Kris Tulloch

Lecturer in Psychology, School of Health - Psychology

About

Biography

Dr Kristen Tulloch lectures in psychology at USC, in the School of Health. She joined the school in 2021, following a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at The University of Queensland and collaborations with universities around Australia. Kris completed her PhD at Macquarie University and her Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) (Honours) at Deakin University.

Kris’ research is strongly influenced by positive psychology, or the investigation of positive functioning and strength-based approaches, working with individuals’ values to optimise wellbeing, life satisfaction and performance in pursuits meaningful to the individual. In practice, she has investigated ways to build students’ self-efficacy prior to undertaking clinical placement at university, and the ways in which student bias against older people can be reduced via research engagement. She has contributed to teams applying family-centred care in audiology, and ways in which evaluations of thought can influence behaviour.

Since 2010, Kris has taught a range of undergraduate courses, predominantly in psychology with some interdisciplinary courses. Her approach to andragogy is founded on Knowles’ principles of adult learning, with particular emphasis on psychological safety and active learning tasks. She is particularly interested in facilitating greater integration of knowledge, to promote real-world application and deep understanding.

Potential research projects for HDR & honours students

Older people’s engagement in community gardens and wellbeing
Aged care experiences of residents and families
Older athletes including recreational, Masters/Elite and oldest-old (80 years and over) athletes