Eye fixations of the face are normally directed towards either the eyes or the mouth, however the proportions of gaze to either of these regions are dependent on context. Previous studies of gaze behavior demonstrate a tendency to stare into a target’s eyes, however no studies investigate the differences between when participants believe they are engaging in a live interaction compared to knowingly watching a pre-recorded video, a distinction that may contribute to studies of memory encoding. This study examined differences in fixation behavior for when participants falsely believed they were engaging in a real-time interaction over the internet (“Real-time stimulus”) compared to when they knew they were watching a pre-recorded video (“Pre-recorded stimulus”). Results indicated that participants fixated significantly longer towards the eyes for the pre-recorded stimulus than for the real-time stimulus, suggesting that previous studies which utilize pre-recorded videos may lack ecological validity. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The hippocampus is necessary for normal memory in rodents, birds, monkeys, and people. Damage to the hippocampus can result in the inability to learn new facts, defined by the relationship among stimuli. In rodents, spatial learning involves learning about the relationships among stimuli, and exemplifies the kind of learning the requires the hippocampus. Therefore, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying spatial learning may elucidate basic memory processes. Many hippocampal neurons fire when behaving rats, cats, or monkeys are in circumscribed regions (place fields) of an environment. The neurons, called place cells, fire in relation to distal stimuli, but can persist in signaling location when the stimuli are removed or lights are turned off (memory fields). In this thesis, computational models of spatial information processing simulated many of the defining properties of hippocampal place cells, including memory fields. Furthermore, the models suggested a neurally plausible mechanism of goal directed spatial navigation which involved the encoding of distances in the connections between place cells. To navigate using memory fields, the models required an excitatory, distributed, and plastic association system among place cells. Such properties are well characterized in area CA3 of the hippocampus. In this thesis, a new electrophysiological study provides evidence that a second system in the dentate gyrus has similar properties. Thus, two circuits in the hippocampus meet the requirements of the models. Some predictions of the models were then tested in a single-unit recording experiment in behaving rats. Place fields were more likely to occur in information rich areas of the environment, and removal of single cues altered place fields in a way consistent with the distance encoding mechanism suggested by the models. It was concluded that a distance encoding theory of rat spatial navigation has much descriptive and predictive utility, but most of its predic

Thesis (M.Comp.Sc.)--University of Wollongong, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 140-157.

No description available.

A percepção de movimento é uma característica essencial à sobrevivência de diversas espécies. Na natureza, é através do movimento que uma presa percebe a chegada de um predador e decide em que direção deve fugir, bem como o predador detecta a presença de uma presa e decide para onde atacar. O Sistema Visual Humano é mais sensível a movimento do que a imagens estáticas, sendo capaz de separar as informações de movimento originadas pela movimentação própria das informações de movimento de objetos animados no ambiente. A Teoria Ecológica de Gibson (1979) provê uma base para o entendimento de como esse processo de percepção ocorre e estende-se com o conceito do que chamamos de campo vetorial de Fluxo Ótico, através do qual se representa computacionalmente o movimento. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é procurar reproduzir computacionalmente esse comportamento, para possíveis aplicações em navegação autônoma e processamento de vídeo com movimentação desconhecida. Para isso, vale-se das técnicas de estimação de Fluxo Ótico presentes na literatura, tais como as propostas por Lucas e Kanade (1981) e Farneback (1994). Em primeiro momento, avalia-se a possibilidade de utilização de uma técnica estatística de separação cega de fontes, a chamada Análise de Componentes Independentes, tomando como base o trabalho de Bell e Sejnowski (1997), na qual se mostra que tal análise aplicada em imagens fornece filtros de bordas. Depois, avalia-se a utilização do Foco de Expansão para movimentos translacionais. Resultados experimentais demonstram uma maior viabilidade da abordagem por Foco de Expansão. / Motion Perception is an essential feature for the survival of several species. In nature, it is through motion that a prey perceives the predator and is able to decide which direction to escape, and the predator detects the presence of a prey and decides where to attack. The Human Visual System is more sensitive to motion than to static imagery, and it is able to separate motion information due to egomotion from that due to an animated object in the environment. The Ecological Theory of Gibson (1979) provides a basis for understanding how this processes of perception occurs, and leads to the concept of what we call the vector field of Optical Flow, through which computational motion is represented. The main objective of this work is to try to reproduce computationally this behaviour, for possible applications in autonomous navigation and video processing with unknown self-motion. For this, we use some Optical Flow estimation techniques, as those proposed by Lucas and Kanade (1981) and Farneback (1994). At first, we assess the possibility of using a statistical technique of blind source separation, the so-called Independent Component Analysis, based on the work of Bell and Sejnowski (1997), which demonstrates that this technique, when applied to imagery, provides edge filters. Then, we assess the use of the Focus of Expansion to translational motion. Experimental results show the second approach, using the Focus of Expansion, is more viable than through Independent Component Analysis.

A percepção de movimento é uma característica essencial à sobrevivência de diversas espécies. Na natureza, é através do movimento que uma presa percebe a chegada de um predador e decide em que direção deve fugir, bem como o predador detecta a presença de uma presa e decide para onde atacar. O Sistema Visual Humano é mais sensível a movimento do que a imagens estáticas, sendo capaz de separar as informações de movimento originadas pela movimentação própria das informações de movimento de objetos animados no ambiente. A Teoria Ecológica de Gibson (1979) provê uma base para o entendimento de como esse processo de percepção ocorre e estende-se com o conceito do que chamamos de campo vetorial de Fluxo Ótico, através do qual se representa computacionalmente o movimento. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é procurar reproduzir computacionalmente esse comportamento, para possíveis aplicações em navegação autônoma e processamento de vídeo com movimentação desconhecida. Para isso, vale-se das técnicas de estimação de Fluxo Ótico presentes na literatura, tais como as propostas por Lucas e Kanade (1981) e Farneback (1994). Em primeiro momento, avalia-se a possibilidade de utilização de uma técnica estatística de separação cega de fontes, a chamada Análise de Componentes Independentes, tomando como base o trabalho de Bell e Sejnowski (1997), na qual se mostra que tal análise aplicada em imagens fornece filtros de bordas. Depois, avalia-se a utilização do Foco de Expansão para movimentos translacionais. Resultados experimentais demonstram uma maior viabilidade da abordagem por Foco de Expansão. / Motion Perception is an essential feature for the survival of several species. In nature, it is through motion that a prey perceives the predator and is able to decide which direction to escape, and the predator detects the presence of a prey and decides where to attack. The Human Visual System is more sensitive to motion than to static imagery, and it is able to separate motion information due to egomotion from that due to an animated object in the environment. The Ecological Theory of Gibson (1979) provides a basis for understanding how this processes of perception occurs, and leads to the concept of what we call the vector field of Optical Flow, through which computational motion is represented. The main objective of this work is to try to reproduce computationally this behaviour, for possible applications in autonomous navigation and video processing with unknown self-motion. For this, we use some Optical Flow estimation techniques, as those proposed by Lucas and Kanade (1981) and Farneback (1994). At first, we assess the possibility of using a statistical technique of blind source separation, the so-called Independent Component Analysis, based on the work of Bell and Sejnowski (1997), which demonstrates that this technique, when applied to imagery, provides edge filters. Then, we assess the use of the Focus of Expansion to translational motion. Experimental results show the second approach, using the Focus of Expansion, is more viable than through Independent Component Analysis.

The topic of this work is motor imagery. Through 7 different studies, the process and proprieties of motor imagery and its impact on motor learning were assessed. It was found that this cognitive activity is closely linked to the motor system. This characteristic underlies the positive effects of motor imagery on motor learning. This can have many practical applications in the domain of sport and motor rehabilitation.<p><p> / Doctorat en Sciences Psychologiques et de l'éducation / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

M.A. / The aim of the study was to investigate whether evoked potential distinguishes between motor coordinated and-uncoordinated African children. Because the brain functions as a unified entity and different brain systems are integrated simultaneously, it was postulated that there is a relationship between the auditory evoked potential of the brain stem on the one hand and motor coordination on the other hand, that is, the sensory and the motor systems are related. Sensory- motor activity is thus perceived to form a unified function within the total framework of human functioning. The relevant literature points to a possible relationship between the auditory evoked potential of the brain stem and motor coordination. Patients with degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis exhibit abnormal evoked potential responses as well as unusual motor behaviour and coordination. Similarly, children with hearing problems also show unusual evoked potential responses of the brain stem as well as motor lethargy(delayed motor responses) and clumsiness. As a result of these tendencies it was postulated that evoked potential would be able to distinguish between motor-coordinated and -uncoordinated subjects. The brain's evoked potential response is a robust phenomenon that provides a record of electrical brain activity, even in trials where overt responses are not usually expected. The present study focuses on the auditory evoked potential of the brain stem (AEP). The evoked potential serves as a measure of the sensory transmission of information in the brain and consequently highlights the neural activity underlying normal sensory experiences. The subjects selected for the study were 46 eight- to twelve-year-old African children attending a farm school. They can be regarded as representative of the population of eight- to twelve-year old African farm children. All the subjects were administered the Quick Neurological Screening Test in order to catagorise them into two groups, namely the motor-coordinated group and the motor-uncoordinated group. Thereafter the auditory evoked potential of the brain stem was recorded from all the subjects in both groups ...