Animacy & Action
Animate-looking shapes influence goal-directed behavior, even when they're completely task-irrelevant!
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One of the main functions of visual processing is to quickly sort information into useful categories in order to guide adaptive behavior. My research on animacy perception focuses on the ways in which simple visual cues cause us to automatically see objects as alive. I have recently been interested in the following:
- How does perceiving animacy influence motor output/ goal-directed behavior?
- What minimal conditions must be met for an object to be perceived as alive?
- How are animate stimuli represented in memory?
- How does seeing something as alive differ from reasoning about its aliveness?
Recent Projects
The 'Units' of Perceived Animacy
The visual system makes important assumptions about what can and cannot be alive.
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