My goal as a researcher is to conduct research that both advances theory and has practical impact. My research focus is on using computational models to understand how humans make decisions in dynamic, complex, and uncertain environments. Practical applications of this work include enhancing the capacity and safety of unmanned aerial systems operation, facilitating tactical decision-making in military contexts, providing tools to combat fatigue in submarine operations, and improving climate change mitigation practices.
Book Chapter: How to publish and review a computational model
Neal, Andrew, Ballard, Timothy and Palada, Hector (2024). How to publish and review a computational model. Computational Modeling For IndustrialOrganizational Psychologists. (pp. 297-319) New York, NY United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003388852-13
Book Chapter: Fitting computational models to data: A tutorial
Ballard, Timothy, Palada, Hector and Neal, Andrew (2023). Fitting computational models to data: A tutorial. Computational Modeling For IndustrialOrganizational Psychologists. (pp. 255-296) New York: Taylor and Francis. doi: 10.4324/9781003388852-12
Journal Article: Individual differences in decision strategy relate to neurochemical excitability and cortical thickness
Filmer, Hannah L., Loughnan, Kathleen, Seeto, Jennifer X., Ballard, Timothy, Ehrhardt, Shane E., Shaw, Thomas, Wards, Yohan, Rideaux, Reuben, Leow, Li-Ann, Sewell, David and Dux, Paul E. (2023). Individual differences in decision strategy relate to neurochemical excitability and cortical thickness. The Journal of Neuroscience, 43 (42), 7006-7015. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.1086-23.2023
Designing work roles for crew operating multiple unmanned aircraft
(2021–2024) ARC Linkage Projects
(2021–2023) Universities Australia - Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme
Modelling distributed multi-agent decision making: Phase 4
(2021–2022) Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
The Dynamics of Decision Making During Competitive Goal Pursuit
(2023) Doctor Philosophy
A data-driven approach to reorganising the workweek: examining the relationship between work hours and mental health over time
Doctor Philosophy
Interruptions in Healthcare: Developing and Testing a Computational Model of Interruption Processes and Effects at a Team Level
Doctor Philosophy
How to publish and review a computational model
Neal, Andrew, Ballard, Timothy and Palada, Hector (2024). How to publish and review a computational model. Computational Modeling For IndustrialOrganizational Psychologists. (pp. 297-319) New York, NY United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003388852-13
Fitting computational models to data: A tutorial
Ballard, Timothy, Palada, Hector and Neal, Andrew (2023). Fitting computational models to data: A tutorial. Computational Modeling For IndustrialOrganizational Psychologists. (pp. 255-296) New York: Taylor and Francis. doi: 10.4324/9781003388852-12
Measuring affect over time: the momentary affect scale
Gee, Phillip, Ballard, Timothy, Yeo, Gillian and Neal, Andrew (2012). Measuring affect over time: the momentary affect scale. Experiencing and managing emotions in the workplace. (pp. 141-173) edited by Neal M. Ashkanasy, Wilfred J. Zerbe and Charmine E. J. Härtel. Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing. doi: 10.1108/S1746-9791(2012)0000008010
Filmer, Hannah L., Loughnan, Kathleen, Seeto, Jennifer X., Ballard, Timothy, Ehrhardt, Shane E., Shaw, Thomas, Wards, Yohan, Rideaux, Reuben, Leow, Li-Ann, Sewell, David and Dux, Paul E. (2023). Individual differences in decision strategy relate to neurochemical excitability and cortical thickness. The Journal of Neuroscience, 43 (42), 7006-7015. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.1086-23.2023
Interruptions in healthcare: Modeling dynamic processes and effects at a team level
Knight, Emma, Sanderson, Penelope, Neal, Andrew and Ballard, Timothy (2023). Interruptions in healthcare: Modeling dynamic processes and effects at a team level. Applied Ergonomics, 112 104051, 104051. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2023.104051
Dopamine alters the effect of brain stimulation on decision-making
Leow, Li-Ann, Marcos, Anjeli, Nielsen, Esteban, Sewell, David K, Ballard, Tim, Dux, Paul E. and Filmer, Hannah L. (2023). Dopamine alters the effect of brain stimulation on decision-making. The Journal of Neuroscience, 43 (41), JN-RM. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.1140-23.2023
Ballard, Timothy, Evans, Nathan J., Fisher, Gina and Sewell, David K. (2023). Using mixture modeling to examine differences in perceptual decision-making as a function of the time and method of participant recruitment. Behavior Research Methods. doi: 10.3758/s13428-023-02142-0
A Tutorial on Bayesian Modeling of Change Across Time, Individuals, and Groups
Knight, Emma, Neal, Andrew, Palada, Hector and Ballard, Timothy (2023). A Tutorial on Bayesian Modeling of Change Across Time, Individuals, and Groups. Computational Brain & Behavior. doi: 10.1007/s42113-023-00173-6
A systematic investigation into the reliability of inter-temporal choice model parameters
Ballard, Timothy, Luckman, Ashley and Konstantinidis, Emmanouil (2023). A systematic investigation into the reliability of inter-temporal choice model parameters. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 30 (4), 1294-1322. doi: 10.3758/s13423-022-02241-7
Filmer, Hannah L., Ballard, Timothy, Amarasekera, Koralalage Don Raveen, Sewell, David K. and Dux, Paul E. (2023). The causal role of the prefrontal and superior medial frontal cortices in the incidental manipulation of decision strategies. Neuropsychologia, 179 108466, 1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108466
Morgan, Andrew J., Neal, Andrew and Ballard, Timothy (2023). Using cognitive modeling to examine the effects of competition on strategy and effort in races and tournaments. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 30 (3), 1158-1169. doi: 10.3758/s13423-022-02213-x
Wilson, Michael David, Strickland, Luke, Ballard, Timothy and Griffin, Mark A. (2022). The next generation of fatigue prediction models: evaluating current trends in biomathematical modelling. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science. doi: 10.1080/1463922x.2022.2144962
tDCS augments decision-making efficiency in an intensity dependent manner: a training study
Ehrhardt, Shane E., Ballard, Timothy, Wards, Yohan, Mattingley, Jason B., Dux, Paul E. and Filmer, Hannah L. (2022). tDCS augments decision-making efficiency in an intensity dependent manner: a training study. Neuropsychologia, 176 108397, 108397. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108397
Changes in affect during the pursuit of performance goals
Neal, Andrew, Gee, Phillip, Ballard, Timothy, Vancouver, Jeffrey B., Yeo, Gillian, Chandra, Vritika and Ambrose, Laura (2022). Changes in affect during the pursuit of performance goals. Emotion, 23 (5), 1472-1491. doi: 10.1037/emo0001164
A general architecture for modeling the dynamics of goal-directed motivation and decision-making
Ballard, Timothy, Neal, Andrew, Farrell, Simon, Lloyd, Erin, Lim, Jonathan and Heathcote, Andrew (2021). A general architecture for modeling the dynamics of goal-directed motivation and decision-making. Psychological Review, 129 (1), 146-174. doi: 10.1037/rev0000324
Wilson, Michael David, Ballard, Timothy, Strickland, Luke, Amy Boeing, Alexandra, Cham, Belinda, Griffin, Mark A. and Jorritsma, Karina (2021). Understanding fatigue in a naval submarine: applying biomathematical models and workload measurement in an intensive longitudinal design. Applied Ergonomics, 94 103412, 103412. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103412
How do we choose our giants? Perceptions of replicability in psychological science
Alister, Manikya, Vickers-Jones, Raine, Sewell, David K. and Ballard, Timothy (2021). How do we choose our giants? Perceptions of replicability in psychological science. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 4 (2), 251524592110181. doi: 10.1177/25152459211018199
Filmer, Hannah L., Ballard, Timothy, Sewell, David K. and Dux, Paul E. (2021). Causal evidence for dissociable roles of the prefrontal and superior medial frontal cortices in decision strategies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 47 (4), 1-11. doi: 10.1037/xhp0000896
Sewell, David K., Ballard, Timothy and Steffens, Niklas K. (2021). Exemplifying “Us”: Integrating social identity theory of leadership with cognitive models of categorization. The Leadership Quarterly, 33 (4) 101517, 101517. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101517
An evidence accumulation model of perceptual discrimination with naturalistic stimuli
Palada, Hector, Searston, Rachel A., Persson, Annabel, Ballard, Timothy and Thompson, Matthew B. (2020). An evidence accumulation model of perceptual discrimination with naturalistic stimuli. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 26 (4), 671-691. doi: 10.1037/xap0000272
FIPS: an R package for biomathematical modelling of human fatigue related impairment
Wilson, Michael, Strickland, Luke and Ballard, Timothy (2020). FIPS: an R package for biomathematical modelling of human fatigue related impairment. Journal of Open Source Software, 5 (51), 2340. doi: 10.21105/joss.02340
Filmer, Hannah L., Ballard, Timothy, Ehrhardt, Shane E., Bollmann, Saskia, Shaw, Thomas B., Mattingley, Jason B. and Dux, Paul E. (2020). Dissociable effects of tDCS polarity on latent decision processes are associated with individual differences in neurochemical concentrations and cortical morphology. Neuropsychologia, 141 107433, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107433
Ballard, Timothy, Palada, Hector, Griffin, Mark and Neal, Andrew (2019). An integrated approach to testing dynamic, multilevel theory: using computational models to connect theory, model, and data. Organizational Research Methods, 24 (2), 109442811988120-284. doi: 10.1177/1094428119881209
Palada, Hector, Neal, Andrew, Strayer, David, Ballard, Timothy and Heathcote, Andrew (2019). Using response time modeling to understand the sources of dual-task interference in a dynamic environment. Journal of Experimental Psychology-Human Perception and Performance, 45 (10), 1331-1345. doi: 10.1037/xhp0000672
Sleeth-Keppler, David, Lewandowsky, Stephan, Ballard, Timothy, Myers, Teresa A., Roser-Renouf, Connie and Maibach, Edward (2019). Does 'When' really feel more certain than 'If'? Two failures to replicate Ballard and Lewandowsky (2015). Royal Society Open Science, 6 (7) 180475, 1-12. doi: 10.1098/rsos.180475
Information processing under reward versus under punishment
Ballard, Timothy, Sewell, David K., Cosgrove, Daniel and Neal, Andrew (2019). Information processing under reward versus under punishment. Psychological Science, 30 (5), 757-764. doi: 10.1177/0956797619835462
Polling bias and undecided voter allocations: US presidential elections, 2004–2016
Bon, Joshua J., Ballard, Timothy and Baffour, Bernard (2019). Polling bias and undecided voter allocations: US presidential elections, 2004–2016. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A: Statistics in Society, 182 (2), 467-493. doi: 10.1111/rssa.12414
Loft, Shayne, Jooste, Lisa, Li, Yanqi Ryan, Ballard, Timothy, Huf, Samuel, Lipp, Ottmar V. and Visser, Troy A. W. (2018). Using situation awareness and workload to predict performance in submarine track management: a multilevel approach. Human Factors, 60 (7), 001872081878480-991. doi: 10.1177/0018720818784803
On the pursuit of multiple goals with different deadlines
Ballard, Timothy, Vancouver, Jeffrey B. and Neal, Andrew (2018). On the pursuit of multiple goals with different deadlines. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103 (11), 1242-1264. doi: 10.1037/apl0000304
The dynamics of avoidance goal regulation
Ballard, Timothy, Yeo, Gillian, B. Vancouver, Jeffrey and Neal, Andrew (2017). The dynamics of avoidance goal regulation. Motivation and Emotion, 41 (6), 698-707. doi: 10.1007/s11031-017-9640-8
Quantifying the psychological value of goal achievement
Ballard, Timothy, Farrell, Simon and Neal, Andrew (2017). Quantifying the psychological value of goal achievement. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 25 (3), 1-9. doi: 10.3758/s13423-017-1329-1
Dynamic self-regulation and multiple-goal pursuit
Neal, Andrew, Ballard, Timothy and Vancouver, Jeffrey B. (2017). Dynamic self-regulation and multiple-goal pursuit. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4 (1), 401-423. doi: 10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113156
An integrative formal model of motivation and decision making: the MGPM*
Ballard, Timothy, Yeo, Gillian, Loft, Shayne, Vancouver, Jeffrey B. and Neal, Andrew (2016). An integrative formal model of motivation and decision making: the MGPM*. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101 (9), 1240-1265. doi: 10.1037/apl0000121
A blind expert test of contrarian claims about climate data
Lewandowsky, Stephan, Ballard, Timothy, Oberauer, Klaus and Benestad, Rasmus (2016). A blind expert test of contrarian claims about climate data. Global Environmental Change, 39, 91-97. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.04.013
Departures from optimality when pursuing multiple approach or avoidance goals
Ballard, Timothy, Yeo, Gillian, Neal, Andrew and Farrell, Simon (2016). Departures from optimality when pursuing multiple approach or avoidance goals. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101 (7), 1056-1066. doi: 10.1037/apl0000082
Lewandowsky, Stephan, Ballard, Timothy and Pancost, Richard D. (2015). Uncertainty as knowledge. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 373 (2055) 0462, 20140462. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0462
When, not if: The inescapability of an uncertain climate future
Ballard, Timothy and Lewandowsky, Stephan (2015). When, not if: The inescapability of an uncertain climate future. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 373 (2055) 0464, 20140464. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0464
Neal, Andrew, Marshall, Kayler, Sanderson, Penelope, Ballard, Timothy, Palada, Hector, Boag-Hodgson, Christine, Duffy, Donna and Perez, Tristan (2023). A methodology for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of alternative crewing arrangements for next-generation Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. IEEE. doi: 10.1109/dasc58513.2023.10311253
Testing a computational model of interruptions between clinicians in a hospital ward
Knight, Emma, Sanderson, Penelope, Neal, Andrew and Ballard, Timothy (2022). Testing a computational model of interruptions between clinicians in a hospital ward. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA USA, 14-15 October 2022. London, United Kingdom: Sage Publications. doi: 10.1177/1071181322661288
Filmer, Hannah and Ballard, Timothy (2022). Role of Prefrontal cortex (PFC) and Superior medial frontal cortex (SMFC) in implicit response strategies.. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/0e92ea8
Designing work roles for crew operating multiple unmanned aircraft
(2021–2024) ARC Linkage Projects
(2021–2023) Universities Australia - Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme
Modelling distributed multi-agent decision making: Phase 4
(2021–2022) Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
Modelling tactical decision making in the undersea environment
(2020–2023) Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
(2019–2022) University of Western Australia
Modelling distributed multi-agent decision making: Phase 2
(2019–2021) Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
A new state of the art for understanding dynamic self-regulation
(2018–2022) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
(2018–2020) Curtin University of Technology
Decision Architectures for Distributed Tactical Systems: Phase 1 (Feasibility study)
(2018–2019) Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
Mathematical modelling of human fatigue in undersea operations
(2018–2019) University of Western Australia
A data-driven approach to reorganising the workweek: examining the relationship between work hours and mental health over time
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Interruptions in Healthcare: Developing and Testing a Computational Model of Interruption Processes and Effects at a Team Level
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Self-cognitive Advantages and their Underlying Decisional and Attentional Mechanisms
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Multiple Decision Makers in the Pursuit of Multiple Goals
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Validating a computational model for designing work roles for crew operating unmanned aircraft.
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Modelling and simulating category learning with diffusion models of decision making
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
The Dynamics of Decision Making During Competitive Goal Pursuit
(2023) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Combining brain stimulation and training to enhance cognition
(2023) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors: