Joseph Scott German
I am currently a PhD student in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department of the University of Rochester. I graduated from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University with Master of Music degrees in Musicology (focusing on music cognition) and Viola Performance. I also have a Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, with a minor concentration in courses in neuroscience and cognition from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences of the Homewood campus. My research experience includes work on behavioral studies as a student research assistant in the Cognitive Neuroscience lab of Dr. Michael McCloskey and thesis work on computational modeling of object recognition, as well as research practicums in psychophysics and neuroimaging.
Education
- Bachelor of Music, Viola Performance major at the Peabody Institute with a minor concentrated in cognitive science at the Kreiger School of Arts and Sciences, the Johns Hopkins University (May 2013)
- Dual MM in Viola Performance and Music Cognition from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University (May 2016)
- Currently working on a PhD in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department of the University of Rochester. Projected completion May 2022
My current CV (PDF)Publications
- Chaisilprungraung, T., German, J., & McCloskey, M. (2019). How are object shape axes defined? Evidence from mirror- image confusions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 45(1), 111.
- German, J. S., & Jacobs, R. A. (2020). Can machine learning account for human visual object shape similarity judgments? Vision research, 167, 87-99.
- German, J. S., Cui, G., Xu, C., & Jacobs, R. A. (2021). Rapid runtime learning by curating small datasets of high-quality items obtained from memory. (Submitted for initial review.)
Posters
- Chaisilprungraung, T., German, J., & McCloskey, M. (2017, May). Principal axes of real-world objects: evidence from orientation reflection errors. Poster session presented at the annual conference of the Visual Sciences Society, St. Pete Beach, FL.
- German, J.S., & Jacobs, R.A. (2019, July). Human visual object similarity judgments are viewpoint-invariant and part-based as revealed via metric learning. Poster session presented at the 41st annual conference of the Cognitive Science Society, Montreal, QC.
- German, J. S., Cui, G., Xu, C., & Jacobs, R. A. (2021). Rapid runtime learGerman, J.S., & Jacobs, R.A. (2020, July). Modeling human cognitive flexibility with extemporaneous networks. Poster session presented at the 42nd annual conference of the Cognitive Science Society, Toronto, ON.
Music Cognition
My extensive experience performing 21st century music has given me a unique perspective on how the brain perceives music. Experimental pieces such as “Labyrinth” by David Dzubay and “As a Spell Against Falling Objects (or how I Learned to Love Gravity)” by Jeremy Podgursky focus on exploring mental states of mind. These experiences reinforced my interest in music cognition and cognition in general.
Research Papers
- Master's Thesis: Biologically plausible object recognition through an "idealization network" (using visual and musical objects) will be presented at the Peabody Musicology Symposium on April 30,2016 | computer program available upon request
- Journal paper for work in Dr. McCloskey's lab: the global principle axis of objects that do not possess a clear elongated shape
- Is there a Musical McGurk Effect? A proposal for the investigation into the embodiment of musical perception
- Navigability and Openness in RSC and PPA: a pilot study
- Does global information affect the illusory continuity of tones?
- Object Cognition in Vision and Music: A Neurophysiological and Psychological Comparison
- A Model of Visual Attention Using Firing Rate as a Control Mechanism
- Tool Use and Manufacture in Caledonian Crows
Research Experience
- As a PhD student in the lab of Robert Jacobs at the University of Rochester, I am using Amazon Mechanical Turk to create a database of object similarity judgments. I am also working to create new algorithms for metric learning to characterize the cognitive processes behind the judgments in the database.
- RA in Dr. McCloskey's lab: I helped to investigate how people assign intrinsic axes to real-world objects with unusual geometries. Participants were briefly shown objects on a screen, then asked to replicate the orientation of those objects using discs with pictures of the objects on them. Since the most common error in similar tasks is to flip the object over its major axis, the errors made by our participants implicitly told us about the axes the objects were given. Our initial results indicate that people make different kinds of errors with objects with unusual geometries compared to simpler objects, and that specific properties of the object can have a significant effect on the axis it is assigned.
Music
Some of the orchestras I have played with are the Peabody Concert Orchestra, the Peabody Modern Orchestra, the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Camerata, and the Occasional Symphony. The various orchestras I have played in over the years have afforded me the opportunity to perform in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Meyerhoff, Lisner Auditorium, and the Lyric Opera under conductors such as Marin Alsop, Leon Fleischer, and Martin West, among many others. I have also played in many chamber concerts, master classes, and summer festivals. The following images are from some of these events.
Joseph German (top left) at the Orchestra Institute at Napa Valley Summer 2013
The Napa Valley Orchestra
Working with Heidi Castleman in the Centre Street Performance Space on April 17, 2016
The Occasional Symphony Halloween Concerts
July 2014 Performance of the Brahms Piano Quartet in A Major at Thorpewood Farm
The Occasional Symphony 2013 Halloween concert - original composition by James Young is part of the accompaniment we played to the silent movie Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
As a capstone of my musical experiences, in October 2015, we worked with Maestro Marin Alsop, conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, to record a professional CD of Kevin Puts works for the Naxos label. This video clip is just one of the works we performed. You can buy the Kevin Puts CD at Amazon.
Contact Information
Call me at 410-294-6850 | E-Mail to my gmail account: german dot joseph
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