Adam Larson

Advisor: Dr. Lester Loschky

Description of Research

 

A single picture is worth a thousand words, but which word best describes that picture?  This single word that describes the entire scene is called the gist of the scene.  The gist of the scene can be recognized very quickly (within the first eye fixation onto a scene).  Since gist is recognized so quickly, it has numerous influences on later processes like attention, object recall in the scene, memory for scenes, and can be applied to topics like driver safety.

My current research looks at the contributions of central versus peripheral visual information on scene gist recognition.  The central information contains clear and highly detailed visual information.  Peripheral visual information is not as clear or as highly detailed as central visual information, but there is far more peripheral information than central information.  So, if the periphery is so large how much does central and peripheral visual information contribute to scene recognition?

Future direction of my research will look at the relationship between attention and scene perception.  Specifically, can scene gist be recognized in the absence of attention?  Researchers have been debating this hot topic for quite some time with evidence for and against scene gist requiring attention.  Also, I would like to determine if there is a maximal rate at which attention can expand throughout a scene.

 

Representative Publications

  

Loschky, L.C., & Larson, A.M. (in press). The natural/man-made distinction is made prior to basic-level distinctions in scene gist processing. Visual Cognition.  

Larson, A.M. & Loschky, L.C. (2009). The contributions of central versus peripheral vision to scene gist recognition. Journal of Vision, 9(10):6, 1-16, http://journalofvision.org/9/10/6/, doi:10.1167/9.10.6.

Loschky, L. C., & Larson, A. M. (2008). Localized information is needed for scene categorization, including the natural/man-made distinction.  Journal of Vision, 8(1):4, 1-9, http://journalofvision.org/8/1/4/, doi:10.1167/8.1.4.

 

Representative Presentations

 

Larson, A.M., Loschky, L.C., Pollack, W., Bjerg, A., Hilburn, S., & Smercheck, S. (2009, May). Variation in scene gist recognition over time in central versus peripheral vision. Poster presented at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society, Naples, FL.

Larson, A.M., Loschky, L.C., Matz, E., Smerchek, S., Weber, P., & Berger, L. (2008, May). The Roles of Central versus Peripheral Visual Information in Recognizing Scene Gist. Poster presented at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society, Sarasota, FL.

 

Matz, E., Smerchek, S. & Larson, A. (2007, March). The Importance of Scene Localization in Scene Categorization. Talk presented at the 27th Annual Great Plains Student Psychology Conference, Wichita, KS.  [Awarded 2nd Place in Session]

 

Teaching Experience

General Psychology (Psych 110)

Fundamentals of Sensation & Perception (Psych 480)

 

Laboratory Instructor

Experimental Research Methods

 

Recitation Instructor

General Psychology

 

Teaching Assistant

Fundamentals of Sensation & Perception

Problem Solving & Decision Making

Cognitive Psychology

General Psychology

 

Education

 

B.S. Psychology (2006) Iowa State University

M.S. Psychology (2010) Kansas State University

 

Curriculum Vitae

 

 

Any personal information (e.g., extracurricular activities)

 

Avid Frisbee Golf enthusiast

 

Email address

 

adlarson@ksu.edu