Dr Damien Mannion | Brain Sciences UNSW

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University role:

Adjunct Senior Lecturer

Phone:

0293850372

Email:

d.mannion@unsw.edu.au

ABOUT ME

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer and perception researcher in the School of Psychology.

My primary research interest is in understanding how we perceive the world—what are our visual capacities and how are they realised in the brain.

Education

Postdoctoral associate, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA, 2011-2013
Postdoctoral fellow, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, USA, 2010-2011
PhD in Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia, 2010
B Psych (Hons I), University of Newcastle, Australia, 2005

RESEARCH

Research Goals

Discover the processing strategies and pathways in the brain that underlie our visual perception
Understand how our brain activity and behaviour relate to regularities in the visual patterns from the natural world
Establish the capacities of our performance of everyday visual tasks
Provide an account of normal visual and brain functioning from which dysfunction can be assessed and understood

Research in Detail

The overall goal of my research is to understand how the patterns of light are communicated in the brain to allow our perception of the visual environment. To investigate this, we show human observers particular patterns on computer screens and ask them to make judgements about what they see. Often, the observers do this while inside an MRI scanner, which allows us to gather snapshots of the distribution of activity levels within their brain while they're perceiving such patterns.

Some examples of ongoing research questions are:

Are the visual processing pathways in the brain specialised for patterns from the upper and lower visual fields?
How is the brain able to use patterns of light intensity to determine attributes of surfaces in the world?
How does the brain combine information across space to achieve a coherent perception of the environment?

Current Student Projects (PhD and Honours)

Lindsay Peterson, PhD (psychology), 2017-
Sol Libesman, PhD (psychology), 2016- (jointly supervised with Tom Whitford).

Previous Student Projects (PhD and Honours)

Structure-from-motion and lightness perception: understanding the interaction between lightness and high-level motion — Lindsay Peterson, Honours (psychology), 2016.
Schizotypy and form perception through pooling: an application of the oblique superiority effect — Jamesha Subachandran, Honours (psychology), 2016.
Resolving "what goes with what" in visual motion perception: visual field location and contextual awareness as potential influencing factors — Sarita Herse, Honours (psychology), 2015.
Human sensitivity to the positioning of visual patterns from the upper and lower regions of natural environments — Norah Grewal, Honours (psychology), 2014.

Supervision Opportunities/Areas

I welcome students interested in conducting research to contact me regarding supervision. I am open to discussing potential topics, and I encourage students to have a look at my website to get an idea of my past research and/or contact me for further details. As my research is often conceived with reference to ongoing/future neuroimaging studies, students with an interest in this area are particularly encouraged to consider discussing potential research projects.

Advice for prospective students

Research into visual perception is a diverse endeavour, and incorporates insights from fields such as psychology, neuroscience, biology, statistics, and computer science. Prospective students should look forward to reading widely, approaching problems from different perspectives, and having the opportunity to contribute to our understanding of a fundamental aspect of everyday experience.

On a practical level, I encourage prospective students to gain skills and experience in computer and graphics programming—from making a quick 'demo' and tinkering with visual stimuli to writing complex data analysis and modeling routines, such abilities are tremendously useful in vision science research. Just as important, however, is to also develop an understanding and appreciation of the psychology of visual perception and how we use vision in our everyday lives.

TEACHING & OUTREACH

Courses I teach

PSYC1011: Psychology 1B

PSYC2071: Perception & Cognition

PSYC3221: Vision & Brain

PSYC3361: Research Internship

PSYC4093: Primary Visual Cortex

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS

2016: Australian Psychological Society "Outstanding Lecturer of the Year" (School of Psychology, UNSW)

2010-2012: Rachel C. Atkinson postdoctoral fellowship, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, USA

2011: Tasman-Lovell Medallion for the best Doctor of Philosophy thesis in 2010 in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney

Research

Field of Research (FOR) Tag:

Sensory Processes, Perception and Performance

Socio-economic Objective (SEO) tags:

Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences

Publications related to this Person

Book Chapters

Mifsud N; Mannion D; Garbutt M; Spehar B, 2018, 'Decoding Visual Exploration in Static and Dynamic Visual Images', in Rourke A; Spehar B (ed.), PEDAGOGIES FOR THE VISUAL IN INNOVATIVE LEARNING, Common Ground Research Networks, Champaign, IL, pp. 5 - 16, http://dx.doi.org/10.18848/978-1-86335-108-9/CGP

Journal articles

Peterson LM; Kersten DJ; Mannion DJ, 2018, 'Surface curvature from kinetic depth can affect lightness', Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, vol. 44, pp. 1856 - 1864, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000575

Whitford TJ; Mitchell AM; Mannion DJ, 2017, 'The ability to tickle oneself is associated with level of psychometric schizotypy in non-clinical individuals', Consciousness and Cognition, vol. 52, pp. 93 - 103, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2017.04.017

Patten ML; Mannion DJ; Clifford CWG, 2017, 'Correlates of perceptual orientation biases in human primary visual cortex', Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 37, pp. 4744 - 4750, http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3511-16.2017

Mannion DJ; Donkin C; Whitford TJ, 2017, 'No apparent influence of psychometrically-defined schizotypy on orientation-dependent contextual modulation of visual contrast detection', PeerJ, vol. 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2921

Mannion DJ; Kersten DJ; Olman CA, 2015, 'Scene coherence can affect the local response to natural images in human V1', European Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 42, pp. 2895 - 2903, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ejn.13082

Kam TE; Mannion DJ; Lee SW; Doerschner K; Kersten DJ, 2015, 'Human visual cortical responses to specular and matte motion flows', Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 9, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00579

Clifford CWG; Mannion DJ, 2015, 'Orientation decoding: Sense in spirals?', NeuroImage, vol. 110, pp. 219 - 222, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.12.055

Mannion DJ, 2015, 'Sensitivity to the visual field origin of natural image patches in human low-level visual cortex', PeerJ, vol. 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1038

Shen H; Mannion D; Lee S-W; Kersten D, 2014, 'Accuracy in Localising the Centre of a Circle', Journal of Vision, vol. 14, pp. 773 - 773, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/14.10.773

Mannion DJ; Kersten DJ; Olman CA, 2014, 'Regions of Mid-level Human Visual Cortex Sensitive to the Global Coherence of Local Image Patches', Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, vol. 26, pp. 1764 - 1774, http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00588

Kam T-E; Mannion D; Lee S-W; Doerschner K; Kersten D, 2013, 'An fMRI Study of Cortical Responses for Reflectance-specific Image Motion', Journal of Vision, vol. 13, pp. 203 - 203, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/13.9.203

Shen H; Mannion D; Lee S-W; Boyaci H; Fang F; Kersten D, 2013, 'Effect of Smooth Shape on Lightness Processing in Human Visual Cortex', Journal of Vision, vol. 13, pp. 1144 - 1144, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/13.9.1144

Mannion DJ; Kersten DJ; Olman CA, 2013, 'Consequences of polar form coherence for fMRI responses in human visual cortex.', Neuroimage, vol. 78, pp. 152 - 158, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.04.036

Matthews N; Todd J; Mannion DJ; Finnigan S; Catts S; Michie PT, 2013, 'Impaired processing of binaural temporal cues to auditory scene analysis in schizophrenia.', Schizophr Res, vol. 146, pp. 344 - 348, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2013.02.013

Mannion DJ, 2012, 'Navigating the vision science internet', i-Perception, vol. 3, pp. 413, http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/i002ir

Mcdonald JS; Mannion DJ; Clifford CWG, 2012, 'Gain control in the response of human visual cortex to plaids', Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 107, pp. 2570 - 2580, http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00616.2011

Wang J; Wade AR, 2011, 'Differential attentional modulation of cortical responses to S-cone and luminance stimuli.', J Vis, vol. 11, pp. 1, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/11.6.1

Petrov Y; Meleshkevich O, 2011, 'Locus of spatial attention determines inward-outward anisotropy in crowding.', J Vis, vol. 11, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/11.4.1

Gillam BJ; Sedgwick HA; Marlow P, 2011, 'Local and non-local effects on surface-mediated stereoscopic depth', Journal of Vision, vol. 11, pp. 1 - 14, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/11.6.5

Mannion DJ; Clifford CWG, 2011, 'Cortical and behavioral sensitivity to eccentric polar form', Journal of Vision, vol. 11, pp. 1 - 9, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/11.6.17

Goddard E; Mannion DJ; Mcdonald JS; Solomon SG; Clifford CW, 2011, 'Color responsiveness argues against a dorsal component of human V4', Journal of Vision, vol. 11, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/11.4.3

Mcdonald JS; Mannion DJ; Goddard E; Clifford CW, 2010, 'Orientation-selective chromatic mechanisms in human visual cortex', Journal of Vision, vol. 10, pp. 34, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/10.12.34

Mannion DJ; Mcdonald JS; Clifford CW, 2010, 'The influence of global form on local orientation anisotropies in human visual cortex', Neuroimage, vol. 52, pp. 600 - 605, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.04.248

Goddard E; Mannion DJ; Mcdonald JS; Solomon SG; Clifford CW, 2010, 'Combination of subcortical color channels in human visual cortex', Journal of Vision, vol. 10, http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/10.5.25

Mannion DJ; Mcdonald JS; Clifford CW, 2010, 'Orientation Anisotropies in Human Visual Cortex', Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 103, pp. 3465 - 3471, http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00190.2010

Clifford CW; Mannion DJ; Mcdonald JS, 2009, 'Radial Biases in the Processing of Motion and Motion-Defined Contours by Human Visual Cortex', Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 102, pp. 2974 - 2981, http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00411.2009

Mannion DJ; Mcdonald JS; Clifford CW, 2009, 'Discrimination of the local orientation structure of spiral Glass patterns early in human visual cortex', Neuroimage, vol. 46, pp. 511 - 515, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.052

Peterson L; Kersten D; Mannion DJ, 'Surface curvature from kinetic depth can affect lightness', , http://dx.doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/csr4y

Sun H-C; Mannion DJ, 'A comparison of the apparent gloss of rendered objects presented in the lower and upper regions of the visual field', , http://dx.doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/xg7dh

Conference Presentations

Kruse A; Mannion D; Alenin A; Tyo S, 2019, 'Polarization-color mapping, a user study in visualization', San Deigo, CA, USA, presented at Polarization Science and Remote Sensing IX, San Deigo, CA, USA, 11 August 2019 - 15 August 2019, http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2530252

Conference Abstracts

Peterson LM; Kersten DJ; Mannion DJ, 2019, 'Light Sources as Scene Components: Estimating Light Source Direction in Scenes with Multiple Objects', in I-PERCEPTION, SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, Vol. 10, pp. 136 - 136, https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000490535400258&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=891bb5ab6ba270e68a29b250adbe88d1

Watson T; Mannion D; Clifford C, 2019, 'Modulation of Stimulus Processing in Human Primary Visual Cortex Around the Time of Saccadic Eye Movements', in PERCEPTION, SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, Vol. 48, pp. 8 - 9, https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000468288300029&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=891bb5ab6ba270e68a29b250adbe88d1

Preprints

libesman S; Whitford T; Mannion DJ, Loudness judgements are not necessarily affected by visual cues to sound source distance, http://dx.doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/kjb78

Tsang KY-T; Mannion DJ, Relating Sound and Sight in Simulated Environments, http://dx.doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/kebhy

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