PhD Ceremony on 25-06-2026 by Mw. S. (Shuyao) Wang: Temporal constraints in visual cognition explored with rapid serial visual presentation

On 25 juni 2026 11:00, Mw. S. (Shuyao) Wang will defend their PhD at the University of Groningen.

Temporal constraints in visual cognition explored with rapid serial visual presentation

Every day, we process a continuous stream of visual events, yet our brains have a limited capacity for how quickly they can register them. My research explores these "temporal constraints" in visual cognition, focusing on how human attention is allocated under strict time pressure. By presenting visual items sequentially at a rapid rate of 10 items per second (a method called Rapid Serial Visual Presentation), I investigated the "attentional blink": a phenomenon where we often fail to notice a second target if it appears within half a second of a first one.

This thesis examines three core questions. First, during the attentional blink, is our memory of the missed target merely degraded, or completely absent? My models reveal it is an "all-or-nothing" failure; the target simply fails to enter working memory. Second, can we flexibly adjust the size of our attentional focus under such time pressure? I found that we can adapt our spatial attention, but this relies on learning stable, predictable cues rather than making immediate, trial-by-trial adjustments. Finally, how do our internal memories influence rapid attention? By embedding familiar faces into the rapid streams, I discovered that physiological signals, specifically brainwaves, automatically react to recognized information even without conscious reporting.

Ultimately, this research provides a deeper understanding of the dynamic nature of human cognition. It illustrates how our visual system adaptively manages information processing under extreme time pressure, and highlights the potential of using physiological signals to detect concealed information.

Dissertation: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/e990681f-5f51-4e0e-abc0-e660c48607dc

The ceremony will take place at Academy Building, UG.