Welcome to the Olson Lab Website

The Olson lab has two lines of research: high-level vision and memory. The former line of research currently involves research on spatial perception and cognition (distance perception, how size and distance modulate other cognitive processes). The later line of research is focused on understanding the specific roles of the hippocampus and parietal lobe in various forms of memory (visual short-term memory, face memory, autobiographical memory, etc.). To answer questions about these problems we use the neuroscientific tool - fMRI, TMS, lesion studies, psychophysics, or eye tracking - that is best for answering the particular question at hand, with an emphasis on converging methods.

Heider and Simme l discovered in 1944 that certain movement patters of simple, abstract geometric shapes can evoke the perception of animacy. Viewers often attribute human-like  cognitive  processes like thoughts, intentions and beliefs to the shapes and form complex narratives based on the perceived interactions between them.  As can be seen in the Figure,  these types of animations evoke brain processes located along the entire length of the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and  portions of the frontal lobes (IFG).

Image depicts activations to monocular depth cues (dorsal v3)