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University of Texas at Austin and College of Liberal Arts
psychology department psychology department
James W. Pennebaker, Chairman | SEA 4.212 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX 78712 | 512-471-1157

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LECTURES AND EVENTS

Neurobiology Seminar Series

"Control of behavioral alcohol responses by small GTPases"

Adrian Rothenfluh, Ph.D.
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Monday, November 24th
MBB 1.210, 4 pm

Hosted by Dr. Nigel Atkinson

Center for Perceptual Systems Bag Lunch Talk

Review of news from the recent SFN meeting. Please come and tell the group about your favorite SFN talk or poster.

Monday, November 24th
SEA 4.242, NOON

Center for Perceptual Systems Seminar Series

"The Plasticity of Saccadic Strategies in Visual Search"

Melchi Michel, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of Texas at Austin

December 1, 2008
12:00 PM
SEA 4.242

Bag Lunch Talk

Abstract: Can human observers adapt their saccadic strategies to a new retinal sensitivity map? Performance for an observer in a visual search task depends critically on two factors: the observer's particular 'sensitivity map' (i.e., the pattern of falloff in target detectability with retinal eccentricity), and the observer's saccadic strategy (i.e., how the observer moves its eyes). Note that these two factors are not independent; the optimal choice of eye movements depends on the observer's sensitivity map. Studies using either retinopathy patients or artificial scotomas in normal observers have repeatedly demonstrated that changes in the sensitivity map lead to degraded performance in visual search tasks. It remains unclear, however, whether these reductions in performance reflect suboptimal saccadic strategies or whether they can be completely accounted for by the reductions in sensitivity. Using a gaze-contingent display and an ideal observer model of visual search (Najemnik & Geisler, 2005), we investigated how normal observers modified their saccadic strategies following two types of simulated manipulations of their retinal sensitivity maps. We provide evidence that observers appropriately modified their saccadic strategies under at least one of our manipulations and we discuss the characteristics and limits of this (short-term) saccadic plasticity.

Find information about current and upcoming talks at CPS on our website: http://www.cps.utexas.edu/Happening/happening.html

Check these sites for other events of interest to Psychology faculty and students:
Updated 24 November 2008
College of Liberal Arts at the
University of Texas Austin
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