Research collaborators (present) Dr. Jean BARATGIN, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University of the Mediterranean Dr. Jean-Pierre BRESCIANI, Ph.D. , Research Scientist, Max-Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany Pr. André DIDIERJEAN, Ph.D., Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University of Franche-Comté Dr. Fabien MATHY, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University of Franche-Comté Pr. Lucien RUMBACH, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Neurology, University of Franche-Comté, and Head of the Memory Center for Resources and Research, Besançon University Hospital Pr. Pierre VANDEL, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Franche-Comté Nevin VUNKA JUNGUM, Computer Science and Engineering Department, University of Mauritius, Mauritius
Research Projects (Current) RP 1: ENACT-MCA (Enactive Multiscale Coupling Approach) - Metatheoretical The global aim of our research is to validate a theoretical framework that would be able to model the dynamic nature of psychological abilities and perceptual experience of the world. In order to achieve our goal, we are conceiving the Enactive Multiscale Coupling Approach, which implies to design experiments on biological-psychological or between-psychological dimensions couplings. The purpose of RP 1 is to gather theoretical and experimental data in order to put forward an intelligible metatheoretical model of emerging perceptual and behavioral processes in humans. RP 2: OMADD (Oculomotor Markers of Alzheimer's Disease and Dépression) - Theoretical and Experimental - This project is supported by a National PHRC grant (Clinical Research Project in Hospitals) - 208717€ ($272198) 2009-2011 This work consists in identifying OMADD. Most of the time, early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is very difficult, especially because some cognitive and clinical symptoms (i.e., dementia, depressive disorders) are similar to those observed in other pathologies [i.e., Depressive Pseudodementia (DP)]. We have launched a series of studies aimed at identifying idiosyncratic parameters of both diseases. The research relies on the study of eye movements that have been previously found to be specifically sensitive to frontal dementias on the one hand and to dysphoria on the other hand. Our goal is to identify discriminative tests that will be able to early predict the evolution towards either a global or a selective decrease of cognitive and visual search abilities. Beyond the applied stake, the research should inform us further about the coupling between selective (vs. global) deterioration of eye movements and cognitive functions on the one hand, and about the coupling between neurological impairment and eye movement control disabilities on the other hand. RP 3: PE (Psychology of Expertise) - Review For our team, expertise is a means to study structural couplings between the human being and the environment that have been embodied on a long-term period. Earlier, authors had shown that categorization experience influences perceptual discrimination abilities for stimuli such as spoken language, faces, or simple geometric figures. In the framework of this research, three experiments on expert basketball players have shown that categorization expertise can change perceptual discrimination abilities for complex visual scenes. Together with previous research we carried out on eye movements in experts, the results show the adaptive nature of the strong coupling between perception and higher-level cognition. RP 4: CLP2 (Categorical Learning and Perceptual Performance) - Experimental Close to what has been exposed for RP 3, here we investigate the dynamics of building of the couplings between perception and higher-level cognition on a shorter learning period (from minutes to several weeks of intensive practice). We specifically study the role of the amount of practice and of temporal pressure during categorical learning on the subsequent evolution of perceptual performance, search, and experience. RP5: GEMOCAT (The role motivational Goals and EMOtions in CATegorization) - Experimental In addition to the role of cognitive and neurodegenerative processes on the moderation of perception, we are interested in capturing the interaction between goals, emotions and search for information. Because we see human as a whole, we want to break boundaries between cognitive and the more social/personality psychology. As any other RP presented in this page, we think that this kind of endeavor is potentially fruitful in order to build an integrated vision of enacted behavioral and mental processes. RP6: TROPHYVAPERW (The Role Of Physiological Variations in the PERception of the World) - Experimental Finally, we develop a framework for explaining how physiological variations modulate perception and behavior. This approach is necessary for completing the experimental study of enaction. Expertise, neurodegenerative impairments, learning, personality and emotions are all processes belonging to different living dimensions that have a different dynamics, that occur from a long-term to a short-term range. One perspective recently opened in our team is to better understand the role of physiological microdynamics on the perceptual abilities.
Cours Team workspace People Research Projects-- NEWS --
ENACTive Multiscale Coupling Approach
Bodyness, Human Needs, Emotion and Expertise: A Multiscale Approach to the Ecology of Mind
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The team usually runs experiments throughout the year. Please contact Nicolas Noiret, Research Assistant, if you are interested to participate in (nicolas.noiret@laurent-lab.com)
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