Research Interests

The Clapham Cognition Lab is interested in experimentally exploring various aspects of visual perception and higher order cognition. We are currently investigating the role nonconscious information plays in visual processing and decision making. At any given moment an enormous amount of visual information enters the eyes, too much for a person to attend to all at once. Therefore, a great deal of this information never reaches consciousness. The obvious question is what happens to the information that enters the eyes but the person is not aware of? It turns out that the brain, in the absence of conscious awareness, continues to process this information. Ultimately this information gets processed in a way that can later influence perception and decision making. The CogLab would like to get a better understanding of nonconscious processing and how it influences decision making as well as our ability to process such an information rich visual environment.

 

The Machine

The machine that is the Clapham Cognition Lab owes its success to a really great team of researchers. The CogLab is headed up by Dr. Eric Clapham, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at BHSU. However, the lab truly functions because of the hard work put in by a team of intelligent and motivated undergraduate research assistants. The RA's are involved in every aspect of the research process, from the literature review to the analysis and interpretation of data. In fact, they are responsible for much of the day-to-day operation of the lab. Of all the responsibility imposed upon the team, one of the more important duties is running participants through the lab's experiments. If you would like to find out more about the Clapham Cognition Lab please contact Dr. Clapham.