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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jul 2009How long did it take you to read this sentence? Chances are your response is a ball park estimate and its value depends on how fast you have scanned the text, how... (Review)
Review
How long did it take you to read this sentence? Chances are your response is a ball park estimate and its value depends on how fast you have scanned the text, how prepared you have been for this question, perhaps your mood or how much attention you have paid to these words. Time perception is here addressed in three sections. The first section summarizes theoretical difficulties in time perception research, specifically those pertaining to the representation of time and temporal processing. The second section reviews non-exhaustively temporal effects in multisensory perception. Sensory modalities interact in temporal judgement tasks, suggesting that (i) at some level of sensory analysis, the temporal properties across senses can be integrated in building a time percept and (ii) the representational format across senses is compatible for establishing such a percept. In the last section, a two-step analysis of temporal properties is sketched out. In the first step, it is proposed that temporal properties are automatically encoded at early stages of sensory analysis, thus providing the raw material for the building of a time percept; in the second step, time representations become available to perception through attentional gating of the raw temporal representations and via re-encoding into abstract representations.
Topics: Biological Clocks; Brain; Humans; Space Perception; Time Perception
PubMed: 19487185
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0023 -
Cognitive Processing Sep 2018Points, lines and surfaces are the basic elements of Euclidean geometry. In this paper, accompanying a keynote at ICSC 2018, we will explore how, in physics, cognition...
Points, lines and surfaces are the basic elements of Euclidean geometry. In this paper, accompanying a keynote at ICSC 2018, we will explore how, in physics, cognition and our lived experience, it is often better to think in terms of interconnected threads than an evolving state of the world now. In physics 'now' is an illusion, merely a convenient construction, each particle and person is more like an independent strand in space-time, and similarly, in our minds, strands of memories from different roles and contexts flow almost independently. Paths create lines on the map and may be inscribed as signs in the landscape, but our journeys along paths create temporal threads that interweave as we meet along the way. This paper draws on my research over many years on time and user interaction and also my personal experiences during a thousand-mile walk around the periphery of Wales in 2013.
Topics: Humans; Memory; Research; Space Perception; Time Perception
PubMed: 30132084
DOI: 10.1007/s10339-018-0879-0 -
Cognitive Science Mar 2018Sculptors, architects, and painters are three professional groups that require a comprehensive understanding of how to manipulate spatial structures. While it has been...
Sculptors, architects, and painters are three professional groups that require a comprehensive understanding of how to manipulate spatial structures. While it has been speculated that they may differ in the way they conceive of space due to the different professional demands, this has not been empirically tested. To achieve this, we asked architects, painters, sculptors, and a control group questions about spatially complex pictures. Verbalizations elicited were examined using cognitive discourse analysis. We found significant differences between each group. Only painters shifted consistently between 2D and 3D concepts, architects were concerned with paths and spatial physical boundedness, and sculptors produced responses that fell between architects and painters. All three differed from controls, whose verbalizations were generally less elaborate and detailed. Thus, for the case of sculptors, architects, and painters, profession appears to relate to a different spatial conceptualization manifested through a systematically contrasting way of talking about space.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Architecture; Art; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Paintings; Space Perception
PubMed: 28656679
DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12510 -
The European Journal of Neuroscience Jun 2011Spatial attention enables the brain to analyse and evaluate information selectively from a specific location in space, a capacity essential for any animal to behave... (Review)
Review
Spatial attention enables the brain to analyse and evaluate information selectively from a specific location in space, a capacity essential for any animal to behave adaptively in a complex world. We usually think of spatial attention as being controlled by a frontoparietal network in the forebrain. However, emerging evidence shows that a midbrain network also plays a critical role in controlling spatial attention. Moreover, the highly differentiated, retinotopic organization of the midbrain network, especially in birds, makes it amenable to detailed analysis with modern techniques that can elucidate circuit, cellular and synaptic mechanisms of attention. The following review discusses the role of the midbrain network in controlling attention, the neural circuits that support this role and current knowledge about the computations performed by these circuits.
Topics: Animals; Attention; Mesencephalon; Nerve Net; Neural Pathways; Space Perception
PubMed: 21645092
DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07696.x -
Current Biology : CB Oct 2007A recent study of spatial processing in amusia makes a controversial claim that such musical deficits may be understood in terms of a problem in the representation of... (Review)
Review
A recent study of spatial processing in amusia makes a controversial claim that such musical deficits may be understood in terms of a problem in the representation of space. If such a link is demonstrated to be causal, it would challenge the prevailing view that deficits in amusia are specific to the musical or even the auditory domain.
Topics: Auditory Perception; Humans; Models, Psychological; Music; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychomotor Performance; Space Perception; Visual Perception
PubMed: 17956751
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.08.012 -
Vision Research Feb 1997I investigated the discrimination of rigid from nonrigid structure and the perception of affine stretches along the line of sight [Norman & Todd (1993). Perception and...
I investigated the discrimination of rigid from nonrigid structure and the perception of affine stretches along the line of sight [Norman & Todd (1993). Perception and Psychophysics, 53, pp. 279-291]. Investigations of performance at discriminating rigid from nonrigid structure showed that performance improved when number of views and amount of simulated three-dimensional nonrigidity increased. Investigations of rotations about the vertical which include affine stretches along the line of sight compared Euclidean interpretations of affine-stretching stimuli to human perception. These Euclidean interpretations were obtained from a simple algorithm which recovered structure and motion from this limited class of stimuli under the assumption that distances to the axis of rotation did not change. The algorithm predicted that stretches along the line of sight would be perceived as nearly rigid and have variable angular velocity. These predictions were supported by subjects' reports of occurrences of nonrigidity and minima of angular velocity. The Euclidean algorithm also provided measures of nonrigidity and motion coherence, and experimental results were consistent with a prediction of when perception of nonrigidity would be independent of perception of coherence. The results are discussed relative to the advantages and shortcomings of both the affine and Euclidean approaches to structure-from-motion.
Topics: Algorithms; Form Perception; Humans; Models, Biological; Motion Perception; Space Perception
PubMed: 9156176
DOI: 10.1016/s0042-6989(96)00188-5 -
Vision Research Aug 2019A classification image (a psychophysical reverse-correlation) method was used to investigate what stimulus regions and information the visual system uses for bilateral...
A classification image (a psychophysical reverse-correlation) method was used to investigate what stimulus regions and information the visual system uses for bilateral symmetry perception. The stimuli were symmetric random-dot patterns with either low or high dot density. First, the spatial integration region supporting symmetry perception was estimated, by analyzing the trial-to-trial correlation between the spatial location of symmetric dots and the corresponding response. It was observed that the integration region was rather compact (3 deg with dense stimulus), vertically elongated and located near to the axis of symmetry. The size of the area was dependent on the pattern density, being larger with low-density stimulus. Next, the resolution of the symmetry matching was probed by estimating how close to the perfect symmetry the dots in two stimulus parts must be to be perceived as symmetric (classification image for symmetry tolerance). Dot pairings up to 6 arc min off from the mirror symmetry correlated with symmetry response, suggesting that the process underlying symmetry matching has large tolerance and low resolution. Outside the integration region, the symmetry tolerance classification image weights were essentially zero, suggesting that the lack of symmetry integration there is not a byproduct of high tolerance.
Topics: Adult; Female; Form Perception; Humans; Male; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Psychophysics; Space Perception; Vision, Binocular; Young Adult
PubMed: 31085205
DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2019.02.017 -
Tijdschrift Voor Psychiatrie 2010Our knowledge about the neurobiological correlates of positive visual perceptual disorders is increasing rapidly. If we are to understand and integrate this emerging... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Our knowledge about the neurobiological correlates of positive visual perceptual disorders is increasing rapidly. If we are to understand and integrate this emerging knowledge, the nomenclature needs to be clear and unambiguous.
AIM
To provide an overview of the different classifications of visual hallucinations to reach a better understanding of new neurobiological views in these phenomena.
METHOD
Relevant data were obtained from books, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library.
RESULTS
The results are presented in the form of various classifications of visual hallucinations, grouped according to the following guiding principles: shape, size, content, relation to the sleepwake cycle, co-occurrence with percepts in any of the other sensory modalities, and association with neurobiological correlates. In addition, a classification system for visual illusions and distortions is presented.
CONCLUSION
The overview emphasizes how important it is to reappraise the concepts of positive visual perceptual disorders that were developed during the era of classical psychiatry. By becoming familiar with these concepts we will find it easier to design, execute and interpret neurobiological studies of these frequently occurring phenomena.
Topics: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Hallucinations; Humans; Size Perception; Space Perception; Visual Perception
PubMed: 20205079
DOI: No ID Found -
Cognitive Research: Principles and... Apr 2020Spatial skills are an important component of success in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. A majority of what we know about spatial skills today... (Review)
Review
Spatial skills are an important component of success in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. A majority of what we know about spatial skills today is a result of more than 100 years of research focused on understanding and identifying the kinds of skills that make up this skill set. Over the last two decades, the field has recognized that, unlike the spatial skills measured by psychometric tests developed by psychology researchers, the spatial problems faced by STEM experts vary widely and are multifaceted. Thus, many psychological researchers have embraced an interdisciplinary approach to studying spatial thinking with the aim of understanding the nature of this skill set as it occurs within STEM disciplines. In a parallel effort, discipline-based education researchers specializing in STEM domains have focused much of their research on understanding how to bolster students' skills in completing domain-specific spatial tasks. In this paper, we discuss four lessons learned from these two programs of research to enhance the field's understanding of spatial thinking in STEM domains. We demonstrate each contribution by aligning findings from research on three distinct STEM disciplines: structural geology, surgery, and organic chemistry. Lastly, we discuss the potential implications of these contributions to STEM education.
Topics: General Surgery; Humans; Mathematical Concepts; Science; Space Perception; Thinking
PubMed: 32323024
DOI: 10.1186/s41235-020-00210-z -
PloS One 2014We used psychometric functions to estimate the joint entropy for space discrimination and spatial frequency discrimination. Space discrimination was taken as... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
We used psychometric functions to estimate the joint entropy for space discrimination and spatial frequency discrimination. Space discrimination was taken as discrimination of spatial extent. Seven subjects were tested. Gábor functions comprising unidimensionalsinusoidal gratings (0.4, 2, and 10 cpd) and bidimensionalGaussian envelopes (1°) were used as reference stimuli. The experiment comprised the comparison between reference and test stimulithat differed in grating's spatial frequency or envelope's standard deviation. We tested 21 different envelope's standard deviations around the reference standard deviation to study spatial extent discrimination and 19 different grating's spatial frequencies around the reference spatial frequency to study spatial frequency discrimination. Two series of psychometric functions were obtained for 2%, 5%, 10%, and 100% stimulus contrast. The psychometric function data points for spatial extent discrimination or spatial frequency discrimination were fitted with Gaussian functions using the least square method, and the spatial extent and spatial frequency entropies were estimated from the standard deviation of these Gaussian functions. Then, joint entropy was obtained by multiplying the square root of space extent entropy times the spatial frequency entropy. We compared our results to the theoretical minimum for unidimensional Gábor functions, 1/4π or 0.0796. At low and intermediate spatial frequencies and high contrasts, joint entropy reached levels below the theoretical minimum, suggesting non-linear interactions between two or more visual mechanisms. We concluded that non-linear interactions of visual pathways, such as the M and P pathways, could explain joint entropy values below the theoretical minimum at low and intermediate spatial frequencies and high contrasts. These non-linear interactions might be at work at intermediate and high contrasts at all spatial frequencies once there was a substantial decrease in joint entropy for these stimulus conditions when contrast was raised.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Color Perception; Discrimination, Psychological; Entropy; Functional Laterality; Humans; Ocular Physiological Phenomena; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Psychometrics; Size Perception; Space Perception; Visual Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 24466158
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086579