Postgraduate Course: Eye Movements and Visual Cognition (PSYL11068)

Course Outline
School	School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences	College	College of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	The aim of this course is to develop students' understanding of the role of eye movements in visual cognition. In lecture 1, the concept of visual attention is introduced; topics to be covered include the distinctions between exogenous versus endogenous attention, space- versus object-based attention, and covert versus overt attention. The remaining lectures build on the idea that, most of the time, attention is active and overt and that visual selection typically involves selection via eye movements. The course thus emphasizes the use of eye tracking to study visual attention and cognition. In lectures 2 to 5, the role of eye movements and attention in complex visual-cognitive tasks such as (1) reading, (2) scene perception, (3) dynamic image perception, and (4) real-world activity are discussed in depth. For each of these tasks, we will introduce and critically evaluate theoretical proposals made to explain the "Where" and "When" of eye fixations and attentional selection. Specifically, we will discuss factors influencing where and for how long we make fixations (fixation locations and durations), what we are able to process during a fixation, and how we determine where and when to fixate next within a sentence or a visual scene. Tutorials will take place on Thursday 3pm to 4pm. Formative Feedback Events: Extensive feedback provided on essays
Course description	Not entered

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Block 2 (Sem 1)
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 98 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	One 3000 word essay Assessment Deadline: Thursday 15th January 2015, 12 noon Assessment Return Date: 6th February 2015
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will (1) understand the core theoretical concepts of visual attention, key experimental paradigms, and main sources of evidence associated with these concepts; (2) know the basic characteristics of eye movements; (3) understand the relationship between eye movements and (overt) visual attention; (4) have a broad understanding of the field of eye-movement research, and in particular (5) have considerable depth of knowledge in the areas of reading and scene perception; (6) be able to critically evaluate existing theories and empirical evidence; (7) be able to apply knowledge about eye movements and visual cognition in both written and oral form.