House, Glenside Hospital, 08 70871047

Masters/PhD Projects emanating from Perinatal and Infant Mental Health services at Womens and Childrens Hospital/Helen Mayo House Mother-Baby Unit

  1. Despite its prevalence in mental health services generally, mothers with borderline personality disorder (BPD)/emotional dysregulation have been surprisingly little studied with only a tiny fraction of studies of the effects of the BPD style on many aspects of pregnancy and early motherhood. In particular, there are no publications on prospective studies of BPD during pregnancy even though a handful of recent publications using retrospective data have shown the significant obstetric risks of BPD. Identifying women at their booking visits using a self-report measure such as McLeans, and following women through their pregnancy to 6 weeks postnatal, and preferably beyond would be an excellent PhD thesis and add significantly to world literature. Comparing rates of depression and anxiety in pregnancy to BPD symptoms would be exciting to see.
  2. Following on from the above, observations at Helen Mayo House have shown empirically that women with BPD may become dysregulated postnatally at 2 different times:

-in the immediate postnatal time for those women with sensitivity to infant dysregulation

-when the infant becomes mobile at 6-9 months and therefore can be perceived as “abandoning” the woman.

A prospective study of a cohort of women identified (preferably) in late pregnancy or immediately postpartum as having BPD would be followed for 12 months to explore the hypothesis of 2 potential waves of dysregulation.

  1. There are no studies of the impact of BPD on women in community settings during the first postnatal year. Studying populations of women presenting either to general practice or to maternal/child health services during the first postnatal year for first time mothers by identifying women using a self-report scale and then mapping services offered would make an excellent Masters or PhD. There are many aspects of this study which would be interesting to know including interviewing the professional after identifying BPD to understand whether the condition has been recognized and definitely managed.
  2. Helen Mayo House has some interviews recorded with patients who have attended Mother-Infant Dialectical Behavior Therapy (MI-DBT), a research-based group program offered to outpatients at Helen Mayo House. A smaller thesis would be thematic analysis of these interviews.
  3. Mother Baby Units such as Helen Mayo House are intended to safeguard infant well-being, attachment and mother-infant relationships when mothers experience mental illness, yet there is little published evidence concerning outcomes for the babies themselves. A prospective cohort study focused on measuring aspects of the infants’ health and development, and the mother-infant relationship at admission and discharge from the unit, potentially also with follow-up at a later timepoint, would provide valuable information about this vulnerable group of infants. A control group could be sourced in a number of ways, such as from the waiting list, or from the group of mother-baby dyads referred for MBU admission who decline it. An interesting subcategory of this research, which could form part of a Master’s project, would be evaluation of the literature on standardised measures of the mother-infant relationship (there are many) and selection of an appropriate measure to use in the study.
  4. Infant-parent therapy (IPT) is a burgeoning field intended to improve parenting quality and in turn directly improve infants’ and children’s short and long-term developmental outcomes, including potentially lowering their lifetime risk of mental illness. Peek-a-Boo Clinic is a session-limited dyadic therapy offered to dyads who have had an admission to Helen Mayo House. Unlike much of the IPT in published reports, mothers in this clinic have experienced a major episode of mental illness. Standardised measures of the mother-infant relationship and maternal mood are completed at commencement and completion. An evaluation of the outcomes of this clinic would be an important addition to the worldwide literature on MBUs and IPT in the setting of maternal mental illness.

1

Updated 6th September 2017