Articles tagged with Visual Perception
Studies at the Salk Institute found that attention reduces background activity, increasing neural signal fidelity by a factor of up to four times. This reduction in noise accounts for approximately 80% of the improvement in perceptual discrimination when focusing on sensory stimuli.
A study by Kellogg School researchers examines how physical characteristics, particularly 'babyfaced' traits, influence perception and achievement among black CEOs. They found that those with more babyface features were perceived as warmer, more competent, and earned higher salaries and led more prestigious companies.
Researchers found that visual motion affects tactile perception, causing subjects to perceive touch as moving in the opposite direction. Conversely, tactile motion gives rise to visual illusions of motion in the opposite direction.
Researchers found that visual motion influences tactile motion, and vice versa, using a unique tactile stimulator. This discovery suggests overlapping neural circuits for sensory processing.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University developed a novel ultrasound display that allows doctors to view images within the object being scanned, reducing the need for visualization. This innovation improves accuracy in surgeries guided by ultrasound technology, which relies on combining direct perception and visualization.
Scientists found that boundary extension, a type of false memory, occurs quickly when visual input is disrupted, suggesting the role of amodal perception and spatial perception in scene perception. The study suggests that errors in boundary judgment may be beneficial for understanding the world as a coherent whole.
A Duke University team presents a new way to explain the puzzling flash-lag effect by suggesting that humans accumulate information from retinal speeds to make accurate behavioral choices. The study found that lag time increases non-linearly with object speed, supporting this explanation.
A Rutgers researcher is studying how visual analysis of body movements can help identify potential terrorist threats and improve interactions with autistic individuals. People with few autistic tendencies are found to be better at detecting subtle cues, which could lead to the development of computer programs to train them.
A study of 11 pediatric patients treated for golf-related eye injuries found that most injuries occur during unsupervised play or with other children wielding golf clubs. The authors recommend close adult supervision, protective eyewear for children learning to play golf, and secure storage of golf equipment.
A recent study in monkeys found that auditory stimulation directly improves visual perception without involving higher brain areas. The researchers recorded neuronal responses and measured latency, showing a 5-10% decrease in response time when visual signals were weaker, suggesting the auditory cue speeds up the response.
A new technique developed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor Mark Changizi harnesses the computing power of our visual system to generate perceptions of digital circuits. By using simple drawings and shading, the visual system can naturally carry out computations and generate outputs.
A team of scientists from MIT, Harvard, and McGill has designed a new tactile illusion to investigate perception and how different senses work together. The illusion produces changes in touch perception that are independent of changes in the stimulus, shedding light on brain function and conscious experience.
New research from Vanderbilt University has found that mental imagery--what we see with the "mind's eye"--directly impacts our visual perception. The study, published in Current Biology, discovered that a short-term memory trace formed by imagery can bias future perception.
Researchers found that tennis players perform better in tasks requiring temporal processing, such as speed discrimination and detecting motion. However, the effects were small, suggesting that these skills are also used in daily life. Training these basic perceptual tasks may lead to improved tennis performance.
Researchers discovered over 50 types of visual illusions that help us perceive the present moment. Assistant Professor Mark Changizi organized these illusions into a 'periodic table' that can predict a broad pattern of future seeing powers.
A study published in Psychological Science found that our grasp reflects the real size of objects, not their apparent size, even when they appear distorted through optical illusions. This supports the two visual systems hypothesis, which suggests that our brain has two separate systems for processing images and controlling actions.
Researchers developed a model of brain function that shows how eye movement signals boost neural representation of objects at future gaze positions, compromising spatial accuracy. This results in the perception of details before looking at an object, making the world appear stable while eyes move.
Researchers found that face recognition is more difficult when target faces are surrounded by upright faces, indicating that images of upright faces interfere with each other. The study's findings have implications for individuals with face-recognition disorders and may inform the development of efficient artificial visual systems.
A Northwestern University study found that tones of voices can alter visual processing, suggesting a direct input from early auditory processing to visual perception. Researchers used pure tones to test whether sounds can influence perception of face gender, with results showing bias towards male or female faces based on tone frequency.
A recent study has found that our brains respond more rapidly when visualizing two objects that may collide. This challenge traditional understanding of visual perception, which suggests a delay between the moment events occur and when they are perceived.
A study by Keith S. Coulter and Robin A. Coulter found that the numerical value of the farthest right digit influences consumer perception of sale prices, with smaller digits perceived as larger discounts.
Researchers used VR goggles to induce out-of-body-like experiences in healthy people, suggesting a disconnect between brain circuits that process sensory information may be responsible. The findings help solve the question of how we perceive our own bodies and may have implications for training people to perform delicate tasks remotely.
Bart Krekelberg seeks to understand how the brain ignores eye movement during visual processing, potentially leading to new treatments for dyslexia and schizophrenia. He will use a combination of electrophysiology and functional resonance imaging to identify key areas of the brain involved in visual perception.
The study reveals that humans use two different methods to track moving objects: low-level motion perception and high-level motion perception. Participants showed varying capabilities in each area, with some excelling at catching up to a target and others better at locking onto it.
Researchers found that subjects' brains showed increased activity at event boundaries, even in mundane events, suggesting a universal process of segmenting continuous text. This discovery sheds light on how humans comprehend everyday activities and may reflect a general network for understanding event structure.
Scientists used a magic trick to investigate how magicians manipulate our perception by exploiting social cues and expectations. They found that observers perceived the ball leaving the magician's hand due to cues from the magician's head direction, but not when it was no longer present in the illusion.
Researchers at the Salk Institute found that moving eyes helps resolve ambiguous visual inputs, improving object recognition. The brain uses internal image stabilization and eye movement feedback to maintain stable perception despite shaky video streams.
Participants over-estimated hill steepness after a run, wearing a heavy backpack, or being elderly. Perceived risk on skateboards also led to greater estimates. The author concludes that perception is influenced by physiological state, emotions, and purposes.
Researchers found that goalkeepers are unable to accurately predict the trajectory of a spinning football, relying on the ball's current heading direction. The study suggests that inherent limitations in the human visual system hinder this ability.
Researchers found that visual perception is influenced by one's racial group membership, with Black-primed and White-primed biracial individuals differing significantly in their search patterns. The study demonstrates the malleability of visual perception to top-down influences.
Scientists have found that there are two separate visual streams in the brains of healthy individuals, one for perceiving objects and another for guiding actions. This discovery was made using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and provides new insights into the neural basis of perception and action.
A new study by Aradhna Krishna found that when blindfolded, subjects perceived the shorter glass with a wider surface area as having a larger volume. The study also revealed that visual distractions can influence consumer perceptions and behavior.
Researchers found that language affects perception in the right half of the visual field, but not in the left. The study suggests that linguistic differences can sharpen visual distinctions in the right visual field.
Blindfolded subjects improved in recognizing trained movement patterns without visual stimulation. Skilled performers showed greater accuracy due to more precise motor programs supporting visual recognition. The study demonstrates a direct link between learned motor skills and visual action perception.
Researchers identified areas of the brain where neuronal activity decreases when objects are made invisible, suggesting a relationship between conscious experience and visual perception. The findings may advance understanding of the brain's interaction with the eye and its importance in medicine, neurology, and psychology.
Researchers have developed a new model of visual perception that explains how the brain adjusts to viewing position, allowing images to appear undistorted even when viewed from different locations. This discovery has implications for designing better devices and creating more realistic computer graphics.
A well-designed NICU can conserve energy, improve environment management, and reduce respiratory support, lung disease, and length of stay. Modified environments can also reduce staff stress and improve patient and family experience.
Researchers found that visual signals can quickly adjust leg movement to prevent balance loss. This fast reaction enables bipedal locomotion over unpredictable terrain, improving balance and stability.
Researchers found that recognizing faces requires visual perception, while lower-level aspects like orientation can be processed without awareness. The study used binocular rivalry experiments and inattentional blindness to demonstrate the importance of visual processing in face recognition.
Researchers found that infants can detect motion in partially occluded objects, but struggle to form coherent object representations. The study suggests that visual observation plays a key role in infants' learning and cognitive development.
University of Oregon researchers Paul Dassonville and Jagdeep Kaur Bala found that the distinction between perception and action streams is oversimplified. Their study revealed that slight manipulations of an illusion led to a new realization, where the 'right' physical movements were made despite inaccurate visual perceptions.
Research suggests that combining features into one object can improve reaction times, but this approach may not always work. Dr. Greg Davis's studies found that stimulation of a second brain pathway, the magnocellular-dorsal process, enhances performance for multi-object displays.
A recent study using binocular rivalry demonstrates the importance of feedback in interpreting visual images. The experimenters found that once a walking figure is recognized, it can cause dominance of signals from one eye and suppression of signals from the other.
A study reveals that the apparent movement of eyes in paintings is caused by visual perception, not supernatural forces. The researchers found that changes in viewing direction had little effect on the observers' perceptions, except for making the torso look thinner when viewed from an angle.
Early visual experience is crucial for normal development of color constancy in humans and monkeys. The study shows that baby monkeys raised in monochromatic environments had severe deficits in color constancy, highlighting the importance of early exposure to a diverse range of colors.
Researchers discovered that tactile input affects how we perceive rotating objects, suggesting a link between touch and object motion perception. Brain activity studies revealed increased activity in regions processing visual motion when subjects experienced both touch and sight simultaneously.
The study, led by Shin'ya Nishida, utilized the multi-slit viewing illusion and found that pattern perception is more impaired by a mask or adaptation stimulus moving in the same direction as the pattern. Observers can see fine spatial components that are theoretically impossible to recover without motion information.
The study found that the primary motor cortex represented actual movement while the ventral premotor cortex generated elliptical shapes. The research reveals how the mind creates order and adjusts on the fly to eliminate distortions, with implications for developing biomedical devices controlling artificial limbs.
Duke University researchers found that individual clusters in the visual cortex do not specialize in recognizing specific combinations of stimulus features. Instead, they respond to a broad range of stimulus combinations predicted by spatial and temporal properties of the visual stimulus.
Studies using laser measurements reveal the natural basis for human tendencies in judging distances, including a preference for distances of 6-12 feet and equidistance between objects. The findings support the theory that the visual system has evolved to make statistical guesses about distances based on past experience.
Researchers discovered a corollary discharge inhibition mechanism that enables crickets to hear external sounds during song production, preventing desensitization. This allows males to defend their territory and respond to noisy predators.
Researchers at Dartmouth College found that visual attention is specifically drawn to graspable objects, such as tools, and that this effect is more pronounced when these objects are on the right side. This discovery suggests a clear association between visual perception and motor systems in the brain.
Researchers explore how artists like Monet and da Vinci use light, color, and vision to create illusions of space and color. Neuroscientist Margaret Livingstone explains that luminance and flat-reflecting mediums influence visual perception, making objects appear differently in various situations.
Wolfgang Baumeister and Riitta Hari develop cryoelectron tomography to visualize molecular complexes in cells, while Nikos Logothetis studies the basis of visual awareness in trained monkeys. These advances may provide insight into changes during synaptic activation and social cognition.
The Optical Society of America honored its 2002 award winners, recognizing their significant contributions to various fields of optics. Notably, James P. Gordon received the Frederic Ives Medal for his seminal work on quantum electronics, while Emil Wolf was awarded the Esther Hoffman Beller Award for his influential educational work.
A study at Vanderbilt University found that an adult male with synesthesia consistently matched colors to words and numbers, even when the letters or numbers were presented separately. The researchers also found that his synesthetic colors acted like real colors in certain tests.
Research by Marlene Behrmann seeks to understand how the human brain interprets visual information, enabling us to recognize objects and locations. Her work aims to shed light on the neural processes underlying visual mental imagery and its relationship with perception.
Researchers Beau Lotto and Dale Purves suggest that the visual system perceives color based on reflectances and illuminances of past stimuli. In experiments, subjects adjusted colors to match perceived color differences, showing an increased difference when contexts suggested different objects or illumination.
Researchers at Ohio State University found that pilots can detect changes in automation status more effectively when receiving vibrations than visual cues. The study suggests that tactile feedback could be a powerful tool for human-machine communication in various domains, including aviation, healthcare, and space exploration.
Researchers from various fields will discuss normal development and understanding of the visual world, as well as brain failures to recognize objects. The symposium aims to bring together converging perspectives on how our brains organize and interpret visual information.