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About the lab

Living organisms are not passive receptors. We rarely leave our eyes or hands still and wait passively for things to appear or touch them. In the real world, we move our sensors (eyes, limbs, head, fingers..) to actively sense stimuli. Our research examines the dynamic ways humans actively sense and interact with stimuli. This approach departs from the traditional view of organisms as passive agents. We are particularly interested on examining how the active sensing of the environment is shaped by our internal bodily signals (interoception). This is a fairly new research field. See examples of papers [1, 2, 3].

Location

Near to the City Palma de Mallorca (Spain) at the University of the Balearic Islands, Psychology Dept. Palma is famed for its picturesque historic quarter, surrounded by a diverse landscape of coves, beaches, cliffs, and mountain ranges, offers a blend of cultural and natural beauty. The University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) is located close to the city and connected by bus, underground, bike lane, bus, or car. The UIB combines academic rigor with the scenic beauty of the Balearic Islands. The campus integrates modern educational facilities with the natural and cultural richness of the area, providing an enriching environment for both study and leisure.

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Team (lab members)

We are a group of researchers in different stages of our careers and with different expertise. There are lab members, collaborators within the UIB, and external collaborators from other institutions. The idea is to bring our heads and experience together to move forward the field. At the UIB site, our equipment includes: 7 testing rooms for behavioral testing, 1 room for electrophysiological testing (EEG 64 channels, ECG, Respiration), 1 room for eye tracker (1000+), and 2 sets of wearables devices for testing in ecological settings (ECG, Accelerometer, Respiration, EOG).

Alejandro Galvez-Pol
Associate Professor (UIB). PhD. Lab Leader. Electrophysiology, Embodiment, Interoception, Active sensing. CV
Lucas Naranjo García
PhD candidate. MSc
Electrophysiology, Interoception, Active sensing, Eye movements.
Marcos Nadal
Full Professor. PhD
Sensory Valuation, Empirical Aesthetics, Visual processing.
Angelia Caparco
PhD candidate. MSc
Electrophysiology, Interoception, Active sensing, Working memory.
Genaro Lopez-Martin
Postgraduate student, MSc
Interoception, Clinical Psychology, Active sensing.
Erick Chuquichambi
Associate Professor, PhD
Empirical Aesthetics, Visual Processing, Curvature, Data Analysis
Victor Vila-Ramírez
PhD candidate. MSc
Electrophysiology, Interoception, Active sensing, Uncertainty.
Ford Transit
Our “mobile” member.
Running experiments and data collection in the wild.

Collaborators around the world

James Kilner / Full Prof. (UCL) Predictive coding & Interoception.
  • Karen Quigley & Kieran McVeigh (Northeastern University, US)
  • Aikaterini Fotopoulou & Carolina Villegas (University College London, UK)
  • Sohee Park & Katrina Rbeiz (Vanderbilt University, US)
  • Ana Tajadura-Jimenez & Amar D’Adamo (Univ. Carlos III de Madrid, ES)
  • Michael Gaebler (Max Planck Inst. for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, DE)

– We have launched the new MSc in Cognition & Society. More information here: (video) & Summary Program
– If you would like to join check the section Join Lab and drop a line to a.galvez-pol[at]uib.es