Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Dr Andrew Wilson
Reader
Dr Wilson is an internationally recognised expert in perception, action and embodied cognition.
Dr Wilson gained his PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Science from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2005. His research interests are broadly in the area of perception and action, with a particular interest in learning and theories of embodied cognition.
His current research interests include:
- Using coordinated rhythmic movement as a model system to study learning and social coordination
- Throwing for distance and accuracy
- The use of movement analysis (kinematics) to enhance clinical practice and rehabilitation
- Theories of embodied cognition
He blogs about this work at Notes fromTwo Scientific Psychologists and is on Twitter.
Current Teaching
- Foundation Research Methods
- Advance Research Methods
- Mind, Brain & Behaviour
- The Embodied Mind (MSc)
Research Interests
Perception and Action
Skilled movement requires us to perceive the affordances of the environment. These are the opportunities for action that the environment provides (e.g. the 'graspability' of a handle); identifying these and the information for them is a critical part of understanding why we move the way we do. Dr Wilson's work currently focuses on two tasks (coordinated rhythmic movement and throwing for distance and accuracy) to investigate these questions. He uses movement analysis and psychophysical techniques combined with computer simulations and dynamical systems modelling to solve these problems.
Embodied Cognition
There is a large body of evidence that cognition is profoundly shaped by the way we perceive and act in the world. Using his empirical research in perception and action as a starting point, Dr Wilson (with colleagues in the UK, US and Canada) is developing theories and methods for an embodied approach to cognition that can be applied to a wide variety of topics (including movement but also language and animal cognition).
Ask Me About
- Psychology
- Rehabilitation
Selected Outputs
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Wilson AD (In press) Action scaling of distance perception is task specific and does not predict “the embodiment of cultureâ€: a comment on Soliman, Gibson, and Glenberg (2013). Frontiers in Psychology, 5
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Garza-Villarreal EA; Wilson AD; Vase L; Brattico E; Barrios FA; Jensen TS; Romero-Romo JI; Vuust P (In press) Music reduces pain and increases functional mobility in fibromyalgia. Frontiers in Psychology, 5
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Ren J; Huang S; Zhang J; Zhu Q; Wilson AD; Snapp-Childs W; Bingham GP (In press) The 50s Cliff: A Decline in Perceptuo-Motor Learning, Not a Deficit in Visual Motion Perception. PLOS ONE, 10 (4), pp. e0121708-e0121708.
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Wilson AD; Bingham GP; Craig JC (In press) Proprioceptive Perception of Phase Variability. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 29 (6), pp. 1179-1190.
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Wilson AD; Zhu Q; Barham L; Stanistreet I; Bingham GP (2016) A Dynamical Analysis of the Suitability of Prehistoric Spheroids from the Cave of Hearths as Thrown Projectiles. Scientific Reports, 6
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Wilson AD; Weightman A; Bingham GP; Zhu Q (2016) Using Task Dynamics to Quantify the Affordances of Throwing for Long Distance and Accuracy. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42 (7), pp. 965-981.
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Snapp-Childs W; Wilson AD; Bingham GP (2015) Transfer of learning between unimanual and bimanual rhythmic movement coordination: transfer is a function of the task dynamic. Experimental Brain Research, 233 (7), pp. 2225-2238.
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Coats RO; Wilson AD; Snapp-Childs W; Fath AJ; Bingham GP (2014) The 50s Cliff: Perceptuo-Motor Learning Rates across the Lifespan. PLoS One
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WILSON AD; BINGHAM GP (2008) Identifying the information for the visual perception of relative phase. Perception & Psychophysics, 70 (3), pp. 465-476.
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Snapp-Childs W; Wilson AD; Bingham GP (2010) The stability of rhythmic movement coordination depends on relative speed. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
