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Harris JWC, Saccone EJ, Chong R, Buckingham G, Murphy MJ, Chouinard PA. New evidence for the sensorimotor mismatch theory of weight perception and the size-weight illusion. Exp Brain Res 2024; 242:1623-1643. [PMID: 38780803 PMCID: PMC11208202 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-024-06849-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The size-weight illusion is a phenomenon where a smaller object is perceived heavier than an equally weighted larger object. The sensorimotor mismatch theory proposed that this illusion occurs because of a mismatch between efferent motor commands and afferent sensory feedback received when lifting large and small objects (i.e., the application of too little and too much lifting force, respectively). This explanation has been undermined by studies demonstrating a separation between the perceived weight of objects and the lifting forces that are applied on them. However, this research suffers from inconsistencies in the choice of lifting force measures reported. Therefore, we examined the contribution of sensorimotor mismatch in the perception of weight in the size-weight illusion and in non-size-weight illusion stimuli and evaluated the use of a lifting force aggregate measure comprising the four most common lifting force measures used in previous research. In doing so, the sensorimotor mismatch theory was mostly supported. In a size-weight illusion experiment, the lifting forces correlated with weight perception and, contrary to some earlier research, did not adapt over time. In a non-size-weight illusion experiment, switches between lifting light and heavy objects resulted in perceiving the weight of these objects differently compared to no switch trials, which mirrored differences in the manner participants applied forces on the objects. Additionally, we reveal that our force aggregate measure can allow for a more sensitive and objective examination of the effects of lifting forces on objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrod W C Harris
- Department of Psychology, Counselling, and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, George Singer Building, Room 460, La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - Elizabeth J Saccone
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rebecca Chong
- Department of Psychology, Counselling, and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, George Singer Building, Room 460, La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - Gavin Buckingham
- Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Melanie J Murphy
- Department of Psychology, Counselling, and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, George Singer Building, Room 460, La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia
| | - Philippe A Chouinard
- Department of Psychology, Counselling, and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, George Singer Building, Room 460, La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia.
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2
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Thorsson M, Galazka MA, Johnson M, Åsberg Johnels J, Hadjikhani N. Visuomotor tracking strategies in children: associations with neurodevelopmental symptoms. Exp Brain Res 2024; 242:337-353. [PMID: 38078961 PMCID: PMC11297076 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-023-06752-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often display motor problems that may impact their daily lives. Studying specific motor characteristics related to spatiotemporal control may inform us about the mechanisms underlying their challenges. Fifty-eight children with varying neurodevelopmental symptoms load (median age: 5.6 years, range: 2.7-12.5 years) performed an interactive tablet-based tracking task. By investigating digit touch errors relative to the target's movement direction, we found that a load of neurodevelopmental symptoms was associated with reduced performance in the tracking of abrupt alternating directions (zigzag) and overshooting the target. In contrast, reduced performance in children without neurodevelopmental symptoms was associated with lagging behind the target. Neurodevelopmental symptom load was also associated with reduced flexibility in correcting for lateral deviations in smooth tracking (spiral). Our findings suggest that neurodevelopmental symptoms are associated with difficulties in motor regulation related to inhibitory control and reduced flexibility, impacting motor control in NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Thorsson
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Martyna A Galazka
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Division of Cognition and Communication, Department of Applied Information Technology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mats Johnson
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jakob Åsberg Johnels
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Section of Speech and Language Pathology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Nouchine Hadjikhani
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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3
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Allen K, Harris D, Arthur T, Wood G, Buckingham G. Investigating how prior knowledge influences perception and action in developmental coordination disorder. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023:17470218231214479. [PMID: 37926854 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231214479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is characterised by a broad spectrum of difficulties in performing motor tasks. It has recently been proposed that a specific deficit in sensorimotor prediction and feedforward planning might underpin these motoric impairments. The purpose of this study was to use a naturalistic object lifting paradigm to examine whether deficits in sensorimotor prediction might underpin the broad spectrum of difficulties individuals with DCD face when interacting with objects in their environment. We recruited 60 children with probable DCD and 61 children without DCD and measured perceptions of heaviness and fingertip force rate application when interacting with objects which varied in their apparent weight. If deficits in sensorimotor prediction do underpin the broad-ranging motor difficulties seen in DCD, we would expect to see a reduced effect of visual size cues on fingertip force rates and illusory misperceptions of object heaviness. We found no evidence of differences in any metrics of sensorimotor prediction between children with (n = 46) and without DCD (n = 61). Furthermore, there was no correlation between any metrics of sensorimotor prediction and motor performance (as assessed by the standard diagnostic movement assessment battery). Illusory misperceptions of object weight also did not appear to differ between groups. These findings suggest that issues with sensorimotor prediction are unlikely to affect the performance of simple real-world movements in those with DCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Allen
- Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Department of Health and Care Professions, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - David Harris
- Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Tom Arthur
- Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Greg Wood
- Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Research Centre for Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Gavin Buckingham
- Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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4
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Arthur T, Vine S, Buckingham G, Brosnan M, Wilson M, Harris D. Testing predictive coding theories of autism spectrum disorder using models of active inference. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011473. [PMID: 37695796 PMCID: PMC10529610 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Several competing neuro-computational theories of autism have emerged from predictive coding models of the brain. To disentangle their subtly different predictions about the nature of atypicalities in autistic perception, we performed computational modelling of two sensorimotor tasks: the predictive use of manual gripping forces during object lifting and anticipatory eye movements during a naturalistic interception task. In contrast to some accounts, we found no evidence of chronic atypicalities in the use of priors or weighting of sensory information during object lifting. Differences in prior beliefs, rates of belief updating, and the precision weighting of prediction errors were, however, observed for anticipatory eye movements. Most notably, we observed autism-related difficulties in flexibly adapting learning rates in response to environmental change (i.e., volatility). These findings suggest that atypical encoding of precision and context-sensitive adjustments provide a better explanation of autistic perception than generic attenuation of priors or persistently high precision prediction errors. Our results did not, however, support previous suggestions that autistic people perceive their environment to be persistently volatile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Arthur
- School of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
- Centre for Applied Autism Research, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Vine
- School of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin Buckingham
- School of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Brosnan
- Centre for Applied Autism Research, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Wilson
- School of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - David Harris
- School of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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Han J, Liu G, Zheng Q. Prior knowledge as a moderator between signaling and learning performance in immersive virtual reality laboratories. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1118174. [PMID: 36895747 PMCID: PMC9990412 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1118174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of signaling and prior knowledge on the cognitive loads, motivations, and learning of college students in an immersive virtual reality (IVR) environment. This study applied a 2 (signaling vs. no signaling) by 2 (high vs. low prior knowledge levels) between-subjects factorial design. The results revealed that signaling directed the attention of students with low prior knowledge levels, effectively helped them select relevant information and reduced their cognitive loads, whereas signaling had no significant effect on the cognitive loads, intrinsic motivation, and learning performance of learners with high levels of prior knowledge. These results suggest that IVR environments for students with low prior knowledge levels should reduce cognitive load and improve learning, and signals in the form of text annotations and color changes are recommended for additional support. Students with high prior knowledge levels do not require additional signals to support learning; therefore, the IVR environment needs to be designed in such a way as to be tailored to the individual differences of students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jining Han
- Faculty of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Geping Liu
- Faculty of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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6
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Abstract
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown etiology. Recently, there has been a growing interest in sensory processing in autism as a core phenotype. However, basic questions remain unanswered. Here, we review the major findings and models of perception in autism and point to methodological issues that have led to conflicting results. We show that popular models of perception in autism, such as the reduced prior hypothesis, cannot explain the many and varied findings. To resolve these issues, we point to the benefits of using rigorous psychophysical methods to study perception in autism. We advocate for perceptual models that provide a detailed explanation of behavior while also taking into account factors such as context, learning, and attention. Furthermore, we demonstrate the importance of tracking changes over the course of development to reveal the causal pathways and compensatory mechanisms. Finally, we propose a developmental perceptual narrowing account of the condition. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 8 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bat-Sheva Hadad
- Department of Special Education and The Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; ,
| | - Amit Yashar
- Department of Special Education and The Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; ,
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Gatzia DE, Arnaud S. Loving Objects: Can Autism Explain Objectophilia? ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:2117-2133. [PMID: 35536491 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-02281-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Objectophilia (also known as objectum-sexuality) involves romantic and sexual attraction to specific objects. Objectophiles often develop deep and enduring emotional, romantic, and sexual relations with specific inanimate (concrete or abstract) objects such as trains, bridges, cars, or words. The determinants of objectophilia are poorly understood. The aim of this paper is to examine the determining factors of objectophilia. We examine four hypotheses about the determinants of objectophilia (pertaining to fetishism, synesthesia, cross-modal mental imagery, and autism) and argue that the most likely determining factors of objectophilia are the social and non-social features of autism. Future studies on the determinants of objectophilia could enhance our understanding and potentially lessen the marginalization experienced by objectophiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitria Electra Gatzia
- Philosophy Department, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
- Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sarah Arnaud
- Centre for Philosophical Psychology, University of Antwerp, Stadscampus - Gebouw D, D416, Grote Kauwenberg 18, Antwerp, 2000, Belgium.
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Feigin H, Shalom-Sperber S, Zachor DA, Zaidel A. Increased influence of prior choices on perceptual decisions in autism. eLife 2021; 10:e61595. [PMID: 34231468 PMCID: PMC8289410 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) manifests sensory and perceptual atypicalities. Recent theories suggest that these may reflect a reduced influence of prior information in ASD. Some studies have found reduced adaptation to recent sensory stimuli in ASD. However, the effects of prior stimuli and prior perceptual choices can counteract one-another. Here, we investigated this using two different tasks (in two different cohorts): (i) visual location discrimination and (ii) multisensory (visual-vestibular) heading discrimination. We fit the data using a logistic regression model to dissociate the specific effects of prior stimuli and prior choices. In both tasks, perceptual decisions were biased toward recent choices. Notably, the 'attractive' effect of prior choices was significantly larger in ASD (in both tasks and cohorts), while there was no difference in the influence of prior stimuli. These results challenge theories of reduced priors in ASD, and rather suggest an increased consistency bias for perceptual decisions in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Feigin
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan UniversityRamat GanIsrael
| | - Shir Shalom-Sperber
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan UniversityRamat GanIsrael
| | - Ditza A Zachor
- The Autism Center/ALUT, Shamir Medical CenterZerifinIsrael
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Adam Zaidel
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan UniversityRamat GanIsrael
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9
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Arthur T, Vine S, Brosnan M, Buckingham G. Predictive sensorimotor control in autism. Brain 2021; 143:3151-3163. [PMID: 32974646 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder has been characterized by atypicalities in how predictions and sensory information are processed in the brain. To shed light on this relationship in the context of sensorimotor control, we assessed prediction-related measures of cognition, perception, gaze and motor functioning in a large general population (n = 92; Experiment 1) and in clinically diagnosed autistic participants (n = 29; Experiment 2). In both experiments perception and action were strongly driven by prior expectations of object weight, with large items typically predicted to weigh more than equally-weighted smaller ones. Interestingly, these predictive action models were used comparably at a sensorimotor level in both autistic and neurotypical individuals with varying levels of autistic-like traits. Specifically, initial fingertip force profiles and resulting action kinematics were both scaled according to participants' pre-lift heaviness estimates, and generic visual sampling behaviours were notably consistent across groups. These results suggest that the weighting of prior information is not chronically underweighted in autism, as proposed by simple Bayesian accounts of the disorder. Instead, our results cautiously implicate context-sensitive processing mechanisms, such as precision modulation and hierarchical volatility inference. Together, these findings present novel implications for both future scientific investigations and the autism community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Arthur
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK.,Centre for Applied Autism Research, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Sam Vine
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Mark Brosnan
- Centre for Applied Autism Research, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Gavin Buckingham
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
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10
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Abstract
It is well established that manipulations of low-level stimulus properties unrelated to mass can impact perception of heaviness, the most famous example being the size-weight illusion whereby small objects feel heavier than equally-weighted larger objects. Interestingly, manipulations of high-level cues such as material have also induced weight illusions, highlighting that cognitive expectations alone are enough to create illusory weight differences. Less is known, however, about what type of cognitive expectations can influence perception of heaviness. As labels are often used to signify the heaviness of objects, this study examined whether semantic cues could induce a novel weight illusion. Participants lifted equally-sized and equally-weighted sets of objects labelled as ‘light’ and ‘heavy’ and reported their perceived heaviness both prior to and after lifting. Fingertip forces were also measured to understand how semantic cues may influence sensorimotor prediction. The labels clearly affected pre-lift-off expectations of heaviness. By contrast, we found no effect of these labels on the perceived heaviness of objects, nor on the forces used to grip and lift them on early trials. In other words, we find no evidence that semantic cues affect perception or action enough to induce a novel weight illusion. These findings suggest that the explicit expectations created by the labels did not dominate the implicit expectations created by the equal sizes of the objects, highlighting the segregated nature of cognitive expectations and their variable influences on perception and action.
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Abstract
The current study comprises the first systematic meta-analysis of weight illusions. We obtained descriptive data from studies in which subjective heaviness estimates were made for pairs or groups of objects that had the same mass and different volumes (size-weight illusion; SWI) or different apparent material properties (material-weight illusion; MWI). Using these data, we calculated mean effect sizes to represent illusion strength. Other study details, including stimulus mass, volume, density, and degree of visual and somatosensory access to the stimuli were also recorded to quantify the contribution of these variables to effect sizes for the SWI. The results indicate that the SWI has a larger mean effect size than the MWI and that the former is consistent in strength when information about stimulus size is gained through somatosensory channels, regardless of visual access. The SWI is weaker when only the visual system provides size information. Effect sizes for the SWI were larger when there was a greater difference in volume across the stimuli. There was also a positive correlation between SWI strength and the difference in physical density across the different experimental stimuli, even after controlling for volume differences. Together, we argue that these findings provide support for theories of weight illusions that are based on conceptual expectancies as well as those that are based on bottom-up processing of physical density. We further propose that these processes, which have been considered dichotomously in the past, may not be mutually exclusive from each other and could both contribute to our perception of weight when we handle objects in everyday life.
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Arthur T, Vine S, Brosnan M, Buckingham G. Exploring how material cues drive sensorimotor prediction across different levels of autistic-like traits. Exp Brain Res 2019; 237:2255-2267. [PMID: 31250036 PMCID: PMC6675774 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-019-05586-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent research proposes that sensorimotor difficulties, such as those experienced by many autistic people, may arise from atypicalities in prediction. Accordingly, we examined the relationship between non-clinical autistic-like traits and sensorimotor prediction in the material-weight illusion, where prior expectations derived from material cues typically bias one’s perception and action. Specifically, prediction-related tendencies in perception of weight, gaze patterns, and lifting actions were probed using a combination of self-report, eye-tracking, motion-capture, and force-based measures. No prediction-related associations between autistic-like traits and sensorimotor control emerged for any of these variables. Follow-up analyses, however, revealed that greater autistic-like traits were correlated with reduced adaptation of gaze with changes in environmental uncertainty. These findings challenge proposals of gross predictive atypicalities in autistic people, but suggest that the dynamic integration of prior information and environmental statistics may be related to autistic-like traits. Further research into this relationship is warranted in autistic populations, to assist the development of future movement-based coaching methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Arthur
- Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, Devon, UK
| | - Sam Vine
- Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, Devon, UK
| | - Mark Brosnan
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Gavin Buckingham
- Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, Devon, UK.
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Buckingham G, Holler D, Michelakakis EE, Snow JC. Preserved Object Weight Processing after Bilateral Lateral Occipital Complex Lesions. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:1683-1690. [PMID: 30024326 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Object interaction requires knowledge of the weight of an object, as well as its shape. The lateral occipital complex (LOC), an area within the ventral visual pathway, is well known to be critically involved in processing visual shape information. Recently, however, LOC has also been implicated in coding object weight before grasping-a result that is surprising because weight is a nonvisual object property that is more relevant for motor interaction than visual perception. Here, we examined the causal role of LOC in perceiving heaviness and in determining appropriate fingertip forces during object lifting. We studied perceptions of heaviness and lifting behavior in a neuropsychological patient (M.C.) who has large bilateral occipitotemporal lesions that include LOC. We compared the patient's performance to a group of 18 neurologically healthy age-matched controls. Participants were asked to lift and report the perceived heaviness of a set of equally weighted spherical objects of various sizes-stimuli which typically induce the size-weight illusion, in which the smaller objects feel heavier than the larger objects despite having identical mass. Despite her ventral stream lesions, M.C. experienced a robust size-weight illusion induced by visual cues to object volume, and the magnitude of the illusion in M.C. was comparable to age-matched controls. Similarly, M.C. evinced predictive fingertip force scaling to visual size cues during her initial lifts of the objects that were well within the normal range. These single-case neuropsychological findings suggest that LOC is unlikely to play a causal role in computing object weight.
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14
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Buckingham G, Reid D, Potter L. How Prior Expectations Influence Older Adults’ Perception and Action During Object Interaction. Multisens Res 2018; 31:301-316. [DOI: 10.1163/22134808-00002585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The apparent size of an object can influence how we interact with and perceive the weight of objects in our environment. Little is known, however, about how this cue affects behaviour across the lifespan. Here, in the context of the size–weight illusion, we examined how visual size cues influenced the predictive application of fingertip forces and perceptions of heaviness in a group of older participants. We found that our older sample experienced a robust size–weight illusion, which did not differ from that experienced by younger participants. Older and young participants also experienced a real weight difference to a similar degree. By contrast, compared to younger participants our older group showed no evidence that size cues influenced the way they initially gripped and lifted the objects. These results highlight a unique dissociation between how perception and action diverge across the lifespan, and suggest that deficits in the ability to use prediction to guide actions might underpin some of the manual interaction difficulties experienced by the older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin Buckingham
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Richards Building, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Darren Reid
- Department of Psychology, Heriot-Watt University, UK
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15
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Schmidtler J, Bengler K. Influence of Size-Weight Illusion on Usability in Haptic Human-Robot Collaboration. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON HAPTICS 2018; 11:85-96. [PMID: 28976323 DOI: 10.1109/toh.2017.2757925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Collaborative power amplifying robots are accepted as one solution to overcome flexibility and ergonomic issues in future work and life scenarios. The handling of various sized and weighted objects in heterogeneous environments pose a particular challenge to the often applied admittance control. Haptic illusions, especially the Size-Weight Illusion (SWI), where the smaller of two equally weighted objects is perceived to be heavier, can have malicious, disturbing, or to some extent useful influence on system stability and usability. A within-subjects experiment was conducted with 40 participants and three within-factors (size, weight, and movement type), to investigate the occurrence and influence of SWI in bimanual fast-imprecise and slow-precise planar manipulation tasks. The illusion was replicated and an influence on usability was found. Further, different control strategies according to object size and mass (static, compensatory, and mismatch) were analyzed and did not show significant effects on task performance. It appears that either no change in assistance or a change according to object size is advisable.
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Hesse C, Miller L, Buckingham G. Visual information about object size and object position are retained differently in the visual brain: Evidence from grasping studies. Neuropsychologia 2016; 91:531-543. [PMID: 27663865 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Many experiments have examined how the visual information used for action control is represented in our brain, and whether or not visually-guided and memory-guided hand movements rely on dissociable visual representations that are processed in different brain areas (dorsal vs. ventral). However, little is known about how these representations decay over longer time periods and whether or not different visual properties are retained in a similar fashion. In three experiments we investigated how information about object size and object position affect grasping as visual memory demands increase. We found that position information decayed rapidly with increasing delays between viewing the object and initiating subsequent actions - impacting both the accuracy of the transport component (lower end-point accuracy) and the grasp component (larger grip apertures) of the movement. In contrast, grip apertures and fingertip forces remained well-adjusted to target size in conditions in which positional information was either irrelevant or provided, regardless of delay, indicating that object size is encoded in a more stable manner than object position. The findings provide evidence that different grasp-relevant properties are encoded differently by the visual system. Furthermore, we argue that caution is required when making inferences about object size representations based on alterations in the grip component as these variations are confounded with the accuracy with which object position is represented. Instead fingertip forces seem to provide a reliable and confound-free measure to assess internal size estimations in conditions of increased visual uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Louisa Miller
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Gavin Buckingham
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
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17
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Temporal integration of multisensory stimuli in autism spectrum disorder: a predictive coding perspective. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2016; 123:917-23. [DOI: 10.1007/s00702-016-1587-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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