Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career
Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Executive Functioning
  • Motor control
  • Multitasking
  • Genetic syndrome

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

About Darren Hocking

Dr Hocking is a lecturer in psychology within the Institute for Health and Sport at Victoria University.

His research program examines the dynamic interplay between executive functions and motor control across typical and atypical development.

Dr Hocking has extensive industry collaborations that focus on technology-integrated gamification using virtual reality and smartphone apps integrated with low-cost motion capture for personalised cognitive-motor interventions in children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

He has received competitive funding through the Australian Research Council Discovery and Linkage schemes as well as recent industry and philanthropic funding.

Qualifications

  • PhD, Monash University, Australia, 2010
  • BA (Hons), Murdoch University, Australia, 2002

Key publications

Darren has over 72 publications, with a selection listed here.


A more comprehensive list of Darren's publications is available in the VU Research Repository.

Year Citation
2024 Hocking, D. R., Sun, X., Haebich, K., Darke, H., North, K. N., Vivanti, G., & Payne, J. M. (240501). Delineating Visual Habituation Profiles in Preschoolers with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Syndrome Study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(5), (1998-2011).

doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-05913-y
2022 Shields, N., Mizzi, N., Buhlert-Smith, K., Strydom, A., Prendergast, L., & Hocking, D. R. (221201). A 12-week exercise programme has a positive effect on everyday executive function in young people with Down syndrome: a pilot non-randomised controlled trial. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 66(12), (924-938).

doi: 10.1111/jir.12979
2022 Hocking, D. R., Ardalan, A., Abu-Rayya, H. M., Farhat, H., Andoni, A., Lenroot, R., & Kachnowski, S. (221201). Feasibility of a virtual reality-based exercise intervention and low-cost motion tracking method for estimation of motor proficiency in youth with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 19(1),

doi: 10.1186/s12984-021-00978-1
2022 Hocking, D. R., Loesch, D. Z., Stimpson, P., Tassone, F., Atkinson, A., & Storey, E. (221101). Relationships of Motor Changes with Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Features in FMR1 Male Carriers Affected with Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome. Brain Sciences, 12(11),

doi: 10.3390/brainsci12111549
2021 Hocking, D. R., Loesch, D. Z., Stimpson, P., Tassone, F., Atkinson, A., & Storey, E. (211203). Delineating the Relationships Between Motor, Cognitive-Executive and Psychiatric Symptoms in Female FMR1 Premutation Carriers. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12

doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.742929
2020 Hudry, K., Chetcuti, L., & Hocking, D. R. (201001). Motor functioning in developmental psychopathology: A review of autism as an example context. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 105

doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103739
2020 Hocking, D. R., Fritsche, S., Farhat, H., Atkinson, A., Bendak, H., & Menant, J. (200901). Working memory is a core executive function supporting dual-task locomotor performance across childhood and adolescence. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 197

doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.104869
2019 Hocking, D. R., Farhat, H., Gavrila, R., Caeyenberghs, K., & Shields, N. (190401). Do Active Video Games Improve Motor Function in People With Developmental Disabilities? A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 100(4), (769-781).

doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.10.021
2017 Hocking, D. R., Birch, R. C., Bui, Q. M., Menant, J. C., Lord, S. R., Georgiou-Karistianis, N., Godler, D. E., Wen, W., Hackett, A., & Rogers, C. (170201). Cerebellar volume mediates the relationship between FMR1 mRNA levels and voluntary step initiation in males with the premutation. Neurobiology of Aging, 50 (5-12).

doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.10.017
2013 Hocking, D. R., Thomas, D., Menant, J. C., Porter, M. A., Smith, S., Lord, S. R., & Cornish, K. M. (130501). The interplay between executive control and motor functioning in Williams syndrome. Developmental Science, 16(3), (428-442).

doi: 10.1111/desc.12042

Research funding for the past 5 years

Funding details for this researcher are currently unavailable.

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

Currently supervised research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
2 PhD Principal supervisor

Currently supervised research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (2) Principal supervisor

Key academic roles

Dates Role Department / Organisation
Jan 2016 - Dec 2020
Senior Reseach Fellow
La Trobe University
Nov 2013 - Jan 2016
Research Fellow
La Trobe University
Jan 2011 - Nov 2013
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Monash University
Dates Role & Department/Organisation
Jan 2016 -
Dec 2020
Senior Reseach Fellow
La Trobe University
Nov 2013 -
Jan 2016
Research Fellow
La Trobe University
Jan 2011 -
Nov 2013
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Monash University

Awards

Year Award
2016

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Australian Research Council