This three-year award supports U.S.-France cooperative research in neurosciences between Margaret M. Shiffrar, Rutgers University, and Jean Lorenceau, Experimental Psychology Laboratory, University of Paris. Through a convergence of psychophysical, neurophysiological and computational studies, the investigators propose to address the process of image interpretation in computational and biological visual systems. Signal fusion and fission; that is, how visual systems determine which signals should be grouped together, and how human observers integrate visual motion signals across space and time, are pivotal issues addressed by this research. Dr. Shiffrar and her colleagues bring to this collaboration expertise in computational studies of biological systems and the environment for large scale computational modelling and simulations. The French group will conduct complementary neurophysiological studies on the visual perception of motion coherence utilizing multi-electrode recording facilities. Psychophysical studies designed to measure sensitivity to direction of object motion will be performed jointly by both groups and serve as the unifying framework for the neurophysiological and computational methodologies. This cross disciplinary approach will further understanding of the human visual system and applied aspects of vision research in video technology and robotics.
