Current position & Research interest

I am a Professor of General and Biological Psychology at the Psychologische Hochschule Berlin. My primary research interest is the link between sensory stimulation, perceptual awareness, and neural information processing in the ventral and dorsal visual pathways.

Google Scholar, Web of Science (Publons), ORCID ID, ResearchGate, OSF, Figshare

Peer-reviewed publications

2024, in press & preprints

Kiepe, F. & Hesselmann, G. (in press). Prime-Induced Illusion of Control The influence of unconscious priming on self-initiated actions and the role of regression to the mean. Consciousness and Cognition.

2023

Kiepe, F., Kraus, N., & Hesselmann, G. (2023). Self-Initiation Enhances Perceptual Processing of Auditory Stimuli in an Online Experiment. Attention, Perception & Performance. doi: 10.3758/s13414-023-02827-w. (Online ahead of print)

Kraus, N., & Hesselmann, G. (2023) Affective States and Traits and Their Influence on Perceptual Stability During Binocular Rivalry. Scientific Reports 13, 8046. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35089-5

Czarnecka, M., Rączy, K., Szewczyk, J., Paplińska, M., Jednoróg, K., Marchewka, A., Hesselmann, G., Knops, A., & Szwed, M. (2023). Overlapping but separate number representations in the intraparietal sulcus – probing format- and modality-independence in sighted Braille readers. Cortex 162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2023.01.011

Hesselmann, G., & Knops, A. (2023). No conclusive evidence for number-induced attentional shifts in a temporal order judgment task. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218231152406

Kiepe, F., Kraus, N., & Hesselmann, G. (2023) Virtual occlusion effects on the perception of self-initiated visual stimuli. Consciousness and Cognition. DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103460 

Handschack, J., Rothkirch, M., Sterzer, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2023). No effect of attentional modulation by spatial cueing in a masked numerical priming paradigm using continuous flash suppression (CFS). PeerJ. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14607

2022

Handschack, J., Rothkirch, M., Sterzer, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2022). Probing the attentional modulation of unconscious processing under interocular suppression in a spatial cueing paradigm. Cortex 153:32-43 (2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2022.04.010

Rothkirch, M., Shanks*, D.R., & Hesselmann*, G. (2022). The pervasive problem of post hoc data selection in studies on unconscious processing – A reply to Sklar, Goldstein, & Hassin (2021). Experimental Psychology 69:1-11 (2022).  https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/abs/10.1027/1618-3169/a000541 [* equal contribution]

Kraus, N., Niedeggen, M., & Hesselmann, G. (2022). Negative Affect Impedes Perceptual Filling-In in the Uniformity Illusion. Consciousness and Cognition 98 (103258). doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2021.103258

2021

Kiepe, F., Kraus, N., & Hesselmann, G. (2021). Sensory attenuation in the auditory modality as a window into predictive processing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - Cognitive Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.704668

Kraus, N., & Hesselmann, G. (2021). Musicality as a predictive process. Commentary on target article by Savage et al. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 44, e81. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X20000746 

Benthien, F.M., & Hesselmann, G. (2021). Does Location Uncertainty Modulate Unconscious Processing Under Continuous Flash Suppression? Advances in Cognitive Psychology. doi:10.5709/acp-0312-3 

2020

Hesselmann, G. (2020) No conclusive evidence that difficult general knowledge questions cause a “Google Stroop effect”. A replication study. PeerJ. https://peerj.com/articles/10325/

Kraus, N., Niedeggen, M., & Hesselmann, G. (2020). Trait Anxiety is Linked to Increased Usage of Priors in a Perceptual Decision Making Task . Cognition 206 (104474 ). doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104474

Ophir, E., Hesselmann, G., & Lamy, D. (2020). The attentional blink unveils the interplay between conscious perception, spatial attention and working memory encoding. Consciousness and Cognition 85 (103008 ). doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2020.103008

Raczy, K., Czarnecka, M., Paplinska, M., Hesselmann, G., Knops, A. & Szwed, M. (2020). Tactile to visual number priming in the left Intraparietal Cortex of sighted Braille readers . Scientific Reports 10 (17571). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72431-7

Raczy, K., Czarnecka, M., Zaremba, D., Paplinska, M., Hesselmann, G., Knops, A. & Szwed, M. (2020). A shared code for Braille and Arabic digits revealed by cross-modal priming in sighted Braille readers. Acta Psychologica 202 (102960). doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.102960

2019

Moors, P., Gayet, S., Hedger, N., Stein, T., Sterzer, P., van Ee, R., Wagemans, J., & Hesselmann, G. (2019) Three criteria for integrating a fractionated CFS literature. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.01.008

Moors, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2019). Assessing the robustness of unconscious arithmetic: A multiverse analysis of Karpinski, Briggs, and Yale (2018). Consciousness and Cognition. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.01.003 [Data available at OSF]

Darcy, N., Sterzer, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2019) Category-selective processing in the two visual pathways as a function of stimulus degradation by noise. Neuroimage. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.12.036 

2018

Hesselmann, G., Darcy, N., Rothkirch, M., & Sterzer, P. (2018) Investigating masked priming along the "vision-for-perception" and "vision-for-action" dimensions of unconscious processing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. doi: 10.1037/xge0000420 [Data available at OSF]

Rothkirch, M., & Hesselmann, G. (2018). No evidence for dorsal-stream-based priming under continuous flash suppression. Consciousness and Cognition. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.05.011 [Data available at OSF]

Hesselmann, G. (2018) Applying linear mixed effects models (LMMs) in within-participant designs with subjective trial-based assessments of awareness – a caveat. Frontiers in Psychology. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00788 [Data available at OSF]

2017

Moors, P., Hesselmann, G., Wagemans, J., & van Ee, R. (2017) Continuous flash suppression – stimulus fractionation rather than integration. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 21:719–721.

Moors, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2017) A critical reexamination of doing arithmetic nonconsciously. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. doi: 10.3758/s13423-017-1292-x

Kerr*, J., Hesselmann*, G., Räling, R., Wartenburger, I., & Sterzer, P. (2017) Choice of analysis pathway dramatically affects statistical outcomes in breaking continuous flash suppression. Scientific Reports 7. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-03396-3. (* equal contribution) [Data available at OSF]

Weilnhammer, V., Stuke, H., Hesselmann, G., & Sterzer, P. (2017) A predictive coding account of bistable perception – a model-based fMRI study. PLOS Computational Biology. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005536

Rothkirch, M., & Hesselmann, G. (2017) What we talk about when we talk about unconscious processing – a plea for best practices. Frontiers in Psychology (Consciousness Research). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00835

2016

Ludwig, K., Sterzer, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2016). Stimulus visibility differentially modulates response patterns in dorsal and ventral visual stream. Cortex 83:113-23.

Weilnhammer, V., Sterzer, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2016) Perceptual stability of the Lissajous figure is modulated by the speed of illusory rotation. PlosONE 11: e0160772. [Data available at OSF]

Hesselmann*, G., Darcy*, N., Ludwig, K., & Sterzer, P. (2016) Priming in a shape task but not in a category task under continuous flash suppression. Journal of Vision 16:17. (* equal contribution) [Data available at OSF]

Stein, T., Kaiser, D., & Hesselmann, G. (2016) Can working memory be non-conscious? Neuroscience of Consciousness 1:1-3.

2015

Hesselmann, G., & Moors, P. (2015) Definitely maybe - Can unconscious processes perform the same functions as conscious processes? Frontiers in Psychology (Consciousness Research). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00584

Ludwig, K., & Hesselmann, G. (2015) Weighing the evidence for a dorsal processing bias under continuous flash suppression. Consciousness & Cognition 35:251-259.

Hesselmann, G., Darcy, N., Sterzer, P., & Knops, A. (2015). Exploring the boundary conditions of unconscious numerical priming effects with continuous flash suppression. Consciousness & Cognition 31:60-72.

Ludwig, K., Kathmann, N., Sterzer, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2015). Investigating category- and shape-selective neural processing in ventral and dorsal visual stream under interocular suppression. Human Brain Mapping 36:137-149.

2014

Lev, M., Ludwig, K., Gilaie-Dotan, S., Voss, S., Sterzer, P., Hesselmann, G., & Polat, U. (2014) Training improves visual processing speed and generalizes to untrained functions. Scientific Reports 4:7251.

Hesselmann, G., & Knops, A. (2014). No conclusive evidence for numerical priming under interocular suppression. Psychological Science 25:2116-2119.

Sterzer, P., Stein, T., Rothkirch, M., Ludwig, K. & Hesselmann, G. (2014). Visual information processing under interocular suppression: A critical review. Frontiers in Psychology (Consciousness Research). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00453

Weilnhammer, V. A., Ludwig, K., Sterzer, P., & Hesselmann, G. (2014). Revisiting the Lissajous figure as a tool to study bistable perception. Vision Research 98:107-12.

2013

Ludwig, K., Kathmann, N., Sterzer, P., Franz*, V.H., Hesselmann*, G. (2013). Learning to detect but not to grasp suppressed visual stimuli. (* equal contribution) Neuropsychologia 51: 2930-2938.

Weilnhammer, V. A., Ludwig, K., Sterzer, P.*, & Hesselmann*, G. (2013). Fronto-parietal cortex mediates perceptual transitions in bistable perception. (* equal contribution) Journal of Neuroscience 33: 16009-16015.

Hesselmann, G. (2013) Dissecting visual awareness with fMRI. The Neuroscientist 19, 495-508.

Salomon, R., Lim, M., Herbelin, B., Hesselmann, G., & Blanke, O. (2013). Feel Me, See me: Proprioception affects visual awareness. Journal of Vision 13, 1-8.

Hesselmann, G., Naccache, L., Cohen, L., & Dehaene, S. (2013) Splitting of the P3 component during dual-task processing in a patient with posterior callosal section. Cortex 49, 730-747.

2012

Gauthier, B., Eger, E., Hesselmann, G., Giraud, A.-L., & Kleinschmidt, A. (2012) Temporal tuning properties along the human ventral visual stream. Journal of Neuroscience 32, 14433-14441.

Dirnberger, G., Hesselmann, G., Roisner, J., Preminger, S., Malach, R., Jahanshahi, M., & Paz, R. (2012) Effects of emotion on time perception: An fMRI study. NeuroImage 63, 591-599.

Hebart, M., & Hesselmann, G. (2012) What visual information is processed in the human dorsal stream? Journal of Neuroscience 32, 8107-8109.

Ovadia-Caro, S., Nir, Y., Soddu, A., Ramot, M., Hesselmann, G., Vanhaudenhuyse, A., Dinstein, I., Tshibanda, JF.-L., Boly, M., Harel, M., Laureys, S., & Malach, R. (2012) Decreased inter-hemispheric correlations in patients with disorders of consciousness: an fMRI study. PLOS One 7, e37238.

Niedeggen, M., Michael, L., & Hesselmann, G. (2012) Closing the gates to consciousness: Distractors activate a central inhibition process. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 24, 1294-12304.

2011

Hesselmann, G., Hebart, M., & Malach, R. (2011) Differential BOLD activity associated with subjective and objective reports during “blindsight" in normal observers. Journal of Neuroscience 31, 12936-12944.

Michael, L., Hesselmann, G., Kiefer, M., & Niedeggen, M. (2011) Distractor-induced blindness for orientation changes and coherent motion. Vision Research 51, 1781-1787.

Hesselmann, G., & Malach, R. (2011) The link between fMRI-BOLD activation and perceptual awareness is 'stream-invariant' in the human visual system. Cerebral Cortex 21, 2829-2837.

Hesselmann, G., Flandin, G., & Dehaene, S. (2011) Probing the cortical network underlying the psychological refractory period: a combined EEG-fMRI study. NeuroImage 56, 1608-1621.

2010

Sadaghiani, S., Hesselmann, G., Friston, K.J., & Kleinschmidt, A. (2010) The relation of ongoing brain activity, evoked neural responses, and cognition. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 4, 1-14.

Hesselmann*, G., Sadaghiani*, S., Friston, K.J., & Kleinschmidt, A. (2010) Predictive coding or evidence accumulation? False inference and neuronal fluctuations. PLoS ONE 5, e9926. (* equal contribution)

2009

Hesselmann, G., Allan, J.L., Sahraie, A., Milders, M., & Niedeggen, M. (2009) Inhibition related reductions in coherent motion perception in the attention-induced motion blindness paradigm. Spatial Vision 22, 493-509.

Sadaghiani, S., Hesselmann, G., & Kleinschmidt, A. (2009) Detection of near-threshold auditory stimuli depends on spontaneous activity in the default mode and dorsal attention networks. Journal of Neuroscience 29, 13410-13417.

2008

Hesselmann, G., Kell, C.A., & Kleinschmidt, A. (2008) Ongoing activity fluctuations in hMT+ bias the perception of coherent visual motion. Journal of Neuroscience 28, 14481-14485.

Hesselmann, G., Kell, C.A., Eger, E., & Kleinschmidt, A. (2008) Spontaneous local variations in ongoing neural activity bias perceptual decisions. PNAS 105, 10984-10989.

2007 and earlier

Alonso-Prieto, E., Barnikol, U.B., Palmero-Soler, E., Dolan, K., Hesselmann, G., Mohlberg, H., Amunts, K., Zilles, K., Niedeggen, M., & Tass, P.A. (2007) Timing of V1/V2 and V5+ activations during coherent motion of dots: an MEG study. NeuroImage 37, 1384-1395.

Hesselmann, G., Niedeggen, M., Sahraie, A., & Milders, M. (2006) Specifying the distractor inhibition account of attention-induced motion blindness. Vision Research 46, 1048-1056.

Niedeggen, M., Hesselmann, G., Sahraie, A., Milders, M., & Blakemore, C. (2006) ERPs predict the appearance of visual stimuli in a temporal selection task. Brain Research 1097, 205-215.

Niedeggen, M., Hesselmann, G., Sahraie, A., Milders, M., & Blakemore, C. (2004) Probing the prerequisites for motion blindness. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 16, 584-597.

Niedeggen, M., Sahraie, A., Hesselmann, G., Milders, M., & Blakemore, C. (2002) Is experimental motion blindness due to sensory suppression? An ERP approach. Cognitive Brain Research 13, 241-247.

Book chapters and editorials

Breitmeyer, B.G., & Hesselmann, G. (2019). Unconscious Visual Processing: How a Neuro-Functional Hierarchy Can Guide Future Research. In: Hesselmann, G., Transitions between Consciousness and Unconsciousness. New York: Routledge.

Owens, D.A., Hesselmann, G., & Bachmann, T. (2018). Foreword: Visual Experience and Guidance of Action: A Tribute to Bruce Bridgeman. Consciousness and Cognition. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.08.002.

Rothkirch, M., Overgaard, M., & Hesselmann, G. (2018) Editorial: Transitions between consciousness and unconsciousness. Frontiers in Psychology (Consciousness Research). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00020

Editorial work

Hesselmann, G. (2019) Transitions between Consciousness and Unconsciousness. New York: Routledge.

https://www.routledge.com/Transitions-Between-Consciousness-and-Unconsciousness-1st-Edition/Hesselmann/p/book/9781138602267

Hesselmann, G. & Owens, F. (2018) Visual Experience and Guidance of Action: A Tribute to Bruce Bridgeman. Consciousness and Cognition, 64.

Popular science

Hesselmann, G.  & Rothkirch, M. (2021). Ich sehe was, was ich nicht seh'. Über unbewusste Wahrnehmung. Gehirn & Geist 4/2021.

Rothkirch, R., & Hesselmann, G. (2020). Muss man sich vor unterschwelliger Beeinflussung fürchten? Talk at the rC3 (remote Chaos Experience). https://media.ccc.de/v/rc3-641471-muss_man_sich_vor_unterschwelliger_beeinflussung_fuerchten

Madipakkam, A.R., Ludwig, K., Rothkirch, M., & Hesselmann, G. (2015) Now you see it - now you don’t: Interacting with invisible objects. Frontiers for Young Minds. https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2015.00004