BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:PhD defence S.A. Sheikh Abdirashid METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260413T134500 DTEND:20260413T151500 DTSTAMP:20260413T134500 UID:phd-defence-s-a-sheikh-abdiras@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260924T223712 LOCATION: SUMMARY:PhD defence S.A. Sheikh Abdirashid X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

A light of our own

Attention acts as a brain’s own light source

Rese arch by cognitive neuroscientist Sumiya Sheikh Abdirashid shows that our attention does more than just “focus”: it actively changes ho w we see the world.

In daily life, our brains have to process a n enormous amount of visual information. Because we cannot take every thing in at once, attention helps us choose what is important. Howeve r, exactly how this works in the brain was not yet fully understood.< /p>

Zoom lens
Sheikh Abdirashid’s research sh ows that attention functions as a kind of zoom lens. When we focus ou r attention narrowly, visual information is processed more sharply an d precisely than when we spread our attention widely. Moreover, this “zoom function” turns out to work surprisingly independently: vis ual properties such as contrast have no influence on what we see, as long as we do not pay attention to them.

Only when an image cat ches our attention do features such as contrast come into play. The s trength of this effect depends on several factors: whether the object falls within our field of attention and whether it resembles somethi ng we are already focused on. Sheikh Abdirashid demonstrates that att ention not only selects but also actively shapes our perception. This has broad societal implications. Consider situations where rapid and accurate visual processing is crucial, such as in traffic, healthcar e, or security professions. This insight can also help improve educat ion, user interfaces, and treatments for attention disorders. The res earch contributes to a better understanding of a fundamental process that everyone uses daily: how we choose what we see – and how that determines our reality.

More information on the thesis< /p> DESCRIPTION: A light of our own

Attention acts as a brain’s own light source

Research by cognitive neuroscientist Sumiya Sheikh A bdirashid shows that our attention does more than just “focus”: i t actively changes how we see the world.In daily life, our brains hav e to process an enormous amount of visual information. Because we can not take everything in at once, attention helps us choose what is imp ortant. However, exactly how this works in the brain was not yet full y understood.Zoom lens
Sheikh Abdirashid’s rese arch shows that attention functions as a kind of zoom lens. When we f ocus our attention narrowly, visual information is processed more sha rply and precisely than when we spread our attention widely. Moreover , this “zoom function” turns out to work surprisingly independent ly: visual properties such as contrast have no influence on what we s ee, as long as we do not pay attention to them.Only when an image cat ches our attention do features such as contrast come into play. The s trength of this effect depends on several factors: whether the object falls within our field of attention and whether it resembles somethi ng we are already focused on. Sheikh Abdirashid demonstrates that att ention not only selects but also actively shapes our perception. This has broad societal implications. Consider situations where rapid and accurate visual processing is crucial, such as in traffic, healthcar e, or security professions. This insight can also help improve educat ion, user interfaces, and treatments for attention disorders. The res earch contributes to a better understanding of a fundamental process that everyone uses daily: how we choose what we see – and how that determines our reality.More information on the thesis END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR