Rhythms of Attentional Exploration and Selection

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Accumulating evidence suggests that the phenomenological, continuous stream of our perceptual experience relies on a series of discrete moments, similar to the snapshots of a video clip. The rhythms of our perceptual and attentional processes have been demonstrated mostly with behavioral data. Studies, including ours, showed that perceptual information is processed in discrete samples, leading to performance fluctuating between favorable and less favorable moments. Yet, three critical gaps remain. Very little is known about: (1) the mechanism underlying psychophysical performance during and between two perceptual samples; (2) how these rhythmic mental representations are implemented at the neural level; and (3) whether we can establish a causal relation between neural representations and behavioral performance. In this project, we propose to address these timely questions using psychophysics, electro-encephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The collaboration between Dr. Dugué's team in Paris, and Dr. Busch's team in Muenster, with the coordination of our research at the transnational level (with comparable and complementary paradigms and approaches) will more quickly further our knowledge about the rhythms of attentional exploration and selection.