Return to search

Common mechanisms for the representation of real, implied, and imagined visual motion

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-130). / Perceptual systems are specialized for transducing and interpreting information from the environment. But perceptual systems can also be used for processing information that arises from other sources, such as mental imagery and cued associations. Here we ask how a particular sensory property, visual motion, is represented when it is not directly perceived but only imagined or inferred from other cues. In a series of experiments, a motion adaptation paradigm is used to assess directional properties of the responses to mental imagery of motion and viewing photographs that depict motion. The results show that both imagining motion and inferring motion from pictures can cause direction-specific adaptation of perceptual motion mechanisms, thus producing a motion aftereffect when a subsequent real motion stimulus is viewed. The transfer of adaptation from implied and imagined motion to real motion indicates that shared mechanisms are used for the perception, inference and imagination of visual motion. / by Jonathan Winawer. / Ph.D.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MIT/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/42225
Date January 2007
CreatorsWinawer, Jonathan
ContributorsLera Boroditsky., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
PublisherMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Source SetsM.I.T. Theses and Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format130 p., application/pdf
RightsM.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission., http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Page generated in 0.0018 seconds