From Sensory Processing to Conscious Perception
Perception is more than meet’s the eye; how we see the world is critically shaped by top-down factors, specifically attention (what is relevant) and as a growing body of work indicates, by expectations about what the world probably looks like (what is likely). In my talk, I will discuss how attention and expectation may affect sensory processing in the brain and thereby perception – drawing from empirical data in human subjects using behavioral methods, (intracranial) EEG, and neuroimaging. These data reveal a role for not only cortical, but also subcortical (i.e., striatal), regions in determining our perception of the external world. Collectively, they underscore the importance of studying the separate effects of attention and expectation on sensory processing in the brain. They also indicate a more critical role for basal-ganglia dependent gating mechanisms in perception than has long been assumed.
Date: 10 May 2016, 13:00 (Tuesday, 3rd week, Trinity 2016)
Venue: Tinbergen Building, South Parks Road OX1 3PS
Venue Details: C113 Weiskrantz Room
Speaker: Professor Heleen Slagter (University of Amsterdam)
Organising department: Department of Experimental Psychology
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Janice Young