Anastasia Ejova

Anastasia Ejova

School of Psychology

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

My research interests are in three topic areas within health, social and cognitive psychology: functional somatic syndromes, gambling disorder, and the cognitive science of religion. With respect to somatic syndromes, I am investigating how neurophysiological recording tools (most notably, EEG and electrogastrography) might be used in studying immediate reactions to physical and psychological stress among people with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Within the gambling field, I have been involved in projects on decision-making, impulsivity, online gambling, and the boundary between gambling and video-gaming. I also seek to apply what I'm learning through my research on decision-making and religion to developing a body of research on the extent to which concepts of luck are the same across cultures, borrowing from concepts of "randomness" on the one hand and concepts of "higher powers" on the other. Functional somatic syndromes are often comorbid with anxiety, so my experience in studying them provides me with the tools for investigating which forms of gambling are particularly likely to be pursued for their ability to (temporarily) ease anxiety.

I have ongoing collaborations with research teams at Macquarie University, the University of Auckland, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and Masaryk University in the Czech Republic.

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2024 Ejova, A., van Antwerpen, N. R., Semmler, C., Bean, C. G., & Green, D. M. (2024). Non-negligible levels of implicit skin tone bias among Australian healthcare workers between 2007 and 2022: Analysis of subgroups and trends over time based on Project Implicit data. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 27(3), 360-375.
    DOI
    2024 Kotherová, S., Cigán, J., Štěpánková, L., Vyskočilová, M., Littnerová, S., Ejova, A., & Sepši, M. (2024). Adverse Effects of Meditation: Autonomic Nervous System Activation and Individual Nauseous Responses During Samadhi Meditation in the Czech Republic. Journal of Religion and Health, 21 pages.
    DOI
    2024 Trieu, R. Q., Mazor, Y., Verdon, C., Jones, M., Ejova, A., Burton, G., . . . Malcolm, A. (2024). Management after obstetric anal sphincter injury: anorectal manometry and symptoms predict long-term fecal incontinence.. The American journal of gastroenterology.
    DOI
    2023 Myles, A., Jones, M., Loxton, D., Beath, A., & Ejova, A. (2023). Young Women’s Somatic Symptoms are More Strongly Predicted by Psychosocial Rather Than Physiological Factors: Longitudinal Findings in a Population-Representative Australian Sample.
    DOI
    2023 Mazor, Y., Schnitzler, M., Jones, M., Ejova, A., & Malcolm, A. (2023). The patient with obstructed defecatory symptoms: Management differs considerably between physicians and surgeons. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 35(8), 9 pages.
    DOI
    2023 Ejova, A., Jones, M. P., Beath, A. P., McKerchar, S. L., & Okifuji, A. (2023). Moment-to-moment relationships between pain, fatigue, and distress as a function of GI symptoms in fibromyalgia.. J Psychosom Res, 170, 4 pages.
    DOI
    2021 Mazor, Y., Trieu, R. Q., Prott, G., Jones, M., Ejova, A., Kellow, J., & Malcolm, A. (2021). Volumetric Rectal Perception Testing: Is It Clinically Relevant? Results from a Large Patient Cohort. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 116(12), 2419-2429.
    DOI Scopus6 WoS2 Europe PMC3
    2021 Ejova, A., Badcock, N. A., McKerchar, S., Beath, A. P., Swift, C., Talley, N. J., . . . Jones, M. P. (2021). Electroencephalographic evidence of unconscious and conscious attentional bias in people with functional gastrointestinal disorders: A pilot study. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 170, 30-42.
    DOI
    2021 Mazor, Y., Prott, G., Jones, M., Ejova, A., Kellow, J., & Malcom, A. (2021). Factors Associated With Response to Anorectal Biofeedback Therapy in Patients With Fecal Incontinence. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 19(3), 492-502.
    DOI Scopus12 WoS6 Europe PMC5
    2021 Ejova, A., Badcock, N. A., McKerchar, S., Beath, A. P., Swift, C., Talley, N. J., . . . Jones, M. (2021). Electroencephalographic evidence of unconscious and conscious attentional bias in people with functional gastrointestinal disorders: A pilot study.
    DOI
    2021 Ejova, A., Krátký, J., Kundtová Klocová, E., Kundt, R., Cigán, J., Kotherová, S., . . . Gray, R. D. (2021). The awe-prosociality relationship: evidence for the role of context. Religion, Brain and Behavior, 11(3), 294-311.
    DOI Scopus5 WoS3
    2021 Linhartová, P., Širůček, J., Ejova, A., Barteček, R., Theiner, P., & Kašpárek, T. (2021). Dimensions of Impulsivity in Healthy People, Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder, and Patients with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(4), 584-595.
    DOI Scopus9 WoS7 Europe PMC4
    2020 Ejova, A., & Ohtsuka, K. (2020). Erroneous gambling-related beliefs emerge from broader beliefs during problem-solving: a critical review and classification scheme. Thinking and Reasoning, 26(2), 159-187.
    DOI Scopus18 WoS13
    2020 Mazor, Y., Prott, G. M., Sequeira, C., Jones, M., Ejova, A., Kellow, J. E., . . . Malcolm, A. (2020). A novel combined anorectal biofeedback and percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation protocol for treating fecal incontinence. Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology, 13, 1-10.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS1
    2020 Ejova, A., Milojev, P., Worthington, E. L., Sibley, C. G., & Bulbulia, J. (2020). Church attendance buffers against longer-term mental distress. Religion, Brain and Behavior, 11(2), 123-138.
    DOI Scopus4 WoS2
    2020 Sibley, C. G., Usman Afzali, M., Satherley, N., Ejova, A., Stronge, S., Yogeeswaran, K., . . . Bulbulia, J. (2020). Prejudice toward Muslims in New Zealand: Insights from the New Zealand attitudes and values study. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 49(1), 48-72.
    Scopus12 WoS10
    2020 Ejova, A., Milojev, P., Worthington, E. L., Bulbulia, J., & Sibley, C. G. (2020). The Big Six Personality Traits and Mental Distress: Dynamic Modeling in a Population Panel Study Reveals Bidirectional Relationships Involving Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 46(9), 1287-1302.
    DOI Scopus5 WoS3
    2020 Linhartová, P., Látalová, A., Barteček, R., ŠirÅček, J., Theiner, P., Ejova, A., . . . Kašpárek, T. (2020). Impulsivity in patients with borderline personality disorder: A comprehensive profile compared with healthy people and patients with ADHD. Psychological Medicine, 50(11), 1829-1838.
    DOI Scopus25 WoS15 Europe PMC12
    2019 Mazor, Y., Prott, G., Jones, M., Kellow, J., Ejova, A., & Malcolm, A. (2019). Anorectal physiology in health: A randomized trial to determine the optimum catheter for the balloon expulsion test. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 31(4), e13552.
    DOI Scopus29 WoS30 Europe PMC18
    2019 Stronge, S., Mok, T., Ejova, A., Lee, C., Zubielevitch, E., Yogeeswaran, K., . . . Sibley, C. G. (2019). Social media use is (Weakly) related to psychological distress. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(9), 604-609.
    DOI Scopus13 WoS6 Europe PMC5
    2018 Mazor, Y., Ejova, A., Andrews, A., Jones, M., Kellow, J., & Malcolm, A. (2018). Long-term outcome of anorectal biofeedback for treatment of fecal incontinence. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 30(8), e13389.
    DOI Scopus15 WoS10 Europe PMC6
    2017 Almenara, C. A., Aimé, A., Maïano, C., Ejova, A., Guèvremont, G., Bournival, C., & Ricard, M. M. (2017). Weight stigmatization and disordered eating in obese women: The mediating effects of self-esteem and fear of negative appearance evaluation. Revue Europeene de Psychologie Appliquee, 67(3), 155-162.
    DOI Scopus22 WoS18
    2016 Roberts, R. M., Ejova, A., Giallo, R., Strohm, K., & Lillie, M. E. (2016). Support group programme for siblings of children with special needs: predictors of improved emotional and behavioural functioning. Disability and Rehabilitation, 38(21), 2063-2072.
    DOI Scopus13 WoS10 Europe PMC5
    2015 Roberts, R., Ejova, A., Giallo, R., Strohm, K., Lillie, M., & Fuss, B. (2015). A controlled trial of the SibworkS group program for siblings of children with special needs. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 43-44, 21-31.
    DOI Scopus21 WoS19 Europe PMC7
    2015 Ejova, A., Delfabbro, P., & Navarro, D. (2015). Erroneous gambling-related beliefs as illusions of primary and secondary control: a confirmatory factor analysis. Journal of Gambling Studies, 31(1), 133-160.
    DOI Scopus27 WoS20 Europe PMC6
    2014 Ejova, A. (2014). Awe: A direct pathway from extravagant displays to prosociality. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 39, 28-29.
    DOI
    2013 Ejova, A., Navarro, D., & Delfabbro, P. (2013). Success-slope effects on the illusion of control and on remembered success-frequency. Judgment and Decision Making, 8(4), 498-511.
    Scopus11 WoS7
    2012 King, D., Ejova, A., & Delfabbro, P. (2012). Illusory control, gambling, and video gaming: an investigation of regular gamblers and video game players. Journal of Gambling Studies (Online), 28(3), 421-435.
    DOI Scopus40 WoS33 Europe PMC13

  • Book Chapters
    Year Citation
    2023 Ejova, A., Searston, R., Stephens, R. G., & Semmler, C. (2023). Clear thinking in deep space: A guide by cognitive scientists. In PsyArXiv.
    DOI
    2019 Ejova, A. (2019). The illusion of control. In I. M. Church, & R. J. Hartman (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy and Psychology of Luck (1 ed., pp. 365-376). New York, USA: Routledge.
    DOI Scopus2

  • Conference Papers
    Year Citation
    2017 Gökaydin, D., & Ejova, A. (2017). Sequential effects in prediction. In CogSci 2017 - Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Computational Foundations of Cognition (pp. 397-402). London, UK: Cognitive Science Society.
    Scopus4
    2011 Gerstenberg, T., Ejova, A., & Lagnado, D. A. (2011). Blame the Skilled. In Expanding the Space of Cognitive Science - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2011 (pp. 720-725).
    Scopus9

School of Psychology research grant

Chief investigator

Amount: $8,000; Period: September-December 2020

 

Demonstrating the functions of awe in religious systems: empirical and computational approaches

Chief investigator

Recipient: Laboratory for Experimental Research of Religion (LEVYNA)

Funder: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

Amount: €80,000; Period: January 2015 - January 2016

 

Impulsivity phenotypes and their clinical impact in neuropsychiatric disorders

Associate investigator

Recipients: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University; Central European Institute of Technology

Funder: Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic

Amount: €200,000; Period: May 2015 - May 2019

Over the years, I have taught into undergraduate courses in:

  • statistics
  • reviewing and meta-analysis
  • perception and cognition
  • social psychology, and
  • health psychology 

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 Co-Supervisor Neck pain epidemiology and risk factors in the Australian population Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Nasibeh Sorkhi Kojabed
    2023 Co-Supervisor Exploring longitudinal bidirectional relationships between psychosocial factors and somatic symptoms in a population-representative sample of Australian women across multiple decades Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Amy Beth Myles
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