Seeing and Acting in a Virtual World PSY 341K
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Transcript of Seeing and Acting in a Virtual World PSY 341K
Seeing and Acting in a Virtual World PSY 341K
Class hours: Tues, Thurs 9.30-11 Room 4-242, SEAY
Instructor: Professor Mary Hayhoe SEAY Room 5-238 X5-9338 [email protected] Office hours: Anytime by appointment
TA: David Lewis [email protected]
Co-instructor: Gabriel Diaz [email protected] Web Site:http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/class/psy341K/hayhoe/
Organization
1. Four experiments, approximately 3 weeks each.
2. Background lectures, data collection, analysis, presentation; emphasis on class discussion.
3. Groups of 4/5.
4. Requirements: 4 papers, 2 exams (short answer), attendance/participation/presentations.
5. Readings/lectures etc on web site.
The great unsolved problem: How does the brain control behavior?
Phrenology
Localization of function
Even simple actions involve many parts of the brain.
action plan Size, direction
velocity
motivation
signals to muscles
coordinatefeedback
respirationheart rate
memory
Initiatesequence
targeting
Classical Methods
What are the physical limits of Vision?
How accurate are eye movements?What is the peak velocity?What brain regions control eye movements?
A Typical Experiment
Why do some objects “pop out”?
An Experiment on Searching for Objects
And why are they sometimes hard to find?
Questions we might like to ask:
Where do we look in a scene in everyday life?
What information do we need?
How do we locate the information we need?
How are the movements controlled?
Why virtual reality?
Technological advances: 1. measurement of complex eye, head, hand movements 2. high speed image processing allows complex virtual environments that can be controlled experimentally 3. head mounted displays, tactile feedback
Natural behavior unexplored.
Need to validate (or not) results from simpler paradigms.
The CPS Virtual Reality Lab – a unique opportunity
What you’ll learn
- Basic properties of perception, movements, and attention
- Understanding the research process: the question, design of experiments, data
analysis, making conclusions, communication.
- Original contributions/ discoveries. Thinking independently.
Difficult things about this course
- no good text- fragmentary- lack of background- data analysis
- presentations
Date Topic
Jan 17 Overview of the course: understanding human actions Introduction to Virtual Reality lab.
Jan 19 Using our Eyes in Everyday Tasks: Lecture: The nervous system, vision, and motor control.The eye and eye movements
Rosenbaum Ch 5, Land paper.
Jan 24 Lab: tracking the eyes while catching balls. Jan 26 Lab: tracking the eyes.
Jan 31 Lecture: Interpreting the data
Feb 2 Discussion of Findings/ class presentations
Feb 7 Interdependence of Vision and Action: Lecture Paper 1 due
Feb 9 Vision and movement.(Rosenbaum Ch 2)
Feb 14 Lab Intercepting virtual targets
Feb 16 Lab: ctd
Feb 21 Understanding the data
Feb 23 Discussion of Findings / class presentations
Feb 28 Review Paper 2 due
Mar 1 Mid-term
Virtual racquetball: Nvis helmet, Arrington eye-tracker, PhaseSpace head/hand/racquet tracking, ODE to control ball and racquet interactions
Gabe Diaz
Mar 06 Learning Where to Look: lecture
Mar 8 Lecture
Mar 13, 15 Spring Break
Mar 20 Lab: Avoiding virtual pedestrians
Mar 22 Lab: ctd
Mar 27 Discussion of Outcome
Mar 29 Class Presentations
Gaze allocation when walking in a real environment
Things to do: control direction, avoid obstacles, foot placement,characterize surroundings etc cf Walter: normal vision involves sets of sub-tasksor modules – need to allocate attention effectively between sub-tasks.
Portable ASL eyetrackerOval path around large room
pedestrians
(Jovancevic & Hayhoe, 2009 J Neurosci)
How are gaze targets chosen?
Apr 3 Attention & Vision: Lecture Paper 3 due
Apr 5 Lecture: attention and eye movements in natural environments
Apr 10 Lab: Walking in a Virtual Apartment
Apr 12 Lab: ctd
Apr 17 Understanding the data
Apr 19 Class presentations
Apr 24 Lecture: Uses of virtual environments
Apr 26 Review
May 1 Review
May 3 Final Exam Paper 4 due
Grading: Papers 1-4: 15% each. Midterm and Final: 15% each; Attendance: 5%; Presentations and class discussion: 5%)
Papers: 7-10 pages (typewritten, double spaced) reporting the results of the lab experiments.Can re-write papers.
Exams - short answer questions. Midterm: first half of course.Final: second half of the courseExams cover : class material, labs, and readings.