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Huang S, Ge Y, Wang L, Jiang Y. Life motion signals modulate visual working memory. Psychon Bull Rev 2024; 31:380-388. [PMID: 37620631 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02362-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that biological motion (BM) cues can induce a reflexive attentional orienting effect, a phenomenon referred to as social attention. However, it remains undetermined whether BM cues can further affect higher-order cognitive processes, such as visual working memory (WM). By combining a modified central pre-cueing paradigm with a traditional WM change detection task, the current study investigated whether the walking direction of BM, as a non-predictive central cue, could modulate the encoding process of WM. Results revealed a significant improvement in WM performance for the items appearing at the location cued by the walking direction of BM. The observed effect disappeared when the BM cues were shown inverted, or when the critical biological characteristics of the cues were removed. Crucially, this effect could be extended to upright feet motion cues without global configuration, reflecting the key role of local BM signals in modulating WM. More importantly, such a BM-induced modulation effect was not observed with inanimate motion cues, although these cues can also elicit attentional effects. Our findings suggest that the attentional effect induced by life motion signals can penetrate to higher-order cognitive processes, and provide compelling evidence for the existence of "life motion detector" in the human brain from a high-level cognitive function perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suqi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, 26 Science Park Road, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yiping Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, 26 Science Park Road, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Li Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, 26 Science Park Road, Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Yi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, 26 Science Park Road, Beijing, 102206, China
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Cheng Y, Yuan X, Jiang Y. Eye pupil signals life motion perception. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:579-586. [PMID: 37258891 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02729-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The ability to readily detect and recognize biological motion (BM) is fundamental to survival and interpersonal communication. However, perception of BM is strongly disrupted when it is shown upside down. This well-known inversion effect is proposed to be caused by a life motion detection mechanism highly tuned to gravity-compatible motion cues. In the current study, we assessed the inversion effect in BM perception using a no-report pupillometry. We found that the pupil size was significantly enlarged when observers viewed upright BMs (gravity-compatible) compared with the inverted counterparts (gravity-incompatible). Importantly, such an effect critically depended on the dynamic biological characteristics, and could be extended to local feet motion signals. These findings demonstrate that the eye pupil can signal gravity-dependent life motion perception. More importantly, with the convenience, objectivity, and noninvasiveness of pupillometry, the current study paves the way for the potential application of pupillary responses in detecting the deficiency of life motion perception in individuals with socio-cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xiangyong Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Yi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 102206, China.
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