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Rebecca Lawson's researchMy research investigates diverse aspects of processing in the human object recognition system for vision and for haptics (which is our sense of active touch). Most of my empirical research measures the speed and accuracy of human performance at recognising familiar and novel objects using our eyes or our hands in the face of disruptive object transformations such as plane and depth rotation and size changes. I also manipulate memory, context and attentional demands on participants. I am particularly interested in how we achieve visual and haptic object constancy (so how do we consistently categorise objects when the same object can appear so different when we re-encounter it?) and how we categorise stimuli in order to discriminate between different shapes. Other topics that I investigate include the factors underlying people's decisions about how to categorise into general classes, what determines the shape and the part structure of our internal object representations, and our haptic versus visual preferences for 3D shapes and for direct eye gaze in human faces. More broadly, I investigate people's perception and beliefs about images on mirrors and windows and people's failures to causually understand how everyday objects function. If you want to contact me about my research, my email address is rlawson@liv.ac.uk. I am always interested in discussing options for doing a PhD with me.
I investigate how humans recognise, categorise and understand the function of everyday objects, concentrating on three areas. I examine how our visual system achieves view generalisation for similar and dissimilar objects by comparing performance with novel objects to everyday, familiar objects and for 2D images relative to 3D objects. I have used a 3D ABS-plastic printer to create 3D morphed objects. I also investigate whether accounts of visual object recognition can be extended to predict performance at haptic object recognition and if objects presented visually or haptically activate bi-modal (visual-haptic) representations. In addition I probe what people understand about how objects function and the limitations of their knowledge. Together this research provides converging evidence about how people process different sources of information about familiar objects. The aim is to establish a coherent theoretical framework for understanding the perceptual and conceptual processes involved in object recognition and understanding.
If you want to know more about aviation and climate change try wikipedia or Airportwatch. I have a long-term collaboration with Professor Heinrich Bulthoff at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics. in Tubingen, Germany (left), and I have a long-term interest in caving (right).
Peer-reviewed publications (with links to abstracts and to PDF files) and submitted papers Lawson, R. (2014). I just love the attention: Implicit preference for direct eye contact. Submitted. Lawson, R., & Wills, A. (2014). How do adults sort large sets of everyday objects into meaningful categories? Submitted. Lawson, R. (2014). Recognising familiar objects by hand and foot: haptic shape perception generalises to inputs from unusual locations and untrained body parts. Attention, Perception and Psychophysics, 76, 541–558. Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., Boylan, A., & Edwards, L. (2014). Where you look can influence haptic object recognition. Attention, Perception and Psychophysics, 76, 559–574. Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Makin, A., Lawson, R., Bertamini, M., & Pickering, J. (2013). Auditory clicks distort perceived velocity but only when the system has to rely on extra-retinal signals. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 67, 455-473. Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2012). Mirrors, mirrors on the wall ... the ubiquitous multiple reflection error. Cognition, 122, 1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.07.001Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Martinovic, J., Lawson, R., & Craddock, M., (2012). Time course of information processing in visual and haptic object classification. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6:49. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00049. Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Bertamini, M., Berselli, N., Bode, C., Lawson, R., & Wong, L. (2011). The rubber hand illusion in a mirror. Consciousness and Cognition, 20, 1108-1119. DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2011.04.006 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Craddock, M., Martinovic, J., & Lawson, R., (2011). An advantage for active versus passive aperture-viewing in visual object recognition. Perception, 40, 1154-1163. DOI: 10.1068/p6974 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2011). An investigation into the cause of orientation-sensitivity in haptic object recognition. Seeing and Perceiving, 24, 293-314. DOI: 10.1163/187847511X579052 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Bracken, S. (2011). Haptic object recognition: how important are depth cues and plane orientation? Perception, 40, 576-597. DOI: 10.1068/p6786 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Bertamini, M., Lawson, R., Jones, L., & Winters, M. (2010). The Venus effect in real life and in photographs. Attention, Perception and Psychophysics, 72, 1948-1964. DOI: 10.3758/APP.72.7.1948 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Craddock, M., & Lawson, R. (2010). The effects of temporal delay and orientation on haptic object recognition. Attention, Perception and Psychophysics, 72, 1975-1980. DOI: 10.3758/APP.72.7.1975 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2010). People cannot locate the projection of an object on the surface of a mirror. Cognition, 115, 336-342. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2009.12.013 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Craddock, M., & Lawson, R. (2009a). Size-sensitive perceptual representations underlie visual and haptic object recognition. PLoS ONE, 4, e8009. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0008009. Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Craddock, M., & Lawson, R. (2009b). Do left and right matter for haptic recognition of familiar objects? Perception, 38, 1355-1376. DOI: 10.1068/p6312 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Craddock, M., & Lawson, R. (2009c). The effects of size changes on haptic object recognition. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 71, 910-923. DOI: 10.3758/APP.71.4.910 Click to download PDF of paper or
for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2009). A comparison of the effects of depth rotation on visual and haptic three-dimensional object recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 35, 911-930. DOI: 10.1037/a0015025 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Craddock, M., & Lawson, R. (2008). Repetition priming and the haptic recognition of familiar and unfamiliar objects. Perception and Psychophysics, 70, 1350-1365. DOI: 10.3758/PP.70.7.1350
Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Bulthoff, H. H. (2008). Using morphs of familiar objects to examine how shape discriminability influences view sensitivity. Perception and Psychophysics, 70, 853-877. DOI: 10.3758/PP.70.5.853 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Bertamini, M., & Lawson, R. (2008). Rapid figure-ground responses to stereograms reveal an advantage for a convex foreground. Perception, 37, 483-494. DOI: 10.1068/p5728 Click to download PDF of paper or for the text of the abstract only. Bertamini, M., Lawson, R., & Liu, D. (2008). Understanding 2D projections on mirrors and on windows. Spatial Vision, 21, 273-289. DOI: 10.1163/156856808784532527 Click to download PDF of paper or for the
text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., Bertamini, M., & Liu, D. (2007). Overestimation of the projected size of objects on the surface of mirrors and windows. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 33, 1027-1044. DOI: 10.1037/0096-1523.33.5.1027 Click to download PDF of paper or for the
text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2007). Local and global processing biases fail to influence face, object and word recognition. Visual Cognition, 15, 710-740. DOI: 10.1080/13506280601112519 Click to download PDF of paper or for the
text of the abstract only. Bertamini, M., & Lawson, R. (2006). Visual search for a circular region perceived as a figure versus as a hole: Evidence of the importance of part structure. Perception and Psychophysics, 68, 776-791. DOI: 10.3758/BF03193701
Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2006). The science of cycology: Failures to understand how everyday objects work. Memory and Cognition, 34, 1667-1675. DOI: 10.3758/BF03195929 Click to download PDF of paper or for the
text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Bertamini, M. (2006). Errors in judging information about reflections in mirrors. Perception, 35, 1265-1288. DOI: 10.1068/p5498 Click to download PDF of paper or for the
text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Bulthoff, H. H. (2006). Comparing view sensitivity in shape discrimination with shape sensitivity in view discrimination. Perception and Psychophysics, 68, 655-673.
DOI: 10.3758/BF03208766 Click to download PDF of paper or for the
text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2004a). Recognising a plane-rotated view of a familiar object is not influenced by the ease of specifying the main axis of elongation of that object. Perception and Psychophysics, 66, 234-248. DOI: 10.3758/BF03194875 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2004b). Depth rotation and
mirror-image reflection reduce affective preference as well as recognition memory for pictures of novel objects. Memory and Cognition, 32, 1170-1181. DOI: 10.3758/BF03196890 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2004c). View-sensitivity increases for same shape matches if mismatches show pairs of more similar shapes.
Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 11 896-902. DOI: 10.3758/BF03196718 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (2003). The effects of context on
learning to identify plane-misoriented views of familiar objects.
Visual Cognition, 10, 795-821. DOI: 10.1080/13506280344000086 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., Bulthoff, H. H., & Dumbell, S. (2003). Interactions between view changes and shape changes in picture-picture matching. Perception, 32, 1465-1498. DOI: 10.1068/p5031 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Jolicoeur, P. (2003). Recognition thresholds for
plane-rotated pictures of familiar objects. Acta Psychologica, 112, 17-41. DOI: 10.1016/S0001-6918(02)00099-9 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., Humphreys, G. W., & Jolicoeur, P.
(2000). The combined effects of plane disorientation and foreshortening on picture naming: one manipulation or two? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and
Performance, 26, 568-581. DOI: 10.1037/0096-1523.26.2.568 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R. (1999). Achieving visual object constancy over
plane rotation and depth rotation. Acta Psychologica, 102, 221-245. DOI: 10.1016/S0001-6918(98)00052-3 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Humphreys, G. W. (1999). The effects of view
in depth on the identification of line drawings and silhouettes of familiar objects: normality and pathology. Visual Cognition, 6, 165-195. DOI: 10.1080/713756808 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Jolicoeur, P. (1999). The effect of prior experience on recognition thresholds for plane-disoriented pictures of familiar objects. Memory and Cognition, 27, 751-758. DOI: 10.3758/BF03211567 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Jolicoeur, P., Corballis, M. C., & Lawson, R. (1998). The
influence of perceived rotary motion on the recognition of rotated objects. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 5, 140-146. DOI: 10.3758/BF03209470 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the click here for text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Humphreys, G. W. (1998a). View-specific
effects of depth rotation and foreshortening on the initial recognition and priming of
familiar objects. Perception and Psychophysics, 60, 1052-1066. DOI: 10.3758/BF03211939 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Humphreys, G. W. (1998b). The neuropsychology
of visual object constancy. In V. Walsh & J. Kulikowski (Eds.), Perceptual
Constancies: Why things look as they do. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lawson, R. & Jolicoeur, P. (1998).
The effects of plane rotation on the recognition of brief masked pictures of familiar objects. Memory and Cognition, 26, 791-803. DOI: 10.3758/BF03211398 Click to download PDF of paper
or for the text of the abstract only. Lawson, R., & Humphreys, G. W. (1996). View-specificity in
object processing: Evidence from picture matching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 22, 395-416. DOI: 10.1037/0096-1523.22.2.395 Click to
download PDF file of paper
or for the text of the abstract only.
Lawson, R., Humphreys, G. W., & Watson, D. G. (1994).
Object recognition under sequential viewing conditions: evidence for viewpoint-specific
recognition procedures. Perception, 23, 595-614. DOI: 10.1068/p230595 Click to
download PDF file of paper
or for the
text of the abstract only. Valentine, T., Bredart, S., Lawson, R., & Ward, G. (1991). What's in a name?
Access to information from people's names.
European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 3, 147-176.
Books and chapters Lawson, R., Fernandes, A. M., Albuquerque, & Lacey, S. (2014).Remembering touch: Using interference tasks to study tactile and haptic memory. In P. Jolicoeur, & J. Martinez-Trujillo(Eds.), Mechanisms of Sensory Working Memory (Attention & Performance XXV). Elsevier Press. Lacey, S. & Lawson, R. (Eds.) (2013). Multisensory imagery: Theory and applications. New York: Springer. Lawson, R., & Humphreys, G. W. (1998).The neuropsychology of visual object constancy. In V. Walsh & J. Kulikowski (Eds.), Perceptual Constancies: Why things look as they do. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 210-228. On a frozen lake in Austria North Wales, after a dive off our canoes Daren Cilau, Where the Sun Don't Shine (photo by Patrick Warren) Gondo canyon, Switzerland (photo by Andrew Atkinson) Ogof Hesp Alyn, beyond the sumps (photo by Gethin Thomas) |
