Join us for a presentation by Occidental College Cognitive Science Professor Sasha Sherman. Professor Sherman will share insights from her fascinating work in the fields of cognitive science and psychology on the impacts that art has on the human brain. Professor Sherman has done extensive research in the field, including conducting studies with Occidental College students at the OXY ARTS gallery.
About Sasha Sherman
Professor Sherman's interdisciplinary research program investigates how different senses interact to influence a wide range of perceptual and cognitive states, as well as the role of social and emotional factors in mediating these states. She uses mixed methods including behavioral tasks, eye-tracking, and measuring the neurophysiological substrates of perception using EEG. She also uses both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques.
Her main research focus aims to understand people's perceptual, cognitive, and emotional responses to the arts. Her publications in this area explore how individual differences in cognitive capacities such as working memory shape visual art preferences, how perspective-taking and empathy in the museum affect individual’s experiences, the role that the arts play in scientific practice, the social and epistemic value of art engagement, and how art appreciation and art-making generate meaning in our lives. She is currently working on a co-authored book titled "Why the Arts Matter".
