Sensation and Perception Research: Unveiling the Mysteries of How We Experience the World
At all times, our sensory systems are bombarded with information from every angle and in multiple forms. Sensation is an area of study that is based on facts and theories from a wide array of sources such as anatomy and physiology, physics and optics, cognitive neuroscience and psychology, and biochemistry and genetics. The study of sensation and perception is the oldest sub-discipline within Psychology and the visual system is one of the best worked out neurological systems in the body.
The uptake and processing of this information is informed by our ability to create sensory objects, by which the brain groups stimuli with similar features as likely occurring from the same source. For example, when a series of sounds come from the same spatial location, have similar frequencies, and follow a repeating pattern, we're likely to perceive these wavelengths as being from the same source, or a singular auditory object.
Prioritizing Sensory Information in Complex Environments
In complex sensory mixtures, our brains are able to process and prioritize information even without our express attention. Superfluous stimuli are down-regulated in representations of neural activity, while unexpected or surprising distractions can recruit additional networks and direct attention to the source.
Research Contributions to the Field
Several researchers are actively contributing to the advancement of knowledge in sensation and perception.
- Drew Abney: Focuses on how behaviors and social interactions early in development impact developmental trajectories throughout infancy and into toddlerhood. Studies conducted in the lab use various techniques: from conducting controlled laboratory experiments to free-flowing toy play sessions to collecting daylong multimodal (e.g., vocalizations, body movements, etc.) behavioral data.
- Brett Clementz: Has two general goals. The first is to understand how accurate sensory processing is maintained within the context of changing environmental circumstances. The second is to understand neurobiological distinctions between different subgroups of brain diseases called the psychoses (defined clinically by the presence of hallucinations, delusions, and cognitive disturbance), which have demonstrated, for the majority of cases to have a substantial genetic diathesis.
For Dr. Clementz, the first goal, which often involves the study of the healthy brain, informs the second goal of understanding deviations in brain functions associated with manifestation of psychosis in order to facilitate improved diagnosis and treatment of severe psychiatric disorders. The methodological core of Dr. Clementz’ research involves use of simple and complex behavioral paradigms combined with use of neuroimaging technologies including electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He uses sophisticated approaches to analyzing data collected with these technologies and is known for developing innovative analysis techniques.
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Emotional Stimuli and Brain Mechanisms
Dr. Dean Sabatinelli is interested in defining the brain mechanisms involved in the discrimination of emotional stimuli, and specifically how the recruited cortical and subcortical structures are orchestrated in real time.
Key Studies in Sensation and Perception
Here are some notable studies in the field:
- Bulger E, BG Shinn-Cunningham, and AL Noyce (2020).
- Shinn-Cunningham B (2019).
- Viswanathan V, BG Shinn-Cunningham, and MG Heinz (2021).