Claudia Damiano
Postdoctoral Researcher
Bernhardt-Walther Lab, University of Toronto
claudia.damiano@utoronto.ca
Broadly, my research interests span a wide range of topics related to visual cognition. I am interested in understanding how the physical features of our natural world are processed by our brains to guide visual attention, influence memory, and impact aesthetic preferences and emotions. Ultimately, I strive to be able to apply my research to the development of assistive technologies that will enhance well-being by promoting processing fluency and pleasant experiences while decreasing stress.
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the BWLab at the University of Toronto working with Dirk Bernhardt-Walther. Previously, I worked with Johan Wagemans in the GestaltReVision Lab at KU Leuven in Belgium. My ongoing work examines the link between visual features and aesthetic pleasure of natural environments, using a combination of behavioural and computational techniques.
Highlights
Selected Awards
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, 2021
FoVea Travel and Networking award, 2020
Council of Canadian Departments of Psychology TA award, 2019
NSERC PGS-D, 2017
Education
PhD 2019, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
MA 2015, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
BA&Sc 2014, Department of Cognitive Science, McGill University
Selected Publications
Damiano, C. et al. (2023). Anger is red, sadness is blue: Emotion depictions in abstract visual art by artists and non-artists. Journal of Vision. PDF.
Damiano, C., Walther D.B., & Cunningham, W.A. (2021). Contour features predict valence and threat judgements in scenes. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1-12. PDF.
Damiano, C., Wilder, J., Zhou, E.Y., Walther, D.B., and Wagemans, J. (2021). The role of local and global symmetry in pleasure, interest, and complexity judgements of natural scenes. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. PDF.
Upcoming Events
May 8-10, 2024 International Association for Empirical Aesthetics Conference, Palma, Spain
May 17-22, 2024 Annual meeting of the Vision Sciences Society, St Pete Beach, USA