Dr Loes Van Dam
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Email
lvandam@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 874723
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Location
3.713, Colchester Campus
Profile
Biography
Dr Loes van Dam obtained her MSc degree in Physics at Utrecht University, the Netherlands (2002) and continued to obtain her PhD there in the lab of Prof Erkelens (2006). After working at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany and Bielefeld University, Germany she joined the department in 2016.
Qualifications
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PhD Utrecht University, (2006)
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MSc/Drs Experimental Physics Utrecht University, (2002)
Appointments
University of Essex
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Lecturer, Psychology, University of Essex (11/1/2016 - present)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
My main research areas are visual perception, visuomotor performance and multi-sensory perception and action. In other words, I am interested in how the human brain transforms the sensory information it receives into adequate perceptual interpretations and goal-oriented behavior. I use psychophysical and behavioral methods in addition to ideal-observer modelling to investigate these topics.
Current research
perceptual ambiguity in vision (e.g. bistable perception)
the dynamics of sensory processing
the interaction between exploration and perception
the influence of task goals and task-switching in visuomotor behaviour
associative learning processes in visuomotor behaviour
Teaching and supervision
Previous supervision
Degree subject: Psychology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 5/12/2023
Degree subject: Psychology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 4/7/2022
Degree subject: Neuropsychology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 23/7/2021
Degree subject: Psychology
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 12/8/2019
Publications
Journal articles (27)
Ranson, R., Scarfe, P., Van Dam, L. and Hibbard, P., (2025). Depth constancy and the absolute vergence anomaly. Vision Research. 226, 108501-108501
Webb, A., Hibbard, P., Dawson, J., Van Dam, L., Asher, J. and Kellgren-Parker, L., (2024). Immersive-360° theatre: user experience in the virtual auditorium and platform efficacy for current and underserved audiences. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts
Glowania, C., Ernst, M., Hanke, S. and van Dam, L., (2024). Visual influence on bimanual haptic slant adaptation.. Journal of Vision. 24 (1), 8-8
Stasica, M., Honekamp, C., Streiling, K., Penacchio, O., van Dam, L. and Seyfarth, A., (2024). Walking on Virtual Surface Patterns Leads to Changed Control Strategies. Sensors. 24 (16), 5242-5242
Fotia, F., Van Dam, L., Sykes, JJ., Ambrosini, E., Costantini, M. and Ferri, F., (2022). Body structural representation in schizotypy. Schizophrenia Research. 239, 1-10
Fotia, F., Cooke, J., Van Dam, L., Ferri, F. and Romei, V., (2021). The temporal sensitivity to the tactile-induced Double Flash Illusion mediates the impact of beta oscillations on schizotypal personality traits.. Consciousness and Cognition. 91, 103121-103121
Glowania, C., Plaisier, MA., Ernst, MO. and Van Dam, LCJ., (2020). No need to touch this: Bimanual haptic slant adaptation does not require touch. PLoS One. 15 (7), e0236824-e0236824
Van Dam, LCJ. and Stephens, JR., (2018). Effects of prolonged exposure to feedback delay on the qualitative subjective experience of virtual reality. PLoS ONE. 13 (10), e0205145-e0205145
Glowania, C., van Dam, LCJ., Brenner, E. and Plaisier, MA., (2017). Smooth at one end and rough at the other: influence of object texture on grasping behaviour. Experimental Brain Research. 235 (9), 2821-2827
van Dam, LCJ., Plaisier, MA., Glowania, C. and Ernst, MO., (2016). Haptic adaptation to slant: No transfer between exploration modes. Scientific Reports. 6 (1), 34412-
Rohde, M., van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2016). Statistically Optimal Multisensory Cue Integration: A Practical Tutorial. Multisensory Research. 29 (4-5), 279-317
van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2015). Mapping Shape to Visuomotor Mapping: Learning and Generalisation of Sensorimotor Behaviour Based on Contextual Information. PLOS Computational Biology. 11 (3), e1004172-e1004172
van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2015). Relative errors can cue absolute visuomotor mappings. Experimental Brain Research. 233 (12), 3367-3377
Rohde, M., Van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2014). Predictability is necessary for closed-loop visual feedback delay adaptation.. Journal of Vision. 14 (4), 4-4
van Dam, LCJ., (2014). Visual target distance, but not visual cursor path length produces shifts in motor behavior: a multisensory integration perspective.. Frontiers in Psychology. 5 (JUN), 650-650
Plaisier, MA., van Dam, LCJ., Glowania, C. and Ernst, MO., (2014). Exploration mode affects visuohaptic integration of surface orientation.. Journal of Vision. 14 (22), 22-22
Wallraven, C., Bülthoff, HH., Waterkamp, S., van Dam, L. and Gaißert, N., (2014). The eyes grasp, the hands see: Metric category knowledge transfers between vision and touch. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 21 (4), 976-985
van Dam, LCJ., Hawellek, DJ. and Ernst, MO., (2013). Switching between visuomotor mappings: Learning absolute mappings or relative shifts. Journal of Vision. 13 (2), 26-26
van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2013). Knowing each random error of our ways, but hardly correcting for it: an instance of optimal performance.. PloS One. 8 (10), e78757-e78757
van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2010). Preexposure disrupts learning of location-contingent perceptual biases for ambiguous stimuli.. Journal of Vision. 10 (8), 1-17
van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2006). The role of saccades in exerting voluntary control in perceptual and binocular rivalry. Vision Research. 46 (6-7), 787-799
van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2006). Retinal image shifts, but not eye movements per se, cause alternations in awareness during binocular rivalry.. Journal of vision. 6 (11), 1172-1179
van Ee, R., van Dam, LCJ. and Brouwer, GJ., (2005). Voluntary control and the dynamics of perceptual bi-stability. Vision Research. 45 (1), 41-55
van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2005). The role of (micro)saccades and blinks in perceptual bi-stability from slant rivalry. Vision Research. 45 (18), 2417-2435
van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2004). Stereoscopic Matching and the Aperture Problem. Perception. 33 (7), 769-787
van Ee, R. and van Dam, LCJ., (2003). The influence of cyclovergence on unconstrained stereoscopic matching. Vision Research. 43 (3), 307-319
van Ee, R., van Dam, LCJ. and Erkelens, CJ., (2002). Bi-stability in perceived slant when binocular disparity and monocular perspective specify different slants.. Journal of Vision. 2 (9), 597-607
Book chapters (2)
Bennett, DJ., Trommersh�user, J. and van Dam, LCJ., (2014). Bayesian Modeling of Perceiving: A Guide to Basic Principles. In: Sensory Integration and the Unity of Consciousness. Editors: Bennett, DJ. and Hill, CS., . MIT Press. 3- 14. 9780262027786
van Dam, LCJ., Parise, CV. and Ernst, MO., (2014). Modeling Multisensory Integration. In: Sensory Integration and the Unity of Consciousness. Editors: Bennett, DJ. and Hill, CS., . MIT Press. 209- 229. 9780262027786
Conferences (41)
Stasica, M., Streiling, K., Honekamp, C., Schneider, A., Exarchos, A., Henschke, S., Pirincoglu, S., Polat, M., Scholz, N., Stähler, C., Syring, E., Van Dam, L. and Seyfahrt, A., (2024). Walking on virtual surface patterns changes muscular activity
Stephens, JR., Hibbard, PB. and van Dam, LCJ., (2022). Computer cursor appearance in pointing tasks: the effect of cursor size
Stephens, JR., Hibbard, PB. and van Dam, LCJ., (2021). Computer cursor orientation affects both pointing behaviour and the sense of agency in a target pointing task
Webb, A., Hibbard, PB. and van Dam, LCJ., (2021). Presence in an immersive-360 theatre auditorium: the influence of immersion, emotional arousal, and overall experience enjoyment
van Dam, LCJ., Nilsen, IBR. and Stephens, JR., (2021). Prolonged exposure to feedback delay in Virtual Reality: subjective ownership and agency ratings rely on general task performance rather than genuine temporal adaptation
Van Dam, LCJ., Webb, ALM., Jarvis, L., Linley, M. and Hibbard, PB., (2020). "The Mystery of the Raddlesham Mumps": A case study for combined storytelling in a theatre play and Virtual Reality
Hibbard, P., Van Dam, L. and Scarfe, P., (2020). The Implications of Interpupillary Distance Variability for Virtual Reality
Nilsen, I. and Van Dam, L., (2019). Target-tracking: exploring the effects of prolonged exposure to feedback delay in virtual reality
Van Dam, L., (2019). The motion induced position shift in a target tracking task
Hibbard, P., Webb, A., Linley, M. and Van Dam, L., (2019). Combining Virtual Reality and Traditional Story Telling in “The Mystery of the Raddlesham Mumps”: A case study.
Hughes, R., Scarfe, P., Hibbard, P. and Van Dam, L., (2018). Perception of Object Movement in Virtual Reality
Van Dam, L. and Stephens, J., (2018). The effect of prolonged exposure to feedback delay on body ownership, agency and presence in virtual reality
Glowania, C., Van Dam, LCJ., Brenner, E. and Plaisier, MA., (2017). Influence of object texture on grasping behaviour
Van Dam, LCJ. and Ferri, F., (2017). The Trump effect: The effect of visual hand-size on movement behavior
van Dam, L., (2017). Signal Detection Theory in Visual Illusions and Multisensory Integration
Glowania, C., van Dam, L., Hanke, S. and Ernst, M., (2016). Haptic shape adaptation is not object dependent
Van Dam, LCJ., Li, D. and Ernst, MO., (2016). Different usage of visual information for cursor and target in a target-tracking task
Van Dam, LCJ., Plaisier, MA., Glowania, C. and Ernst, M., (2015). Adaptation of haptic surface orientation: No transfer between different unimanual exploration modes
Glowania, C., Van Dam, LCJ., Plaisier, MA. and Ersnt, MO., (2015). Adaptation to haptic surface orientation: Combining information across exploration modes
Rohde, M., Van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2014). Adaptation to visual feedback delays in predictable manual tracking recalibrates perceived simultaneity
Van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2014). What determines the adaptation rate in the visual motion aftereffect?
Ernst, MO. and Van Dam, LCJ., (2014). We know our own movement errors, but we hardly correct for then: An instance of optimal behavior
van Dam, LC. and Ernst, M., (2013). Determinants of adaptation rate in the visual motion aftereffect
Plaisier, M., van Dam, LC., Glowania, C. and Ernst, M., (2013). The effect of exploration mode on visuo-haptic slant perception
Van Dam, L., Li, D. and Ernst, M., (2012). Visuomotor tracking: Minimizing visual error does not rely on visual error alone
Gaissert, N., Waterkamp, S., Van Dam, L. and Buelthoff, I., (2011). Cross-modal transfer in visual and haptic object categorization
Van Dam, L. and Ernst, M., (2011). Knowing the error of our ways yet being unable to correct for it
Gaissert, N., Van Dam, LCJ., Waterkamp, S., Bülthoff, HHB. and Wallraven, C., (2011). Efficient cross-modal transfer of shape information in visual and haptic object categorization
Rohde, M., van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2010). Seeing ahead: adaptation to delays in visual feedback recalibrates vasomotor simultaneity perception
Van Dam, LCJ., Ernst, MO. and Backus, BT., (2010). Pre-exposure interferes with perceptual learning for ambiguous stimuli
Ernst, MO. and Van Dam, LCJ., (2010). Mapping shape to visuomotor mapping: generalization to novel shapes
Van Dam, LCJ., Pape, A-A. and Ernst, MO., (2010). We know our errors that result from noise
Narain, D., Van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2009). Learning times do not alter adaptation rates in rapid reaching tasks
Fuller, S., Backus, B., Van Dam, LCJ. and Ernst, MO., (2009). Short-term dynamics of perceptual bias for bistable stimuli
Van Dam, LCJ., Mulder, R., Noest, A., Brascamp, JW., van den Berg, B. and van Ee, R., (2007). Sequential dependency in percept durations for binocular rivalry
van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2006). Saccadic retinal shifts correlate with perceptual alternations in binocular rivalry
van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2005). The role of version and vergence in visual bistabillity
van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2005). The role of eye movements in bistability from perceptual and binocular rivalry and the role of voluntary control
van Ee, R., van Dam, LCJ., Brouwer, GJ. and Korsten, NJH., (2003). Bistable stereoscopic 3D percepts: Will-power, flip frequency, eye movements and blinks
Van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2003). Bistability in stereoscopically perceived slant about a horizontal axis
van Dam, LCJ. and van Ee, R., (2002). Stereoscopic matching and the aperture problem
Grants and funding
2019
The effects of dynamic facial information on sensitivity to facial expressions.
Economic and Social Research Council
2016
Integrating the senses in virtual reality
Oculus VR LLC