Galia Avidan's Lab for Visual & Interoceptive Perception
Department of Psychology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
Our Research
Our research focuses on the psychological and neural properties of perceptual processes. We are used to thinking of these processes in the context of information coming from stimuli originating in our external environment (e.g. visual information such as faces, objects). Accordingly, most research in the field of cognitive neuroscience deals with the processing of external stimuli, while studying the perception of internal physiological, visceral processes, that are generally referred to as interoceptive perception, has been much more limited. Sensory information of either external or internal sources, is a dynamic process, influenced by the interactions between the properties of the stimulus itself, as well as many subjective factors such as prior experience, personality, and physical, emotional and mental state. We explore these fascinating interactions by adopting a multidisciplinary approach combining functional and structural brain imaging (fMRI) and behavioral and physiological measures. Additionally, we employ a computational perspective, which enables to study connectivity patters in the human brain that are associated with specific cognitive abilities and individual differences. Our work involves healthy individuals as well as individuals with specific neuropsychological deficits affecting perception and cognition.