Michael Masson

I am conducting research on basic processes of human cognition and action. One aspect of this work investigates embodied cognition, especially the ways in which knowledge about manual interactions with objects is used when identifying manipulable objects (such as tools) or when understanding sentences describing interactions with such objects. My research group currently is using behavioral measures, such as time taken to make a hand action, as well as methods of monitoring eye-movements and measuring kinematic aspects of hand movements. These methods provide detailed analyses of the recruitment of action representations and of their influence on ongoing behavior.

Interests

• Cognition and action
• Human memory
• Bayesian analysis of data

Faces of UVic Research video

In this video, Michael discusses his research in the area of cognitive psychology.

Representative publications

Bub, D. N., Masson, M. E. J., & van Noordenne, M. (2021). Motor representations evoked by objects under varying action intentions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 47, 53-80.

Ferguson, T. D., Bub, D. N., Masson, M. E. J., & Krigolson, O. E. (2021). The role of cognitive control and top-down processes in object affordances. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 83, 2017-2032.

Masson, M. E. J. (2018). Intentions and actions. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 72, 219-228.​