ROLE OF CHROMATIC
INFORMATION IN VISUAL MEMORY
How does the brain
store and use memory for colour? Some experiments involve short-term
and long-term memory for the colours themselves. Others involve memory
for more complicated objects (natural scenes, faces, simple geometrical
solids, etc.) that contain colours. The objective is to understand how
the visual system processes and stores information about colour and
to determine whether this information is helpful for visual memory in
general. This research is supported by NSERC.
INFORMATION DISPLAYS
AND GRAPHS
How people process
information in displays is of great practical and theoretical interest.
With the increased use of electronic displays, it is important to understand
how information presented in graphical form is decoded. The research
involves the application of psychological theories from cognition, perception,
and quantitative psychology to the perception of information displays
and statistical graphs. Some research is concerned with psychophysical
aspects and performance; other work seeks to model process and to explore
the role of higher cognitive functions, including memory. Although practical
in its orientation, the principal goal of the research is to contribute
to our fundamental understanding of basic perceptual and cognitive processes.
This research is supported by NSERC.
DYNAMIC PERSONALIZATION
OF INFORMATION DISPLAYS
The goal is to understand
the user's predispositions to behave when using interactive displays
(GUIs, web sites, control panels, etc.) and, by using this knowledge,
to devise ways of releasing the user from the tedious tasks often required
when using a non-adaptive interface. One line of work involves the development
of a Technology Profile Inventory (TPI). Knowledge of the distribution
of technology types in the general population will form the basis for
a variety of design strategies that will maximize user satisfaction
and productivity. Another line of research examines the determinants
of "lostness" in web navigation. This research is supported
by BUL, CITO, and IBM.
GENDER, COGNITIVE
ABILITIES, AND ICT
A recent new line
of research in the lab concerns the role of women in Information and
Communications Technology (ICT). Participation of women in the information
and communication technology (ICT) sector is very low worldwide and
in Canada only one in three jobs in ICT is held by a woman. This is
deplorable in both human and economic terms. With Canada's economic
health increasingly reliant on the high technology and knowledge industries,
it is imperative to increase the participation of women in ICT. Early
education, socialization, and discrimination have been thought to be
primarily responsible, but it is also possible that the cognitive capabilities
of women may be less well suited to the tasks required in ICT. Some
have speculated that since the early development of ICT was almost exclusively
the province of men, software and hardware design is "gendered",
thus affording an advantage to males. However,
despite previous efforts to understand these possible causes, our knowledge
of both social and cognitive factors is surprisingly meagre. In our
lab, we are studying the possible male/female differences in cognitive
abilities that affect participation in ICT and we are also studying
the relationships between cognitive abilities and women's attitudes
to ICT.
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