The continuous vs. the discrete in mental life: Studies in perception, cognition, and action

Hybrid Event

The raw material of perception is a continuous wash of light and sound. But the building blocks of experience are discrete individuals -- *objects* (due to segmentation in space), *events* (due to segmentation in time), and *actions* (i.e., eye movements). I will present five case studies that collectively explore how these discrete objects, events, and actions have a powerful impact on many forms of perception and cognition -- and in particular, how they interact with other processes including attention, imagery, enumeration, decision-making, and even mental dysfunction. Throughout this work, I will show how these interactions are relatively spontaneous and inescapable aspects of how the mind works. In the first two case studies, I will introduce the phenomenon of “scaffolded attention”, and show how attention effectively creates discrete object representations even in the absence of all sensory cues -- in a sort of “everyday hallucination”. In the next two case studies, I will show how discrete events and their boundaries (or the lack of) can interact in surprisingly direct ways with higher-level thought and decision-making. In the final case study, I will move from perception to action, and show how seemingly basic yet fundamental discrete actions -- eye movements -- can reach into and restructure the contents of conscious awareness. Together, these studies demonstrate the profound role of discreteness in the mind.

For more on Joan's latest work: perception.psych.ubc.ca