Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) - La Trobe University
Science
School of Psychology
Hayden Peel joined the School of Psychology at UNSW as a Research Associate in October 2026. His background is in vision neuroscience, with research spanning visual perception, attention, and their underlying neural mechanisms. His previous work has applied fMRI, psychophysics, and brain stimulation to understand altered visual processing and body image perception in psychiatric disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder and anorexia nervosa. Nowadays, he is interested in understanding the neural mechanisms that link visual attention to eye movements and behaviour, using EEG and other neuroscientific methods. More broadly, he is interested in how principles from vision science can be used to understand individual differences in perception and behaviour.
Peel HJ; Diaz-Fong JP; Karsan S; Kumar R; Hellemann G; Feusner JD, 2026, 'Functional brain mapping of body size estimation using a 3D avatar', Scientific Reports, 16, pp. 4750, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38383-0
Journal articles | 2026
Peel HJ; Diaz-Fong JP, 2026, 'Attentional Modulation of Spatial Frequency Tuning: Links to Global–Local Processing and Potential Remediation of Frequency Biases', Journal of Neuroscience, 46, pp. e1600252026, http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1600-25.2026
Journal articles | 2026
Peel HJ; Naraindas AM; Guo J; Cazzato V; Feusner JD, 2026, 'Neural correlates of body size estimation: A systematic review and narrative synthesis', Behavioural Brain Research, 501, pp. 116020, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2025.116020
Journal articles | 2025
Peel HJ; Reggente N; Strober M; Feusner JD, 2025, 'Consistency of reward responses in neutral and anxious states in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa', NeuroImage Clinical, 48, pp. 103896, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103896
Journal articles | 2025
Wong W-W; Rangaprakash D; Diaz-Fong JP; Peel HJ; Tadayonnejad R; Leuchter AF; Feusner JD, 2025, 'Effects of noninvasive neuromodulation combined with rapid, short-duration self-image stimuli in body dysmorphic disorder', Brain Stimulation, 18, pp. 259 - 261, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2025.02.016
Journal articles | 2023
Peel HJ; Chouinard PA, 2023, 'A review of the impairments, preserved visual functions, and neuropathology in 21 patients with visual form agnosia – A unique defect with line drawings', Neuropsychologia, 190, pp. 108666, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108666
Journal articles | 2022
Peel HJ; Chouinard PA, 2022, 'fMRI form adaptation and size repetition enhancement in different subdivisions of the lateral occipital complex', Cortex, 154, pp. 135 - 148, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2022.04.020
Journal articles | 2022
Peel HJ; Royals KA; Chouinard PA, 2022, 'The Effects of Word Identity, Case, and SOA on Word Priming in a Subliminal Context', Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 51, pp. 1 - 15, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10936-021-09783-2
Journal articles | 2019
Peel HJ; Sherman JA; Sperandio I; Laycock R; Chouinard PA, 2019, 'Perceptual size discrimination requires awareness and late visual areas: A continuous flash suppression and interocular transfer study', Consciousness and Cognition, 67, pp. 77 - 85, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2018.11.012
Journal articles | 2018
Peel HJ; Sperandio I; Laycock R; Chouinard PA, 2018, 'Perceptual Discrimination of Basic Object Features Is Not Facilitated When Priming Stimuli Are Prevented From Reaching Awareness by Means of Visual Masking', Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 12, pp. 13, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2018.00013
Journal articles | 2017
Chouinard PA; Peel HJ; Landry O, 2017, 'Eye-Tracking Reveals that the Strength of the Vertical-Horizontal Illusion Increases as the Retinal Image Becomes More Stable with Fixation', Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, pp. 143, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00143
Preprints |
Diaz-Fong JP; Peel HJ; Zhang K; Qian J; Lewis M; Wong W-W; Leuchter AF; Tadayonnejad R; Voineskos D; Konstantinou G; Lam E; Blumberger DM; Feusner JD, Effects of theta burst stimulation on neural connectivity and visual perception following attention modification of own-face viewing in body dysmorphic disorder, http://dx.doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.25.26354053
Preprints |
Peel H; Chouinard PA, Perceptual and Conceptual Processing of Images: A Garner Interference Study Examining the Interaction between Image Format and Semantic Classification of Black-and-White, Greyscale, and Coloured Line-Drawings, http://dx.doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/mh9a3
Preprints |
Peel HJ; Diaz-Fong JP; Karsan S; Kumar R; Hellemann G; Feusner JD, Functional Brain Mapping of Body Size Estimation Using a 3D Avatar, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.24.666647
Preprints |
Peel HJ; Reggente N; Strober M; Feusner JD, Multivariate Neural Patterns of Reward and Anxiety in Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.23.604826
Preprints |
Wong W-W; Peel H; Cabeen R; Diaz-Fong JP; Feusner JD, Visual system structural and functional connections during face viewing in body dysmorphic disorder, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.12.603273
Primary Investigator - "The Perceptual Basis of Body Image Distortion: Visual Cortex Activity and Body Size Estimation in Anorexia Nervosa", awarded by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Talent Discovery Fund.
Early Career Investigator Award – Eating Disorder Research Society (2025)
Global Scholarship Award – American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Best Poster Award – Perspectives in Body Image Conference
