Dr Anna Nowakowska

I have completed my PhD at the University of Aberdeen investigating visual search strategies under normal viewing conditions and under conditions that simulate visual field deficit (hemianopia).

Following my PhD, I worked for a year as a research assistant in a reaching and grasping lab at the University of Aberdeen investigating material properties in vision and action.

Next, I held a Postdoctoral Research Fellow post, also in Aberdeen, examining visual search strategies in healthy observers.

I joined School of Psychology and Vision Sciences at the University of Leicester as an Early Career Fellow in June 2023. 

My interests fall at the intersection of perception and attention and include selective attention, individual differences in visual search strategies, external and internal determinants of search strategy, individual differences in decision making and the role of expertise. 

Publications:

Bhat, M., Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A. D., & Hunt, A. R. (2024). You are not enough: Inefficient search strategies persist for self-relevant targets1. Visual Cognition, 1-16.

Hughes, A. E., Nowakowska, A., & Clarke, A. D. (2024). Bayesian multi-level modelling for predicting single and double feature visual search. Cortex, 171, 178-193.

Clarke, A.D.F., Sauerberger, K., Nowakowska, A., Rosenbaum, D.A., Zentall, T.R. & Hunt, A.R. (in-press). Does precrastination explain why some observers are sub-optimal in a visual search task? A pre-registered report. Royal Society Open Science

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A. D. F., Reuther, J., & Hunt, A. R. (2024). Variable search for orientation, uniformly optimal search for identity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(2), 495–510.

Clarke, A.D.F., Nowakowska, A. & Hunt, A.R. (2022). Visual search habits and the spatial structure of scenes. Attention, Perception and Psychophysics, 84, 1874–1885 (2022).

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., von Seth, J., & Hunt, A.R. (2021). Search strategies improve with practice, but not with time pressure or financial incentives. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 47, 1009-1021. 

Giesel, M., Nowakowska, A., Harris, J.M. et al. (2020). Perceptual uncertainty and action consequences independently affect hand movements in a virtual environment.  Scientific Reports, 10, 22307.

Clarke, A.D.F., Nowakowska, A.M. & Hunt, A.R. (2019). Beyond salience and guidance: the role of bias and decision in visual search. Special issue of Vision on Eye Movements and Visual Cognition (R.M. Klein & S. Liversedge, eds). Vision, 3(3), 46.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Sahraie, A., & Hunt, A.R. (2019). Practice-related changes in eye movement strategy in healthy adults with simulated hemianopia. Neuropsychologia.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., & Hunt, A. R. (2017). Human visual search is far from ideal. Proceedings of the Royal Society: B, 284, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2767

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Sahraie, A., & Hunt, A. R (2016). Inefficient search strategies in simulated hemianopia. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42, 1858-1872.

Refereed conference Presentations (presentation made by first author)

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F. & Hunt, A.R. (2024, March). Exploring individual differences in eye movement efficiency. Talk presented at the Scottish Vision Group (SVG) meeting, Stirling, UK.   

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F. & Hunt, A.R. (2023, December). What makes search inefficient? Talk presented at the Applied Vision Association (AVA) meeting, Royal        Holloway, UK. Winner of the best ECR talk.

Hunt, A.R., Nowakowska, A., Lin, S., Reddy, E. & Clarke, A.D.F. (2023, April). Excessive searching in visual search. Talk presented at SVG, Dundee, Scotland. 

Nowakowska, A. & Hunt, A.R. (2023, April). Observers can adapt their strategy on a trial-by- trial basis. Talk presented at SVG, Dundee, Scotland. 

Bhat, M., Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F. & Hunt, A.R. (2023, April). The influence of target identity on the efficiency of eye movements during visual search. Talk presented at SVG, Dundee, Scotland.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Reuther, J. & Hunt, A.R. (2022, August). Visual search efficiency is strongly modulated by irrelevant surface level properties. Talk presented at ECVP, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Clarke, A.D.F., Sauerberger, K., Nowakowska, A., Rosenbaum, D.A., Zentall, T.R. & Hunt, A.R. (2022, August). Does precrastination explain why some observers are sub-optimal in a visual search task? Talk presented at the European Conference on Eye Movements (ECEM), Leicester, UK. 

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Reuther, J. & Hunt, A.R. (2022, August). Efficient eye movements during search for an object, inefficient eye movements during search for a feature. Talk presented by the last author at ECEM, Leicester, UK. 

Caruso, L., Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Irwin, A. & Hunt, A.R. (2022, August). Categories of  eye movement errors and their relationship to strategy and performance. Talk    presented by the last author at ECEM, Leicester, UK.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F, Reuther, J. & Hunt, A.R. (2022, May). Irrelevant visual properties induce dramatic changes in search efficiency.   Poster presented at the Vision Sciences Society (VSS) meeting, St Pete’s Beach Florida, USA.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F, Reuther, J. & Hunt, A.R. (2022, April). Irrelevant surface level properties modulate visual search efficiency. Talk presented to SVG, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Caruso, L., Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F. & Hunt, A.R. (2022, April). The relationship between strategies and performance in visual search. Talk presented to SVG, Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Clarke, A.D.F., Nowakowska, A. & Hunt, A.R. (2019, May). And just like that, everybody searches optimally: how changing task irrelevant details removes individual differences in visual search. Poster presented at VSS, St Pete’s Beach Florida, USA. 

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F. & Hunt, A.R. (2019, April). Search strategies vary between different types of stimuli. Talk presented to SVG, Isle of Skye, Scotland.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Sahraie, A. & Hunt, A.R. (2017, August). Practice with hemianopia during visual search does not lead to the development of optimal search strategies. Talk presented at ECVP, Berlin, Germany. 

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F. & Hunt, A.R. (2017, August). Humans do not make efficient eye movements during visual search. Talk presented at the European Conference on Eye Movements (ECEM), Wuppertal, Germany. 

Clarke, A.D.F., Nowakowska, A. & Hunt, A.R. (2016, May). Neither ideal behavior nor bounded rationality account for human search performance. Poster presented at VSS, St Pete’s Beach, Florida, USA.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F & Hunt, A.R. (2016, April). Human visual search behavior is far from ideal. Talk presented by Hunt at the joint meeting of the Applied Vision Association (AVA) and SVG, Peebles, Scotland.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Sahriae, A. & Hunt, A.R. (2016, April). An efficient search strategy does not develop spontaneously with repeated exposure to simulated visual deficit. Talk presented at the joint meeting of the AVA and SVG, Peebles, Scotland.

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Sahraie, A., & Hunt, A.R. (2015, August). Simulated hemianopia: the effect of partial information loss on serial and parallel search.  Talk presented at ECVP, Liverpool, UK. 

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Sahraie, A., & Hunt, A.R. (2015, August). The effect of partial versus total field removal on search strategies in simulated hemianopia. Talk presented at ECEM, Vienna, Austria. 

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Sahraie, A., & Hunt, A.R. (2015, March). Search strategies in simulated hemianopia. Talk presented at SVG, Carnoustie, Scotland. 

Nowakowska, A., Clarke, A.D.F., Sahraie, A., & Hunt, A.R. (2014, August). Search strategies in simulated hemianopia. Poster presented at ECVP, Belgrade, Serbia.

Following a press release about my publication in Proceedings in the Royal Society B (2017), me and my colleagues were invited by The Conversation to write a public-interest description of the work, and many science journalists contacted us and wrote about our findings (including in Seeker, The Independent, New York Magazine, The New York Times, and The International Business Times).

I would be happy to discuss topics relating to my core areas of expertise in eye movement guidance during visual search.