The Development and Dynamics of Cortical Motion Processing

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People move. The world we move about in is filled with objects, animals, and other people that also move. Perceiving patterns of visual motion provides humans with information about where they are heading and how fast, and about the kinds of objects, animals, and people in the environment. Scientists have relatively detailed knowledge about how adults perceive motion and how their brains respond to it. But, researchers know very little about how motion perception develops in infancy and childhood, and we know even less about the brain systems that detect and process motion. It appears that both perception and brain activity take many years to mature. So, this project will measure perception and brain activity in infants, school-age children, and adults to describe the patterns of development in detail. This project will also create computer-based models that mimic how the human brain develops. The goal is to understand how motion perception and motion-related brain activity change as humans mature.Several feature of this project strengthen its intellectual merit: Motion processing contributes to many aspects of perception, cognition, and action; few studies focus on perceptual development from infancy through adulthood; and, the combination of behavior, brain activity and computer-based simulation, promises new insights into a fundamental perceptual system. The project will have broader impacts by leveraging expertise and resources from the existing NSF-funded Center of Excellence for Learning in Education, Science and Technology (CELEST); by focusing on scientific questions important for child safety and normal cognitive and motor development; and by engaging young adults, especially women and individuals from underrepresented groups, in scientific research.