Useful misrepresentation: perception as embodied proactive inference

Martin, Josh; Solms, Mark; Sterzer, Philipp

doi:10.1016/j.tins.2021.04.007

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…However, perception will be systematically biased under conditions where utility and accuracy conflict with one another ( Martin, Solms, & Sterzer, 2021 ). Previous studies had categorized FTV bias as a type of error management bias and VFA bias as a type of statistics-based bias ( Johnson, Blumstein, Fowler, & Haselton, 2013 ; Troje & McAdam, 2010 ; Zhang et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flying enhances viewing from above bias on ambiguous visual stimuli

Zhang

Tan

2023

Journal of Vision

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The human spatial orientation system is well designed on the ground but is imperfect in the aeronautical three-dimensional (3D) environment. However, human perception systems perform Bayesian statistics based on encountered environments and form shortcuts to improve perceptual efficiency. It is unknown whether our perception of spatial orientation is modified by flying experience and forms perceptual biases. The current study tested pilot perceptual biases on ambiguous visual stimuli, the bistable point-light walkers, and found that flying experiences increased the pilot's tendency to perceive himself as higher than the target and the target as farther away from them. Such perceptual effects due to flight are likely to be attributed to experience of variable vestibular state in a higher position in 3D space, rather than the experience of a higher viewpoint. Our findings suggest that flying experience will modifies our visual perceptual biases, and that more attention should be paid to the enhanced viewing from above bias when flying to avoid overestimating altitude or viewing angle when the visual conditions are ambiguous.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flying enhances viewing from above bias on ambiguous visual stimuli

Zhang

Tan

2023

Journal of Vision

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“…Another limitation concerns alternatives to our account. One such alternative would be an active (rather than passive) inference account of perception, along the lines recently proposed by [ 65 ]. In these accounts, not only are the noisy perceptual estimates considered, but also the utility of the decisions (considering the benefits and/or costs of the outcome), for the final perceptual decision.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of conflict processing in multisensory perception: behavioural and electroencephalography evidence

Marly,

Yazdjian,

Soto-Faraco

2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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To form coherent multisensory perceptual representations, the brain must solve a causal inference problem: to decide if two sensory cues originated from the same event and should be combined, or if they came from different events and should be processed independently. According to current models of multisensory integration, during this process, the integrated (common cause) and segregated (different causes) internal perceptual models are entertained. In the present study, we propose that the causal inference process involves competition between these alternative perceptual models that engages the brain mechanisms of conflict processing. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two experiments, measuring reaction times (RTs) and electroencephalography, using an audiovisual ventriloquist illusion paradigm with varying degrees of intersensory disparities. Consistent with our hypotheses, incongruent trials led to slower RTs and higher fronto-medial theta power, both indicative of conflict. We also predicted that intermediate disparities would yield slower RTs and higher theta power when compared to congruent stimuli and to large disparities, owing to the steeper competition between causal models. Although this prediction was only validated in the RT study, both experiments displayed the anticipated trend. In conclusion, our findings suggest a potential involvement of the conflict mechanisms in multisensory integration of spatial information. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Decision and control processes in multisensory perception’.

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“…However, each startle response at the sight of a green stick that we mistook for a snake is wasting resources. Still, the gain of surviving an actual snake encounter seems to outweigh the costs of false alarms (Martin et al, 2021). In anxiety disorders, this leads to hypervigilancea constant monitoring of the environment for threat (Eysenck, 1992(Eysenck, , 2014.…”

Section: Research On Early Attentional Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moving spiders do not boost early visual processing in spider fear

Becker,

Troje,

Schmidt

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Previous research on attention to fear-relevant stimuli has largely focused on static pictures or drawings, and thus did not consider the potential effect of natural motion. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of motion on attentional capture in spider-fearful and non-fearful participants by using point-light stimuli and naturalistic videos. Point-light stimuli consist of moving dots representing joints and thereby visualizing biological motion (e.g. of a walking human or cat) without needing a visible body. Spider-fearful (n = 30) and non-spider-fearful (n = 31) participants completed a visual search task with moving targets (point-light/naturalistic videos) and static distractors (images), static targets and moving distractors, or static targets and static distractors. Participants searched for a specified animal type (snakes, spiders, cats, or doves) as quickly as possible. We replicated previous findings with static stimuli: snakes were detected faster and increased distraction, while spiders just increased distraction. However, contrary to our hypotheses, spider targets did not speed up responses, neither in the group of control nor in the group of spider-fearful participants. Interestingly, stimuli-specific effects were toned down, abolished, or even changed direction when motion was introduced. Also, we demonstrated that point-light stimuli were of similar efficiency as naturalistic videos, indicating that for testing effects of motion in visual search, “pure” motion stimuli might be sufficient. As we do show a substantial modulation of visual search phenomena by biological motion, we advocate for future studies to use moving stimuli, equivalent to our dynamic environment, to increase ecological validity.

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Useful misrepresentation: perception as embodied proactive inference

Cited by 14 publications

References 94 publications

Flying enhances viewing from above bias on ambiguous visual stimuli

Flying enhances viewing from above bias on ambiguous visual stimuli

The role of conflict processing in multisensory perception: behavioural and electroencephalography evidence

Moving spiders do not boost early visual processing in spider fear

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