Perception and control of self-motionWe study what information people use to perceive and control their self-movement in the world. We conduct experiments using virtual reality (VR) technique to systematically vary the availability of different types of visual information in the scene. Current research topics include (1) how do moving objects affect our perception of the direction of self-motion (i.e., heading)? (2) how do we accurately perceive object-motion during self-motion and how is this process related to heading perception? (3) how do central and peripheral vision interact for the perception and control of self-motion? (4) what role does optic flow (i.e., the projected retinal motion of an environment experienced during self-motion) play in goal-oriented locomotion control? (5) how does travel speed and attention affect the visual control of goal-oriented locomotion control?
Neural mechanisms for the control of locomotionWe use the brain-imaging method to uncover the brain networks in charge of the use of different visual strategies for the control of locomotion. Current research topics include: (1) what brain regions integrate global motion and form information for heading perception? (2) are the brain regions in charge of path perception different from those for heading perception?
Eye-hand coordination
Successful completion of many essential visuomotor control tasks in our daily life (such as handwriting, catching a ball, and driving etc.) requires seamless coordination between our eye and hand movement. Current research topics include: (1) how do we obtain sophisticated eye-hand coordination skills? (2) how is the general ability of eye tracking related to manual control for eye-hand coordination?
Visuomotor control in brain-damaged patients
We study visuomotor and locomotion control in brain-damaged patients with motor deficits. We measure visual perception, eye movement, visuomotor control, and driving performance in these patients to differentiate various types of motor control deficits caused by brain damages. Current research topics include (1) how do movement disorders caused by a fairly common neurological disorder in older adults (such as Parkinson’s disease) affect eye-hand coordination and the connection between eye and hand movement control? (2) can intensive training/practice on demanding visuomotor control tasks (such as playing action video games of sports ball games) help these patients and improve their quality of life?