News & Events

April 2020

Lab Publication Note: Members of the Human Perception Lab, in collaboration with members of the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, published an article in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine Education and Training:

  • Krasne, S., Stevens, C. D., Kellman, P. J., & Niemann, J. T. (2020). Mastering electrocardiogram interpretation skills through a perceptual and adaptive learning module. Academic Emergency Medicine Education and Training. doi: 10.1002/aet2.10454
    Read the full article

April 2020

Lab Publication Note: Members of the Human Perception Lab and the Computational Vision and Learning Lab published an article in Vision Research:

  • Baker, N., Lu, H., Erlikhman, G., & Kellman, P.J. (2020). Local features and global shape information in object classification by deep convolutional neural networks. Vision Research, 172, 46-61. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2020.04.003
    Read the full article

September 2019

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a 4-year grant to the UCLA Human Perception Laboratory for the project Perceptual and Adaptive Learning in Cancer Image Interpretation under the program Perception and Cognition in Cancer Image Interpretation. The goal of this project is to investigate principles and mechanisms of perceptual and adaptive learning in the learning of multiple diagnostic categories in dermatologic screening and mammography, with the ultimate aim of improving training and proficiency in cancer image interpretation.

July 2019

Lab Presentation / Publication Note: Everett Mettler presented a poster entitled The synergy of passive and active learning modes in adaptive perceptual learning at the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society in Montreal. This work was supported by NSF award NSF ECR1644916, “Advancing Theory and Application in Perceptual and Adaptive Learning to Improve Community College Mathematics”. The published proceedings citation is:

  • Mettler, E., Phillips, A., Massey, C., Burke, T., Garrigan, P., & Kellman, P. J. (2019). The synergy of passive and active learning modes in adaptive perceptual learning. In A.K. Goel, C.M. Seifert, & C. Freksa (Eds.), Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 2351-2357). Montreal, QB: Cognitive Science Society.
    Read the proceedings paper

May 2019

Lab Presentation / Publication Note: Members of the Human Perception Lab presented papers and posters at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society.

Everett Mettler presented a paper entitled Perceptual learning benefits from strategic scheduling of passive presentations and active, adaptive learning. This work was supported by NSF award NSF ECR1644916, “Advancing Theory and Application in Perceptual and Adaptive Learning to Improve Community College Mathematics”. The published abstract citation is:

  • Mettler, E. W., Phillips, A. S., Burke, T., Garrigan, P., Massey, C. M., & Kellman, P. J. (2019). Perceptual learning benefits from strategic scheduling of passive presentations and active, adaptive learning. Journal of Vision, 19(10), 293.
    Read the published abstract

Gennady Erlikhman and Nicholas Baker presented a poster entitled Recursive networks reveal illusory contour classification images. The published abstract citation is:

  • Kellman, P. J., Erlikhman, G., Baker, N., & Lu, H. (2019). Recursive networks reveal illusory contour classification images. Journal of Vision, 19(10), 241a.
    Read the published abstract

Nicholas Baker presented a paper entitled Constant curvature representations of contour shape. The published abstract citation is:

  • Baker, N., & Kellman, P. J. (2019). Constant curvature representations of contour shape. Journal of Vision, 19(10), 94.
    Read the published abstract

Susan Carrigan presented a poster entitled From early contour linking to perception of continuous objects: Specifying scene constraints in a two-stage model of amodal and modal completion. The published abstract citation is:

  • Carrigan, S. B., & Kellman, P. J. (2019). From early contour linking to perception of continuous objects: Specifying scene constraints in a two-stage model of amodal and modal completion. Journal of Vision (in press).

April 2019

Phil Kellman was interviewed for an episode of the Australian Broadcasting Company’s podcast The Science Show. In the episode, entitled “Challenges for AI visual recognition,” Phil Kellman and host Robyn Williams discuss our recent research on deep learning networks and shape perception, and the possible implications on pressing topics such as self-driving cars.

Read the transcript
The ABC Science Show Logo
Philip Kellman The Science Show ABC

Challenges for AI visual recognition

What happens when the driverless car approaches a stop sign sprayed with graffiti? Does the car stop?

Philip J. Kellman, Ph.D.

Philip Kellman

Distinguished Professor
Adjunct Professor of Surgery
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Area Chair: Cognitive Psychology
Primary Area: Cognitive Psychology

Robyn Williams, Science Journalist and Broadcaster

Robyn Williams

Science Journalist and Broadcaster

University of California Logo

UCLA

University of California — Los Angeles

December 2018

Lab Publication Note: Members of the Human Perception Lab and the Computational Vision and Learning Lab published an article in PLOS Computational Biology:

Glass Polar Bear
PLOS Computational Biology/Rubylane.com
  • Baker, N., Lu, H., Erlikhman, G., & Kellman, P.J. (2018) Deep convolutional networks do not classify based on global object shape. PLOS Computational Biology, 14(12), e1006613.
    Read the full article

This work was covered by several national and international news outlets. Here is a sampling of that coverage:

July 2018

Lab Presentation / Publication Note: Members of the Human Perception Lab presented papers and posters at the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society in Madison, WI.

Everett Mettler presented a paper entitled Enhancing adaptive learning through strategic scheduling of passive and active learning modes. This work was supported by NSF award NSF ECR1644916, “Advancing Theory and Application in Perceptual and Adaptive Learning to Improve Community College Mathematics”. The published proceedings citation is:

  • Mettler, E., Massey, C. M., Burke, T., Garrigan, P., & Kellman, P. J. (2018). Enhancing adaptive learning through strategic scheduling of passive and active learning modes. In T.T. Rogers, M. Rau, X. Zhu, & C. W. Kalish (Eds.), Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 768-773). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
    Read the proceedings paper

Nicholas Baker presented a poster entitled Deep convolutional networks do not perceive illusory contours. The published proceedings citation is:

  • Baker, N., Kellman, P. J., Erlikhman, G., & Lu, H. (2018). Deep convolutional networks do not perceive illusory contours. In T.T. Rogers, M. Rau, X. Zhu, & C. W. Kalish (Eds.), Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 1310-1315). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
    Read the proceedings paper

May 2018

Lab Presentation / Publication Note: Phil Kellman presented a poster at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society, entitled The psychophysics of algebra: Mathematics perceptual learning interventions produce lasting changes in the perceptual encoding of mathematical objects. The published abstract citation is:

  • Kellman, P. J., Bufford, C. A., & Mettler, E. (2017). The psychophysics of algebra: Mathematics perceptual learning interventions produce measurable and lasting changes in the perceptual encoding of mathematical objects. Abstracts of the Psychonomic Society, 22, 27.
    Read the published abstract →

April 2018

Lab Publication Note: Members of the Human Perception Lab published an article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology:

  • Baker, N. & Kellman, P.J. (2018). Abstract shape representation in human visual perception. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(9), 1295-1308.
    Read the full article →

September 2016

An editorial in The British Journal of Anaesthesia featured the use of perceptual and adaptive learning technologies in training anesthesiology residents, concluding that this approach has "the potential to revolutionise our traditional approaches to learning in anaesthesia."

Read the full article in the UCLA Newsroom →

November 2015

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded a patent entitled System and Method for Adaptive Perceptual Learning to Phil Kellman. The patent describes perceptual learning technology that accelerates pattern recognition and transfer to novel cases in complex domains where diagnostic structure must be detected amidst variation. It also discloses novel methods of combining perceptual and adaptive learning to produce greater efficiencies and more comprehensive learning in perceptual and categorical learning. For more information, contact info@insightlearningtech.com.

July 2015

Professor Kellman is promoted to Distinguished Professor in the UCLA Psychology Department, and is appointed Adjunct Professor of Surgery in the David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine.

January 23, 2015

Professor Kellman served as an expert in the White House Workshop on Bridging Neuroscience and Learning.

Read the full article in the UCLA Newsroom →

October 2014

Professor Kellman is featured in the Faculty Spotlight on the UCLA Psychology website.

Learn more →

December 2013

Phil Kellman, Director of the UCLA HPL, has been elected to the Society of Experimental Psychologists, the oldest honorary society in scientific psychology. (Click here for an early picture of the Society.)

View an early picture of the Society →

September 2013

The UCLA Human Perception Laboratory has begun testing in 32 schools in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area as part of a major scale-up project to study perceptual and adaptive learning interventions in middle-school mathematics. The project, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences of the US Department of Education, is a collaboration between UCLA (Phil Kellman, PI) and two teams at the University of Pennsylvania: one at the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science (IRCS), Christine Massey, Co-PI; and one at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Andrew Porter and Laura Desimone, Co-PIs. This project is following up earlier successful results of perceptual-adaptive learning modules to improve learning of fractions and measurement.

July 2013

The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has awarded the UCLA Human Perception Laboratory, in collaboration with the UCLA Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology (CASIT) , a grant to study and develop cutting edge learning technologies in medical simulation. The goal of the project is to apply perceptual and adaptive learning technologies to simulation in surgical training, with one major goal being to reduce reliance on live animals in surgical training. Erik Dutson, MD is the PI on this project and Phil Kellman is the Co-PI.