Ph.D. prepared: research skill development across the undergraduate years

Purpose: Many countries are looking for ways to enable students to engage more effectively with PhD study. This paper aims to consider the effects of explicit discipline-specific research skill development embedded in multiple semesters of an undergraduate degree on PhD preparedness. Design/methodology/approach: This case study of one Bachelor of Health Science programme determined the effectiveness of the implementation of a conceptual model, the Researcher Skill Development framework, across the undergraduate degree programme. Data were gathered through interviews of 9 academic staff and 14 students in their fourth year of undergraduate study, which is a research-focused year. Findings: All students and academics stated the benefits of the use of the Researcher Skill Development framework in undergraduate study including: deepening metacognition of research processes; assisting students toward acting and thinking like researchers; and the research-capacity building of the school. While all academics and all but one student recommended that the framework be used early in the degree programme, a number of interviewees specified problems with the existing implementation of the framework. Research limitations/implications: While the results are not generalisable, the approach is worth studying in other degree programme-wide contexts to determine its broader capacity to enable students to be more research ready for PhD study when compared to current practice. Practical implications: When adapted to the context, whole-of-degree research skill development may enable developing countries to have more students and developed countries to better prepared students commencing PhD studies. Originality/value: No studies currently provide results for explicit research skill development across a degree programme, or of the benefits of this approach for PhD preparation.John Willison, Femke Buisman-Pijlma

Oxytocin as an indicator of psychological and social well-being in domesticated animals: a critical review

Mini reviewOxytocin is often portrayed as a hormone specific to social behavior, reflective of positive welfare states, and linked to mental states. Research on oxytocin in domesticated animal species has been few to date but is rapidly increasing (in dog, pig, cattle, sheep), with direct implications for animal welfare. This review evaluates the evidence for the specificity of oxytocin as an indicator of: 1. Social, 2. Positive, and 3. Psychological well-being. Oxytocin has most often been studied in socially relevant paradigms, with a lack of non-social control paradigms. Oxytocin research appears biased toward investigating positive valence, with a lack of control in valence or arousal. Oxytocin actions are modulated by the environmental and social contexts, which are important factors to consider. Limited evidence supports that oxytocin's actions are linked to psychological states; nevertheless whether this is a direct effect of oxytocin per se remains to be demonstrated. Overall, it is premature to judge oxytocin's potential as an animal welfare indicator given the few and discrepant findings and a lack of standardization in methodology. We cover potential causes for discrepancies and suggest solutions through appropriate methodological design, oxytocin sampling or delivery, analysis and reporting. Of particular interest, the oxytocinergic system as a whole remains poorly understood. Appreciation for the differences that social contact and group living pose in domesticated species and the way they interact with humans should be key considerations in using oxytocin as a psychosocial indicator of well-being.Jean-Loup Rault, Marleen van den Munkhof and Femke T. A. Buisman-Pijlma

Antagonising TLR4-TRIF signalling before or after a low-dose alcohol binge during adolescence prevents alcohol drinking but not seeking behaviour in adulthood

Abstract not availableJonathan Henry W. Jacobsen, Femke T. Buisman-Pijlman, Sanam Mustafa, Kenner C. Rice, Mark R. Hutchinso

Individual differences underlying susceptibility to addiction: Role for the endogenous oxytocin system

AbstractRecent research shows that the effects of oxytocin are more diverse than initially thought and that in some cases oxytocin can directly influence the response to drugs and alcohol. Large individual differences in basal oxytocin levels and reactivity of the oxytocin system exist. This paper will review the literature to explore how individual differences in the oxytocin system arise and examine the hypothesis that this may mediate some of the individual differences in susceptibility to addiction and relapse.Differences in the oxytocin system can be based on individual factors, e.g. genetic variation especially in the oxytocin receptor, age or gender, or be the result of early environmental influences such as social experiences, stress or trauma. The paper addresses the factors that cause individual differences in the oxytocin system and the environmental factors that have been identified to induce long-term changes in the developing oxytocin system during different life phases.Individual differences in the oxytocin system can influence effects of drugs and alcohol directly or indirectly. The oxytocin system has bidirectional interactions with the stress-axis, autonomic nervous system, neurotransmitter systems (e.g. dopamine, serotonin and GABA/glutamate) and the immune system. These systems are all important, even vital, in different phases of addiction.It is suggested that early life adversity can change the development of the oxytocin system and the way it modulates other systems. This in turn could minimise the negative feedback loops that would normally exist. Individuals may show only minor differences in behaviour and function unless subsequent stressors or drug use challenges the system. It is postulated that at that time individual differences in oxytocin levels, reactivity of the system or interactions with other systems can influence general resilience, drug effects and the susceptibility to develop problematic drug and alcohol use

Sex differences, gender and addiction

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134421/1/jnr23963_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134421/2/jnr23963.pd

A Genetic Animal Model of Alcoholism for Screening Medications to Treat Addiction

The purpose of this review is to present up-to-date pharmacological, genetic, and behavioral findings from the alcohol-preferring P rat and summarize similar past work. Behaviorally, the focus will be on how the P rat meets criteria put forth for a valid animal model of alcoholism with a highlight on its use as an animal model of polysubstance abuse, including alcohol, nicotine, and psychostimulants. Pharmacologically and genetically, the focus will be on the neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems that have received the most attention: cholinergic, dopaminergic, GABAergic, glutamatergic, serotonergic, noradrenergic, corticotrophin releasing hormone, opioid, and neuropeptide Y. Herein, we sought to place the P rat's behavioral and neurochemical phenotypes, and to some extent its genotype, in the context of the clinical literature. After reviewing the findings thus far, this chapter discusses future directions for expanding the use of this genetic animal model of alcoholism to identify molecular targets for treating drug addiction in general

Integrating assessment matrices in feedback loops to promote research skill development in postgraduate research projects

Assessment tasks can focus student efforts in what they choose to study. This paper describes the development and initial application of an assessment matrix to support student learning in postgraduate research studies at the University of Adelaide. Students and supervisors in the multi-disciplinary Master programmes also benefit from the clear descriptors to clarify expectations and standardise grading. This reflective paper explores the capacity of a matrix to improve constructive alignment between research course objectives and learning outcomes when it is an integral part of feedback loops.Jackie Venning and Femke Buisman-Pijlma

The development of an assessment matrix to promote student learning in postgraduate multidisciplinary research projects

An assessment matrix based on a research skill development framework has been developed to promote learning outcomes and improve evaluation and feedback to students undertaking research projects as part of their multidisciplinary postgraduate coursework program. Although general University grade descriptors are available, they are often open to interpretation, which can cause inconsistency especially where students and supervisors are from different disciplines. The paper describes the development of the assessment matrix to guide and evaluate research projects.Jackie Venning and Femke Buisman-Pijlma

Applying the Research Skill Development (Level IV) framework for marking matrices in multidisciplinary research

The authors coordinate postgraduate coursework (PGCW) programs with research components that are supervised by academics from different Faculties and even different countries. They have developed two tools based on the Research Skill Development (RSD) Framework to guide postgraduate students and supervisors during their research project. These tools are very useful to improve learning and standardise feedback in a setting where students and supervisors from different disciplines are involved. The idea for this project arose from an interest to develop a rubric which integrated grade descriptors within a conceptual framework to better guide learning for students involved in research projects as part of their postgraduate studies. The Research Skill Development (Level IV) framework (Willison and O’Regan 2007) was selected as the starting point to apply the specific grade descriptors as described in the University Code of Practice (University of Adelaide 2006). Level IV of the RSD was selected as PGCW students are expected to research at the level of an open inquiry but within structured guidelines. In this construct the grade descriptors are better able to guide the learning outcomes and improve evaluation and feedback. Although University research guidelines are available, they are often open to interpretation, which can cause inconsistency especially in a multidisciplinary setting. These combined frameworks generated an elaborate rubric that was better suited to guide the learning process and assist in the development of the research project. From this a condensed version (a one pager) was subsequently synthesised as a basis for feedback and assessment. The application of these rubrics in concert in the PGCW research component has created a 360° learning environment by providing course delivery through a series of feedback loops as described by Hounsell et al. (2008). It is through the development of such loops for assessing each component of the research project—creating double and triple loops—that learning outcomes can be effectively reinforced. This learning model is particularly effective in situations that are student-centred and require students to take more responsibility for the learning process. These rubrics are being trialled in the multidisciplinary Master of Sustainability and in the courses taught in the International Master of Science in Addiction Studies. The presentation will focus on the translation of the framework into two tools and their usefulness and limitations in a PGCW setting.http://www.adelaide.edu.au/erga