Module manager: Dr Carlo Campagnoli
Email: C.Campagnoli@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
Successful completion of Year 1 of: BSc Psychology or MPsyc, BSc Advanced Psychology or BA Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Thought (and its International and Industrial variants) or BSc Psychology with Education (and its international and industrial variants).
| PSYC2554 | Perception, Action and Cognition |
PSYC3452
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Students will develop their knowledge of Perception, Action and Cognition with particular emphasis on the research expertise of the module team.
This module provides advanced coverage of key concepts in Perception, Action and Cognition from a psychological perspective. The module will be delivered by experts in the field. Following the course, students should understand the theoretical contribution of the ecological approach to perception and action and be able to contrast this with computational and inferential approaches. Students should further understand recent theories of how the brain uses information (e.g. the Bayesian brain hypothesis), specifically how it uses information to control action and how new methods such as immersive technologies (including virtual and augmented reality) can be used to gain insights into these processes. The course includes illustrative experimental examples so that by the end of the course students should be able to appreciate how humans perceive a three-dimensional world, generate skilled interactions with that world and have some insights into the consequences of brain disorder (neuropsychology). A major theme throughout the course relates to interactions between cognition and action, and the students will learn how cognition supports and limits both perception and action.
By the end of the course students should be able to appreciate how we perceive and interact with the world around us. Students will also be able to show a critical understanding of how the sensorimotor system helps us interact with the world, and how cognition supports and limits perception and action. Students should also understand the contribution of the ecological approach to understanding perception and action and be able to contrast this with other approaches.
The knowledge outcomes will be assessed during the module using a formative mid-module MCQ, with the main summative assessment being the end of module exam.
Perception and Action; Cognition vs Action; Monocular and binocular 3D cues; motor control mechanisms; Gibson's ecological approach to vision, including the informational sources of optic flow (for driving) and tau (for catching); perceptual mechanisms supporting driving and catching, neuropsychological disorders in Perception and Action.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 9 | 1.5 | 13.5 |
| Seminar | 1 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Private study hours | 85 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 15 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 100 | ||
- 40 hours: 10 x 4 hours preparation for each lecture
- 10 hours: preparation for mid-module MCQ
- 29 hours: preparation for the mid-semester critique and for the end of semester exam
- 3.5 hours: preparation for tutorial
The mid-module MCQ test will provide feedback to the student as to whether their preparation and understanding of the topic areas has been sufficient.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Critique | 500 words | 20 |
| In-course MCQ | Formative | 0 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 20 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc) | 2.0 Hrs Mins | 80 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 80 | |
The exam will consist of two parts. Short answer critical evaluation questions (40% of module mark) and MCQs (40%)
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 05/06/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team