Con Stough
Encyclopedia
Con Stough is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology at Swinburne University of Technology
, Australia
, director of the Swinburne Centre for Neuropsychology and director of the newly formed National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) Collaborative Centre for the study of herbal and natural medicines for neurocognition.
Stough's main interest lies in the area of intelligence, primarily the assessment of intelligence, theories of intelligence, the biological basis of intelligence and how to improve intelligence. He is a member of the editorial board of the Intelligence
journal.
and completed his PhD in the Department of Psychology at the University of Adelaide
in 1994 under the supervision of Ted Nettelbeck. He gained several publications during his PhD, developing basic work on the relationship of inspection time
to human intelligence
, in particular to the information processing speed model of ability.
working on the pharmacological and cognitive effects of the cholinergic
agonist
nicotine
. At this time he also worked with Timothy Bates
on evoked potential, reaction time
, and inspection time
measures of ability.
Following a second post-doctoral position at the University of Queensland
with Professors Gina Geffen and Nick Martin
, working on the heritability of inspection time, he moved to Swinburne University of Technology
where he has built up one of Australia's larger groups of individual differences researchers.
Over the last decade he has worked on the neurochemical basis of intelligence, (including the distinct roles of dopamine
, serotonin
and acetylcholine
), on cognition and emotion. He has also conducted extensive work on: the mechanisms of herbal treatments that improve intelligence, (such as Ginkgo Biloba and the Indian herb brahmi); the assessment of emotional intelligence
and evoked potentials; and the neuropsychological
effects of electromagnetic emissions. In the clinical field, he has worked on the assessment of disorders including depression, OCD, PTSD, sexual offending
and Dissociative Identity Disorder
.
He is a regular keynote presenter, has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, and attracted several million dollars in government and industry grants. With Ben Palmer, he is the co-developer of the SUEIT (Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test, also referred to as GENOS EI) and helped develop the company GENOS which now commercially uses this framework in organisations across Australia to develop emotional intelligence and leadership.
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology is an Australian public dual sector university based in Melbourne, Victoria. The institution was founded by the Honourable George Swinburne in 1908 and achieved university status in June 1992...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, director of the Swinburne Centre for Neuropsychology and director of the newly formed National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) Collaborative Centre for the study of herbal and natural medicines for neurocognition.
Stough's main interest lies in the area of intelligence, primarily the assessment of intelligence, theories of intelligence, the biological basis of intelligence and how to improve intelligence. He is a member of the editorial board of the Intelligence
Intelligence (journal)
Intelligence is a peer-reviewed academic journal of psychology that covers intelligence and psychometrics. It is published by Elsevier and the official journal of the International Society for Intelligence Research.The journal was established in 1977 and the editor in chief is Douglas K. Detterman...
journal.
Early life
Stough was educated at Prince Alfred CollegePrince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College is an independent, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, near the centre of Adelaide, South Australia...
and completed his PhD in the Department of Psychology at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
in 1994 under the supervision of Ted Nettelbeck. He gained several publications during his PhD, developing basic work on the relationship of inspection time
Inspection time
Inspection time refers to the exposure duration required for a human subject to reliably identify a simple stimulus. Typically a stimulus made up of two parallel lines differing in length and joined at the tops by a cross bar is presented...
to human intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
, in particular to the information processing speed model of ability.
Academic career
This was followed by a post-doctoral position at the University of AucklandUniversity of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
working on the pharmacological and cognitive effects of the cholinergic
Acetylcholine
The chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system in many organisms including humans...
agonist
Agonist
An agonist is a chemical that binds to a receptor of a cell and triggers a response by that cell. Agonists often mimic the action of a naturally occurring substance...
nicotine
Nicotine
Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants that constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots and accumulation occurring in the leaves...
. At this time he also worked with Timothy Bates
Timothy Bates
Timothy C. Bates is a professor of individual differences in psychology at the University of Edinburgh . His current research interests include the genetics of reading and spelling, intelligence, and personality....
on evoked potential, reaction time
Jensen Box
The Jensen Box was developed by University of California, Berkeley psychologist Arthur Jensen as a standard apparatus for measuring choice reaction time, especially in relationship to differences in intelligence....
, and inspection time
Inspection time
Inspection time refers to the exposure duration required for a human subject to reliably identify a simple stimulus. Typically a stimulus made up of two parallel lines differing in length and joined at the tops by a cross bar is presented...
measures of ability.
Following a second post-doctoral position at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
with Professors Gina Geffen and Nick Martin
Nick Martin
Nicholas Gordon Martin is a leading behavior geneticist who has published over 600 peer-reviewed articles on topics as diverse as the heritability of religion and intelligence to medical disorders such as endometriosis...
, working on the heritability of inspection time, he moved to Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology is an Australian public dual sector university based in Melbourne, Victoria. The institution was founded by the Honourable George Swinburne in 1908 and achieved university status in June 1992...
where he has built up one of Australia's larger groups of individual differences researchers.
Over the last decade he has worked on the neurochemical basis of intelligence, (including the distinct roles of dopamine
Dopamine
Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...
, serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
and acetylcholine
Acetylcholine
The chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system in many organisms including humans...
), on cognition and emotion. He has also conducted extensive work on: the mechanisms of herbal treatments that improve intelligence, (such as Ginkgo Biloba and the Indian herb brahmi); the assessment of emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is a skill or ability in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. Various models and definitions have been proposed of which the ability and trait EI models are the most...
and evoked potentials; and the neuropsychological
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. The term neuropsychology has been applied to lesion studies in humans and animals. It has also been applied to efforts to record electrical activity from individual cells in...
effects of electromagnetic emissions. In the clinical field, he has worked on the assessment of disorders including depression, OCD, PTSD, sexual offending
Sex and the law
In general, laws proscribe acts which are considered either sexual abuse, or behavior that societies consider to be inappropriate and against the social norms. In addition, certain categories of activity may be considered crimes even if freely consented to...
and Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
.
He is a regular keynote presenter, has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, and attracted several million dollars in government and industry grants. With Ben Palmer, he is the co-developer of the SUEIT (Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test, also referred to as GENOS EI) and helped develop the company GENOS which now commercially uses this framework in organisations across Australia to develop emotional intelligence and leadership.
External links
Swinburne University biography pages- http://www.swinburne.edu.au/lss/bsi/researchunits/ru_hnm.html
- http://www.swinburne.edu.au/lss/staff/view.php?who=cstough