The MARCS Institute
LightNews LightNews
banner
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
The MARCS Institute
@marcsinstitute.bsky.social
1.1K followers 280 following 110 posts
The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development is an interdisciplinary research institute of Western Sydney University.
www.westernsydney.edu.au/marcs
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by The MARCS Institute
manuelvarlet.bsky.social
Collaborating minds think alike, processing information in similar ways in a shared task | EurekAlert! www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

New publication in PLOS Biology: plos.io/4hBhuPy

Denise Moerel, with @tgro.bsky.social, @drquekles.bsky.social, Sophie Smit at @marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Collaborating minds think alike, processing information in similar ways in a shared task
Whether great minds think alike is up for debate, but the collaborating minds of two people working on a shared task process information alike, according to a study published November 25th in the open...
www.eurekalert.org
November 26, 2025 at 1:39 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
We’re thrilled to announce that Associate Professor Joyce Siette has been appointed Editor in Chief of the Journals of Gerontology: Series A - Medical Sciences (view journal here: academic.oup.com/biomedgeront...).

Please join us in congratulating A/Prof Siette on this outstanding achievement!
November 25, 2025 at 4:18 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
A/Prof Joyce Siette's article in The Conversation highlights how staying active protects our brain health - even for people with a genetic predisposition to dementia.

Find it here: theconversation.com/exercising-i...

The journal article this piece was based on: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Exercising in mid and later life can reduce dementia risk – new study
People who did a lot of physical activity between 45 and 64 had much lower odds of developing dementia – even when they carried a genetic risk factor.
theconversation.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:05 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
🧠 Ever wondered what’s happening inside your mind during a Black Friday sale? @tgro.bsky.social explains how limited-time sales change the way our brain processes information.

Read The Conversation article here: theconversation.com/heres-what-b...
Here’s what Black Friday sales shopping does to your brain
Black Friday is a psychological event, carefully designed to take advantage of how your brain makes decisions. But you can stay one step ahead this sales season.
theconversation.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:28 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Are you a super-recogniser? 🧠🧐

MARCS researcher @drquekles.bsky.social is leading fascinating work on exceptional face recognition abilities. A small proportion of people have this extraordinary skill - find out if you’re one of them!

Take the test yourself here: facetest.psy.unsw.edu.au
November 20, 2025 at 5:05 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Can sight shape our feelings? 👁️‍🗨️🖐🧠

@theconversation.com article co-authored by Dr Sophie Smit & Dr @tgro.bsky.social, uncovers how fast our brain transforms what we see into what we feel.

Read it here: theconversation.com/when-we-see-...
The Imaging Neuroscience publication: doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
When we see someone being touched, our brains automatically simulate how it feels
Within a fraction of a second of seeing another person being touched, our brains figure out who is involved and how it might feel.
theconversation.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:31 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Yesterday, our MARCS team proudly delivered a meaningful and insightful symposium on Day 1 of #AAGCONF25, titled: “Inclusion at the centre: Promoting socially connected communities for meaningful ageing" - presenting a diverse range of work dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of older adults.
November 14, 2025 at 6:08 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Dr Denise Moerel and colleagues' article on how our brains make decisions in competitive settings is out now!

Read the full Conversation article here: theconversation.com/even-in-a-si...

The article published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience: academic.oup.com/scan/advance...
Even in a simple game, our brains keep score – and those scores shape every choice we make
Humans are surprisingly bad at being unpredictable.
theconversation.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:22 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Applications are now open for the MARCS International Visiting Scholar Program 2026! 🌏

We are pleased to offer scholarships for PhD students and postdocs for visits of 1–3 months before the end of 2026.

📅 Applications close 4 December 2025.

If you are interested, email [email protected]
November 5, 2025 at 10:38 PM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
🌏 In a dream world, we’d all learn a new language and speak it fluently. Congrats to A/P Mark Antoniou's and team on their new project that aims to uncover the factors behind effective #languagelearning and develop personalised training approaches to help every learner reach their full potential.
October 28, 2025 at 5:38 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
🧠🗣️ Curious about how your baby learns to talk? Explore the fascinating journey of early language development with A/P Karen Mattock in a free webinar hosted by Playgroup NSW.

📅 Tuesday 4 November
⏲️ 11:30am -12:30pm
📌 Online via Zoom (Free)

Register here: events.humanitix.com/free-online-...
October 28, 2025 at 2:48 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
We’re Hiring! Postdoctoral Research Fellow in #DevelopmentalScience

Are you passionate about understanding the origins and development of human analogical reasoning?

View the full position description & apply via: jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...

Applications close: Tue 4 Nov 2025
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Developmental Science
Company Description: Western Sydney University is a modern, forward-thinking, research-led institution at the heart of Australia’s fastest-growing and most economically significant region. With 11 cam...
jobs.smartrecruiters.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:21 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
“Why can’t we remember life before age 4? 🧠 A/P Celia Harris explains the mystery of early memories, identity, and why some childhood moments stick while others fade.

Read the full article: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...
Do core memories really exist? We asked the experts
Some memories fade away, while others stay with us for life. But why can we remember some things and not others? And can you "make" a memory? This is what the experts say.
www.abc.net.au
September 22, 2025 at 1:29 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
We’re proud to share a new scoping review published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia - co-authored by MARCS’ own Joyce Siette - mapping the evidence on how social determinants contribute to #dementia risk and progression.

Read the full publication: alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 1, 2025 at 4:58 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
MARCS is seeking 2 x Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Computational Linguistics to join our multilingualism research team led by Prof Paola Escudero.

📅 Apply by: Wednesday 20 August 2025

📍 Open to candidates across Australia & internationally

👉 Learn more & apply here: lnkd.in/dzHtcJJ3
August 1, 2025 at 4:44 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Proud to share a new student-led publication in ICIS Infancy based on research conducted at MARCS BabyLab. This project explores how infant temperament and maternal language during play may influence socio-emotional development in early life.

Find it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Tempering Temperament: Exploring the Influence of Maternal Mind‐Mindedness on Infant Temperament in Shaping Socioemotional Wellbeing
Although several studies independently explore temperament and parenting, research on connections between temperament and mind-mindedness are largely absent. This study examined relationships between....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
July 31, 2025 at 6:18 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Join us in congratulating Dr @drquekles.bsky.social on her promotion to Level C, Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow!

Her promotion is a well-deserved recognition of her research excellence and growing impact in the field of #cognitive_neuroscience.

Learn more about her work: lnkd.in/gNkU6czM
July 31, 2025 at 6:14 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
We're proud to share that A/Prof Celia Harris, Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, will be speaking at the upcoming Dementia Innovation Conference 2025!

Book your place now: www.innovatedementia.com

#CognitiveNeuroscience #MARCSInstitute #WesternSydneyUniverity
Home | Dementia Innovation
International Dementia Conference providing a platform for academics, government oifficials, students and service providers to showcase their studies, research and achievements in dementia innovation ...
www.innovatedementia.com
July 22, 2025 at 12:52 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
MARCS' Dr Ruth Brookman, alongside A/P Janet Conti, has led a new paper published in BMC Psychology. The study investigates the impact of a video feedback intervention on how women with elevated perinatal depression symptoms navigate their maternal identity.

Read the full paper: lnkd.in/dZj5nvtf
July 8, 2025 at 11:52 PM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Congratulations to our HDR candidate Florian Burger on receiving the Best Poster Presentation Award at the recent APCV/EPC Conference! His poster titled "From Visual features to Semantic Structure: Tracing Object Dimensions Through Hierarchical Model Layers."
Read the preprint here: lnkd.in/dKqbvpYw
June 23, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Reposted by The MARCS Institute
drquekles.bsky.social
Hey ECRs at @expsyanz.bsky.social this week - if you're interested in object perception and/or neural decoding, come find me for a chat about an upcoming postdoc spot at the @marcsinstitute.bsky.social 👀
June 18, 2025 at 11:20 PM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Headed to @expsyanz.bsky.social tonight? Be sure to check out Poster 31 and have a chat with @tvcottier.bsky.social who is asking the quetsion "Are those images of the same person? Dissecting the super-recogniser advantage" #Superrecogniser #faceperception #EPC2025
a collage of men 's faces and the words that 's a lot of coopers
ALT: a collage of men 's faces and the words that 's a lot of coopers
media.tenor.com
June 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
We're pleased to offer a fully funded PhD scholarship: Understanding the Mastery of Multiple Languages and Dialects: A Computational Approach

🎓 Lead Researcher: Prof. Paola Escudero
📅 Applications close: 30 June 2025

🔗 Full scholarship details: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
Understanding the Mastery of Multiple Languages and Dialects: A Computational Approach | Western Sydney University
www.westernsydney.edu.au
June 12, 2025 at 5:35 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
We're pleased to offer a fully funded PhD scholarship: Revealing Universal and Cultural Origins of Music-Induced Emotion.

🎓 Lead Researcher: A/Prof Andrew Milne
📅 Applications close: 30 June, 2025

🔗 Full scholarship details and application instructions: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
Revealing Universal and Cultural Origins of Music-Induced Emotion | Western Sydney University
www.westernsydney.edu.au
June 12, 2025 at 5:32 AM
marcsinstitute.bsky.social
Wonderful to our very own Chris Davis, Jeesun Kim and Daniel Hochstrasser contributing to this epic mutli-lab replication result with a stellar line up of authors! #perception #rhythm #replication #musicscience
June 11, 2025 at 2:15 AM