We are interested in the underlying brain mechanisms in a range of cognitive and perceptual processes. We have a purpose-built human electrophysiology research centre - The Psychological Imaging Laboratory - which hosts twin 64-channel EEG recording chambers for use in Event-Related Potential (ERP) research. The laboratory is part of SINAPSE (a Scottish Funding Council Pooling Initiative in Brain Imaging), and is home to CEUK (Cognitive Electrophysiology UK), an ESRC-funded national ERP training network that hosts regular workshops and seminars at Stirling. The Department is also home to The Scottish Perception Group, set up to bring together researchers in all areas of perception to disseminate their research, and which runs a discussion and paper meeting every year.
Cognitive Neuroscience Research
The Cognitive Neuroscience group investigates the functional and neural basis of mental processing, with particular emphasis on cognitive and perceptual processes. Our research is distinctive for encompassing a wide variety of methodologies (including neuroimaging, electrophysiological, psychophysical, computational and behavioural methods), and for studying a wide range of participants (e.g. adults and children, normal and abnormal functioning, and animals) allowing us to gain a fuller understanding of mental processes and, where it is of interest, their relationship to underlying brain mechanisms. The use of such a wide range of methodologies and participants also encourages interaction with other research groups, both within and out with the department.
Members of the Cognitive Neuroscience Group
Peter Cahusac is interested in somatosensory perception and its neurophysiological basis, including how touch receptors in the skin process touch, temperature and pain.
David Donaldson is interested in understanding how cognitive abilities such as memory and language work, examining both their functional and neural basis
Paul Dudchenko is interested in how animals form, maintain, and modify their "cognitive maps", focusing on how individual neurons code information in the brain.
Ross Goutcher is interested in understanding how the brain represents information about structure in depth, and how the brain accounts for uncertainty when making perceptual decisions.
Roger Watt does research into computational explanations of human visual perception, principally centred on the concept of an image description language as a common stage for all visual tasks. This work is complemented by psychophysical studies of spatial and temporal aspects of human vision. Although rooted in fundamental issues of visual representation and space, this work has been applied to a number of visual tasks, including more high level ones like reading pages of text and face perception. For demonstrations of Rogers' work click here.
Lindsay Wilson is interested in brain abnormality in patients with head injury, and identifying corresponding psychological changes.
Research Fellows:
Research Assistants:
Honorary Staff:
Alex Houston is interested in neuroimaging, especially nuclear medicine imaging (SPECT, PET), and the use of normal brain atlases in diagnosis.Bill Phillips is interested in theoretical accounts of the computational abilities of the cortex, particularly the cognitive disorganisation associated with schizophrenia.
Helen Ross is interested in the Moon Illusion and other outdoor perceptual illusions:
Postgraduate Students:
David Bett, Hannah Blair, Catherine Anne MacLeod, Daniele Ortu, Joanne Park, Johanna Simpson.