Aim of this project is to contribute to our understanding of the processes mediating conscious visual perception. For certain stimuli the way we perceive them can change in time, although the physical input remains constant. What happens when we watch such multi-stable stimuli? How does neural activity change when our percept switches? How does conscious and unconscious visual information processing differ? Currently we investigate these issues using the Bonneh illusion. In a first set of experiments we want to analyse if the intesity and persistence of the afterimages generated by our stimulus are dependent on the duration a subject perceived the adapting stimulus or the time the subject was physically exposed to the stimulus.

According to the two-stage theory of conditioning, classical conditioning takes place in two successive stages: fast, emotional learning followed by slower motor learning. The goal of this project was to design a model of the neural mechanisms mediating these two stages of classical conditioning. To find out more more about this topic contact my former supervisor Paul Verschure and our collaborator at Tel Aviv Matti Mintz.