Mission

The main research focus of the Brain and Behaviour Research Institute (BBRI) is the understanding of cognitive and perceptual processes and the psychophysiological bases of behaviour. BBRI is allied to the School of Psychology, but with cross-disciplinary links in Biomedical Science and Marketing, and close collaborations with the Brain Dynamics Centre at Westmead Hospital.

By psychophysiology we mean the electrical representations of brain function (central nervous system) as well as cardiovascular and muscle activity (autonomic nervous system) associated with behaviour.

By cognition we mean the processes involved in acquiring knowledge about the environment. Such cognitive structures may include reasoning, memory, thoughts, perceptions and feelings all of which have a direct impact on behaviour.

Although our main focus is on conducting basic research, our work does have applications in a number of very important ways.