Anticipation and Visual Look-Ahead in the Control of High-Speed Steering, a Cognitive Science Speaker Series Presentation
Speaker: Brett R Fajen, Ph.D.
Title: Translating Cognitive Research into a Useful Framework for Teaching and Learning
Short Bio: Brett Fajen is a Professor of Cognitive Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on perception and action, with a focus on the visual control of locomotion in complex and dynamic environments. He studies a variety of problems within this area, including the perception of affordances, self-motion, and object motion, and the control of steering, interception, obstacle avoidance, and foot placement during walking over complex terrain. He has a BS in Mathematics from Bucknell University (1993) and a PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Connecticut (1999). From 1999 to 2001, he did a post-doc at Brown University prior to joining RPI.
Abstract: Humans and other animals are capable of moving rapidly through densely cluttered environments, avoiding obstacles, squeezing through narrow openings, and following winding paths to reach their goals. To perform such tasks, it is not enough to focus entirely on the most proximal objects. Skillful navigation also relies on the ability to look a bit farther ahead and anticipate interactions with objects that lie beyond one’s immediate surroundings. This talk will focus on the role of anticipation in the visual control of high-speed steering through multiple waypoints and along winding paths. I will show how humans use information from future waypoints and path segments to improve movement stability and efficiency. I will also discuss how anticipation depends on familiarity with one’s surroundings, shaped by prior experience. Finally, I will explore how steering behavior could be modeled as a learning process in which agents discover affordances (possibilities for action) that support stable and successful performance.
ASL-English interpreters have been requested. Light refreshments will be provided.
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
Interpreter Requested?
Yes