Key publications
Peelen MV (2025). The neural basis of visual search in scene context. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 34:114-121
Gandolfo M, Peelen MV (2025). A body detection inversion effect revealed by a large scale inattentional blindness experiment. Cognition 259:106109
Peelen MV (2024). Visual Cognitive Neuroscience. Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science
Peelen MV, Berlot E, de Lange FP (2024). Predictive processing of scenes and objects. Nat Rev Psych 3:13-26
Lerebourg M, de Lange FP, Peelen MV (2024). Attentional guidance through object associations in visual cortex. Sci Adv 10:eado6226
Peelen MV, Downing PE (2023). Testing cognitive theories using multivariate pattern analysis of neuroimaging data. Nat Hum Behav 7:1430-1441
Gayet S, Peelen MV (2022). Preparatory attention incorporates contextual expectations. Curr Biol 32:687-692
Wischnewski M, Peelen MV (2021). Causal neural mechanisms of context-based object recognition. eLife 10:e69736
Stein T, Peelen MV (2021). Dissociating conscious and unconscious influences on visual detection effects. Nat Hum Behav 1-13
Willems RM, Peelen MV (2021). How context changes the neural basis of perception and language. iScience 24:102392
Thorat S, Proklova D, Peelen MV (2019). The nature of the animacy organization in human ventral temporal cortex. eLife 8:e47142
Kaiser D, Quek GL, Cichy RM, Peelen MV (2019). Object vision in a structured world. Trends Cogn Sci 23:672-685
Gayet S, Peelen MV (2019). Scenes modulate object processing before interacting with memory templates. Psychol Sci 30:1497-1509
Brandman T, Peelen MV (2017). Interaction between scene and object processing revealed by human fMRI and MEG decoding. J Neurosci 37:7700-7710
Battistoni E, Stein T, Peelen MV (2017). Preparatory attention in visual cortex. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1396:92-107
Peelen MV, Downing PE (2017). Category selectivity in human visual cortex: beyond visual object recognition. Neuropsychologia 105:177-183
Stein T, Peelen MV (2015). Content-specific expectations enhance stimulus detectability by increasing perceptual sensitivity. J Exp Psychol Gen 144:1089-1104
Hickey C, Peelen MV (2015). Neural mechanisms of incentive salience in naturalistic human vision. Neuron 85: 512-518
Kaiser D, Stein T, Peelen MV (2014). Object grouping based on real-world regularities facilitates perception by reducing competitive interactions in visual cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 111:11217-11222
Peelen MV, Kastner S (2014). Attention in the real world: Toward understanding its neural basis. Trends Cogn Sci 18:242-250
Peelen MV, He C, Han Z, Caramazza A, Bi Y (2014). Nonvisual and visual object shape representations in occipitotemporal cortex: evidence from congenitally blind and sighted adults. J Neurosci 34:163-171
Bracci S, Peelen MV (2013). Body and object effectors: the organization of object representations in high-level visual cortex reflects body-object interactions. J Neurosci 33:18247-18258
Stein T, Sterzer P, Peelen MV (2012). Privileged detection of conspecifics: evidence from inversion effects during continuous flash suppression. Cognition 125:64-79
Bracci S, Cavina-Pratesi C, Ietswaart M, Caramazza A, Peelen MV (2012). Closely overlapping responses to tools and hands in left lateral occipitotemporal cortex. J Neurophysiol 107:1443-1456
Peelen MV, Kastner S (2011). A neural basis for real-world visual search in human occipitotemporal cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:12125-12130
Peelen MV, Atkinson AP, Vuilleumier P (2010). Supramodal representations of perceived emotions in the human brain. J Neurosci 30:10127-10134
Peelen MV, Fei-Fei L, Kastner S (2009). Neural mechanisms of rapid natural scene categorization in human visual cortex. Nature 460:94-97
Peelen MV, Downing PE (2007). The neural basis of visual body perception. Nat Rev Neurosci 8:636-648
Peelen MV, Downing PE (2007). Using multi-voxel pattern analysis of fMRI data to interpret overlapping functional activations. Trends Cogn Sci 11:4-5
Peelen MV, Wiggett AJ, Downing PE (2006). Patterns of fMRI activity dissociate overlapping functional brain areas that respond to biological motion. Neuron 49:815-822
Peelen MV, Downing PE (2005). Selectivity for the human body in the fusiform gyrus. J Neurophysiol 93:603-608
Recent publications (last 5 years)
Aldegheri G, Gayet S, Peelen MV (preprint). Dynamic context-based updating of object representations in visual cortex. bioRxiv
Shang L, Yeh LC, Zhao Y, Peelen MV (preprint). Unpacking similarity effects in visual memory search: categorical, semantic, and visual contributions. bioRxiv
Aldegheri G, Gayet S, Peelen MV (preprint). Changes in scene distance automatically drive scaling of object representations. PsyArXiv
Han Q, et al. (in press). Knowledge of effort modulates visual memory biases for body postures. Atten Percept Psychophys
Quek GL, Theodorou A, Peelen MV (in press). The timecourse of inter-object contextual facilitation. Cortex
Gao C, Ajith S, Peelen MV (2025). Object representations drive emotion schemas across a large and diverse set of daily-life scenes. Commun Biol 8:697
Yeh LC, Gayet S, Kaiser D, Peelen MV (2025). The neural time course of size constancy in natural scenes. Cortex 188:1-12
Gandolfo M, Peelen MV (2025). A body detection inversion effect revealed by a large scale inattentional blindness experiment. Cognition 259:106109
Peelen MV (2025). The neural basis of visual search in scene context. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 34:114-121
Cortinovis D, Peelen MV, Bracci S (2025). Tool representations in human visual cortex. J Cogn Neurosci 37:515-531
Williams LH, Wiegand I, et al. (2025). Electrophysiological correlates of visual memory search. J Cogn Neurosci 37:63-85
Peelen MV (2024). Visual Cognitive Neuroscience. Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science
Lerebourg M, de Lange FP, Peelen MV (2024). Attentional guidance through object associations in visual cortex. Sci Adv 10:eado6226
Leticevscaia O, Brandman T, Peelen MV (2024). Scene context and attention independently facilitate MEG decoding of object category. Vis Res 224:108484
Peelen MV, Berlot E, de Lange FP (2024). Predictive processing of scenes and objects. Nat Rev Psych 3:13-26
Han Q, Gandolfo M, Peelen MV (2024). Prior knowledge biases the perception of body postures. iScience 27:109475
Yeh LC, Thorat S, Peelen MV (2024). Predicting cued and oddball visual search performance from neural representational similarity. J Neurosci 44:e1107232024
Hagen S, Zhao Y, Moonen L, Ulken N, Peelen MV (2024). What drives the automatic retrieval of real-world object size knowledge? J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform
Gayet S, Battistoni E, Thorat S, Peelen MV (2024). Searching near and far: the attentional template incorporates viewing distance. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 50:216-231
Shang L, Yeh LC, Zhao Y, Wiegand I, Peelen MV (2024). Category-based attention facilitates memory search. eNeuro 11(2)
Peelen MV, Downing PE (2023). Testing cognitive theories using multivariate pattern analysis of neuroimaging data. Nat Hum Behav 7:1430-1441
Aldegheri G, Gayet S, Peelen MV (2023). Scene context automatically drives predictions of object transformations. Cognition 238:105521
Brandman T, Peelen MV (2023). Objects sharpen scene representations: Evidence from MEG decoding. Cereb Cortex 33:9524-9531
Lerebourg M, de Lange FP, Peelen MV (2023). Expected distractor context biases the attentional template for target shapes. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 49:1236-1255
Gandolfo M, Nägele H, Peelen MV (2023). Predictive processing of scene layout depends on naturalistic depth of field. Psychol Sci 34:394-405
Yan et al. (2023). Humans predict the forest, not the trees: statistical learning of spatiotemporal structure in visual scenes. Cereb Cortex 33:8300-8311
Thorat S, Quek GL, Peelen MV (2022). Statistical learning of distractor co-occurrences facilitates visual search. J Vis 22:2.
Yeh, LC, Peelen MV (2022). The time course of categorical and perceptual similarity effects in visual search. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 48:1069-1082
Thorat S, Peelen MV (2022). Body shape as a visual feature: evidence from spatially-global attentional modulation in human visual cortex. NeuroImage 255:119207
Gayet S, Peelen MV (2022). Preparatory attention incorporates contextual expectations. Curr Biol 32:687-692
Gao C, Shinkareva S, Peelen MV (2022). Affective valence of words differentially affects visual and auditory word recognition. J Exp Psychol Gen
Spaak E, Peelen MV*, de Lange FP* (2022). Scene context impairs perception of semantically congruent objects. Psychol Sci 33:299-313
Wischnewski M, Peelen MV (2021). Causal neural mechanisms of context-based object recognition. eLife 10:e69736
Willems RM*, Peelen MV* (2021). How context changes the neural basis of perception and language. iScience 24:102392
Wischnewski M, Peelen MV (2021). Causal evidence for a double dissociation between object- and scene-selective regions of visual cortex: A preregistered TMS replication study. J Neurosci 41:751-756
Aarts E, et al. (2021). Protocol of the Healthy Brain Study: An accessible resource for understanding the human brain and how it dynamically and individually operates in its bio-social context. PLOS One 16:e0260952
Quax SC, Bosch SE, Peelen MV, van Gerven MA (2021). Population codes of prior knowledge learned through environmental regularities. Sci Rep 11:640.
Stein T, Peelen MV (2021). Dissociating conscious and unconscious influences on visual detection effects. Nat Hum Behav 1-13