Projects
Actions and problem solving
Can we direct people to move in ways that influence how they think? Is it possible to plant an idea in someone's head just by asking them to perform a specific action? Can we make the body move in ways that guide the mind?
We have found that when people are trying to solve a difficult spatial reasoning problem, we can help them succeed by getting them to move in a pattern related to the problem's solution. For example, if you're trying to solve a problem that requires you to make a string swing back and forth, our work suggests you'd be more likely to solve this problem if we asked you to swing your arms first. Even though people are often unaware of the relationship between the actions we direct them to take and the problem they are trying to solve, their actions prime thoughts that make them more likely to find the correct solution.
Current work in the Action and Cognition Lab continues to study the relationship between directed actions and problem solving, investigating the mechanisms that enable a pattern of actions to trigger insight.
Action affordances and visual processing
If a person is ready to perform a specific action, does this bias perception in action-relevant ways? Do people sample and encode information from the visual world differently depending on how their bodies are situated? How does physical interaction with a scene shape what people remember about it?
Recent research suggests that when people view objects that are within their reach, they show changes in perception, attention, and memory. We have found that both the actions people are ready to take as they perform visual tasks and the actions people perform before completing visual tasks can alter how they process visual information. For example, if you're ready to catch a ball, our work suggests you'll have increased sensitivity to visual signals about motion, while if you're ready to thread a needle, you'll be more sensitive to fine spatial details.
Current work in the Action and Cognition Lab continues to investigate how a readiness to act tunes visual cognition to facilitate specific actions, looking to shed light on the mechanisms by which action affordances and experiences alter visual processing.
Social action and perception
How does performing an action in a social context influence how people see the world? Can the nature of a social interaction alter the perceived appearance of other people? Do perceived physical characteristics shape our social behavior?
We have found that the nature of brief social encounters between people can change how people perceive and remember the physical characteristics of those with whom they interacted. For example, if you've recently lost a game, you may remember your opponent as having a more aggressive appearance than a partner you'd played with cooperatively. In addition, work from our lab suggests that when we manipulate the perceived spatial relationships between people, we also influence the way these people work together.
Current work in the Action and Cognition Lab continues to explore the relationship between social action and visual cognition, examining how different social contexts impact perception and memory more broadly