Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-06-18

Neural mechanisms of top-down preparation and their influence on visual awareness of real-world objects

Objective

A central debate in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience revolves around whether attention is required for visual awareness of real-world objects. The aim of the proposed project is to help resolving this debate by determining the behavioral consequences and neural mechanisms of top-down preparation on visual awareness of natural objects. Whether we are prepared to detect objects of a specific category may strongly influence whether we consciously perceive an object. Differences in such top-down preparation may explain why different studies arrived at conflicting conclusions about the role of attention in conscious object perception. First, the effect of top-down preparation on awareness of objects will be quantified using psychophysics. Second, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) guided by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be used to determine whether preparatory neural activity in category-specific visual cortical areas plays a causal role in top-down preparation and access to awareness. Third, the influence of top-down preparation on unconscious object representations will be measured using a novel eye tracking technique and fMRI. These studies will provide important insights into the influence and neural mechanisms of top-down influences on conscious perception and will thereby help to reconcile conflicting views on the relationship between attention and awareness.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO
EU contribution
€ 179 739,60
Address
VIA CALEPINA 14
38122 TRENTO
Italy

See on map

Region
Nord-Est Provincia Autonoma di Trento Trento
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data
My booklet 0 0