Professor of Psychology
Psychology and Neuroscience Department
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.
I do a podcast called CogNation with fellow cognitive psychologist Joe Hardy .
Other Interests
Traveling, kids, 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
M/W 2-3