Dr Francesca Collins - Researcher Profile

Dr Francesca Collins

Address

Behavioural Studies
School of Political & Social Inquiry

Contact Details

Tel: +61 3 990 32471

Email: Francesca.Collins@monash.edu


Biography

Dr Francesca Collins is a Senior Lecturer in Behavioural Studies, School of Political & Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts.

She is the Major Convenor (education co-ordinator) for Behavioural Studies, and Deputy College Head of Pegasus College, Caulfield campus’ non-residential college.

Francesca holds a PhD in Psychological Medicine and BSc(Hons) in Psychology, both from Monash, and postgraduate qualifications in higher education and visual art. Her current research interests include virtual worlds teaching and dissociation in every day life, including online and in highly arousing situations.

Francesca has taught at Monash University and Princeton University in the areas of: personality theories and their application, criminal behaviour, online identity, virtual worlds, scholarly writing, and science writing.  In 2013, she will co-ordinate and teach:

- ATS2400/ATS3400 Personality: Beyond the persona
- ATS2398/ATS3398 The criminal mind

She will also teach modules in the first year Behavioural Studies units ATS1261 Understanding human behaviour and ATS1262 Introduction to social behaviour.

Francesca is a full member of the Australian Psychological Society and a Justice of the Peace for Victoria.

Click here to download Francesca’s CV.

 

Using avatars to explore human tribes

“Your mind will do whatever it needs to in order to protect you. It keeps you going when everything is just too much.”

 

Dr Francesa Collins is interested in how people leave their bodies.

More specifically, she is studying how we mentally disconnect from our physical selves in times of great emotional intensity. She refers to this process as ‘dissociation’.

“Take a sports star in the final seconds of a match. They have the ball, it’s up to them, and it’s overwhelming. Then, all of a sudden, they can’t hear the crowd. They get tunnel vision. They become very focused on their task, because if they allowed themselves to hear the cheers, they’d probably mess up.”

However, she has also studied dissociation in less glorious situations. 

“I was interested in how emergency personnel like firemen, ambulance drivers and police officers deal with having to do really awful stuff like retrieve bodies from cars.”

Francesca found that such professionals used dissociation as a coping mechanism. 

“They just switch off and enter a dreamlike state. You can imagine going around picking up a limb here, and a limb there. Yet emergency personnel report: ‘I saw it as a piece of a meat,’ or ‘I pretended it was a dummy’ – they actually change the reality in their own head about what they were doing.”

Not all of Francesca’s work is so macabre, however. She is currently teaching the subject ‘Digital Selves’ – or, more precisely, her avatar ‘Curiosa Paravane’ is teaching it in the virtual reality of Second Life. 

“One of the things about any three-dimensional virtual world is that participating actually requires you to actively dissociate. Dissociation automatically happens in response to danger, or fear, or overwhelming responses. But to enjoy virtual worlds - to get into them - you actually have to deliberately dissociate.”

Francesca has also found that using Second Life as a teaching environment has allowed otherwise reticent students to open up and engage with the class and subject matter. 

“Students will show up as tigers, or mermaids, or just convertible cars. And the dynamics that you have in a real life classroom – some of them are there, but some get broken down. In regular classes, our international students can sometimes feel marginalised – in here, everyone contributes, and everyone feels like they have a voice.”

Francesca believes that virtual socialisation and engagement may have even greater real world application now, and in the future.

“Some organisations are actually looking towards gamers and recruiting them into their companies. Because they’re good collaborators, team workers, leaders, thinkers, planners, strategists, communicators – all these things. They have everything a graduate employer wants.”

 

Keywords

Cyberpsychology, Dissociation, Personality, Psychology, Psychology of the internet

Qualifications

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF VISUAL ART
Institution: University of Melbourne
Year awarded: 2010
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 2008
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE)
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 2004
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) (PSYCHOLOGY)
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 1998
BACHELOR OF ARTS (PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY)
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 1997

Publications

Books

Collins, F.E., Biondo, S., Sinclair, R.D., 2005, Bad Hair Day: A Guide to Female Hair Loss, Thomas C Lothian Pty Ltd, South Melbourne Vic Australia.

Book Chapters

Collins, F.E., 2005, Dissociation in Australia, in Trauma and Dissociation in a Cross-Cultural Perspective: Not Just a North American Phenomenon, eds George F. Rhoades, Jr. and Vedat Sar, Haworth Press, Binghamton USA, pp. 55-79.

Journal Articles

Hutton, V., Misajon, R., Collins, F.E., 2012, Subjective wellbeing and 'felt' stigma when living with HIV, Quality of Life Research [E], vol 0, Springer Netherlands, Netherlands, pp. 1-9. View Publication

Brown, D., Ubels, J., De Souza, N., Dobson, A., Collins, F., 2011, Kisses under the starlight: The performance of masculinities and Emo on MySpace, Reinvention: A Journal of Undergraduate Research [E], vol 4, issue 2, University of Warwick Institute of Advanced Teaching and Learning, UK, pp. 1-11.

Collins, F.E., 2006, Curiouser and curiouser: dissociation and unusual experiences, Australian Journal of Psychology, vol 58, issue Supplement 2006, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon England, p. 124.

O'Farrell, B.J., Collins, F.E., 2006, Measuring workplace bullying in Australia: validation of the negative acts questionnaire - revised in an Australian academic population, Australian Journal of Psychology, vol 57, issue Supplement 2005, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon England, pp. 237-238.

Collins, F.E., 2005, Australian report, News: The International Society for the Study of Dissociation, vol 23, issue 4, The International Society for the Study of Dissociation, Northbrook IL USA, pp. 6-7.

Collins, F.E., 2005, Dissociation down under: the status of dissociation and the dissociative disorders in Australia, Australian Journal of Psychology, vol 57, issue Supplement 2005, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon England, p. 196.

Collins, F.E., Biondo, S., Sinclair, R.D., 2005, From consultation to compliance: factors affecting adherence to treatment for female pattern hair loss, Australasian Journal of Dermatology, vol 46, issue Supplement 1, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford England, pp. 6-7.

Biondo, S., Collins, F.E., Sinclair, R.D., 2005, Halo: evaluation of a group psycho-educational program for women with female pattern hair loss, Australasian Journal of Dermatology, vol 46, issue Supplement 1, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford England, p. 6.

Lynch, J., Sheard, J.I., Carbone, A., Collins, F.E., 2005, Individual and organisational factors influencing academics' decisions to pursue the scholarship of teaching ICT, Journal of Information Technology Education, vol 4, Information Science Institute, Santa Rosa USA, pp. 219-236.

Collins, F.E., Biondo, S., Sinclair, R.D., 2005, Tendency to underestimate the severity of androgenetic alopecia: reply from authors, British Journal of Dermatology, vol 152, issue 6, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford England, p. 1363. View Publication

Collins, F.E., Jones, K.V.L., 2004, Investigating dissociation online: Validation of a web-based version of the dissociative experiences scale, Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, vol 5, issue 1, The Haworth Medical Press/The Haworth Maltreatment & Trauma Press, USA, pp. 133-147.

Collins, F.E., Jones, K.V.L., 2004, Investigating dissociation online: validation of a web-based version of the dissociative experiences scale, Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, vol 5, issue 1, The Haworth Medical Press and Haworth Maltreatment & Trauma Press, Binghamton USA, pp. 133-147. View Publication

Lynch, J., Collins, F.E., 2001, Factors inhibiting and driving innovation in ICT education, Melbourne Studies in Education, vol 42, issue 2, Arena Publications Pty Ltd, Vic Australia, pp. 105-130.

Collins, F.E., Ffrench, C.H., 1998, Dissociation, coping strategies, and local of control in a non-clinical population: Clinical implications, Australian Journal of Clilnical and Experimental Hypnosis, vol 26 number 2, Australian Society of Hypnosis (ASH), Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 113-126.

Conference Proceedings

Collins, F., McCormick, D., 2011, Digital Selves: lessons from Second Life, Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommuncations 2011, 27 June 2011 to 1 July 2011, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Chesapeake USA, pp. 3405-3411.

Collins, F.E., 2008, Digital selves: Preparing graduates for the virtual workplace, Proceedings of ED-Media 2008: World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, 30 June - 4 July 2008, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), USA, pp. 5853-5858. View Publication

Collins, F.E., 2007, Very superstitious: Dissociation, control and unusual beliefs, Combined Abstracts of 2007 Australian Psychology Conferences, 25-29 September 2007, The Australian Psychological Society Ltd, Australia, p. 253.

Collins, F.E., 2007, Very superstitious: Dissociation, control and unusual beliefs, Proceedings of 42nd APS Annual Conference Psychology Making An Impact, 25 - 29 Sept 2007, The Australian Psychological Society Ltd, Australia, pp. 98-102.

Collins, F.E., 2006, Curiouser and curiouser: dissociation and unusual experiences, Beyond Dissociative Disorders: The Relationship between Dissociative Processes and Other Mental Disorders, 9 November 2006 to 11 November 2006, The International Society for the Study of Dissociation, McLean VA USA, p. 39.

Collins, F.E., 2006, Dissociation and dissociative disorders in the Antipodes, Psychology Bridging the Tasman: Science, Culture and Practice, 26 September 2006 to 30 September 2006, The New Zealand Psychological Society, Auckland New Zealand, p. 59.

Collins, F.E., 2005, Dissociation down under: the status of dissociation and the dissociative disorders in Australia, Proceedings of the 40th APS Annual Conference, 28 September 2005 to 2 October 2005, The Australian Psychological Society Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 73-77.

O'Farrell, B.J., Collins, F.E., 2005, Measuring workplace bullying in Australia: validation of the negative acts questionnaire - revised in an Australian academic population, Proceedings of the 40th APS Annual Conference, 28 September 2005 to 2 October 2005, Australian Psychological Society Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 218-222.

Collins, F.E., 2004, 'Peritraumatic' dissociation during positive events: a response to hyperarousal and perceived lack of control, Proceedings of the 39th APS Annual Conference: Psychological Science in Action, 29 September 2004 to 3 October 2004, The Australian Psychological Society Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 52-56.

Biondo, S., Collins, F.E., 2003, Bad hair life 1: the psychological impact of hair loss in women, Proceedings of the 38th APS Annual Conference, 2 October 2003 to 5 October 2003, The Australian Psychological Society Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 21-23.

Hasen, M., Collins, F.E., 2003, Behavioural studies as a humanistic alternative to APS accredited psychology courses: escaping the skinner box, Internation Education Research Conference: AARE - NZARE, 30 November 2003 to 3 December 2003, Australian Association for Research in Education, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 1-5.

Collins, F.E., Jones, K.V.L., 2003, Dissociation, coping and locus of control in Australia and North America, Proceedings of the 38th APS Annual Conference, 2 October 2003 to 5 October 2003, The Australian Psychological Society Ltd, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 45-47.

Collins, F.E., Lynch, J., 2002, Academic demoralisation: the ongoing effects of organisational restructure in the Australian higher education sector, Proceedings of the 2002 British Psychological Society Occupational Psychology Conference, 03 January 2002 to 05 January 2002, British Psychological Society, Leicester ENGLAND, pp. 296-302.

Collins, F.E., Jones, K.V.L., 2002, Dissociation under highly arousing and uncontrollable conditions: Responses to riding a roller-coaster, Proceedings of the 23rd Stress and Anxiety Research Conference, 14/7/02 to 17/07/02, Stress and Anxiety Research Society, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 9-13.

Lynch, J., Sheard, J., Carbone, A., Collins, F.E., 2002, The scholarship of teaching: Risky business in ICT education, International Education Research Conference: AARE 2002 Conference Papers, 01 December 2002 to 05 December 2002, Australian Association for Research in Education, Melbourne Vic Australia www.aare.edu.au/02pap/lyn02030.htm, pp. 1-17. View Publication

Lynch, J., Collins, F.E., 2001, Academics' concerns about "the push for flexible delivery", Meeting at the Crossroads: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, 09 December 2001 to 12 December 2001, Biomedical Multimedia Unit, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 377-386.

Collins, F.E., Lynch, J., Markham, S., 2001, The mini-conference as a research tool: encouraging collegiality among ICT educators, Proceedings of The 18th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, 09 December 2001 to 12 December 2001, Biomedical Multimedia Unit, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 133-139.

Other

Collins, F.E., 2006, Sceptical and spooked, Spirit of Things, Radio National, ABC, Melbourne Vic Australia.

Lynch, J., Collins, F.E., Hurst, A.J., 2002, Teaching ICT: The ICT-ED Project.

Hurst, A.J., Carbone, A., Eley, M.G., Ellis, A.E., Hagan, D.L., Markham, S.J., Sheard, J.I., Tuovinen, J.E., Lynch, J., Collins, F.E., 2001, Teaching ICT - The ICT-Ed Project - The report on learning outcomes and curriculm development in major university disciplines in information and communication technology, Commonwealth of Australia, Australia, pp. 1-186.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Living with HIV in developed nations: Subjective wellbeing and the human-animal bond.
Supervisors:
Misajon, R (Main), Collins, F (Associate).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
The future of friendship: contextualising friendship and social networking in the digital age.
Supervisors:
Misajon, R (Main), Davis, M (Associate), Collins, F (Associate).