Associate Professor Alan Pegna
Associate Professor

Alan Pegna

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56412

Background

Associate Professor Alan Pegna is a neuropsychologist whose interests lie in the field of cognitive neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology. After receiving a Masters degree in Psychology from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and a second Masters degree in Human Physiology from University College London (UK), he obtained his PhD from the University of Geneva, using brain imaging techniques to study spatial processing in both healthy controls and brain-damaged patients.

He worked for over 20 years as a clinical neuropsychologist at Geneva University Hospital, and as an academic at the University of Geneva, where he supervised numerous research projects in the field of visual processing, again in healthy participants and in persons with focal brain lesions.

He joined UQ in 2015, where he now explores the neural basis of visual and spatial processing of emotional stimuli. More specifically, using EEG, he examines the brain's response to different facial expressions, as well as to faces that vary in their perceived approachability (e.g., their apparent trustwothiness). When possible, these studies are also carried out with brain-damaged individuals, in order to investigate the role of particular brain regions in these processes.

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Availability

Associate Professor Alan Pegna is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Cognitive and computational psychology Psychology

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Geneva

Search Professor Alan Pegna’s works on UQ eSpace

176 works between 1986 and 2024
All (176) Journal Article (146) Conference Publication (30)

1 - 20 of 176 works

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Violated expectations for spatial and feature attributes of visual trajectories modulate event-related potential amplitudes across the visual processing hierarchy

Baker, Kristen S., Yamamoto, Naohide, Pegna, Alan J. and Johnston, Patrick (2022). Violated expectations for spatial and feature attributes of visual trajectories modulate event-related potential amplitudes across the visual processing hierarchy. Biological Psychology, 174 108422, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108422

Violated expectations for spatial and feature attributes of visual trajectories modulate event-related potential amplitudes across the visual processing hierarchy

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Spatial attention shifting to fearful faces depends on visual awareness in attentional blink: an ERP study

Qiu, Zeguo, Becker, Stefanie I. and Pegna, Alan J. (2022). Spatial attention shifting to fearful faces depends on visual awareness in attentional blink: an ERP study. Neuropsychologia, 172 108283, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108283

Spatial attention shifting to fearful faces depends on visual awareness in attentional blink: an ERP study

Featured

2022

Journal Article

The effects of spatial attention focus and visual awareness on the processing of fearful faces: an ERP study

Qiu, Zeguo, Becker, Stefanie I. and Pegna, Alan J. (2022). The effects of spatial attention focus and visual awareness on the processing of fearful faces: an ERP study. Brain Sciences, 12 (7) 823, 823. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12070823

The effects of spatial attention focus and visual awareness on the processing of fearful faces: an ERP study

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Neural activities during the processing of unattended and unseen emotional faces: a voxel-wise meta-analysis

Qiu, Zeguo, Lei, Xue, Becker, Stefanie I. and Pegna, Alan J. (2022). Neural activities during the processing of unattended and unseen emotional faces: a voxel-wise meta-analysis. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 16 (5), 2426-2443. doi: 10.1007/s11682-022-00697-8

Neural activities during the processing of unattended and unseen emotional faces: a voxel-wise meta-analysis

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Spatial attention shifting to emotional faces is contingent on awareness and task relevancy

Qiu, Zeguo, Becker, Stefanie I. and Pegna, Alan J. (2022). Spatial attention shifting to emotional faces is contingent on awareness and task relevancy. Cortex, 151, 30-48. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.02.009

Spatial attention shifting to emotional faces is contingent on awareness and task relevancy

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Subliminal emotional faces do not capture attention under high attentional load in a randomized trial presentation

Tipura, Eda and Pegna, Alan J. (2022). Subliminal emotional faces do not capture attention under high attentional load in a randomized trial presentation. Visual Cognition, 30 (4), 1-9. doi: 10.1080/13506285.2022.2060397

Subliminal emotional faces do not capture attention under high attentional load in a randomized trial presentation

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Enhanced early ERP responses to looming angry faces

Yu, Zhou, Kritikos, Ada and Pegna, Alan J. (2022). Enhanced early ERP responses to looming angry faces. Biological Psychology, 170 108308, 108308. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108308

Enhanced early ERP responses to looming angry faces

Featured

2021

Journal Article

Rapid processing of fearful faces relies on the right amygdala: evidence from individuals undergoing unilateral temporal lobectomy

Framorando, David, Moses, Eleanor, Legrand, Lore, Seeck, Margitta and Pegna, Alan J. (2021). Rapid processing of fearful faces relies on the right amygdala: evidence from individuals undergoing unilateral temporal lobectomy. Scientific Reports, 11 (1) 426, 426. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-80054-1

Rapid processing of fearful faces relies on the right amygdala: evidence from individuals undergoing unilateral temporal lobectomy

Featured

2020

Journal Article

Turning the face inversion effect on its head: violated expectations of orientation, lighting, and gravity enhance N170 amplitudes

Allen-Davidian, Yasmin, Russo, Manuela, Yamamoto, Naohide, Kaufman, Jordy, Pegna, Alan J. and Johnston, Patrick (2020). Turning the face inversion effect on its head: violated expectations of orientation, lighting, and gravity enhance N170 amplitudes. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 33 (2), 1-12. doi: 10.1162/jocn_a_01656

Turning the face inversion effect on its head: violated expectations of orientation, lighting, and gravity enhance N170 amplitudes

Featured

2020

Journal Article

Neural correlates of emotion-attention interactions: from perception, learning, and memory to social cognition, individual differences, and training interventions

Dolcos, Florin, Katsumi, Yuta, Moore, Matthew, Berggren, Nick, de Gelder, Beatrice, Derakshan, Nazanin, Hamm, Alfons O., Koster, Ernst H.W., Ladouceur, Cecile D., Okon-Singer, Hadas, Pegna, Alan J., Richter, Thalia, Schweizer, Susanne, Van den Stock, Jan, Ventura-Bort, Carlos, Weymar, Mathias and Dolcos, Sanda (2020). Neural correlates of emotion-attention interactions: from perception, learning, and memory to social cognition, individual differences, and training interventions. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 108, 559-601. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.017

Neural correlates of emotion-attention interactions: from perception, learning, and memory to social cognition, individual differences, and training interventions

2024

Journal Article

Visual perspective taking neural processing in forensic cases with high density EEG

Rochas, Vincent, Montandon, Marie-Louise, Rodriguez, Cristelle, Herrmann, François R., Eytan, Ariel, Pegna, Alan J., Michel, Christoph M. and Giannakopoulos, Panteleimon (2024). Visual perspective taking neural processing in forensic cases with high density EEG. Scientific Reports, 14 (1) 15973. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-66522-y

Visual perspective taking neural processing in forensic cases with high density EEG

2024

Journal Article

Perceptions of facial trustworthiness and dominance modulate early neural responses to male facial sexual dimorphism

Dixson, Barnaby J.W., Nelson, Nicole L., Moses, Eleanor, Lee, Anthony J. and Pegna, Alan J. (2024). Perceptions of facial trustworthiness and dominance modulate early neural responses to male facial sexual dimorphism. Evolution and Human Behavior, 45 (6) 106629, 106629. doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2024.106629

Perceptions of facial trustworthiness and dominance modulate early neural responses to male facial sexual dimorphism

2024

Journal Article

Predictability modulates the early neural coding of spatially unattended fearful faces

Chalk, Philip T. and Pegna, Alan J. (2024). Predictability modulates the early neural coding of spatially unattended fearful faces. Cortex, 179, 286-300. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.07.014

Predictability modulates the early neural coding of spatially unattended fearful faces

2024

Journal Article

The Human Affectome

Schiller, Daniela, Yu, Alessandra N.C., Alia-Klein, Nelly, Becker, Susanne, Cromwell, Howard C., Dolcos, Florin, Eslinger, Paul J., Frewen, Paul, Kemp, Andrew H., Pace-Schott, Edward F., Raber, Jacob, Silton, Rebecca L., Stefanova, Elka, Williams, Justin H.G., Abe, Nobuhito, Aghajani, Moji, Albrecht, Franziska, Alexander, Rebecca, Anders, Silke, Aragón, Oriana R., Arias, Juan A., Arzy, Shahar, Aue, Tatjana, Baez, Sandra, Balconi, Michela, Ballarini, Tommaso, Bannister, Scott, Banta, Marlissa C., Barrett, Karen Caplovitz ... Leonie, Loeffler (2024). The Human Affectome. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 158 105450, 1-32. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105450

The Human Affectome

2024

Journal Article

Oxytocin differentially modulates the early neural responses to faces and non-social stimuli

Moses, Eleanor, Nelson, Nicole, Taubert, Jessica and Pegna, Alan J. (2024). Oxytocin differentially modulates the early neural responses to faces and non-social stimuli. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 19 (1) nsae010, 1-10. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsae010

Oxytocin differentially modulates the early neural responses to faces and non-social stimuli

2024

Journal Article

Looming angry faces: preliminary evidence of differential electrophysiological dynamics for filtered stimuli via low and high spatial frequencies

Yu, Zhou, Moses, Eleanor, Kritikos, Ada and Pegna, Alan J. (2024). Looming angry faces: preliminary evidence of differential electrophysiological dynamics for filtered stimuli via low and high spatial frequencies. Brain Sciences, 14 (1) 98. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14010098

Looming angry faces: preliminary evidence of differential electrophysiological dynamics for filtered stimuli via low and high spatial frequencies

2023

Journal Article

The effect of social comparison on effort: When similar and slightly better peers increased effort-related cardiovascular responses

Wang, Yi, Pegna, Alan J. and Framorando, David (2023). The effect of social comparison on effort: When similar and slightly better peers increased effort-related cardiovascular responses. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 192, 72-79. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.08.007

The effect of social comparison on effort: When similar and slightly better peers increased effort-related cardiovascular responses

2023

Journal Article

Faces capture spatial attention only when we want them to: an inattentional blindness EEG study

Qiu, Zeguo, Lei, Xue, Becker, Stefanie I. and Pegna, Alan J. (2023). Faces capture spatial attention only when we want them to: an inattentional blindness EEG study. Biological Psychology, 183 108665. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108665

Faces capture spatial attention only when we want them to: an inattentional blindness EEG study

2023

Journal Article

Fixation-related electrical potentials during a free visual search task reveal the timing of visual awareness

Qiu, Zeguo, Becker, Stefanie I., Xia, Hongfeng, Hamblin-Frohman, Zachary and Pegna, Alan J. (2023). Fixation-related electrical potentials during a free visual search task reveal the timing of visual awareness. iScience, 26 (7) 107148, 1-17. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107148

Fixation-related electrical potentials during a free visual search task reveal the timing of visual awareness

2023

Journal Article

Mentalizing and self-other distinction in visual perspective taking: the analysis of temporal neural processing using high-density EEG

Rochas, Vincent, Montandon, Marie-Louise, Rodriguez, Cristelle, Herrmann, François R., Eytan, Ariel, Pegna, Alan J., Michel, Christoph M. and Giannakopoulos, Panteleimon (2023). Mentalizing and self-other distinction in visual perspective taking: the analysis of temporal neural processing using high-density EEG. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 17 1206011. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1206011

Mentalizing and self-other distinction in visual perspective taking: the analysis of temporal neural processing using high-density EEG

Past funding

  • 2016
    A brain physiology laboratory for neuropsychological research in the new Queensland Neuropsychology Research Centre
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Alan Pegna is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Role of the amygdala in rapid emotional face processing

    Evidence has shown that the amygdala is responsible for the rapid detection of threat and emotion, however hard evidence is lacking to confirm this idea. This project will examine the electrical brain response to emotional stimuli in healthy individuals as well as patients who have undergone surgical removal of their amygdala (amygdalectomies). The aim will be to establish whether the amydgala indeed contributes to the rapid processing of the visual stimuli.

  • Role of the amygdala in attentional capture of emotional stimuli

    Evidence has shown that the amygdala is responsible for the rapid detection of threat and emotion. One question that arises is whether this process is a prequisite for attention shifting. This project will investigate the electrical coorelate of attention-shifting in healthy individuals as well as patients who have undergone surgical removal of their amygdala (amygdalectomies). The project aims to determine if amydgala removal affects the automatic shift of attetion towards threatening stimuli..

  • Effects of personal space on face processing: an ERP and VR study

    It has been known for some time that different brain regions process stimuli according to whether they are situated in near (peripersonal) or far (extrapersonal) space. Furthermore, evidence has demonstrated the existence of a personal spatial boundary that, when crossed by another individual, creates a sense of discomfort. Using ERP in conjunction with Virtual Reality, this project will examine the brain response to neutral and emotionally expressive faces, as well as trustworthy and untrustworthy faces, situated within or beyond personal space.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Effects of oxytocin on the temporal dynamics of emotion processing

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Examining Stress, and Cognitive-Affective Processing in Emotion Disorders

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigating the Relationship Between Prediction and Attention in Response to Emotional Stimuli in the Human Brain

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Derek Arnold

  • Master Philosophy

    Exploring links between Human Eating Disorder pathology and the visual perception of foods.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr James Kesby

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Do Fearful Faces Attract Spatial Attention under Different Conditions of Visual Awareness?

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Stefanie Becker

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Attraction vs suppression. Comparing EEG and eye-tracking to disentangle the mechanisms of attention.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jess Taubert

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigating the importance of VSTM in visual attention vs target identification

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Stefanie Becker

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Memory Symptoms in People with Epilepsy

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Catherine Haslam

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The role of the amygdala in primate social intelligence.

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Amanda Robinson, Professor Eric Vanman, Associate Professor Jess Taubert

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The sensory make-up of virtual environments and its role in the effective transfer of learning to real-world tasks

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Guy Wallis, Associate Professor Stefanie Becker, Associate Professor Philip Grove

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Alan Pegna directly for media enquiries about:

  • awareness
  • blindsight
  • brain
  • brain damage
  • brain-behaviour relation
  • cognition
  • cognitive function
  • electrophysiology
  • emotion
  • epilepsy
  • face
  • face blindness
  • Neuropsychology
  • object recognition
  • prosopagnosia
  • space
  • stroke
  • vision
  • visual perception

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