Individual Differences in Cognitive and Perceptual Neuroscience

Continued advances in neural imaging are allowing for an ever more detailed understanding of how the brain operates at the individual level. By understanding the individual brain (as opposed to group effects), we can begin to understand the mechanisms that allow individuals to differ. Understanding how and why individuals differ is critical to fully understanding neural processes, but it is also critical if we hope to apply our knowledge to the benefit of individuals within the population.;This dissertation highlights three studies that attempt to gain a better understanding of how and why certain important cognitive and perceptual processes differ between individuals within the population. The first study will show that the dynamics of certain fundamental phenomena within visual perception known as bistable switch are related and possibly controlled for, in part by genetics. The second study will show that the magnitude of one of the electrophysiological hallmarks of face perception (the ERP N170) and a second component identified to be sensitive to the processing of emotional content is more highly correlated in identical compared to fraternal twins. The final study will identify a self-report measure of trait fear and show that this measure correlates with activity in the N170 as well as another hallmark of face perception (the FFA).;Together, these studies highlight the importance and diversity of continued research into the individual differences of key perceptual and cognitive processes.