Distinct visuo-motor brain dynamics for real-world objects versus planar images

Abstract

Ultimately, we aim to generalize and translate scientific knowledge to the real world, yet current understanding of human visual perception is based predominantly on studies of two-dimensional (2-D) images. Recent cognitivebehavioral evidence shows that real objects are processed differently to images, although the neural processes that underlie these differences are unknown. Because real objects (unlike images) afford actions, they may trigger stronger or more prolonged activation in neural populations for visuo-motor action planning. Here, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) when human observers viewed real-world three-dimensional (3-D) objects or closely matched 2-D images of the same items. Although responses to real objects and images were similar overall, there were critical differences. Compared to images, viewing real objects triggered stronger and more sustained eventrelated desynchronization (ERD) in the µ frequency band (8-13 Hz)-a neural signature of automatic motor preparation. Event-related potentials (ERPs) revealed a transient, early occipital negativity for real objects (versus images), likely reflecting 3-D stereoscopic differences, and a late sustained parietal amplitude modulation consistent with an 'old-new' memory advantage for real objects over images. Together, these findings demonstrate that real-world objects trigger stronger and more sustained action-related brain responses than images do. These results highlight important similarities and differences between brain responses to images and richer, more ecologically relevant, real-world objects.

Object responses are highly malleable, rather than invariant, with changes in object appearance

“…The relevance of conceptual information about location for both real and 2-D objects is consistent with the idea that we frequently encounter and use real objects in specific locations which could elicit powerful expectations about co-occurrence 55 . At the same time, our results from inverse MDS complement and critically extend emerging data from behavioral 56 , fMRI 57,58 , EEG 59 and neuropsychological studies 13,60,61 , which have highlighted quantitative and qualitative differences in the way real objects and computerized images are processed during perception 13 , memory 62 , attention 63 and decision-making 64,65 . For example, real objects have been shown to elicit little if any fMRI repetition suppression (fMRI-RS), unlike 2-D images of the same objects, for which fMRI-RS effects are widespread throughout ventral and dorsal cortex 57 .…”

“…For example, real objects have been shown to elicit little if any fMRI repetition suppression (fMRI-RS), unlike 2-D images of the same objects, for which fMRI-RS effects are widespread throughout ventral and dorsal cortex 57 . Evidence from high-density EEG indicates that real objects trigger stronger and more prolonged automatic motor preparation signals than do matched images of the same objects, particularly in the hemisphere contralateral to the dominant hand 59 . The data reported here advance this work by revealing which characteristics of real objects are most powerful in driving the reported behavioral responses.…”

Spatial coding for memory-guided reaching in visual and pictorial spaces

“…Pictorial representations have dominated vision research for most of its existence. However, recent behavioral results in adults (Gomez & Snow, 2017;Snow, Skiba, Coleman, & Berryhill, 2014) and children (Gerhard, Culham, & Schwarzer, 2016), as well as electroencephalogram (Marini, Breeding, & Snow, 2019) and functional magnetic resonance imaging findings Citation: Karimpur, H., Eftekharifar, S., Troje, N. F., & Fiehler, K. (2020). Spatial coding for memory-guided reaching in visual and pictorial spaces.…”

Dataset of 24-subject EEG recordings during viewing of real-world objects and planar images of the same items

“…Other researchers may now benefit from the data without the lengthy preparation and collection phases. This dataset consists of high-density EEG recording that can be used to conduct additional analyses than those presented in the related article [1] , including, but not limited to, source estimation analysis and multi-variate pattern analysis (MVPA). Behavioral ratings of object familiarity and frequency-of-use, which were collected from the same set of participants (after completing the EEG study), are attached to this dataset.…”

“… Behavioral ratings of object familiarity and frequency-of-use, which were collected from the same set of participants (after completing the EEG study), are attached to this dataset. These measures were not presented in the attached article [1] but may prove useful for additional analysis directions that have not yet been explored. Cortical brain dynamics in response to the observation of real world objects may be used as a benchmark against which researchers can compare responses to objects presented in different display format, including augmented or virtual reality, or responses to objects in other cognitive tasks.…”