Specialist Research Laboratory

Intergenerational Laboratory

Research associated with this lab is focused on development over the life-course. We have a particular emphasis on the personal and social development of persons within their social environments.

Topics include:

• Perceptions of intergenerational contributions and responsibilities (previously funded by ARC);
• Developmental transitions and pathways (with a particular interest in development during the transition to young adult life);
• Developmental perspectives on illness and processes of adaptation.

Research Staff:

Associate Professor Jeanette Lawrence

• Research Collaborators:

• Agnes Dodds, Faculty Education Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences
• Professor Jacqueline Goodnow, Emeritus Professor, School of Psychology, Macquarie University.
• Professor Jaan Valsiner of Psychology, Clark University, USA. Professor Valsiner visited our lab during 2004 as a visiting scholar.
• Dr Sarah Wilson, Department of Psychology
• The research methodology component on our work involves an ongoing collaboration with Hugh Campbell and Andrew Vincent of Highbrow Interactive.

Research Methodology:

A major focus of the research has involved the production of developmental appropriate research methodologies for working with children and young people. This has specifically involved work on interactive computer programs.

“Understanding human development” is a cd with teaching programs and workbooks -- developed by Jeanette Lawrence and Agnes Dodds (Faculty Education Unit).  The programs draw on our research in life-span development and have been used to develop lab materials for undergraduate scholar students. They are used in teaching in the university’s subject 512-380 Personal and Social Development, and in other universities.

Screenshot of the "Understanding Development" Program

Screenshot of the "Generation to Generation " Program

The "Generation to Generation" program is used for asking people their views of inheritance arrangements in families. The program asks participants to process 4 narratives about inheritance arrangements in families. It asks participants to indicate how much a set of inheritance norms is "What I think" or "Not what I think" and then to their approval for the actions of the givers and receivers in the narratives, and to rate alternative actions these people could have taken. Program development was supported by an ARC grant and was developed by Jeanette and Jacqueline in consultation with Hugh Campbell and Andrew Vincent of Highbrow Interactive. This research has led to publications and a forthcoming book with Professor Jacqueline Goodnow of Macquarie University on family inheritance arrangements.

The "Assigning Responsibilities For Caregiving in Families" program presents research participants with a distribution task in which they are asked to allocate a set of caregiving tasks to family members.  The program allows for experimental variations of family circumstances, and participants' abilities to check and revise their distribution choices. There are several versions. The technical aspect of the program was carried out by Highbrow Interactive. A study is reported in Lawrence, Goodnow, Woods and Karantzas (2002).

Screenshot of the "Assigning Responsibilties" Program

Screenshot of the "Living with Diabetes " Program

The ‘Living with Diabetes’ Program presents participating young adults with a set of questions and tasks (including building up diagrams and typing-in one-ended comments). This project is funded by Diabetes Australia and formed the basis of the doctoral study of Dr. Sarity Dodson and a report to Diabetes Australia

Screenshot of the "Balancing Work & Life " Program

Screenshot of the "Life as a Young Adult " Program

The ‘Balancing Work and Life’ program and ‘Life as a Young Adult’ program presents participating young adults with a set of questions and tasks (including building up diagrams and typing-in one-ended comments). The young adult program is used for constructing individualized case studies by advanced psychology students in 512380: Personal and Social development. Several balancing work and life programs have been used as the basis of the doctoral study of Dr. Jessie Lyons and of four honours projects.

For further information or inspection of the programs, please contact Associate Professor Jeanette Lawrence.

Funding & Grants: