Dr Robin Laycock

Investigations of parallel visual pathways in human by use of psychophysics techniques and by application of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to briefly disrupt neural networks are being used to better understand how in healthy individuals such an automatic and rapid perception of the visual world is achieved. Electrophysiological, eye-tracking and functional brain imaging (fMRI) techniques are also important tools for understanding the spatial and temporal profile of visual and visual attentional networks involved.

In particular, Dr Laycock has focused on understanding the contribution of parallel visual pathways (magnocellular, parvocellular), and of their contribution to the dorsal and ventral streams. TMS, as a brain stimulation technique, is a particularly exciting tool when used in conjunction with other cognitive neuroscience methodologies, as it provides causal information about the involvement of cortical regions in a given cognitive task.

Dr Laycock has also looked more recently at how anxiety and acute stress can influence perception, as well as exploring the relationship between conscious and non-conscious visual processing (e.g, what role do direct sub-cortical pathways to the amygdala contribute to non-conscious processing in those on the autism spectrum?)

• BSc (University of Melbourne)
• Postgrad Dip AppPsych (La Trobe University)
• PhD (La Trobe University)

SUPERVISORY INTERESTS

Vision science, cognitive neuroscience, neurospsychology, affective neuroscience.

Visual abnormalities in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders including aspects of social/affective processing. I am particularly interested in visual/attentional (including eye-movement) abnormalities in people on the autism spectrum, or in schizotypy. I am interested in running projects exploring the extent of information processing that is possible without conscious awareness (e.g., using Continuous Flash Suppression) in general, as well as across the autism spectrum or how such processes contribute to fear mechanisms (e.g., Phobia). I also have an interest in exploring the relationship between stress/anxiety and perception.