Carolyn Semmler

Professor Carolyn Semmler

Professor

School of Psychology

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


I lead the Applied Cognition and Experimental Psychology (ACEP) research group, focusing on the application of theories and models of cognition, judgement and decision-making to legal and medical contexts. We are interested in understanding human interaction with intelligent agents and the development of human-machine interfaces for defence and national security. Our work is driven by human rights and the value of reducing harm to humans through technology and innovation.

We use experimental methods and modelling of cognitive processes to understand and improve human decision-making in important contexts, such as health, policing and national security. Technologies such as AI and social media have vastly changed human experience, we are working at the intersection between psychology and the many disciplinary areas that imagine, design and build new technology. ACEP is working to improve the decisions of people in areas of law, including police, eyewitnesses and jurors. In doing so, we hope to improve the use of technology in legal systems and limit any harm derived from misapplication. We are also active in areas of health and defence, where our focus is on methods to improve the decisions of health consumers, doctors and intelligence analysts.

I lead the Applied Cognition and Experimental Psychology (ACEP) group in the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide. We focus on application of theories and models of cognition, judgement and decision-making to legal and medical contexts. We are interested in understanding human interaction with intelligent agents using computational cognitive modelling and electrophysiological recordings to inform our investigations. We work to understand how technology can protect and enhance psychological health.

 

Biometrics, Cognitive Performance and Identification Research

Identification of other people and their intent, emotions and psychological states is mediated by technology. My work looks at how this technology might change our decisions about whom we are communicating with and how they might affect us. I have an ARC Discovery funded project developing formal models of the eyewitness identification task (DP 160101048) in collaboration with recognition memory researchers John Dunn, Laura Mickes and John Wixted. This work will help to develop the identification procedures of the future. In the past I have worked with Neil Brewer, Gary Wells, Rod Lindsay and Amy Bradfield-Douglass on various research questions relevant to identification of people and protection of innocent people from wrongful prosecution.

I am interested in the human operators' use of automated face matching systems to identify individuals in security settings (see Heyer & Semmler, 2013; Stephens, Semmler & Sauer, 2017). This work is being carried out in collaboration with my graduates Dr Rebecca Heyer and Dr Dana Michaelski at the Defence Science and Technology Group - research leaders in the Identity Intelligence capability (funded by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet 2010-2012). Our work considers privacy, consent and bias in technology development. We are looking at the impact of technology on decisions regarding the identity of children and the estimation of their age. This work has implications for the processing of identity documents for refugee children and for the detection of trafficked and exploited children.

Juror Decision Making Research

Other work has focused on juror comprehension of judge's instructions and methods for improving comprehension (see Semmler, Brewer & Harvey, 2002). The impact of mood and emotion (in particular anger and sadness) on juror decision making (see Semmler & Brewer, 2001; Semmler & Hurst, 2016) and application of social persuasion theory to the courtroom. We have also looked at gender and stereotypes in perceptions of violence against women. I have also co-authored work applying principles of cognitive psychology to hearing and the perception of sound in legal disputes (see Alias, Best, Niall, Semmler & Woolford, 2010) and provide workshops to legal practitioners and expert witnesses on the impact of cognitive bias in the assessment of evidence for legal matters.

Medical Decision Making and Technology Research

Outside of the psychology-law area I have been developing interests in the application of psychological theory to the medical decision making, in particular to better understand and improve doctors' treatment decisions. We have investigated methods for inducing 'healthy skepticism' in health consumers & improvement vaccination decision making among parents and healthcare workers. This work was carried out by Dr Brennan Ong as part of his PhD dissertation and vaccination decision making research was carried out in collaboration with Dr Alexis Wheeler. I have provided education regarding the impact of anger and other emotions on medical decision making. I also work with researchers in understanding the ethical use of AI in health settings and have work underway with Dr Lauren Oakden-Rayner and Lana Tikhomirov at the Australian Institute of Machine Learning.

Food, Values and Environmental Decision Making Research

I have ongoing research into the psychology of meat consumption and the meat-animal connection being conducted with Prof. Anna Chur-Hansen and Dr Rachel Ankeny & Dr Heather Bray (Food Values Research Group) (see Dowsett, Semmler, Chur-Hansen, Bray & Ankeny, 2018). Meat consumption has both environmental and ethical implications and I am interested in understanding the drivers of consumption choices. I am a member of the Environment Institute.

Leadership in Research

I am a member of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition,  and the Cognitive Science Society. I am a steering committee member of the EMCR Brain Science Network. I am also the vice President of the Psychology Foundation of Australia.

Semmler, C. & Baranoff, J. 2023-2025. Examining the psychometric integrity and utility of the Personalized Psychological Flexibility Inventory in a sample of Australian Athletes categorised in the performance pathway. $160,000. Australian Sports Commission.

Takarangi, M., Nixon, R.G., Semmler, C. (Partner Investigator) & Moeck, E. 2023-2026. The cost of keeping gruesome images from the world. $305,304. Australian Research Council Discovery Grants.

Semmler, C. 2022-2024. Cognitive Performance – Influence of fibre types on Cognitive Performance under stress – Preregistered Randomised Control Trial.$103,631. Australian Wool Innovation.

Semmler, C. 2021-2022. Cognitive Performance – Influence of fibre types on Cognitive Performance under stress - Rapid Pilot. $77, 592. Australian Wool Innovation.

Hutchinson, M. Barry, S., Semmler, C., Mustafa, S., Barratt, D., & Humphries, M. 2023-2026. iKNOW: Combined CBRN alert and information systems through harnessing the power of psychoneuroimmunology. $3,000,000. DST Group: CBRN Star Shot.

Semmler, C. & Mitchell, L. 2022-2023. Breaking the code: A new model to understand conversational trajectories of influence. $94,640. Digi+FAME

Semmler, C. 2019-2021. Child Identification Using Face. $208,789. DST Group

Hutchinson, M., Barratt, D., Holms, L. Bajic, J., Kolaric, D., MaWyatt, A., Semmler, C., Goldys, E., Packer, N. 2020. Biomarkers of physical and psychological performance. $400,000. NGTF.

Semmler, C. (Chief Investigator), Pincombe, B., Darvishi, S., Gordon, N., Banks, S., Takarangi, M., Nixon, R., Booth, D., Heyer, R., Yie, S., Yau, D. 2019. Human-Machine interfaces for detecting, monitoring and managing psychological stress. $150,000. Defence Innovation Partnerships, South Australian Government.

Semmler, C. Human Aspects of Video Analytics Under ARCHIi. 2017. $101,000. DST Group.

Semmler, C., Hendrickson, A. Heyer, R., van den Hengel, A., & Dick, A. Understanding Human-Technology Interactions to Aid in the Use of Unconstrained Imagery for Identification and Surveillance. 2016 - 2017. $19,500. Interdisciplinary Research Fund, University of Adelaide.

Semmler, C. (Chief Investigator), Dunn, J., Mickes, L., & Wixted,J. A formal signal detection model of eyewitness identification. 2016 - 2019. $176,000. Australian Research Council Discovery Projects.

Heyer, R., Semmler, C. & MaWyatt, A. Improving human operator capability for face biometric identification and recognition. 2010-2011, $70,000. Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Research Support for National Security.

Semmler, C. (Chief Investigator) Brewer, N., & Douglass, A.B. The distortion of eyewitness identification testimony. 2010-2017, $230,000, Australian Research Council Discovery Projects.

Douglass, A.B., Brewer, N., & Semmler, C.(Partner Investigator) The dynamic interaction between investigator and eyewitness: Effects of memory reports and interviewer behavior. 2009-2011, $200,000. National Science Foundation (USA).

Brewer, N., Young, R.L., Weber, N., Ma-Wyatt, A., Semmler, C., (Partner Investigator) & McKinnon, R. A multi-function eyetracker facility. 2008, $120,000. Australian Research Council – Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities Grant.

Semmler, C. (Chief Investigator) The effects of postidentification feedback on eyewitness confidence.2007, $15,000. Faculty of Health Sciences Research Grant.

Semmler, C. (PI) Improving witness memory for faces through rehearsal strategy. 2005, $11,500, Flinders Research Grants Scheme.

Co-Facilitator (2015-2016): Small Group Discovery Experience Community of Practice

Teaching Responsibilities:

Program Director: B.Psyc Sci (Hons) 2016-2018. Grad. Dip. Psyc. (Adv) 2020 - 2022;

Course Coordinator: Foundations of Perception and Cognition; Big Picture Psychology: Global Challenges, Psychological Perspectives; Human Behaviour & Criminal Justice: Applying Psychology; Human Factors; Contemporary Issues in Psychology 2

Course Contributor:

Psychol 1004: Research Methods in Psychology (Statistics and Ethics)

Psychol 2006: Foundations of Perception and Cognition (Decision Making)

Psychol 2008: Big Picture Psychology: Global Challenges, Psychological Perspectives (Climate Change and Cognition)

Psychol 3023: Perception and Cognition (Applied Cognition)

Psychol 4201/4301: Research Methods and Statistics (Bootstrapping and Resampling Methods)

Psychol 7130: Evidence Based Practice (Statistical Guide for Ethical Practitioners)

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 Co-Supervisor Quantifying Online Persuasibility: Analysis, Metrics Development, and Application in Digital Discourse Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Gia Bao Hoang
    2024 Principal Supervisor Investigating Human-AI Interactions: An Empirical Foundation to Understand and Measure Human Perceptions of Machine Consciousness Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Full Time Mr Oliver Craig Lack
    2023 Principal Supervisor The Cost of Keeping Gruesome Images from the World: Content Moderation and Psychological Harm Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Ishi Jamdagni
    2023 Principal Supervisor The Effects of LED Lighting on Human Emotion, Cognition, and Physiology in Space Horticulture Settings Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Kurt Nahasson Peters
    2022 Principal Supervisor Understanding Bias Caused by User Interaction with AI in High-Risk Decision Making Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Lana Tikhomirov
    2022 Co-Supervisor Sharing Misinformation: The Socio-Psychological Mechanisms of Spread Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Emily Brooke Mullins
    2022 Principal Supervisor The affordance of gaming-inspired visualisations on perception, cognition and decision making of military operators using battle management systems Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Part Time Mr Simon Benjamin Wildermuth
    2020 Principal Supervisor Prevention of burnout in high risk populations: The effectiveness of mind-body interventions. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Peter Chee Chu
    2019 Principal Supervisor The effects of creativity on neuroplasticity and cognition in adults with post-traumatic stress disorder Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Tanya Jane Duckworth
    2018 Principal Supervisor Cognitive Psychology and Epistemological Crisis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Joseph Smith
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2020 - 2021 Co-Supervisor What helps team learning?
    Egalitarianism, hardship, and leadership in Australian Army teams
    Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Christina Frances Stothard
    2018 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Developing a Strong(er) Theory of Eyewitness Memory: The Selection, Verification, and Application of Mathematical Models of Identification Decisions Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mrs Kym Michelle McCormick
    2017 - 2019 Principal Supervisor WHAT LIES BEHIND THE DATA? HOW SAMPLING ASSUMPTIONS SHAPE AND ARE SHAPED BY INDUCTIVE INFERENCE Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Keith James Ransom
    2017 - 2017 Principal Supervisor Using Comparison Judgements to Study Representations Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Steven William Langsford
    2016 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Applying Signal Detection Models to Investigate the Effect of Sequential Item Presentation on the Police Lineup Task Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Matthew Philip Kaesler
    2014 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Does it matter why people forgive? How a victim's reasons for forgiving change the outcomes of forgiveness Doctor of Philosophy with Master of Psychology (Organisational and Human Factors) Doctorate Full Time Jordan Brian Gabriels
    2013 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Forensic Science and Juror Decision Making: Can Jurors Be Taught to Recognise Bias? Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Alexandre Benjamin Forndran
    2013 - 2017 Principal Supervisor The Impact of Age-Related Variables on Facial Comparisons with Images of Children: Algorithm and Practitioner Performance Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Dana Jaclyn Michalski
    2013 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Considering Forensic Science: Juror Decision Making and Unvalidated Identification Evidence Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Charlotte Rachel Scobie
    2011 - 2015 Principal Supervisor A Psychological Approach to Understanding and Resisting the Influence of Advertising from the Pharmaceutical Industry Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Brennan Zehao Ong
    2011 - 2017 Principal Supervisor Narrative Recall in an Investigative Interview: Insight into Witness Metacognition Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Elizabeth Leonora Fontaine
    2010 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Differential Effects of Confirming Post-Identification Feedback on Eyewitness Testimony-Relevant Judgments Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Adella Bhaskara
    2008 - 2010 Co-Supervisor Decision Making in Civil Disputes: The Effect of Role and Frame Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Victoria Gilliland
    2008 - 2013 Principal Supervisor Understanding One-to-Many Unfamiliar Face Matching in the Operational Context: The Impact of Candidate List Size, Expertise, and Decision Aids on the Performance of Facial Recognition System Users Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Rebecca Louise Heyer
    2007 - 2009 Co-Supervisor Item Noise versus Context Noise: Using the List Length Effect to Investigate the Source of Interference in Recognition Memory Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Angela Kinnell
    2007 - 2011 Co-Supervisor The Development of an Implicit Association Test for Measuring Forgiveness Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jeremy Goldring
  • Other Supervision Activities

    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2018 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Meat-Eating, Cognitive Dissonance and Individual Differences The University of Adelaide B.Psyc. Sci. (Hons) Honours Full Time Stephanie Di Stasio
    2016 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Human Identification at a Distance: The Impact of Image Quality and Image Restoration Techniques on Human Face Matching Performance The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons) Honours Full Time Joseph Calleja
    2016 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Distracted Driving Behaviour and Speeding in Young Adult Drivers: Perceptions of Parent and Peer Influence The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons) Honours Full Time Grace Lushington
    2016 - 2016 Co-Supervisor The Impact of Plastic Surgery on Human Face Matching Performance The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (Hons) Honours Full Time Linna Vu
    2016 - 2016 Principal Supervisor The Impact of Exposure Duration and Target Prevalence on the Confidence-Accuracy Relationship in Unfamiliar Face Matching The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons) Honours Full Time Sandra Putek
    2016 - 2016 Principal Supervisor Attributions of Blame in Interpersonal Violence: An Application to the Criminal Law Provocation Defence The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons) Honours Full Time Marilyn Korbelis
    2016 - 2016 Principal Supervisor The Meat Paradox: Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Gender and the Impact of Animal Awareness The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons) Honours Full Time Elisha Dowsett
    2016 - 2016 Principal Supervisor No Jab, No Pay Policy: Attitudes and Behaviours The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons) Honours Full Time Sha-Nin Cheong
    2015 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Individual Differences in Facial Identification: Investigating Experience, Training and Selection Amongst Australian National Security Personnel The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Organisational and Human Factors) Master Full Time Amelia Pervis
    2015 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Individual Differences in Overprecision The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) Honours Full Time Matthew Kaesler
    2015 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Can the Navon Task Improve Unfamiliar Face Matching Performance? The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (Hons) Honours Full Time Miriam Broadhurst
    2015 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Intentional or Incidental: The Influence of Encoding Conditions on Eyewitness Identification and Recall The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) Honours Full Time Isabelle Pickett
    2014 - 2014 Principal Supervisor The Impact of Hedges on Juror Ability to Assess the Accuracy of Witness Testimony The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) Honours Full Time Matthew Fantasia
    2014 - 2014 Principal Supervisor Post-Identification Feedback: The Role of Specific Feebdack in Distorting Participants' Judgments About Distance The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) Honours Full Time Luisa Cercone
    2014 - 2014 Principal Supervisor Hypothesis Revision in a Face Matching Task: Effects on Confidence-Accuracy Calibration The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) Honours Full Time Hayley Prior
    2013 - 2014 Principal Supervisor Outcome Feedback in a Face Matching Task: Effects on Confidence and Accuracy The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Honours Full Time Lauren Bateman
    2011 - 2011 Co-Supervisor Probability Judgements in Civil Disputes: The Effect of Multiple Cues on Perceived Chance of Winning in Court The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Honours Full Time Sarah Hibbard
    2011 - 2011 Principal Supervisor Methadone and Eyewitness Memory The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) Honours Full Time David O'Shaughnessy
    2011 - 2011 Principal Supervisor Cognitive Dissonance and the Post-Identification Feedback Effect: Testing the Self-Standards Model Using Priming and Disconfirming Feedback The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) Honours Full Time Charlotte Scobie
    2010 - 2010 Principal Supervisor Operational Job Experiences and Trainee Police Officer Wellbeing: Identifying Pathways to Promote More Resilient Police Officers The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Organisational and Human Factors) Master Full Time Connie Migliore
    2010 - 2010 Principal Supervisor The Role of Cognitive Dissonance in the Post-Identification Feedback Effect: The Impact of Consequences and Feedback on Eyewitness Testimony The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Honours Full Time Vanessa Zeleny
    2009 - 2009 Principal Supervisor The Effects of State Anger in Juror Processing of Trial Information The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) Honours Full Time Jessie Hurst
    2008 - 2008 Principal Supervisor Confidence Malleability in a Word Recognition Task: The Role of Metacognitive Influences University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) Honours Full Time Andrew Ceniuch
    2008 - 2008 Principal Supervisor Misinformation effect on Eyeywitness Identification Decisions from a Sequential Lineup The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Honours Full Time Sze Mei Hung
    2008 - 2008 Principal Supervisor Choosing as a Moderator Variable for the Post-Identification Feedback Effect The University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) Honours Full Time Anna Ashenden
  • Position: Professor
  • Phone: 83134628
  • Email: carolyn.semmler@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83133770
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Hughes, floor 7
  • Org Unit: Psychology

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