People_

Associate Professor Irina Harris

Email

irina.harris@sydney.edu.au

Address

A19 - Griffith Taylor Building

The University of Sydney

Websites

Contact Details

Visual Cognition Lab

Biographical details

Qualifications

Research interests

Current research in my lab focusses on mechanisms involved in memory and forgetting. Although people usually view forgetting as something undesirable (a loss of memory), in many instances it is highly adaptive to forget. One example is wanting to suppress unpleasant, distracting, or hurtful memories. Another example is needing to update no-longer needed information with new information. In my lab we are interested in the cognitive and neural processes that subserve cognitive control over memory and adaptive forgetting, as well as how these processes are effected by sleep.

Another long-term research interest of mine is high-level vision and selective attention. For example, I am interested in how we recognise objects and how we integrate different visual attributes into a coherent visual percept that shapes our conscious experience. I am also interested in how selective attention influences object and scene processing.

In my lab, we use a variety of techniques, including behavioural experiments with normal individuals (typically 1st year Psychology students), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and some forms of brain imaging.

Teaching and supervision

PSYC3012 Cognitive Psychology (course coordinator)

PSYC3014 Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience

PSYC1002 Introduction to Psychology 2

Publications

By Type

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Book Chapters

Corballis, M., Milivojevic, B., Harris, I. (2007). Pigs in space: How we recognise rotated objects. In Fred W. Mast and Lutz Jancke (Eds.), Spatial Processing in Navigation, Imagery and Perception, (pp. 163-181). New York, USA: Springer Science+Business Media. [More Information]

Journals

Harris, I. (2024). Interpreting the orientation of objects: A cross-disciplinary review. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. [More Information]
Kovacs, O., Harris, I. (2022). Retrieval-induced forgetting with novel visual stimuli is retrieval-specific and strength- independent. Memory, 30(3), 330-343. [More Information]
Harris, I. (2022). Unstable orientation perception as a failure of perceptual binding. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 39(1), 51-53. [More Information]
Harris, I., Hayward, W., Seet, M., Andrews, S. (2021). Repetition blindness for words and pictures: A failure to form stable type representations? Memory & Cognition, 49(6), 1153-1162. [More Information]
Berger, J., Harris, I., Whittingham, K., Terpening, Z., Watson, J. (2021). Sharing the load: How a personally coloured calculator for grapheme-colour synaesthetes can reduce processing costs. PloS One, 16, e0257713. [More Information]
Poole, B., Phillips, N., Stewart, E., Harris, I., Lah, S. (2021). Working Memory in Pediatric Epilepsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Neuropsychology Review, 31(4), 569-609. [More Information]
Tran, D., Nicholson, W., Harris, J., Harris, I., Livesey, E. (2021). Working memory load reduces corticospinal suppression to former go and trained no-go cues. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 11544. [More Information]
Harris, I., Harris, J., Corballis, M. (2020). Binding identity and orientation in object recognition. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 82, 153-167. [More Information]
Tran, D., Harris, J., Harris, I., Livesey, E. (2020). Motor conflict: Revealing involuntary conditioned motor preparation using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Cerebral Cortex, 30(4), 2478-2488. [More Information]
Berger, J., Harris, I., Whittingham, K., Terpening, Z., Watson, J. (2020). Substantiating synesthesia: a novel aid in a case of grapheme-colour synesthesia and concomitant dyscalculia. Neurocase, 26(1), 29-35. [More Information]
Tran, D., Harris, J., Harris, I., Livesey, E. (2019). Motor Memory: Revealing Conditioned Action Tendencies Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 31(9), 1343-1353. [More Information]
Seet, M., Andrews, S., Harris, I. (2019). Semantic repetition blindness and associative facilitation in the identification of stimuli in rapid serial visual presentation. Memory & Cognition, 47(5), 1024-1030. [More Information]
Kovacs, O., Harris, I. (2019). The role of location in visual feature binding. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 81(5), 1551-1563. [More Information]
Poole, B., Mather, M., Livesey, E., Harris, I., Harris, J. (2018). Motor-evoked potentials reveal functional differences between dominant and non-dominant motor cortices during response preparation. Cortex, 103, 1-12. [More Information]
McNair, N., Behrens, A., Harris, I. (2017). Automatic Recruitment of the Motor System by Undetected Graspable Objects: A Motor-evoked Potential Study. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 29(11), 1918-1931. [More Information]
McNair, N., Goodbourn, P., Shone, L., Harris, I. (2017). Summary statistics in the attentional blink. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 79(1), 100-116. [More Information]
Goldzieher, M., Andrews, S., Harris, I. (2017). Two scenes or not two scenes: The effects of stimulus repetition and view-similarity on scene categorization from brief displays. Memory & Cognition, 45(1), 49-62. [More Information]
McNair, N., Harris, I. (2016). Attention is required for the perceptual integration of action object pairs. Experimental Brain Research, 234(1), 25-37. [More Information]
Goodbourn, P., Martini, P., Barnett-Cowan, M., Harris, I., Livesey, E., Holcombe, A. (2016). Reconsidering Temporal Selection in the Attentional Blink. Psychological Science, 27(8), 1146-1156. [More Information]
Shone, L., Harris, I., Livesey, E. (2015). Automaticity and Cognitive Control in the Learned Predictiveness Effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 41(1), 18-31. [More Information]
Harris, I., Wong, C., Andrews, S. (2015). Visual field asymmetries in object individuation. Consciousness and Cognition, 37, 194-206. [More Information]
McNair, N., Harris, I. (2014). The contextual action relationship between a tool and its action recipient modulates their joint perception. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 76(1), 214-229. [More Information]
McNair, N., Harris, I. (2012). Disentangling the contributions of grasp and action representations in the recognition of manipulable objects. Experimental Brain Research, 220(1), 71-77. [More Information]
Harris, I., Murray, A., Hayward, W., O'Callaghan, C., Andrews, S. (2012). Repetition Blindness Reveals Differences Between the Representations of Manipulable and Nonmanipulable Objects. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 38(5), 1228-1241. [More Information]
Livesey, E., Harris, I. (2011). Target sparing effects in the attentional blink depend on type of stimulus. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 73(7), 2104-2123. [More Information]
Robitaille, N., Harris, I. (2011). When more is less: extraction of summary statistics benefits from larger sets. Journal of Vision, 11(12), 1-8. [More Information]
Harris, I., Benito, C., Dux, P. (2010). Priming From Distractors in Rapid Serial Visual Presentation Is Modulated by Image Properties and Attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 36(6), 1595-1608. [More Information]
Harris, I., Little, M. (2010). Priming the Semantic Neighbourhood during the Attentional Blink. PloS One, 5(9), e12645-1-e12645-6. [More Information]
Hayward, W., Zhou, G., Man, W., Harris, I. (2010). Repetition Blindness for Rotated Objects. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 36(1), 57-73. [More Information]
Livesey, E., Harris, I., Harris, J. (2009). Attentional changes during implicit learning: Signal validity protects a target stimulus from the attentional blink. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35(2), 408-422. [More Information]
Schmalzl, L., Palermo, R., Harris, I., Coltheart, M. (2009). Face inversion superiority in a case of prosopagnosia following congenital brain abnormalities: What can it tell us about the specificity and origin of face-processing mechanisms? Cognitive Neuropsychology, 26(3), 286-306. [More Information]
Harris, I., Benito, C., Ruzzoli, M., Miniussi, C. (2008). Effects of right parietal transcranial magnetic stimulation on object identification and orientation judgments. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20(5), 916-926. [More Information]
Harris, I., Dux, P., Benito, C., Leek, C. (2008). Orientation Sensitivity at Different Stages of Object Processing: Evidence from Repetition Priming and Naming. PloS One, 3(5), 1-6. [More Information]
Dux, P., Harris, I. (2007). On the failure of distractor inhibition in the attentional blink. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 14(4), 723-728. [More Information]
Dux, P., Harris, I. (2007). Viewpoint costs occur during consolidation: Evidence from the attentional blink. Cognition, 104, 47-58. [More Information]
Petit, L., Pegna, A., Harris, I., Michel, C. (2006). Automatic motor cortex activation for natural as compared to awkward grips of a manipulable object. Experimental Brain Research, 168(1-2), 120-130. [More Information]
Hayward, W., Zhou, G., Gauthier, I., Harris, I. (2006). Dissociating viewpoint costs in mental rotation and object recognition. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 13(5), 820-825. [More Information]
Dux, P., Coltheart, V., Harris, I. (2006). On the fate of distractor stimuli in rapid serial visual presentation. Cognition, 99(3), 355-382. [More Information]
Petit, L., Harris, I. (2005). Anatomical limitations in mental transformations of body parts. Visual Cognition, 12(5), 737-758. [More Information]
Overney, L., Michel, C., Harris, I., Pegna, A. (2005). Cerebral processes in mental transformations of body parts: Recognition prior to rotation. Cognitive Brain Research, 25(3), 722-734. [More Information]
Harris, I., Dux, P. (2005). Orientation-Invariant Object Recognition: Evidence from Repetition Blindness. Cognition, 95(1), 73-93. [More Information]
Harris, I., Dux, P. (2005). Turning objects on their heads: The influence of the stored axis on object individuation. Perception and Psychophysics, 67(6), 1010-1015. [More Information]
Harris, I., Miniussi, C. (2003). Parietal lobe contribution to mental rotation demonstrated with rTMS. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 15(3), 315-323. [More Information]
Harris, I., Harris, J., Caine, D. (2002). Mental-rotation deficits following damage to the right basal ganglia. Neuropsychology, 16(4), 524-537. [More Information]
Harris, J., Miniussi, C., Harris, I., Diamond, M. (2002). Transient storage of a tactile memory trace in primary somatosensory cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 22(19), 8720-8725. [More Information]
Harris, I., Harris, J., Caine, D. (2001). Object orientation agnosia: A failure to find the axis? Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 13(6), 800-812. [More Information]
Harris, I., Fulham, M., Miller, L. (2001). The effects of mesial temporal and cerebellar hypometabolism on learning and memory. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 7, 353-362. [More Information]
Harris, J., Harris, I., Diamond, M. (2001). The topography of tactile learning in humans. Journal of Neuroscience, 21(3), 1056-1061.
Harris, J., Harris, I., Diamond, M. (2001). The topography of tactile working memory. Journal of Neuroscience, 21(20), 8262-8269.

show 46 more

By Year

Expand all

2024

Harris, I. (2024). Interpreting the orientation of objects: A cross-disciplinary review. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. [More Information]

2022

Kovacs, O., Harris, I. (2022). Retrieval-induced forgetting with novel visual stimuli is retrieval-specific and strength- independent. Memory, 30(3), 330-343. [More Information]
Harris, I. (2022). Unstable orientation perception as a failure of perceptual binding. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 39(1), 51-53. [More Information]

2021

Harris, I., Hayward, W., Seet, M., Andrews, S. (2021). Repetition blindness for words and pictures: A failure to form stable type representations? Memory & Cognition, 49(6), 1153-1162. [More Information]
Berger, J., Harris, I., Whittingham, K., Terpening, Z., Watson, J. (2021). Sharing the load: How a personally coloured calculator for grapheme-colour synaesthetes can reduce processing costs. PloS One, 16, e0257713. [More Information]
Poole, B., Phillips, N., Stewart, E., Harris, I., Lah, S. (2021). Working Memory in Pediatric Epilepsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Neuropsychology Review, 31(4), 569-609. [More Information]
Tran, D., Nicholson, W., Harris, J., Harris, I., Livesey, E. (2021). Working memory load reduces corticospinal suppression to former go and trained no-go cues. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 11544. [More Information]

show 1 more

2020

Harris, I., Harris, J., Corballis, M. (2020). Binding identity and orientation in object recognition. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 82, 153-167. [More Information]
Tran, D., Harris, J., Harris, I., Livesey, E. (2020). Motor conflict: Revealing involuntary conditioned motor preparation using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Cerebral Cortex, 30(4), 2478-2488. [More Information]
Berger, J., Harris, I., Whittingham, K., Terpening, Z., Watson, J. (2020). Substantiating synesthesia: a novel aid in a case of grapheme-colour synesthesia and concomitant dyscalculia. Neurocase, 26(1), 29-35. [More Information]

2019

Tran, D., Harris, J., Harris, I., Livesey, E. (2019). Motor Memory: Revealing Conditioned Action Tendencies Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 31(9), 1343-1353. [More Information]
Seet, M., Andrews, S., Harris, I. (2019). Semantic repetition blindness and associative facilitation in the identification of stimuli in rapid serial visual presentation. Memory & Cognition, 47(5), 1024-1030. [More Information]
Kovacs, O., Harris, I. (2019). The role of location in visual feature binding. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 81(5), 1551-1563. [More Information]

2018

Poole, B., Mather, M., Livesey, E., Harris, I., Harris, J. (2018). Motor-evoked potentials reveal functional differences between dominant and non-dominant motor cortices during response preparation. Cortex, 103, 1-12. [More Information]

2017

McNair, N., Behrens, A., Harris, I. (2017). Automatic Recruitment of the Motor System by Undetected Graspable Objects: A Motor-evoked Potential Study. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 29(11), 1918-1931. [More Information]
McNair, N., Goodbourn, P., Shone, L., Harris, I. (2017). Summary statistics in the attentional blink. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 79(1), 100-116. [More Information]
Goldzieher, M., Andrews, S., Harris, I. (2017). Two scenes or not two scenes: The effects of stimulus repetition and view-similarity on scene categorization from brief displays. Memory & Cognition, 45(1), 49-62. [More Information]

2016

McNair, N., Harris, I. (2016). Attention is required for the perceptual integration of action object pairs. Experimental Brain Research, 234(1), 25-37. [More Information]
Goodbourn, P., Martini, P., Barnett-Cowan, M., Harris, I., Livesey, E., Holcombe, A. (2016). Reconsidering Temporal Selection in the Attentional Blink. Psychological Science, 27(8), 1146-1156. [More Information]

2015

Shone, L., Harris, I., Livesey, E. (2015). Automaticity and Cognitive Control in the Learned Predictiveness Effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 41(1), 18-31. [More Information]
Harris, I., Wong, C., Andrews, S. (2015). Visual field asymmetries in object individuation. Consciousness and Cognition, 37, 194-206. [More Information]

2014

McNair, N., Harris, I. (2014). The contextual action relationship between a tool and its action recipient modulates their joint perception. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 76(1), 214-229. [More Information]

2012

McNair, N., Harris, I. (2012). Disentangling the contributions of grasp and action representations in the recognition of manipulable objects. Experimental Brain Research, 220(1), 71-77. [More Information]
Harris, I., Murray, A., Hayward, W., O'Callaghan, C., Andrews, S. (2012). Repetition Blindness Reveals Differences Between the Representations of Manipulable and Nonmanipulable Objects. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 38(5), 1228-1241. [More Information]

2011

Livesey, E., Harris, I. (2011). Target sparing effects in the attentional blink depend on type of stimulus. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 73(7), 2104-2123. [More Information]
Robitaille, N., Harris, I. (2011). When more is less: extraction of summary statistics benefits from larger sets. Journal of Vision, 11(12), 1-8. [More Information]

2010

Harris, I., Benito, C., Dux, P. (2010). Priming From Distractors in Rapid Serial Visual Presentation Is Modulated by Image Properties and Attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 36(6), 1595-1608. [More Information]
Harris, I., Little, M. (2010). Priming the Semantic Neighbourhood during the Attentional Blink. PloS One, 5(9), e12645-1-e12645-6. [More Information]
Hayward, W., Zhou, G., Man, W., Harris, I. (2010). Repetition Blindness for Rotated Objects. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 36(1), 57-73. [More Information]

2009

Livesey, E., Harris, I., Harris, J. (2009). Attentional changes during implicit learning: Signal validity protects a target stimulus from the attentional blink. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35(2), 408-422. [More Information]
Schmalzl, L., Palermo, R., Harris, I., Coltheart, M. (2009). Face inversion superiority in a case of prosopagnosia following congenital brain abnormalities: What can it tell us about the specificity and origin of face-processing mechanisms? Cognitive Neuropsychology, 26(3), 286-306. [More Information]

2008

Harris, I., Benito, C., Ruzzoli, M., Miniussi, C. (2008). Effects of right parietal transcranial magnetic stimulation on object identification and orientation judgments. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20(5), 916-926. [More Information]
Harris, I., Dux, P., Benito, C., Leek, C. (2008). Orientation Sensitivity at Different Stages of Object Processing: Evidence from Repetition Priming and Naming. PloS One, 3(5), 1-6. [More Information]

2007

Dux, P., Harris, I. (2007). On the failure of distractor inhibition in the attentional blink. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 14(4), 723-728. [More Information]
Corballis, M., Milivojevic, B., Harris, I. (2007). Pigs in space: How we recognise rotated objects. In Fred W. Mast and Lutz Jancke (Eds.), Spatial Processing in Navigation, Imagery and Perception, (pp. 163-181). New York, USA: Springer Science+Business Media. [More Information]
Dux, P., Harris, I. (2007). Viewpoint costs occur during consolidation: Evidence from the attentional blink. Cognition, 104, 47-58. [More Information]

2006

Petit, L., Pegna, A., Harris, I., Michel, C. (2006). Automatic motor cortex activation for natural as compared to awkward grips of a manipulable object. Experimental Brain Research, 168(1-2), 120-130. [More Information]
Hayward, W., Zhou, G., Gauthier, I., Harris, I. (2006). Dissociating viewpoint costs in mental rotation and object recognition. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 13(5), 820-825. [More Information]
Dux, P., Coltheart, V., Harris, I. (2006). On the fate of distractor stimuli in rapid serial visual presentation. Cognition, 99(3), 355-382. [More Information]

2005

Petit, L., Harris, I. (2005). Anatomical limitations in mental transformations of body parts. Visual Cognition, 12(5), 737-758. [More Information]
Overney, L., Michel, C., Harris, I., Pegna, A. (2005). Cerebral processes in mental transformations of body parts: Recognition prior to rotation. Cognitive Brain Research, 25(3), 722-734. [More Information]
Harris, I., Dux, P. (2005). Orientation-Invariant Object Recognition: Evidence from Repetition Blindness. Cognition, 95(1), 73-93. [More Information]
Harris, I., Dux, P. (2005). Turning objects on their heads: The influence of the stored axis on object individuation. Perception and Psychophysics, 67(6), 1010-1015. [More Information]

show 1 more

2003

Harris, I., Miniussi, C. (2003). Parietal lobe contribution to mental rotation demonstrated with rTMS. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 15(3), 315-323. [More Information]

2002

Harris, I., Harris, J., Caine, D. (2002). Mental-rotation deficits following damage to the right basal ganglia. Neuropsychology, 16(4), 524-537. [More Information]
Harris, J., Miniussi, C., Harris, I., Diamond, M. (2002). Transient storage of a tactile memory trace in primary somatosensory cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 22(19), 8720-8725. [More Information]

2001

Harris, I., Harris, J., Caine, D. (2001). Object orientation agnosia: A failure to find the axis? Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 13(6), 800-812. [More Information]
Harris, I., Fulham, M., Miller, L. (2001). The effects of mesial temporal and cerebellar hypometabolism on learning and memory. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 7, 353-362. [More Information]
Harris, J., Harris, I., Diamond, M. (2001). The topography of tactile learning in humans. Journal of Neuroscience, 21(3), 1056-1061.
Harris, J., Harris, I., Diamond, M. (2001). The topography of tactile working memory. Journal of Neuroscience, 21(20), 8262-8269.

show 1 more

Selected Grants

2024

Discovering the neural signature of memory precision, Harris I, Irish M, Faculty of Science/Psychology Core Funding

2022

Charting age-related changes in the quality of episodic memory, Irish M, Harris I, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)

2018

Learning to Stop: Linking intra-cortical inhibition to response control, Livesey E, Harris J, Harris I, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)

2016

Colourful-Calculations: an international app-based trial investigating the potential of therapeutic tools for Synaesthesia, Berger J, Watson J, Whittingham K, Harris I, Terpening Z, Brain Foundation/Research Support
Associative learning and cognitive control, Livesey E, Harris I, Harris J, Miniussi C, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)

2011

Ensemble coding of complex visual stimuli, Harris I, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)

2010

Seeing the forest and the trees: Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying recognition of individual objects and sets, Harris I, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Future Fellowships (FT)

2009

Ensemble coding of objects and faces, Harris I, DVC Research/Bridging Support Grant

2007

The ingredients of conscious identification, Andrews S, Harris I, Hayward W, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)

2005

The role of features and holistic information in object recognition, Harris I, University of Sydney/Early Career Researcher

2004

Recognition of Rotated Objects: Paying Attention to Orientation, Corballis M, Harris I, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)

2002

Repetition blindness for rotated objects: insights into the nature of object representations, Harris I, Macquarie University/Early Career Reseach Grant
An investigation of the independence of mental rotation and viewpoint-dependent object recognition, Hayward W, Harris I, Gauthier I, Research Council of Hong Kong/Research Grant

2001

How we recognise the orientation of objects: a combined neuropsychological/eye movement study, Harris I, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)

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Associate Professor Irina Harris

Publications

By Type

By Year

Selected Grants

2024

2022

2018

2016

2011

2010

2009

2007

2005

2004

2002

2001