> Brain studies question perception process
Brain studies question perception process
May 16, 2007
How your brain processes an image as you look at it may not be as direct as conventional thinking suggests.
Vince Di Lollo’s studies of brain functioning are questioning the notion of ‘feed forward’ processing – which holds that details of an image first decompose and then come together into a more complex shape.
The SFU psychology professor’s recent studies found that subjects’ recorded brain activity following brief exposure (20 milliseconds) to the image of a square patch, differed from the conventional view of visual processing.
Di Lollo says the findings support recent advances in neuroscience that implicate “re-entrant signaling,” a continuous communication flow between brain areas. This has led to the discovery of a new form of visual masking, called object-substitution. It suggests that rather than unscrambling and reassembling an image, our brains refer to a massive “library” of memory data which then matches objects.
“We’re talking about a process that happens in less than the blink of an eye,” says Di Lollo. ”But we still don’t fully understand it. As we learn more about how the brain works we will be able to improve the treatment of perceptual and cognitive dysfunctions.”
Di Lollo is the recipient of the 2007 Richard C. Tees Distinguished Leadership award, given by the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Sciences, for his advancement of research, teaching and contributions (more than 100) to key psychology journals.
His research will be outlined in a chapter in a new book, Tutorials in Visual Cognition, currently in press (Psychology Press, New York).
Recognized in the international scientific community as a leader among researchers of cognitive systems, Di Lollo received the Donald O. Hebb Distinguished Contribution award in 2004 for advancing the study of brain, behaviour and cognitive science.
Vince Di Lollo’s studies of brain functioning are questioning the notion of ‘feed forward’ processing – which holds that details of an image first decompose and then come together into a more complex shape.
The SFU psychology professor’s recent studies found that subjects’ recorded brain activity following brief exposure (20 milliseconds) to the image of a square patch, differed from the conventional view of visual processing.
Di Lollo says the findings support recent advances in neuroscience that implicate “re-entrant signaling,” a continuous communication flow between brain areas. This has led to the discovery of a new form of visual masking, called object-substitution. It suggests that rather than unscrambling and reassembling an image, our brains refer to a massive “library” of memory data which then matches objects.
“We’re talking about a process that happens in less than the blink of an eye,” says Di Lollo. ”But we still don’t fully understand it. As we learn more about how the brain works we will be able to improve the treatment of perceptual and cognitive dysfunctions.”
Di Lollo is the recipient of the 2007 Richard C. Tees Distinguished Leadership award, given by the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Sciences, for his advancement of research, teaching and contributions (more than 100) to key psychology journals.
His research will be outlined in a chapter in a new book, Tutorials in Visual Cognition, currently in press (Psychology Press, New York).
Recognized in the international scientific community as a leader among researchers of cognitive systems, Di Lollo received the Donald O. Hebb Distinguished Contribution award in 2004 for advancing the study of brain, behaviour and cognitive science.