Role of form information in motion processing. The study of the mind, and its relationship to the brain, is currently at the forefront of new developments in science. In the international setting, visual psychophysics is playing a major role in this development. The present project will help maintain Australia's international competitiveness in this rapidly growing field. Also, given how important being able to accurately perceive motion is to our ability to safely interact with the world, there ....Role of form information in motion processing. The study of the mind, and its relationship to the brain, is currently at the forefront of new developments in science. In the international setting, visual psychophysics is playing a major role in this development. The present project will help maintain Australia's international competitiveness in this rapidly growing field. Also, given how important being able to accurately perceive motion is to our ability to safely interact with the world, there are a number of potential applied benefits of the proposed research. These benefits range from areas like road safety to clinical neuropsychology.Read moreRead less
How human vision separately determines object and scene motion. This project aims to enhance understanding of how people process visual scenes containing multiple moving objects of interest. The project intends to measure human visual performance to determine how the brain processes multiple motion signals simultaneously. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of how we are able to use an evolving visual scene to distinguish between changes due to self-motion and those due to the m ....How human vision separately determines object and scene motion. This project aims to enhance understanding of how people process visual scenes containing multiple moving objects of interest. The project intends to measure human visual performance to determine how the brain processes multiple motion signals simultaneously. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of how we are able to use an evolving visual scene to distinguish between changes due to self-motion and those due to the motion of multiple moving objects such as crowded city footpaths and busy roads. The results will improve our understanding of failures to see moving objects in challenging viewing conditions (for example, high density traffic), and inform work in the design of autonomous driving and augmented reality display systems.Read moreRead less
Peripheral and central mechanisms of sensory coding and integration. The research described in this proposal seeks to provide generic answers to fundamental questions about sensory processes, the nature of perceptual experience, and how these are subserved by the nervous system. The study of inter-sensory interactions in perception has the potential to be incorporated into the development of virtual reality-type computer-based technologies. The neurophysiology research will provide basic informa ....Peripheral and central mechanisms of sensory coding and integration. The research described in this proposal seeks to provide generic answers to fundamental questions about sensory processes, the nature of perceptual experience, and how these are subserved by the nervous system. The study of inter-sensory interactions in perception has the potential to be incorporated into the development of virtual reality-type computer-based technologies. The neurophysiology research will provide basic information that has the potential to deepen our understanding, and even enhance possible treatment, of neurological conditions that involve sensory systems.Read moreRead less
Perceiving and tracking moving objects. Processing and tracking moving objects poses challenges for human perception. To succeed, visual processing must accumulate analyses of the object from its different positions. Perceptual experiments will reveal human limits and yield insights into the underlying mechanisms, providing a basis for understanding object tracking in tasks like driving.
The causes and consequences of attentional rescaling. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms that underlie people’s capacity to rescale the focus of their visual attention. Such rescalings are important because they are linked with people’s capacity to perform specific tasks. Using an innovative approach within cognitive psychology that integrates individual differences, experimental, and training frameworks, this project expects to generate new theoretical knowledge about attentional ....The causes and consequences of attentional rescaling. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms that underlie people’s capacity to rescale the focus of their visual attention. Such rescalings are important because they are linked with people’s capacity to perform specific tasks. Using an innovative approach within cognitive psychology that integrates individual differences, experimental, and training frameworks, this project expects to generate new theoretical knowledge about attentional re-scaling and its possible improvement. The expected outcomes include selection and training programs for specific contexts such as training athletes and flight attendants. Economic benefits can be expected through the identification of those who will benefit most from training (reducing waste) and developing cost-effective forms of training which improve task performance.Read moreRead less
Form and motion interactions in human motion perception. Vision works efficiently to detect the motion of both ourselves and other objects by combining motion and pattern information. This project will determine how the visual system achieves this and also create a detailed model that will be directly applicable to areas ranging from clinical neuropsychology to the analysis and design of visual displays.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101734
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,220.00
Summary
The temporal dynamics of conscious object perception . We live in a constantly changing visual world. Thus a key inferential challenge that the human brain must solve is whether ongoing visual input represents a single object varying over time (for example, one person moving through a scene), or two distinct objects (for example, two different people successively occupying the same location). This project will investigate, for the first time, how the brain optimises this inference by using infor ....The temporal dynamics of conscious object perception . We live in a constantly changing visual world. Thus a key inferential challenge that the human brain must solve is whether ongoing visual input represents a single object varying over time (for example, one person moving through a scene), or two distinct objects (for example, two different people successively occupying the same location). This project will investigate, for the first time, how the brain optimises this inference by using information about context, whether the flexibility of the inference process reduces with ageing, and the role of the two main visual pathways in this inference. This will enhance our knowledge of this fundamental process in vision, and our ability to promote optimal functioning into later life.Read moreRead less
Just add noise: the benefits of neural and stimulus noise for perception. This project aims to improve visual perception by maximising the beneficial effects of neural and stimulus noise, i.e. stochastic resonance (SR). SR challenges conventional thinking that noise decreases performance. We expect to reveal the underlying mechanisms using experimental and computational approaches. This project is expected to generate unprecedented insights into how noise influences brain processing, leading to ....Just add noise: the benefits of neural and stimulus noise for perception. This project aims to improve visual perception by maximising the beneficial effects of neural and stimulus noise, i.e. stochastic resonance (SR). SR challenges conventional thinking that noise decreases performance. We expect to reveal the underlying mechanisms using experimental and computational approaches. This project is expected to generate unprecedented insights into how noise influences brain processing, leading to a possible re-evaluation of the function of noise in the brain. Expected outcomes include protocols to optimise human performance through SR, and an augmented reality set-up to apply SR to real-world settings. Economic and social benefits include the ability to individually optimise performance in visual tasks using noise.Read moreRead less
Improving novice drivers' speed and hazard management. The aim of the study is to extend the evidence-based approach we have developed for speed management (cognitive integration speed management training) to hazard management, thereby developing cognitive integration hazard management training for young drivers. Hence, this study is specifically designed to curb the alarming trend in young driver fatalities on Australian roads. The results of the research will provide clear direction to road au ....Improving novice drivers' speed and hazard management. The aim of the study is to extend the evidence-based approach we have developed for speed management (cognitive integration speed management training) to hazard management, thereby developing cognitive integration hazard management training for young drivers. Hence, this study is specifically designed to curb the alarming trend in young driver fatalities on Australian roads. The results of the research will provide clear direction to road authorities and driver training providers as to effective training strategies to improve young driver training, and ultimately improve road safety with this vulnerable population.Read moreRead less
How do bees orchestrate smooth landings? The results should pave the way for the development of novel, biologically inspired strategies for the control of landing in unmanned aerial vehicles. Endowing aircraft with the capability of autonomous flight and landing has been a major challenge in engineering technology. There is now considerable interest, nationally and world wide, in the development of small, intelligent, autonomous airborne vehicles for application in a number of areas of defense, ....How do bees orchestrate smooth landings? The results should pave the way for the development of novel, biologically inspired strategies for the control of landing in unmanned aerial vehicles. Endowing aircraft with the capability of autonomous flight and landing has been a major challenge in engineering technology. There is now considerable interest, nationally and world wide, in the development of small, intelligent, autonomous airborne vehicles for application in a number of areas of defense, surveillance and space exploration. The proposed research will help Australia maintain a leading edge in uncovering important biological principles of flight control that can be translated into useful technological applications.Read moreRead less