Perceptual & Behavioral Dynamics
My work on human dynamics explores how perceptual and cognitive behaviors change over time, and how complex behaviors, many that appear random, can arise from very simple mechanisms. The recurring but complex structure that often emerges (such as with eye-movements) offers a unique understanding of how a subtle form of memory mediates perceptual & cognitive processes as they unfold over time, and how our past behaviors predict future behaviors.
Details of this dynamical systems approach to understanding human perception & behavior can be found in my following work:
Perceptual dynamics
Aks, D.J. (2008). Temporal and spatial patterns in perceptual behavior: Implications for dynamical structure. In S. Guastello, M. Koopmans, & D. Pincus (Eds.), Chaos and Complexity in Psychology: The Theory of Nonlinear Dynamical Systems (Chap. 5). NY: Cambridge University Press. [Abstr][Intro][pdf].
Aks, D.J. (2009).[Review of book: The continuity of mind, by Michael Spivey. Oxford: Oxford University Press] Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 151-154. [pdf]
Search, gaze & tracking dynamics
Aks, D.J. (2011/2013). Analysis of recurrence: Overview & application to eye-movement behavior. Nonlinear Dynamical Systems Analysis of human behavior. (Chap. 10). NY: Cambridge University Press. [Abstr][TOC][pp231-248]
Aks, D.J., Alley, L. Rathakrishnan, V., Kourtev, H., Haladjian, H. Pylyshyn, Z. (2011). When vision loses its "grip" on tracked objects: Lessons from studying gaze-to-item dynamics. Journal of Vision, 11(11), 276. https://doi.org/10.1167/11.11.276
Elfanagely, O., Haladjian, H., Pylyshyn, Z., Aks, D.J. (2011). Eye-movement dynamics of object-tracking. Journal of Vision, 11(11):280. doi: https://doi.org/10.1167/11.11.280
Aks, D.J., (2007)–Examining the dynamic of complex visual search. In M. Riley & G.C. VanOrden (Eds.), Tutorials in Contemporary Nonlinear Methods for the behavioral sciences (Chap. 7: pp. 319-352). Retrieved March 1, 2008, from http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/pac/nmbs/nmbs.jsp. [pdf] [Invited Speaker].
Aks,D.J. (2005). 1/f dynamic in complex visual search: Evidence for Self-Organized Criticality in human perception. In M. A. Riley & G. C. Van Orden (Eds.), Tutorials in contemporary nonlinear methods for the behavioral sciences (pp.326-359). Retrieved 2006, from http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/pac/nmbs/nmbs.jsp. [Chap 7][TOC]
Aks, D.J., (Oct,24, 2003)–Examining the dynamic of complex visual search. NSF sponsored workshop: Nonlinear Methods in Psychology. George Mason Univ. (Chapter 7 in NSF Dynamical Systems e-book).
Aks, D.J., Zelinsky, G., & Sprott, J.C. (2002). Memory across eye-movements: 1/f dynamic in visual search. Journal of Non-linear Dynamics in Psychology & the Life Sciences, 6 (1), 1-25. [Abstr] [pdf]