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Is what you see always what you get? This question will be tackled in an event taking place at the ºÚÁÏÍø next week.

Awareness and perception will be the focus of a talk by Dr Roy Allen from the institution’s School of Psychology on Monday (September 30).

The event is one in a series of evening lectures taking place at the University as part of Aberdeen’s annual TechFest in September festival.

Dr Allen said: “Perception isn’t always a ‘what you see is what you get’ process. We can’t even cope with all the visual information available to us. Perception is just one small, filtered part of the visual data-stream. And what we pay attention to is determined to some degree by the salience of objects in the visual field, and their relevance to us as individuals.

“So a group of people looking at the same scene won’t even perceive the same things. This makes the visual system vulnerable to illusions and manipulations. We will consider some of these during the talk."

Dr Allen’s lecture – Things Aren’t What They Seem – takes place in the Fraser Noble Building on the University’s King’s College Campus and begins at 8pm.

Other topics to be covered in evening lectures hosted by the University at the Fraser Noble Building include:

• The History, Uses and Future of the Gardens – Mark Paterson, Curator of the ºÚÁÏÍø’s Cruickshank Botanical Gardens will give an insight into their history and research uses, and discuss what the future holds for them in a talk taking place on Friday September 27, beginning at 7.30pm.
• Aspirin, Guinea Pigs and Horseradish – What Did Clinical Trials Ever Do For Us? – Professor Shaun Treweek from the ºÚÁÏÍø’s Health Services Research Unit will discuss the history of clinical trials, how they are designed and what they mean for our health. His talk takes place on Monday (September 30) and begins at 6.30pm.
• How to Save a Life: Its Easy as One, Two, Three – Jerry Morse from the ºÚÁÏÍø’s Clinical Skills Centre will lead a session on what to do in the event of an emergency and explain how a little knowledge can save someone’s life. His talk takes place on Monday (September 30) and begins at 7.30pm.

Tickets for each of the evening lectures cost £5 for adults and £3.50 for concessions plus booking fee.

For more information on events taking place at the University as part of TechFest in September visit .

Book tickets online at or call Aberdeen Box Office on 01224 641122. For more information on TechFest In September 2013, visit or follow TechFest In September on Facebook and Twitter.