Perception comes into focus at University event

Perception comes into focus at University event

Is what you see always what you get? This question will be tackled in an event taking place at the University of Aberdeen next week.

Awareness and perception will be the focus of a talk by Dr Roy Allen from the institution’s School of Psychology on Monday (September 30).

The event is one in a series of evening lectures taking place at the University as part of Aberdeen’s annual TechFest in September festival.

Dr Allen said: “Perception isn’t always a ‘what you see is what you get’ process. We can’t even cope with all the visual information available to us. Perception is just one small, filtered part of the visual data-stream. And what we pay attention to is determined to some degree by the salience of objects in the visual field, and their relevance to us as individuals.

“So a group of people looking at the same scene won’t even perceive the same things. This makes the visual system vulnerable to illusions and manipulations. We will consider some of these during the talk."

Dr Allen’s lecture – Things Aren’t What They Seem – takes place in the Fraser Noble Building on the University’s King’s College Campus and begins at 8pm.

Other topics to be covered in evening lectures hosted by the University at the Fraser Noble Building include:

  • The History, Uses and Future of the Gardens – Mark Paterson, Curator of the University of Aberdeen’s Cruickshank Botanical Gardens will give an insight into their history and research uses, and discuss what the future holds for them in a talk taking place on Friday September 27, beginning at 7.30pm.
  • Aspirin, Guinea Pigs and Horseradish – What Did Clinical Trials Ever Do For Us? – Professor Shaun Treweek from the University of Aberdeen’s Health Services Research Unit will discuss the history of clinical trials, how they are designed and what they mean for our health. His talk takes place on Monday (September 30) and  begins at 6.30pm.
  • How to Save a Life: Its Easy as One, Two, Three – Jerry Morse from the University of Aberdeen’s Clinical Skills Centre will lead a session on what to do in the event of an emergency and explain how a little knowledge can save someone’s life. His talk takes place on Monday (September 30) and begins at 7.30pm.

Tickets for each of the evening lectures cost £5 for adults and £3.50 for concessions plus booking fee.

For more information on events taking place at the University as part of TechFest in September visit www.abdn.ac.uk/engage/techfest .

Book tickets online at www.boxofficeaberdeen.com or call Aberdeen Box Office on 01224 641122. For more information on TechFest In September 2013, visit http://www.techfestsetpoint.org.uk/tis or follow TechFest In September on Facebook and Twitter.

Search News

Browse by Month

2004

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2004
  12. Dec

2003

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2003

1999

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 1999
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 1999
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

1998

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 1998
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 1998
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 1998
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 1998
  12. Dec