Multisensory Perception: The Brain’s Original Hack

press release: Edgewood College is pleased invite Greater Madison to attend the lecture Multisensory Perception: The Brain’s Original Hack. This insightful exploration, delivered by Assistant Professor of Psychology Ferrinne Spector takes place from 6:00 – 7:00 pm, Monday, February 8, 2016, in Anderson Auditorium on campus. There is no admission charge. The lecture is being recorded by Wisconsin Public Television and will become part of the “University Place” series.  

In her abstract Professor Spector notes “we often consider our senses one at a time. However, most important experiences are inherently multisensory – activating multiple senses at a time. From watching someone who is talking to finding the source of a loud noise to chewing food; multisensory experiences are the norm rather than the exception.”  

“The basic developmental structure of the sensory systems allows for seamless integration of multisensory information,” Spector continues. “This is a handy tool for navigating a world where faces produce words, large objects make loud noises and taste and texture combine to influence our experience of food. In this talk, we will cover how information is translated across sensory domains, how that influences our individual and collective experience of the world, and what that means for our perceptual neural architecture.”  

About the Speaker 

Ferrinne Spector is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Edgewood College. She earned her Bachelor of Science (’03) in Psychology at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and her Doctorate in Psychology (’09) at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with a focus on multisensory perception in development. Dr. Spector loves nothing more than a well-controlled experimental design and a long walk with her dog. She lives in Madison with her husband and two children, where they spend a lot of time talking about brain development over dinner.