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Newell FN, McKenna E, Seveso MA, Devine I, Alahmad F, Hirst RJ, O'Dowd A. Multisensory perception constrains the formation of object categories: a review of evidence from sensory-driven and predictive processes on categorical decisions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220342. [PMID: 37545304 PMCID: PMC10404931 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Although object categorization is a fundamental cognitive ability, it is also a complex process going beyond the perception and organization of sensory stimulation. Here we review existing evidence about how the human brain acquires and organizes multisensory inputs into object representations that may lead to conceptual knowledge in memory. We first focus on evidence for two processes on object perception, multisensory integration of redundant information (e.g. seeing and feeling a shape) and crossmodal, statistical learning of complementary information (e.g. the 'moo' sound of a cow and its visual shape). For both processes, the importance attributed to each sensory input in constructing a multisensory representation of an object depends on the working range of the specific sensory modality, the relative reliability or distinctiveness of the encoded information and top-down predictions. Moreover, apart from sensory-driven influences on perception, the acquisition of featural information across modalities can affect semantic memory and, in turn, influence category decisions. In sum, we argue that both multisensory processes independently constrain the formation of object categories across the lifespan, possibly through early and late integration mechanisms, respectively, to allow us to efficiently achieve the everyday, but remarkable, ability of recognizing objects. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. N. Newell
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
| | - E. McKenna
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
| | - M. A. Seveso
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
| | - I. Devine
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
| | - F. Alahmad
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
| | - R. J. Hirst
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
| | - A. O'Dowd
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
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Rossel P, Peyrin C, Kauffmann L. Subjective perception of objects depends on the interaction between the validity of context-based expectations and signal reliability. Vision Res 2023; 206:108191. [PMID: 36773476 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Predictive coding theories of visual perception assume that expectations based on prior knowledge modulate the processing of information. However, the underlying mechanisms remain debated. Some accounts propose that expectations enhance the perception of expected relative to unexpected stimuli while others assume the opposite. Recently, the opposing process theory suggested that enhanced perception of expected vs. unexpected stimuli may occur alternatively depending upon the reliability of the visual signal. When the signal is noisy, perception would be biassed toward what is expected since anything else may be too noisy to be resolved. When the signal is unambiguous, perception would be biassed toward what diverges from expectations and is more informative. Our study tested this hypothesis, using a perceptual matching task to investigate the influence of expectations on the perceived sharpness of objects in context. Participants saw two blurred images depicting the same object and had to adjust the blur level of one object to match the blur level of the other one. We manipulated the validity of expectations about objects by varying their scene context (congruent or incongruent context leading to valid or invalid expectations about the object). We also manipulated the reliability of the visual signal by varying the initial blur level of object pairs. Results showed that expectations validity differentially affected the perception of objects depending on signal reliability. Perception of validly expected objects was enhanced (sharpened) relative to unexpected objects when visual inputs were unreliable while this effect reversed to the benefit of unexpected objects when the signal was more reliable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Rossel
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Carole Peyrin
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, France
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Trapp S, Guitart-Masip M, Schröger E. A link between age, affect, and predictions? Eur J Ageing 2022; 19:945-952. [PMID: 36692760 PMCID: PMC9729523 DOI: 10.1007/s10433-022-00710-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of depressive symptoms decreases from late adolescence to middle age adulthood. Furthermore, despite significant losses in motor and cognitive functioning, overall emotional well-being tends to increase with age, and a bias to positive information has been observed multiple times. Several causes have been discussed for this age-related development, such as improvement in emotion regulation, less regret, and higher socioeconomic status. Here, we explore a further explanation. Our minds host mental models that generate predictions about forthcoming events to successfully interact with our physical and social environment. To keep these models faithful, the difference between the predicted and the actual event, that is, the prediction error, is computed. We argue that prediction errors are attenuated in the middle age and older mind, which, in turn, may translate to less negative affect, lower susceptibility to affective disorders, and possibly, to a bias to positive information. Our proposal is primarily linked to perceptual inferences, but may hold as well for higher-level, cognitive, and emotional forms of error processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Trapp
- grid.434949.70000 0001 1408 3925Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, Munich, Germany ,grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marc Guitart-Masip
- grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden ,grid.467087.a0000 0004 0442 1056Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden ,grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, WC1B 5EH UK ,grid.9647.c0000 0004 7669 9786Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Erich Schröger
- grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden ,grid.9647.c0000 0004 7669 9786Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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Marusic U, Peskar M, De Pauw K, Omejc N, Drevensek G, Rojc B, Pisot R, Kavcic V. Neural Bases of Age-Related Sensorimotor Slowing in the Upper and Lower Limbs. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:819576. [PMID: 35601618 PMCID: PMC9119024 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.819576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
With advanced age, there is a loss of reaction speed that may contribute to an increased risk of tripping and falling. Avoiding falls and injuries requires awareness of the threat, followed by selection and execution of the appropriate motor response. Using event-related potentials (ERPs) and a simple visual reaction task (RT), the goal of our study was to distinguish sensory and motor processing in the upper- and lower-limbs while attempting to uncover the main cause of age-related behavioral slowing. Strength (amplitudes) as well as timing and speed (latencies) of various stages of stimulus- and motor-related processing were analyzed in 48 healthy individuals (young adults, n = 24, mean age = 34 years; older adults, n = 24, mean age = 67 years). The behavioral results showed a significant age-related slowing, where the younger compared to older adults exhibited shorter RTs for the upper- (222 vs. 255 ms; p = 0.006, respectively) and the lower limb (257 vs. 274 ms; p = 0.048, respectively) as well as lower variability in both modalities (p = 0.001). Using ERP indices, age-related slowing of visual stimulus processing was characterized by overall larger amplitudes with delayed latencies of endogenous potentials in older compared with younger adults. While no differences were found in the P1 component, the later components of recorded potentials for visual stimuli processing were most affected by age. This was characterized by increased N1 and P2 amplitudes and delayed P2 latencies in both upper and lower extremities. The analysis of motor-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) revealed stronger MRCP amplitude for upper- and a non-significant trend for lower limbs in older adults. The MRCP amplitude was smaller and peaked closer to the actual motor response for the upper- than for the lower limb in both age groups. There were longer MRCP onset latencies for lower- compared to upper-limb in younger adults, and a non-significant trend was seen in older adults. Multiple regression analyses showed that the onset of the MRCP peak consistently predicted reaction time across both age groups and limbs tested. However, MRCP rise time and P2 latency were also significant predictors of simple reaction time, but only in older adults and only for the upper limbs. Our study suggests that motor cortical processes contribute most strongly to the slowing of simple reaction time in advanced age. However, late-stage cortical processing related to sensory stimuli also appears to play a role in upper limb responses in the elderly. This process most likely reflects less efficient recruitment of neuronal resources required for the upper and lower extremity response task in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uros Marusic
- Science and Research Centre Koper, Institute for Kinesiology Research, Koper, Slovenia
- Department of Health Sciences, Alma Mater Europaea – ECM, Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Manca Peskar
- Science and Research Centre Koper, Institute for Kinesiology Research, Koper, Slovenia
- Biological Psychology and Neuroergonomics, Department of Psychology and Ergonomics, Faculty V: Mechanical Engineering and Transport Systems, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kevin De Pauw
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Brussels Human Robotics Research Center (BruBotics), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nina Omejc
- Science and Research Centre Koper, Institute for Kinesiology Research, Koper, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gorazd Drevensek
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Bojan Rojc
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
- Department of Neurology, Izola General Hospital, Izola, Slovenia
| | - Rado Pisot
- Science and Research Centre Koper, Institute for Kinesiology Research, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Voyko Kavcic
- Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
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