Research
How does the brain do the job of
distinguishing between sensory events generated in the mind and sensory
events generated in the external world? In an attempt to shed light on
this question, my research focuses on examining the relationships
between endogenous sensory events (i.e., those generated in the mind),
exogenous sensory events (i.e., those generated by the external world),
and multi-sensory integration. In another line of research, I am also
investigating the role of certain afferent/efferent processes in the
feeling of body ownership and the sense of agency.My experience investigating the relationships among self-control (i.e., action suppression) automaticity, and conscious processing (e.g., subjective urges & awareness) now inform my research questions surrounding the liaisons between perceptual binding, effector function, feeling of body/limb ownership, and agency.
While working towards my Master's at San Francisco State University I investigated several phenomena including (but are not limited to): people's lay intuitions regarding how the body and mind/brain function (1), automatic imitation (e.g., whether tip-of-the-tongue states are contagious)(3), and the relationships among automaticity, self-control (e.g., action suppression), and conscious processing (e.g., whether new action plans weaken the urge strength of older plans)(2).
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