A selection of our most current projects.
Generally, we are interested in how visual information is used for the planning and guidance of our actions in both real and virtual environments. Virtual reality is rapidly transforming entertainment and skill training. We investigate whether people behave similarly in real and virtual environments, and which information is critical to preserve natural behaviour in VR.
How do people respond to (un)pleasant touch? This project explores the perceptual and physiological mechanisms behind tactile discomfort — with implications for using textures to subtly guide behaviour (e.g., deterring contact with harmful substances). ERCR-funded: 2023-2026 Open-Research Area (ORA) together with Knut Drewing (JLU Giessen, Germany) and Rochelle Ackerley (Aix-Marseille University, France): “The need for unpleasant touch: Behavioural and physiological investigations into negative affective touch and how it can be used to shape interactions.”
Our research examines how perceptual properties of food, such as colour, saturation, naturalness, and accessibility influence attention and approach behaviour. We explore how these properties shape the way people notice, evaluate, and interact with food. Unlike most studies that use images, we focus on real food stimuli to capture behavioural responses that are more representative of real-world choices.
Our research examines (if and) how motor expertise (such as in athletes and musicians) affects action perception as well as perception-action coupling. We are also collaborating with dentistry (Prof Khaled Khalef) to determine how fine motor skills required in this field are acquired which factors affect successful skill acquisition.
