Alternative Time for Exam 4:
12/5/2005

You can take the final exam either at the regularly schedule time and location (see below) or from 12:20 to 2:10 PM on Tuesday, December 11 in SJ 336A.  Either time is fine with me; it is your individual choice.

Exam 4:
11/28/2005

The final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, December 12 from 12:20 to 2:10 PM.  The exam covers the material on the handout distributed in class. It has the same format as the other exams.

Server Down Time:
11/28/2005

UDIt has informed me that the academic web server will be down from "12:00 midnight, Saturday, December 1 -- 4:00 a.m. Sunday, December 2." During that period, you will not be able to access the class web site. Please plan accordingly.

Exam 3:
10/26/2005

Exam 3 is Tuesday, November 6.  It has the same format as the previous exams.

Presentation Schedule:
10/24/2005

If you haven't already talked to me about your presentation topic, you need to do so soon.  If you don't like where you are in the schedule, let me know by November 8th.

Visual Illusions:
10/2/2005

This recent PLoS article describes artificial neural networks that "see" lightness illusions in the same way that humans see them.  The authors make an interesting case for why these illusions arise.  As always, PLoS articles are free!

Exam 2:
10/2/2005

Exam 2 is October 9.  It has the same format as exam 1.

Exam 1:
9/4/2005

Exam 1 is on September 11.  It consists of four sections:  10 multiple choice questions (2 points each), 10 fill in the blank questions (2 points each), 10 issue questions (3 points each; given a term or phrase, write two or three sentences that discuss issues associated with the term), and 2 open ended / essay / problem questions (15 points each.)  The multiple choice and fill in the blank questions will be drawn primarily from the text.  The exam covers chapters 1 through 3 and the Appendix of the text, class from 8/21 to (and including) 9/6 and the related articles (including those that we discussed in class and the reaction paper.)

Absolute Pitch Perception:
9/4/2005

I ran across this interesting article from PNAS about absolute pitch perception, its genetic basis, how it can change across age and why A might act as a perceptual "magnet" for pitch.

World Color Survey:
9/4/2005

I consulted the World Color Survey (WCS) web site to see how they determined the basic color terms (BCTs).  They presented monolingual speakers (for the most part) a series of color chips one at a time and asked them to name the color (this isn't as easy as it first appears as some of the languages do not contain a word for "color.")  They also presented the individuals an array of color chips (simultaneously) and asked them to identify the best example of a particular BCT.  Unfortunately for testing Brian's hypothesis, the WCS did not ask people to distinguish between a pair of color chips.  The full data set is available from the WCS web site if you want to take a look at it.

Shark Senses:
8/21/2005

The lateral line in sharks is used to detect vibrations in water.  This helps the shark locate other animals to EAT.  The ampullae of Lorenzini are the organs in sharks that are used to detect electro-magnetic fields and temperature gradients.  I'm sorry that I got the two mixed up.

First Assignments:
8/21/2005

Click on the Class Schedule link in the list of links to the left.  There you will find links to the article for the first reaction paper (Engel) which is due on 8/28 and the reading for Thursday (Bressan, Garlaschelli and Barracano.)  You will also find links to my undergraduate perception course that you can use if you haven't had an undergraduate class in perception, or are not as familiar with the material as you want.  The class notes (PPT slides and notes area) are also available from the Class Schedule link.  Be sure to keep up with the readings in Blake and Sekuler.

Welcome:
8/4/2005

Welcome to Perception -- one of the oldest domains of psychology and one of the most interesting.  Virtually all that we do involves some form of sensation and perception.  Applications of perception plays an important role in human factors and have numerous clinical implications.  I hope that you enjoy the class and learn much.