Perception and attention

Year
1
Academic year
2020-2021
Code
01740063
Subject Area
Psychology
Language of Instruction
Portuguese
Mode of Delivery
Face-to-face
Duration
SEMESTRIAL
ECTS Credits
6.0
Type
Compulsory
Level
1st Cycle Studies

Recommended Prerequisites

English, Statistical Analysis, Experimental Psychology.

Teaching Methods

Expositive Lectures, demonstrations of perceptual effects, performing experiments (and data analysis), individual/group assignements concerning specific topics.

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 and render operational 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, resources models, automatic and controlled processing; neoconnectionist  models; control models. Paradigms for the study of attention: search, cue and filter paradigms; dual tasks.

Indirect and direct theories of attention: the current state of the debate and possibilities for synthesis. Sensation and psychophysics: psychophysical methods. The Gestalt approach: bayesian reinterpretations. Visual perception: foundations;color, depth and motion perception; object recognition; scene and events perception. Auditory Perception. Touch, temperature ad pain. Chemical Senses. Multisensory perception.

PRACTICAL CLASSES

Hick's Law. Simon, Navon, Stroop, Garner and Posner paradigms; priming and flanking tasks; Mental rotations (objects and body parts). Representational Momentum; Signal Detection Theory.

Head Lecturer(s)

Armando Luís Diniz Mónica de Oliveira

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Type B evaluation (group assignment): 20.0%
Exam: 80.0%

Bibliography

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

PARASURAMAN, R. (Ed.) (2000). The attentive Brain. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

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

GORDON, I. (1989). Theories of visual perception. Chichester : John Wiley & Sons.

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. (2002). Perception. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

WADE, N, & SWANSTON, M. (2013). Visual perception: An introduction. London: Psychology Press.