Abstract :
It is with great pleasure that I present the abstracts of the presentations for the 42nd Annual Conference of
the Australian Psychological Society. As you will see, the presentations cover all areas of Psychology, from
the applied to the theoretical. Our conference theme – Psychology Making an Impact – is reflected in the
abstracts. The membership of the Society is also well-represented with submissions from postgraduate
students, current lecturers and practitioners, and retired members of the profession. We also have offerings
from members of different cultures. The variety and scope of the offerings has always been one of the great
strengths of our annual conference. The 42nd Annual Conference continues this tradition and the published
abstracts will serve as an enduring record of the research achievements of our current members. I warmly
congratulate all concerned. I would also like to remind members that many of the abstracts refer to papers
that are printed in full in our Conference Proceedings, which are on sale here at the conference and – failing
that - available to everyone to purchase through the APS National Office. I would like to thank the
members of the Scientific Programme Committee - Mr Esben Strodl, Professor Lyn Littlefield, Professor
Graham Davidson, Associate Professor Pat Thomas, Associate Professor Iain Montgomery, and Dr Nancy
Pachana - who were responsible for reviewing the abstracts in a timely and efficient manner. I would also
like to thank Ms Elaine Grant and Associate Professor Kate Moore and their team of helpers at the National
Office of the APS for their tireless efforts in bringing together the conference and this volume of abstracts.
