Perception and Attention
Overview
- Credit value: 15 credits at Level 5
- Convenor: Professor Martin Eimer
- Assessment: a two-hour examination (100%)
Module description
This module aims to:
- provide an introduction to sensory and perceptual processes, blending classical and contemporary approaches to basic information processing
- identify key theoretical issues and methodological contributions in perception and cognition generally
- demonstrate the scope for the application of knowledge of sensory and perceptual processes to other areas of cognitive psychology and neuroscience.
Indicative module content
- Basic concepts in cognitive neuroscience
- Functional anatomy of the visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems
- Visual object recognition, face perception and recognition
- Somatosensation and the body image
- Classic models of selective attention
- Visual search and the attentional spotlight
- Attentional capture, neglect and extinction
- Motor control, basic mechanisms of cognitive control
- Conscious awareness and subliminal perception
Learning objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
- identify (list) the general theoretical approaches that have been covered in this course
- specify the main theories, models, concepts or methods covered in each of the lecture topics
- critically evaluate each of the theories in relation to any rival theories citing research evidence to support or refute each idea
- discuss the relative importance of diverse approaches to studying perceptual and attentional processes
- provide examples of experimental and modelling techniques used in perception and attention research
- evaluate the strength of research evidence
- review the contributions of perception research to general psychology
- discuss the applicability of research (data, theories, methods, concepts) on perception, attention and action to real-world problems.