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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Sep 2023To navigate and guide adaptive behaviour in a dynamic environment, animals must accurately estimate their own motion relative to the external world. This is a... (Review)
Review
To navigate and guide adaptive behaviour in a dynamic environment, animals must accurately estimate their own motion relative to the external world. This is a fundamentally multisensory process involving integration of visual, vestibular and kinesthetic inputs. Ideal observer models, paired with careful neurophysiological investigation, helped to reveal how visual and vestibular signals are combined to support perception of linear self-motion direction, or heading. Recent work has extended these findings by emphasizing the dimension of time, both with regard to stimulus dynamics and the trade-off between speed and accuracy. Both time and certainty-i.e. the degree of confidence in a multisensory decision-are essential to the ecological goals of the system: terminating a decision process is necessary for timely action, and predicting one's accuracy is critical for making multiple decisions in a sequence, as in navigation. Here, we summarize a leading model for multisensory decision-making, then show how the model can be extended to study confidence in heading discrimination. Lastly, we preview ongoing efforts to bridge self-motion perception and navigation , including closed-loop virtual reality and active self-motion. The design of unconstrained, ethologically inspired tasks, accompanied by large-scale neural recordings, raise promise for a deeper understanding of spatial perception and decision-making in the behaving animal. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.
Topics: Animals; Motion Perception; Space Perception; Vestibule, Labyrinth; Movement; Adaptation, Psychological; Visual Perception; Photic Stimulation
PubMed: 37545301
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0333 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jul 2023Auditory perception is traditionally conceived as the perception of sounds-a friend's voice, a clap of thunder, a minor chord. However, daily life also seems to present...
Auditory perception is traditionally conceived as the perception of sounds-a friend's voice, a clap of thunder, a minor chord. However, daily life also seems to present us with experiences characterized by the absence of sound-a moment of silence, a gap between thunderclaps, the hush after a musical performance. In these cases, do we positively silence? Or do we just , and merely judge or infer that it is silent? This longstanding question remains controversial in both the philosophy and science of perception, with prominent theories holding that sounds are the only objects of auditory experience and thus that our encounter with silence is cognitive, not perceptual. However, this debate has largely remained theoretical, without a key empirical test. Here, we introduce an empirical approach to this theoretical dispute, presenting experimental evidence that silence can be genuinely perceived (not just cognitively inferred). We ask whether silences can "substitute" for sounds in event-based auditory illusions-empirical signatures of auditory event representation in which auditory events distort perceived duration. Seven experiments introduce three "silence illusions"-the one-silence-is-more illusion, silence-based warping, and the oddball-silence illusion-each adapted from a prominent perceptual illusion previously thought to arise only from sounds. Subjects were immersed in ambient noise interrupted by silences structurally identical to the sounds in the original illusions. In all cases, silences elicited temporal distortions perfectly analogous to the illusions produced by sounds. Our results suggest that silence is truly heard, not merely inferred, introducing a general approach for studying the perception of absence.
Topics: Humans; Illusions; Noise; Sound; Auditory Perception; Hearing; Acoustic Stimulation
PubMed: 37428927
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2301463120 -
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) Jan 2024Bistable perception follows from observing a static, ambiguous, (visual) stimulus with two possible interpretations. Here, we present an active (Bayesian) inference...
Bistable perception follows from observing a static, ambiguous, (visual) stimulus with two possible interpretations. Here, we present an active (Bayesian) inference account of bistable perception and posit that perceptual transitions between different interpretations (i.e. inferences) of the same stimulus ensue from specific eye movements that shift the focus to a different visual feature. Formally, these inferences are a consequence of precision control that determines how confident beliefs are and change the frequency with which one can perceive-and alternate between-two distinct percepts. We hypothesized that there are multiple, but distinct, ways in which precision modulation can interact to give rise to a similar frequency of bistable perception. We validated this using numerical simulations of the Necker cube paradigm and demonstrate the multiple routes that underwrite the frequency of perceptual alternation. Our results provide an (enactive) computational account of the intricate precision balance underwriting bistable perception. Importantly, these precision parameters can be considered the computational homologs of particular neurotransmitters-i.e. acetylcholine, noradrenaline, dopamine-that have been previously implicated in controlling bistable perception, providing a computational link between the neurochemistry and perception.
Topics: Visual Perception; Bayes Theorem; Eye Movements; Photic Stimulation
PubMed: 37950879
DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad401 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in the last quarter of 2019, has had a significant impact on urban transportation. With increasing demand for urban transport, the...
INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in the last quarter of 2019, has had a significant impact on urban transportation. With increasing demand for urban transport, the internal roads and public spaces of university campuses play an important role in facilitating commuting and communication between various functional zones. While considerable research has been conducted on route planning, pedestrian-vehicle segregation, and safety management in the internal transportation environment of university campuses, empirical investigations exploring barrier-free inclusive campus environment design and the subjective evaluation of road and public space users in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic are lacking. Recent developments in travel behavior models and positive psychology have led to an increased focus on the correlation among subjective perceptions, attitudes, emotions, and commuting satisfaction in urban transportation and planning design.
METHODS
To elucidate this relationship, a study was conducted on the new campus of Central South University in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Using 312 valid samples, a structural equation model was constructed to analyse the relationship between commuting satisfaction and the barrier-free environment perception of university students regarding the internal transportation environment of the campus.
RESULTS
The results revealed that individuals' instantaneous barrier-free environment perceptions and long-term established positive emotions had a significant positive effect on commuting satisfaction. Furthermore, positive emotions were found to mediate the relationship between commuting attitudes induced by COVID-19, barrier-free environment perceptions, and commuting satisfaction.
DISCUSSION
The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the necessity of accessibility design in the post-COVID era. In addition, this study considers the perspective of users to provide ideas for the planning and construction of barrier-free campus environments that are based on convenient and inclusive design.
Topics: Humans; Pandemics; Transportation; COVID-19; Personal Satisfaction; Perception
PubMed: 38186712
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1294360 -
Journal of Vision Apr 2024This paper reviews projection models and their perception in realistic pictures, and proposes hypotheses for three-dimensional (3D) shape and space perception in... (Review)
Review
This paper reviews projection models and their perception in realistic pictures, and proposes hypotheses for three-dimensional (3D) shape and space perception in pictures. In these hypotheses, eye fixations, and foveal vision play a central role. Many past theories and experimental studies focus solely on linear perspective. Yet, these theories fail to explain many important perceptual phenomena, including the effectiveness of nonlinear projections. Indeed, few classical paintings strictly obey linear perspective, nor do the best distortion-avoidance techniques for wide-angle computational photography. The hypotheses here employ a two-stage model for 3D human vision. When viewing a picture, the first stage perceives 3D shape for the current gaze. Each fixation has its own perspective projection, but, owing to the nature of foveal and peripheral vision, shape information is obtained primarily for a small region of the picture around the fixation. As a viewer moves their eyes, the second stage continually integrates some of the per-gaze information into an overall interpretation of a picture. The interpretation need not be geometrically stable or consistent over time. It is argued that this framework could explain many disparate pictorial phenomena, including different projection styles throughout art history and computational photography, while being consistent with the constraints of human 3D vision. The paper reviews open questions and suggests new studies to explore these hypotheses.
Topics: Humans; Fixation, Ocular; Form Perception; Depth Perception; Space Perception; Eye Movements; Fovea Centralis
PubMed: 38662346
DOI: 10.1167/jov.24.4.23 -
NeuroImage Oct 2023Visual illusions have long been used to study visual perception and contextual integration. Neuroimaging studies employ illusions to identify the brain regions involved... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Visual illusions have long been used to study visual perception and contextual integration. Neuroimaging studies employ illusions to identify the brain regions involved in visual perception and how they interact. We conducted an Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis and meta-analytic connectivity modeling on fMRI studies using static and motion illusions to reveal the neural signatures of illusory processing and to investigate the degree to which different areas are commonly recruited in perceptual inference. The resulting networks encompass ventral and dorsal regions, including the inferior and middle occipital cortices bilaterally in both types of illusions. The static and motion illusion networks selectively included the right posterior parietal cortex and the ventral premotor cortex respectively. Overall, these results describe a network of areas crucially involved in perceptual inference relying on feed-back and feed-forward interactions between areas of the ventral and dorsal visual pathways. The same network is proposed to be involved in hallucinogenic symptoms characteristic of schizophrenia and other disorders, with crucial implications in the use of illusions as biomarkers.
Topics: Humans; Illusions; Likelihood Functions; Neural Networks, Computer; Visual Perception; Head
PubMed: 37591478
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120335 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Nov 2023A central question in understanding cognition and pathology-related cognitive changes is how we process time. However, time processing difficulties across several... (Review)
Review
A central question in understanding cognition and pathology-related cognitive changes is how we process time. However, time processing difficulties across several neurological and psychiatric conditions remain seldom investigated. The aim of this review is to develop a unifying taxonomy of time processing, and a neuropsychological perspective on temporal difficulties. Four main temporal judgments are discussed: duration processing, simultaneity and synchrony, passage of time, and mental time travel. We present an integrated theoretical framework of timing difficulties across psychiatric and neurological conditions based on selected patient populations. This framework provides new mechanistic insights on both (a) the processes involved in each temporal judgement, and (b) temporal difficulties across pathologies. By identifying underlying transdiagnostic time-processing mechanisms, this framework opens fruitful avenues for future research.
Topics: Humans; Time Perception; Mental Disorders; Cognition; Judgment; Auditory Perception
PubMed: 37871780
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105430 -
Journal of Vision Oct 2023Motion, position, and form are intricately intertwined in perception. Motion distorts visual space, resulting in illusory position shifts such as flash-drag and...
Motion, position, and form are intricately intertwined in perception. Motion distorts visual space, resulting in illusory position shifts such as flash-drag and flash-grab effects. The flash-grab displaces a test by up to several times its size. This lets us use it to investigate where the motion-induced shift operates in the processing stream from photoreceptor activation to feature activation to object recognition. We present several canonical, highly familiar forms and ask whether the motion-induced shift operates uniformly across the form. If it did, we could conclude that the effect occurred after the elements of the form are bound. However, we find that motion-induced distortion affects not only the position, but also the appearance of briefly presented, canonical shapes (square, circle, and letter T). Features of the flashed target that were closest to its center were shifted in the direction of motion more than those further from its center. Outline shapes were affected more than filled shapes, and the strength of the distortion increased with the contrast of the moving background. This not only supports a nonuniform spatial profile for the motion-induced shift but also indicates that the shift operates before the shape is established, even for highly familiar shapes like squares, circles, and letters.
Topics: Humans; Illusions; Motion; Visual Perception
PubMed: 37902761
DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.12.10 -
Vision Research Jun 2024Recent studies have revealed that pupillary response changes depend on perceptual factors such as subjective brightness caused by optical illusions and luminance....
Recent studies have revealed that pupillary response changes depend on perceptual factors such as subjective brightness caused by optical illusions and luminance. However, the manner in which the perceptual factor that is derived from the glossiness perception of object surfaces affects the pupillary response remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between the glossiness perception and pupillary response through a glossiness rating experiment that included recording the pupil diameter. We prepared general object images (original) and randomized images (shuffled) that comprised the same images with randomized small square regions as stimuli. The image features were controlled by matching the luminance histogram. The observers were asked to rate the perceived glossiness of the stimuli presented for 3,000 ms and the changes in their pupil diameters were recorded. Images with higher glossiness ratings constricted the pupil size more than those with lower glossiness ratings at the peak constriction of the pupillary responses during the stimulus duration. The linear mixed-effects model demonstrated that the glossiness rating, image category (original/shuffled), variance of the luminance histogram, and stimulus area were most effective in predicting the pupillary responses. These results suggest that the illusory brightness obtained by the image regions of high-glossiness objects, such as specular highlights, induce pupil constriction.
Topics: Humans; Pupil; Male; Female; Photic Stimulation; Young Adult; Adult; Visual Perception; Optical Illusions; Contrast Sensitivity
PubMed: 38579405
DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2024.108393 -
BMC Health Services Research Nov 2023Otorhinolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery consists of different sub-specialties, each comprising unique characteristics and challenges. Herein, we investigate the use...
BACKGROUND
Otorhinolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery consists of different sub-specialties, each comprising unique characteristics and challenges. Herein, we investigate the use of a uniform national electronic questionnaire for curriculum planning.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
(1) Analyze the residents' perception of the different sub-specialties training programs and their competence capabilities. (2) Identify sub-specialties requiring attention. (3) Investigate the characteristics associated with competence perception.
METHODS
This is a national cross sectional study. An anonymous electronic questionnaire was emailed to all registered Otorhinolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery residents.
RESULTS
63.5% registered residents responded to the questionnaire. Two sub-specialties, Rhinology and Laryngology, are located in the extremities of the residents' perceptions of competence and training (p < 0.0001), despite similar complexity perception (means 6.10 and 6.01, respectively). Rhinology is perceived as the most well-trained sub-specialty, both surgically and clinically (means 7.08 and 7.66, respectively), whereas Laryngology is bottom scaled (means 5.16 and 6.14, respectively). The same is true for perceived competence, surgical and clinical, in Rhinology (means 6.80 and 8.02, respectively) compared to Laryngology (means 5.04 and 6.75, respectively). Significant positive correlations were found between training, competence perception and workload ("golden training triangle").
CONCLUSIONS
Each ORL-HNS sub-specialty comprises different characteristics and a different learning curve, necessitating a tailored training program. Recognizing its sub-specialties distinctive features may assist in establishment of better-adapted learning curves in residency programs. Herein, we examine the use of anonymous electronic national survey. Laryngology, bottom ranked, is a prototype of a relatively new surgical discipline. Rhinology, ranked top by the residents, is an exemplar of a sub-specialty with an optimal 'educational environment'. Moreover, we have established golden training triangle, implicating, highlights the essential role of institutional and senior staff for proper residency teaching. We demonstrate and advocate the benefit of using an anonymous electronic questionnaire.
Topics: Humans; Education, Medical, Graduate; Cross-Sectional Studies; Otolaryngology; Internship and Residency; Surveys and Questionnaires; Clinical Competence; Perception
PubMed: 37951915
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-10195-2