Subject: Relations between Vision Research and Psychology
A number of us are increasingly concerned about the growing separation
between the vision community and the fields of psychology and cognitive
science. Ironically, the scientific success and interest in vision seems
to have been accompanied by a kind of isolationism, shrinking job
opportunities, and lower undergraduate interest. This separation is
evident, for example, in the shift toward ARVO and ECVP and away from the
Psychonomic Society, or toward Vision Research and away from the Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance or Perception &
Psychophysics. The trend has a number of detrimental consequences.
Intellectually, it isolates the study of visual perception from its natural
role in other behavior, and cuts vision researchers off from others
studying attention, recognition, categorization, visual cognition, action,
human factors, etc. Politically, as perception comes to be viewed as less
central to psychology, it undercuts this traditionally large audience for
vision research and, along with it, the largest source of jobs for vision
researchers.
What is to be done? A very modest proposal:
1. Researchers in perception or attention should attend the Psychonomic
Society meetings. The next is Nov. 20-22, 1998, in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Contact Roger Mellgren, Secretary-Treasurer, for information:
mellgren@uta.edu
2. For those who are members of the Psychonomic Society, consider
nominating Mike Braunstein to the governing board, by June 12. Mike is the
outgoing editor of P&P and has indicated his willingness to be drafted. He
would be a good advocate for vision research on the board.
3. Consider submitting appropriate papers to psychological journals such
as JEP:HPP, P&P, and the new widely-read forum for short reports,
Psychological Science.
Any other thoughts? CVNet seems an appropriate place for this discussion.
-- Bill Warren
Prof. of Cognitive Science
Brown University
Bill_Warren@brown.edu
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