A Neurocognitive Approach to Expertise in Visual Object Recognition

Abstract

Abstract. How can we enhance the ability of observers to pick-up visual information? One approach to this question has been to investigate people who naturally develop an exceptional skill, or expertise, in visual object recognition (e.g. bird watchers, car buffs), and determine how expert processing and the neural substrates supporting it differ from those in novices. The present paper will describe the mainstream view of visual expertise, which considers it to be an automatic, stimulus-driven perceptual skill that is supported by specific regions in high-level visual cortex. Following a critical review of the perceptual framework of expertise, a series of neuroimaging studies will be presented which reveal that in contrast to the mainstream view, visual expertise emerges from multiple interactions within and between the visual system and other cognitive systems (e.g. top-down attention and conceptual memory). These interactions are manifest in widespread distributed patterns of activity across the entire cortex, and are highly susceptible to high-level factors, such as task relevance and prior knowledge. Lastly, the applied and theoretical implications of the interactive framework to performance enhancement and neuroplasticity will be discussed.

Parsing rooms: the role of the PPA and RSC in perceiving object relations and spatial layout

“…Our current study emphasizes a difference between paradigms that involve passive watching of scenes and active use of domain-specific knowledge. The prevailing opinion in the fMRI community seems to be that processes related to scene perception are automatic and will, therefore, become apparent even in paradigms where participants passively observe scenes (e.g., Harel 2015a). This is reflected in the choice of the paradigms that feature passive observation of stimuli, a particularly convenient way for conducting studies in MRI scanners.…”

“…This is in contrast to most previous research on scene perception, in which people were only required to passively observe presented stimuli1 (Epstein and Kanwisher 1998; Park et al 2011, 2015; Kravitz et al 2011a; Harel et al 2012; Kamps et al 2016). The underlying assumption is that the main processes in scene perception are automatically elicited (for a review, see Harel 2015a). There are numerous behavioral studies that demonstrate that for simple categorizations (e.g., urban/landscape, animal/non-animal) explicit attentional resources may not be necessary (Rousselet et al 2005; Greene and Oliva 2009; Poncet et al 2012).…”

“…The randomization paradigm in combination with active search produced the randomization effects in the PPA, RSC, and even in the FFA (Bilalić et al 2011). Other recent research on visual expertise (Harel et al 2010; McGugin et al 2014b; Wong et al 2014) demonstrates that top-down processes, such as retrieval of knowledge or allocation of attention to different aspects of stimuli, result in different patterns of brain activation from situations when these processes are not necessary (for reviews, see Harel 2015a, b; Bilalić 2017).…”

Domain-general and domain-specific neural changes underlying visual expertise

“…Frontal cortex would be the most likely source of this top-down attentional control ( Corbetta and Shulman, 2002 , Harel et al., 2010 , Harel, 2015 ). Our analyses of the frontal lobe provide some insight into the nature of these top-down influences.…”