Professor of Psychology
Education
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
B.A., Macalester College
About
Main Interests
My main interests are in the area of human visual perception. I study the way in which visual scenes are organized into something meaningful via processes like figure-ground organization and Gestalt grouping. I also do research in other areas within cognition, including implicit perception, visual perception in autism, and the effects of video games on critical thinking skills.
Other Interests
Traveling, kids, home improvement, good food, visual illusions
Publications
Nelson, R., & Shelto, E. (2024). Repetition blindness in a saccadic persistence of vision display. Perception, 53 (5-6), 335-342.
Nelson, R., & Hebda, N. (2018). Figure/Ground Processing: A Reassessment of Gelb & Granit. Perception, 47(3), 344-354.
Kinateder, M., & Nelson, R. (2017). Threshold differences on figure and ground: Gelb & Granit (1923). I-Perception, 8(1).
Hardy, J.L., Nelson, R.A., Thomason, M.E., Sternberg, D.A., Katovich, K., Faraz, F., & Scanlon, M. (2015). Enhancing Cognitive Abilities with Comprehensive Training: A Large, Online, Randomized, Active-Controlled Trial. PLoS One, 10(9): e0134467.
Nelson, R., Reiss, J.E., Gong, X., Conklin, S., Parker, L., & Palmer, S.E. (2014). The shape of a hole is perceived as the shape of its interior. Perception, 43(10), 1033-1048.
Nelson, R., & Strachan, I. (2009). Action and puzzle video games prime different speed/accuracy tradeoffs. Perception, 38(11), 1678-1687.
Nelson, R., Thierman, J., & Palmer, S.E. (2009). Shape memory for intrinsic versus accidental holes. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 71(1),200-206.
Palmer, S. E., Davis, J., Nelson, R., & Rock, I. (2008). Figure-ground effects on shape memory for objects versus holes. Perception, 37, 1569-1586.
Nelson, R., & Palmer, S. (2007). Familiar shapes attract attention in figure-ground displays. Perception and Psychophysics, 69(3), 382-392.
Nelson, R., & Prinzmetal, W. (2003). On the relation between roll and pitch. Visual Cognition, 10(6), 715-728.
Palmer, S., Brooks, J., & Nelson, R. (2003). When does grouping happen? Acta Psychologica, 114(3) 311-330.
Nelson, R., & Palmer, S. (2001). Of holes and wholes: The perception of surrounded regions. Perception, 30, 1213-1226.
Palmer, S. & Nelson, R. (2000). Late influences on perceptual grouping: Illusory figures. Perception and Psychophysics, 62(7), 1321-1331.
Teaching Interests
Perception, cognition, memory, experimental lab, consciousness
Student Projects
Fall ’15:
James O’Loughlin: Video game play and implicit priming
Spring ’15:
Ivy Gu: Figure/ground organization
Summer ’14:
Katherine Merin: Saccadic Persistence of Vision
Summer ’13:
Nick Hebda: Implicit associations in video game play
Spring -Fall ’12:
Tongbo Sui & Xue Gong: Video game play and stress
Spring-Fall ’12:
Xue Gong: Holes and figure/ground organization
Fall ’10 – Spring ’12:
Emily Greene-Colozzi, Kelsey Dowart, Kate Niegisch: Color preference in zebrafish
Fall ’10-Fall ’11:
Laura Parker: Seasonal differences in color perception
Fall ’09:
Sherri Conklin, Jared Floch, Laura Parker: The perception of negative space
Fall ’08 – Spring ’09:
Sherri Conklin, Jared Floch, & Ian Strachan: Cognitive priming in video games
Summer’08:
Ian Strachan. Priming speed/accuracy tradeoffs.
Summer/Fall ’07:
Brianne Jeffrey, Sherri Conklin, Michael Koltz, & Jared Floch: Cognitive & perceptual effects of video games.
Fall ’06 – Spring ’07:
Brian Cartun: The perception of negative space
Fall ’05 – Spring ’06
Brian Cartun, Paige MacGregor: Attention and figure-ground perception
Research Interests
Visual perception, figure-ground organization, Gestalt grouping factors, implicit perception.
Department(s)
Program(s)
Office
Mars Science Center 1132
Hours
T/Th 10-11