Electrophysiological correlates of individual differences in visual awareness

视觉意识的生物学理论是基于大约20年的研究。然而，在大多数情况下，个体之间可能存在的意识差异仍未被注意到。在当前的项目中，通过变化盲视范式研究了视觉意识的个体差异。变化盲视是指观察者无法察觉视觉环境中的大变化，即使这些变化与其他视觉干扰同时发生。通过使用现代统计建模方法，可以确定个体对变化敏感性的差异是取决于个人的稳定特征还是取决于情境因素。此外，如何从环境中选择信息的方式（即，选择性注意）被调查为个体间差异的一个可能来源。为了分析大脑皮层在信息处理过程中发生的过程，电生理活动被脑电图记录下来。预期的结果无论从理论角度还是从实际角度来看都是重要的，例如对工作环境的设计或对证人陈述的评估。

Biological theories of visual awareness are based on about 20 years of research. However, possible inter-individual differences in awareness remained unnoticed for the most part. In the current project, individual differences in visual awareness are investigated by the change blindness paradigm. Change blindness is the inability of observers to detect even large changes in the visual environment when they co-occur with other visual disruption. By using modern methods of statistical modelling, it is assed whether individual differences in the sensitivity for changes rely on a stable trait of a person or depend on situational factors. Furthermore, the way how information are selected from the environment (i.e., selective attention) is investigated as one possible source of inter-individual differences. In order to analyze cortical processes taking place during information processing the electrophysiological activity is recorded by the electroencephalogram (EEG). The expected results are significant from a theoretical perspective as well as from a practical point of view, for example for the design of working environments or the assessment of witness statements.