What's Inside

Spring Research Day
Friday, April 12th, 2019
9:30am - 3:00pm, Walter Library 402, University of Minnesota -TC

Spring Research Day (SRD) is an annual all-day, university-wide symposium that showcases the work of graduate students. We are inviting non-Center for Cognitive Sciences (CCS) student members to participate in sharing their cognitive science and/or sensory science-related research alongside CCS student members. All University of Minnesota graduate students are invited to submit abstracts for a poster or 20-minute oral presentation.

2019 Spring Research Day Abstract Submission
has been extended to Monday, April 1 at 5:00 pm.

 

Feel free to present developing research ideas or recycle previously presented posters! We want to get diverse research projects from a wide range of departments and programs to participate. The Center for Cognitive Sciences encourages interdisciplinary involvement for all departments!

 

Keynote speaker: Michael A. Webster, University of Nevada, Reno.

"Adaptation and visual experience"

Abstract. The visual system is constantly recalibrating sensitivity and perception in response to the current environment. These adjustments occur at most if not all levels of visual processing and thus strongly impact everything we see. Adaptation adjusts the mind to match the world. This predicts that percepts should diverge when identical observers are placed in different worlds, while visual experiences should converge when different observers are adapted to the same world. I will illustrate these ideas with examples of natural variations in either the environment or the observer. To the extent that we understand how the visual system adapts, images could be processed to instead match the world to fit the mind, obviating the need for observers to adapt. The implications of image adaptation will be illustrated in the context of color vision.

Dr. Webster's lab examines the cognitive processes underlying visual adaptation to environmental changes using behavioral, computational, and neuroimaging techniques. For more information about his research, visit: https://wolfweb.unr.edu/~mwebster/.

Breakfast (coffee & pastries) and lunch (sandwiches) will be provided. Student presenters will be invited to attend a dinner with our keynote speaker. If you have any questions, please contact Caitlin Sisk at siskx024@umn.edu or Kristi Oeding at oedi0004@umn.edu. (Poster boards are large enough to accommodate most posters.)