Psychology Program Presents
Perceiving and Acting in Complex and Dynamic Environments
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Preston Theater
4:45 pm EST/GMT-5
4:45 pm EST/GMT-5
Brett Fajen, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Anyone who has ever been awed by the performance of a professional athlete can appreciate the challenges that are faced when executing a perceptual-motor skill. Although not as dramatic, even routine, everyday tasks represent impressive feats of perception and action. In the first part of this talk, I will provide a broad overview of the perceptual, motor, and cognitive components that underlie both routine and skilled actions. In the second part, I will show how these ideas can be put to work to understand a complex perceptual-motor task that is an integral part of everyday behavior -- walking over complex terrain with obstacles to step over and irregularly spaced target footholds. The findings reveal how the perceptual and motor systems cleverly exploit informational and physical constraints to achieve a remarkable degree of stability and efficiency with a minimal amount of active control.
For more information, call 845-758-7223, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 4:45 pm EST/GMT-5
Location: Preston Theater