Martin Schaefer

Emerging evidence suggests that foundational bodily rhythms, such as breathing and heartbeats, actively shape how we perceive and interact with our environment. This project investigates how breathing and cardiac cycles interact to shape visual perception and coordinate our exploratory behavior. I will determine how breathing and heartbeat rhythms influence two fundamental visual functions— detecting objects and discriminating their features—and establish whether these bodily signals coordinate eye movements and exploratory behavior during visual search. Three progressive studies will combine physiological monitoring (breathing, heartbeat, brain activity) with behavioral testing. Study 1 examines how breathing and cardiac phases affect basic visual detection and discrimination using controlled laboratory tasks. Study 2 investigates whether these rhythms coordinate eye movements during visual search, to optimize search efficiency. Study 3 employs virtual reality environments to test whether bodily rhythms organize natural exploratory behavior, including head and body movements, during realistic search scenarios. This research challenges the traditional view of the brain as separate from the body, instead proposing that visceral rhythms serve as organizing principles for perception. By revealing how breathing and heartbeat shape and coordinate vision and exploration, this work will advance our understanding of embodied cognition and the fundamental principles of perception.