Perception of social stimuli in neurotypical and neurodiverse populations

About the Project

Being able to accurately and efficiently interpret social stimuli has enormous adaptive value, and difficulties in social perception are associated with anxiety in social situations. The Social Vision Group at the University of Reading is primarily interested in how social stimuli, such as faces, facial expressions, body shapes and postures, and social interactions, are perceived and processed. We are particularly focussed on the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that support social perception. This project aims to investigate how social stimuli are perceived and responded to in neurotypical and neurodiverse populations, including autism and/or prosopagnosia. Depending on the interests of the student, behavioural and eye-tracking tasks can be used, as well as neuroscientific techniques such as EEG/ERP.