Research
Visual symmetry and perceptual organisation (EEG)
Visual symmetry is an ubiquitous property of objects, and many animal species are sensitive to it. Psychophysics and neuroscience research on symmetry perception have found converging evidences that the visual system is especially tuned to different types of symmetry and other forms of regularity (e.g. Glass patterns). In our lab we study how the brain processes symmetry and uses it to achieve perceptual organisation, by looking at EEG/ERP responses to symmetry under different visual conditions (see review Bertamini et al., 2018).
My specific focus is on investigating representation of symmetry from spatiotemporal integration – i.e. the brain can retain transient sensory information and integrate it in a complete representation (e.g. Rampone et al., 2019)
Bertamini, M., Silvanto, J., Norcia, A. M., Makin, A. D. J., & Wagemans, J. (2018). The neural basis of visual symmetry and its role in mid- and high-level visual processing. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1426(1), 111–126. http://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13667
Rampone, G., Makin, A. D., Tatlidil, S., & Bertamini, M. (2019). Representation of symmetry in the extrastriate visual cortex from temporal integration of parts: An EEG/ERP study. NeuroImage, 193, 214-230.
Visual Preference (Aesthetics)
I am interested in investigating how objective stimulus properties (i.e. symmetry and balance; curvature vs angularity) relate to subjective preferences. I use experimental psychology paradigms to measure both implicit and explicit preference responses as well as eye-tracking and EEG/EMG techniques (e.g. Rampone et al., 2014; Rampone et al., 2016; Bertamini et al. 2013)
I am involved in a multidisciplinary project assessing visual preferences for interior and exterior designs in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, contributing to the development of impact case studies that can be used to inform ASD-friendly interior design practices (Palumbo et al., 2020)
Bertamini, M. Makin, A.D.J., & Rampone, G. (2013). Implicit association of symmetry with positive valence, high arousal and simplicity. i-Perception, 4(5) 317-
Palumbo, L., Rampone, G., Bertamini, M., Sinico, M, Clarke, E, & Vartanian, O. (2020) Visual preference for abstract curvature and for interior spaces: beyond undergraduate student samples. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts
Rampone, G., O’Sullivan, N., & Bertamini, M. (2016). The Role of Visual Eccentricity on Preference for Abstract Symmetry. PloS one, 11(4)
Rampone, G., Makin, A.D.J. & Bertamini, M. (2014). Electrophysiological analysis of the affective congruence between pattern regularity and word valence. Neuropsychologia, 58, 107–117
Research grants
When does perceptual organization happen
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
October 2019 - November 2024