Lawrence Ward, University of British Columbia
Professor
Psychology
Vancouver, British Columbia
lward@psych.ubc.ca
Office:
(604) 822-6309
Expert In
Bio/Research
Lawrence M. Ward (b. Dec 11, 1944 in Canton, Ohio, USA) received his AB degree from Harvard University cum laude in 1966 and his PhD degree (Phi Beta Kappa) in Experimental Psychology from Duke University in 1971. He began his career in 1970 as an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University. In 197...
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Bio/Research
Lawrence M. Ward (b. Dec 11, 1944 in Canton, Ohio, USA) received his AB degree from Harvard University cum laude in 1966 and his PhD degree (Phi Beta Kappa) in Experimental Psychology from Duke University in 1971. He began his career in 1970 as an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University. In 1974 he moved to the University of British Columbia (Canada) as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1977 and then to Full Professor in 1988, his current position. He is also a member of the Brain Research Centre and the Programme in Neuroscience, both at UBC.
Dr. Ward was elected a Fellow of Division 3 of the American Psychological Association in 1988 and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science in 1990. He was also a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (2005). Dr. Ward was a founding member of, and has occupied several Executive positions in, the International Society for Psychophysics, including serving as its President in 2005-2006 and currently as permanent advisor to the Executive. He is also a member of the Board of Consulting Editors for the research journal Attention, Perception & Psychophysics.
Dr. Ward studies behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuromagnetic indices of human perception and cognition. His lab investigates a wide variety of visual, auditory and higher cognitive processes using event related potentials, neural phase synchronization measures, psychophysical scaling, mathematical modeling, and the localization of electrical and magnetic activity underlying mental activity. Specifically, he is currently working on projects adressing issues in (i) the cognitive neuroscience of attention and consciousness with special emphasis on EEG and MEG studies of neuronal synchronization, (ii) biophysics and psychophysics of stochastic resonance, (iii) fundamental psychophysics, particularly psychophysical scaling, measurement theory, and signal detection theory, and (iv) nonlinear dynamical systems theory and its applications in cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Ward has published many research articles and book chapters. He has also authored several books, most notably Sensation and Perception (2004, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley), which is in its 6th edition (with S. Coren and J.T. Enns), Dynamical Cognitive Science (2002, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), and Orienting of Attention (2008, New York: Oxford University Press, with R. Wright).
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Dr. Ward was elected a Fellow of Division 3 of the American Psychological Association in 1988 and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science in 1990. He was also a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (2005). Dr. Ward was a founding member of, and has occupied several Executive positions in, the International Society for Psychophysics, including serving as its President in 2005-2006 and currently as permanent advisor to the Executive. He is also a member of the Board of Consulting Editors for the research journal Attention, Perception & Psychophysics.
Dr. Ward studies behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuromagnetic indices of human perception and cognition. His lab investigates a wide variety of visual, auditory and higher cognitive processes using event related potentials, neural phase synchronization measures, psychophysical scaling, mathematical modeling, and the localization of electrical and magnetic activity underlying mental activity. Specifically, he is currently working on projects adressing issues in (i) the cognitive neuroscience of attention and consciousness with special emphasis on EEG and MEG studies of neuronal synchronization, (ii) biophysics and psychophysics of stochastic resonance, (iii) fundamental psychophysics, particularly psychophysical scaling, measurement theory, and signal detection theory, and (iv) nonlinear dynamical systems theory and its applications in cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Ward has published many research articles and book chapters. He has also authored several books, most notably Sensation and Perception (2004, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley), which is in its 6th edition (with S. Coren and J.T. Enns), Dynamical Cognitive Science (2002, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), and Orienting of Attention (2008, New York: Oxford University Press, with R. Wright).
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