Joan Ongchoco (University of British Columbia)

Presenter: Joan Ongchoco (University of British Columbia)

Title: The continuous vs. the discrete in mental life: Studies in perception, cognition, and action

Abstract:

The raw material of perception is a continuous wash of light and sound. But the building blocks of experience are discrete individuals — *objects* (due to segmentation in space), *events* (due to segmentation in time), and *actions* (i.e., eye movements). I will present five case studies that collectively explore how these discrete objects, events, and actions have a powerful impact on many forms of perception and cognition — and in particular, how they interact with other processes including attention, imagery, enumeration, decision-making, and even mental dysfunction. Throughout this work, I will show how these interactions are relatively spontaneous and inescapable aspects of how the mind works. In the first two case studies, I will introduce the phenomenon of “scaffolded attention”, and show how attention effectively creates discrete object representations even in the absence of all sensory cues — in a sort of “everyday hallucination”. In the next two case studies, I will show how discrete events and their boundaries (or the lack of) can interact in surprisingly direct ways with higher-level thought and decision-making. In the final case study, I will move from perception to action, and show how seemingly basic yet fundamental discrete actions — eye movements — can reach into and restructure the contents of conscious awareness. Together, these studies demonstrate the profound role of discreteness in the mind.

The talk will be in person in the Psychology Reading room, COR A228, from 3:00 – 4:30.