Psychology Research Colloquium Presented by Dr Tim Cottier (MARCS)

Title: The factorial structure and neural correlates of motion-position illusions

Presentation Summary:  Motion-position illusions are a popular tool for studying motion and position perception. However, the mechanisms and neural correlates of these illusions remains unknown. In this symposium, I will discuss three empirical studies I conducted to address this gap. In study 1 we find that while some motion-position illusions are caused by shared mechanisms, most are caused by illusion-specific mechanisms. In Study 2, we found illusory perception could not be predicted from a trait-like resting state EEG component of individuals. Further supporting the notion that there is no single neural process responsible for motion-position illusions. Finally, study 3 found that ongoing EEG activity could not predict participants trial-by-trial illusory perception. This work strongly suggests that motion-positions illusions are not caused by a single shared neural mechanism. Additionally, this work debunks several previously held assumptions about which illusions are caused by shared mechanisms. You can see the illusions we studied here: https://tcottier96.github.io/(opens in a new window)

Biography: Tim Cottier is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development. His research explores the neural correlates of individual differences in face perception. Prior to joining the MARCS Institute, Tim completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne under the supervision of Professor Hinze Hogendoorn and Dr William Turner. During his PhD, Tim explored the neural correlates underlying individual differences in the perception of motion-position illusions. Tim is interested in understanding the neural processes that underly individual differences in visual perception.

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https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/western/sop-research-colloquium-presented-by-dr-tim-cottier(opens in a new window)