Perception and attention

Recommended Prerequisites

English, Statistical Analysis, Experimental Psychology.

Teaching Methods

Expositive Lectures, performing experiments (and analyzing data).

Learning Outcomes

AT THE THEORETICAL LEVEL

Perception is understood in cognitive psychology as the first step in collecting and processing information. Attention is looked upon not so much as a unitary process as a central dimension of cognitive-perceptual-motor functioning. This unit aims to:

(1) Introduce and contextualize the main theories of perception and attention.

(2) Identify the main research trends and operational paradigms in both areas. Concerning attention, it aims additionally to establish connections with a wide range of topics within the scope of basic processes.

AT THE PRACTICAL LEVEL

(3) To illustrate the main concepts presented and discussed in the lectures. Exercising experimental paradigms in both areas.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

THEORETICAL CLASSES

Varieties of attention. Attention to space, to objects, to dimensions.

Cognitive Theories of Attention. Filter models. Capacity models. Automatic and controlled processing. Neoconnectionist  models of attention.

Paradigms in the study of attention: search tasks, cue paradigms, filter paradigms, dual tasks.

 Perception. Psychophysical theories. The Gestalt approach. Direct perception theories vs Computational Cognitive Theories.

Visual perception. Auditory Perception. Body Senses. Chemical Senses. Intermodal transfers.

PRACTICAL CLASSES

Hick's Law. Visual search. Navon’s paradigm. Stroop tasks. Garner's Speeded classification tasks.            Priming paradigms. Covert attention tasks. Tsal’s paradigm. Mental rotations. Representational Momentum. Signal Detection Theory: yes-no tasks; confidence levels method.

Head Lecturer(s)

Armando Luís Diniz Mónica de Oliveira

Assessment Methods

Final assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Continuous assessment
Type E evaluation (project for an experiment): 10.0%
Type B evaluation (group assignment): 15.0%
Frequency: 75.0%

Bibliography

PASHLER, H. (1998). Attention. Hove: Psychology Press .

PARASURAMAN, R. (Ed.) (1998). The attentive Brain. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

BADDELEY, A. & WEISKRANTZ, L. (Eds.) (1993). Attention: selection, awareness, and control. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

MATHER, G. (2009). Foundations of sensation and perception. Hove; Psychology Press.

PALMER, S. (1999) Vision science : Photons to phenomenology. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

BRUCE, V. & GREEN, P. (1993). La Perception Visuelle. Physiologie, psychologie et écologie. Grenoble: PUG.

SEKULER, R. & BLAKE, R. (1994). Perception. N.Y.: McGraw-Hill.

MARR, D. (1982). Vision. Cambridge, MA.: The MIT Press.