Through a series of behavioural studies supplemented by computationa modelling, this project aims to investigate the effects of scene schema violations to visual complexity perception, recognition memory and image memorability.
Recent work from our lab (Kyle-Davidson, Solis*, et al., 2025) as well as others have shown that more complex images tend to be more memorable. In this project, we aim to investigate the neural substrates underlying the relationship between our perception of how "complex" an image is and our memory for that same image.
Previously I studied an integrated Master’s degree in ‘Natural Sciences specializing in Neuroscience’ at York. My final year project was based in the Hahn lab in the Department of Biology and supervised by Dr Ines Hahn and Prof Alex Wade.
Overactive or inactive glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) enzyme leads to microtubule unbundling in primary Drosophila neurons (Voelzmann et al., 2024). There are many ways in which this structural defect could result in neuronal dysfunction. In my Master's project, I investigated the in vivo effects of overactive and inactive GSK3β enzyme in fruit flies using steady-state visually evoked potentials.
The semantic congruence of an auditory stimulus to a visual object affects an observer when tasked to search for that object (Iordanescu et al., 2008). In this project funded by a Laidlaw Scholarship, I investigated the nature of the mental representations used in this process through a behavioural study and computational modelling.
In this project, I investigated whether the ability to quickly extract meaningful information from an image ('gist processing') is biased in certain parts of the visual field.