There are many areas where applied research is benefitting individuals in society at large. This course will emphasize such applied areas not only in lecture, but also through the research projects that we will complete. For this one semester, PSY 440 and PSY 506 will be co-taught, although there will be some separate requirements for each course. See the course syllabus for more information.
Return to Perception 440 information page.
If you are interested, the webpages from previous classes are also available: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003
The major class research project for PSY 440 (undergraduate senior lab course) was a study of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). Much previous research has shown that cortical responses can be modified by attention, but the results have been mixed with respect to whether or not brainstem responses can be modified by attention. In our study we compared ABRs while participants attended to visual and auditory stimuli. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Judy Lauter and we used her lab space and EEG equipment. This project will be presented at the annual SWPA (Southwestern Psychological Association) convention in March of 2005. Click here for the abstract.
The graduate students (PSY 506) each wrote a research paper summarizing a topic in applied visual perception, and gave a class presentation over the topic. The topics were based on chapters from one of two books: Visual Information Processing (Edited by Sal Soraci Jr. and Kimiyo Murata-Soraci) or The Neuropsychology of Vision (Edited by Manfred Fahle and Mark Greenlee).
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Service-learning projects are another way to apply what we know from research about perception to needs outside the classroom. The goal of a service-learning project is to enhance learning by sharing with others and actively reflecting on the process afterward. The community, or "others" involved should also benefit from this interaction.
On December 2nd, the PSY 440 class visited McMichael Middle School, gave presentations, and interacted with sixth and seventh-graders in Mrs. Leah Kahn's science class. The interactions involved many demonstrations to help the students understand some basic principles about perceptual processing and some of the effects of perceptual aging. Enjoy some photos of our workshop interactions!
Short summaries of these handouts were presented during our visit to the middle school. Below are links to the handouts the PSY 440 students created for the middle school students. (Some of the pictures on the handouts are not available as they were cut and pasted onto the actual handouts before copying.)
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