scholarly journals Alternation emerges as a multi-modal strategy for turbulent odor navigation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Rigolli ◽  
Gautam Reddy ◽  
Agnese Seminara ◽  
Massimo Vergassola
Keyword(s):  
Search Task ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Optimization Methods ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Odor Plume ◽  
Marginal Value ◽  
Plume Tracking ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Complex Goal ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

Foraging mammals exhibit a familiar yet poorly characterized phenomenon, "alternation", a momentary pause to sniff in the air often preceded by the animal rearing on its hind legs or raising its head. Intriguingly, rodents executing an olfactory search task spontaneously exhibit alternation in the presence of airflow, suggesting that alternation may serve an important role during turbulent plume-tracking. To test this hypothesis, we combine fully-resolved numerical simulations of turbulent odor transport and Bellman optimization methods for decision-making under partial observability. We show that an agent trained to minimize search time in a realistic odor plume exhibits extensive alternation together with the characteristic cast-and-surge behavior commonly observed in flying insects. Alternation is tightly linked with casting and occurs more frequently when the agent is far downwind of the source, where the likelihood of detecting airborne cues is higher relative to cues close to the ground. Casting and alternation emerge as complementary tools for effective exploration when cues are sparse. We develop a model based on marginal value theory to capture the interplay between casting, surging and alternation. More generally, we show how multiple sensorimotor modalities can be fruitfully integrated during complex goal-directed behavior.

scholarly journals The role of vision in odor-plume tracking by walking and flying insects

2011 ◽  
Vol 214 (24) ◽  
pp. 4121-4132 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Willis ◽  
J. L. Avondet ◽  
E. Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Odor Plume ◽  
Plume Tracking ◽  
Flying Insects

scholarly journals Neural mechanisms underlying expectation-dependent inhibition of distracting information

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk van Moorselaar ◽  
Eline Lampers ◽  
Elisa Cordesius ◽  
Heleen A. Slagter
Keyword(s):  
Search Task ◽  
Visual Search Task ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Distractor Interference ◽  
Sensory Representation ◽  
Task Relevance ◽  
Dependent Inhibition ◽  
Statistical Regularities ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior ◽  
The Brain

AbstractPredictions based on learned statistical regularities in the visual world have been shown to facilitate attention and goal-directed behavior by sharpening the sensory representation of goal-relevant stimuli in advance. Yet, how the brain learns to ignore predictable goal-irrelevant or distracting information is unclear. Here, we used EEG and a visual search task in which the predictability of a distractor’s location and/or spatial frequency was manipulated to determine how spatial and feature distractor expectations are neurally implemented and reduce distractor interference. We find that expected distractor features could not only be decoded pre-stimulus, but their representation differed from the representation of that same feature when part of the target. Spatial distractor expectations did not induce changes in preparatory neural activity, but a strongly reduced Pd, an ERP index of inhibition. These results demonstrate that neural effects of statistical learning critically depend on the task relevance and dimension (spatial, feature) of predictions.

scholarly journals Quantitative evaluation of visual guidance effects for 360-degree directions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Harada ◽  
Junji Ohyama
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Visual Search Task ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Visual Cognition ◽  
Target Color ◽  
Moving Window ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Immersive Environment ◽  
Short Times

AbstractA head-mounted display cannot cover an angle of visual field as wide as that of natural view (out-of-view problem). To enhance the visual cognition of an immersive environment, previous studies have developed various guidance designs that visualize the location or direction of items presented in the users’ surroundings. However, two issues regarding the guidance effects remain unresolved: How are the guidance effects different with each guided direction? How much is the cognitive load required by the guidance? To investigate the two issues, we performed a visual search task in an immersive environment and measured the search time of a target and time spent to recognize a guidance design. In this task, participants searched for a target presented on a head-mounted display and reported the target color while using a guidance design. The guidance designs (a moving window, 3D arrow, radiation, spherical gradation, and 3D radar) and target directions were manipulated. The search times showed an interaction effect between guidance designs and guided directions, e.g., the 3D arrow and radar shorten the search time for targets presented at the back of users. The recognition times showed that the participants required short times to recognize the details of the moving window and radiation but long times for the 3D arrow, spherical gradation, and 3D radar. These results suggest that the moving window and radiation are effective with respect to cognitive load, but the 3D arrow and radar are effective for guiding users’ attention to necessary items presented at the out-of-view.

The Effect of Image Quality on Search for Static and Dynamic Targets: MTFA-Performance Correlations

1979 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 339-343
Author(s):  
James C. Gutmann ◽  
Harry L. Snyder ◽  
Willard W. Farley ◽  
John E. Evans
Keyword(s):  
White Noise ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Video Signal ◽  
Modulation Transfer ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
And Performance ◽  
High Pass

This report contains the results of two experiments which investigated the effects of the quality of a televised image on eye movements and search-related measures. The first experimental search task involved having subjects perform an air-to-ground search during a simulated flight. The quality of the image presented was varied by either passing, low-pass filtering, or attenuating the video signal and by adding electrical white noise to the video signal. Low to moderate correlations between modulation transfer function area (MTFA) and performance measures generally indicated that as MTFA increases performance improves and fixation durations decrease. The search task of the second experiment consisted of having the subjects search for a designated letter or numeral across a televised picture of randomly positioned letters and numerals. The quality of the picture was varied by either passing, low-pass filtering, high-pass filtering, or attenuating the video signal and by adding electrical white noise to the video signal. Correlations between MTFA and performance measures indicated that increases in MTFA lead to decreases in search time and decreases in fixation duration.

Seeking and Resolving Complex Online Health Information

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Sharit ◽  
Jessica Taha ◽  
Ronald W. Berkowsky ◽  
Sara J. Czaja
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Complex Health Problems ◽  
Similar Search

Presently, adults can exploit a vast amount of online health information for solving relatively complex health problems. This study examined the performance of 60 adults ranging in age from 18-82 years on a complex online health information search task. Measures of search time, amount of search, search accuracy, and six cognitive abilities were obtained. The older participants exhibited similar search accuracy, significantly less amount of search, and significantly longer time to complete the problem compared to the younger participants. For the younger participants having higher cognitive ability typically translated into significantly better search accuracy and greater amount of search accomplished. For the older participants, only processing speed significantly distinguished the lower and higher ability older adults on search accuracy and none of the ability measures differentiated these participants on amount of search. These differences and their implications are discussed in the context of supporting older online health information seekers.

scholarly journals Neural mechanisms underlying expectation-dependent inhibition of distracting information

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk van Moorselaar ◽  
Eline Lampers ◽  
Elisa Cordesius ◽  
Heleen A Slagter
Keyword(s):  
Search Task ◽  
Visual Search Task ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Distractor Interference ◽  
Sensory Representation ◽  
Task Relevance ◽  
Dependent Inhibition ◽  
Statistical Regularities ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior ◽  
The Brain

Predictions based on learned statistical regularities in the visual world have been shown to facilitate attention and goal-directed behavior by sharpening the sensory representation of goal-relevant stimuli in advance. Yet, how the brain learns to ignore predictable goal-irrelevant or distracting information is unclear. Here, we used EEG and a visual search task in which the predictability of a distractor’s location and/or spatial frequency was manipulated to determine how spatial and feature distractor expectations are neurally implemented and reduce distractor interference. We find that expected distractor features could not only be decoded pre-stimulus, but their representation differed from the representation of that same feature when part of the target. Spatial distractor expectations did not induce changes in preparatory neural activity, but a strongly reduced Pd, an ERP index of inhibition. These results demonstrate that neural effects of statistical learning critically depend on the task relevance and dimension (spatial, feature) of predictions.

scholarly journals Odor Plume Tracking Algorithm Inspired on Evolution

2014 ◽  
pp. 321-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Lorena Villarreal ◽  
Gustavo Olague ◽  
J. L. Gordillo
Keyword(s):  
Tracking Algorithm ◽  
Odor Plume ◽  
Plume Tracking

Spatial dimension and exploitation dynamics of local fishing grounds by fishers targeting several flatfish species

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1064-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp ◽  
Jan Jaap Poos ◽  
Floor J. Quirijns
Keyword(s):  
Search Time ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Spatial Dimension ◽  
Catch Rate ◽  
Fishing Ground ◽  
Marginal Value Theorem ◽  
Marginal Value ◽  
Individual Transferable Quota ◽  
Fishing Behavior ◽  
Patch Exploitation

Patch exploitation dynamics, based on individual tow data, provided new insights into the fishing behavior of mixed fisheries. Fishing grounds were determined and their geometry quantified based on the proximity of tow positions. Tows were classified as being part of either searching, sampling, or exploitation behavior based on the intertow distance. Fishers can detect patches of flatfish on a scale of ∼25 nautical miles2. Catch rate during exploitation was 24%–36% above the catch rate while searching, and decreased at a rate of 20%·day–1. Once a patch was found, exploitation occurred until the catch rate dropped below a threshold level. The optimal giving-up catch rate was estimated based on the observed search time, catch rate decline, and range of fishing ground quality. The observed giving-up catch rate was 6%–11% higher than predicted by the marginal value theorem. The discrepancy between the observed and predicted patch leaving decision was consistent with the bias expected in an individual transferable quota (ITQ) management system. Our results provide a basis for interpreting vessel monitoring system (VMS) data and studying the interaction among fishers and between fishers and their resources at the appropriate time and spatial scale.

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