Toward a formal theory of flexible spatial behavior: Geometric category biases generalize across pointing and verbal response types.

Spencer, John P.; Simmering, Vanessa R.; Schutte, Anne R.

doi:10.1037/0096-1523.32.2.473

Cited by 46 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…A shift in encoding strategy to incorporate cues is consistent with the idea of flexibility in spatial cognition (Simmering, Spencer, & Schöner, 2006;Spencer, Simmering, & Schutte, 2006). Hund and Plumert (2005) demonstrated how stability and flexibility in forming category structures varies developmentally.…”

Section: University Of South Carolina Columbia South Carolinamentioning

confidence: 50%

Cue usage in memory for location when orientation is fixed

2008

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Section: University Of South Carolina Columbia South Carolinamentioning

confidence: 50%

Cue usage in memory for location when orientation is fixed

2008

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“…The existence of vertical and horizontal categories is well supported in the literature on orientation discrimination (e.g., Quinn & Bomba, 1986) and in good agreement with the widely-shared idea that these orientations correspond to the norm (e.g. Luyat & Gentaz, 2002;McIntyre, Stratta, & Lacquaniti, 1998;Spencer, Simmering, & Schutte, 2006). Admittedly, this model does not explain all features of the complex pattern of systematic errors observed in this study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 39%

The perception and representation of orientations: A study in the haptic modality

Baud-Bovy

Gentaz

2012

Acta Psychologica

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This research examines the haptic perception of orientations in the frontal plane in order to identify the nature of their representation. Blindfolded participants inserted the tip of the index finger into a thimble mounted on the extremity of a haptic interface and manually explored the orientation of a "virtual rod". After a short delay, participants had to reproduce the scanned orientation with the same hand without the guidance of the virtual rod. The analysis of the systematic errors showed that the recalled orientations were markedly biased toward the nearest diagonal in each quadrant with the exception of the orientations nearest to the vertical, which were biased toward the vertical. The variable error was greater for the oblique orientations than for the horizontal or vertical orientation. These results are interpreted with the Category-Adjustment model, which posits that orientations are categorically represented. We show that it is necessary to assume the existence of vertical and horizontal categories in addition to the previously postulated oblique categories to predict the error patterns observed in the present and former studies. The similarity of the error patterns in the visual and haptic modalities suggests that a common mechanism is at play in perceiving and reproducing orientations in both sensory modalities.

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“…Although the CA model can capture the qualitative pattern of results observed in recall studies with children and adults, this model has several limitations relative to the DFT (see also Spencer, Simmering & Schutte, 2006). First, the CA model is not a process model: it does not specify the process that gives rise to spatial memories (e.g., perceptual processes involved in the formation of activation peaks in the DFT), how memories for location evolve in real time (e.g., peak drift in the DFT), the process that gives rise to the formation of spatial categories (e.g., the emergence of spatial categories in LTM SWM and the use of perceived reference frames in the DFT), and the process that gives rise to developmental changes in spatial recall abilities (e.g., the spatial precision hypothesis).…”

Section: Comparing the Dft To Other Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generalizing the dynamic field theory of spatial cognition across real and developmental time scales

Simmering¹,

Schutte²,

Spencer³

2008

Brain Research

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115

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Within cognitive neuroscience, computational models are designed to provide insights into the organization of behavior while adhering to neural principles. These models should provide sufficient specificity to generate novel predictions while maintaining the generality needed to capture behavior across tasks and/or time scales. This paper presents one such model, the Dynamic Field Theory (DFT) of spatial cognition, showing new simulations that provide a demonstration proof that the theory generalizes across developmental changes in performance in four tasks-the Piagetian A-not-B task, a sandbox version of the A-not-B task, a canonical spatial recall task, and a position discrimination task. Model simulations demonstrate that the DFT can accomplish both specificity-generating novel, testable predictions-and generality-spanning multiple tasks across development with a relatively simple developmental hypothesis. Critically, the DFT achieves generality across tasks and time scales with no modification to its basic structure and with a strong commitment to neural principles. The only change necessary to capture development in the model was an increase in the precision of the tuning of receptive fields as well as an increase in the precision of local excitatory interactions among neurons in the model. These small quantitative changes were sufficient to move the model through a set of quantitative and qualitative behavioral changes that span the age range from 8 months to 6 years and into adulthood. We conclude by considering how the DFT is positioned in the literature, the challenges on the horizon for our framework, and how a dynamic field approach can yield new insights into development from a computational cognitive neuroscience perspective.

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Toward a formal theory of flexible spatial behavior: Geometric category biases generalize across pointing and verbal response types.

Cited by 46 publications

References 69 publications

Cue usage in memory for location when orientation is fixed

Cue usage in memory for location when orientation is fixed

The perception and representation of orientations: A study in the haptic modality

Generalizing the dynamic field theory of spatial cognition across real and developmental time scales

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