Rate My Professor A Warburton

Wayne A. Warburton is a Professor of Developmental Psychology in the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University, where he is also a registered psychologist. He earned his PhD in Psychology from Macquarie University, receiving the Australian Psychological Society Award for Excellent PhD Thesis in Psychology in 2007, the Vice Chancellor's Commendation for Excellent PhD Thesis, and the Higher Degree Research Excellence Award from the Macquarie University Division of Linguistics and Psychology in 2006. His undergraduate achievements include the University Medal for Psychology, the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Academic Excellence, and the Australian Psychological Society Prize for Honours in Psychology, all awarded in 2002, along with 18 earlier awards for academic excellence. Prior to his academic career, Warburton worked extensively with vulnerable and low-income clients, particularly those facing financial stress, gambling problems, and homelessness, serving as a consumer advocate. His research focuses on aggressive behaviour, the impacts of mass media and screens on children and young adults, child-to-parent aggression, problematic and disordered screen use, violent and prosocial video games and music, body-disaffirming media, social media use and depression, and attention deficits. He investigates mechanisms linking screen use to executive dysfunction and aggression, and develops interventions such as the RES@T-A and Reboot-Sandbox programs for youth with screen disorders.

Warburton has garnered significant recognition for his contributions, including the Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Media Psychology and Technology Award from Division 46 of the American Psychological Association in 2018, the NSW Parents Council Award for Excellence in Research to Promote Positive Mental Wellbeing in Youth in 2018, the Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2017, the Australian Psychological Society Outstanding Psychology Lecturer of the Year Award in 2015 and 2016, the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2014, and the Jan Pentland Prize for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Australian Financial Counselling in 2013. Key publications include 'When ostracism leads to aggression: The moderating effects of control deprivation' (2006), 'Aggression, Social psychology of' (2015), 'Internet Gaming Disorder: Evidence for a Risk and Resilience Approach' (2022), 'Neuropsychological deficits in disordered screen-use behaviours: a systematic review and meta-analysis' (2024), and 'Aggression in a digital world: problematic screen use, executive dysfunction and aggressive behaviors' (2026). His research has been featured on Australian Story (2023) and Channel Seven's Spotlight (2024), influencing understandings of media effects and screen-related disorders.