Gaze Control in Complex Scene Perception

AbstractNatural scenes deliver rich sensory information about the world. Decades of research has shown that the scene-selective network in the visual cortex represents various aspects of scenes. It is, however, unknown how such complex scene information is processed beyond the visual cortex, such as in the prefrontal cortex. It is also unknown how task context impacts the process of scene perception, modulating which scene content is represented in the brain. In this study, we investigate these questions using scene images from four natural scene categories, which also depict two types of global scene properties, temperature (warm or cold), and sound-level (noisy or quiet). A group of healthy human subjects from both sexes participated in the present study using fMRI. In the study, participants viewed scene images under two different task conditions; temperature judgment and sound-level judgment. We analyzed how different scene attributes (scene categories, temperature, and sound-level information) are represented across the brain under these task conditions. Our findings show that global scene properties are only represented in the brain, especially in the prefrontal cortex, when they are task-relevant. However, scene categories are represented in the brain, in both the parahippocampal place area and the prefrontal cortex, regardless of task context. These findings suggest that the prefrontal cortex selectively represents scene content according to task demands, but this task selectivity depends on the types of scene content; task modulates neural representations of global scene properties but not of scene categories.

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Human gaze control during real-world scene perception

Trends in Cognitive Sciences ◽

10.1016/j.tics.2003.09.006 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. 498-504 ◽

Cited By ~ 688

Author(s):

J Henderson

Keyword(s):

Real World ◽

Scene Perception ◽

Gaze Control

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Distinct spatiotemporal mechanisms underlie extra-classical receptive field modulation in macaque V1 microcircuits

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.54264 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christopher A Henry ◽

Mehrdad Jazayeri ◽

Robert M Shapley ◽

Michael J Hawken

Keyword(s):

Receptive Field ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Scene Perception ◽

Orientation Tuning ◽

Context Modeling ◽

Complex Scene ◽

V1 Neurons ◽

Classical Receptive Field ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

Complex scene perception depends upon the interaction between signals from the classical receptive field (CRF) and the extra-classical receptive field (eCRF) in primary visual cortex (V1) neurons. Although much is known about V1 eCRF properties, we do not yet know how the underlying mechanisms map onto the cortical microcircuit. We probed the spatio-temporal dynamics of eCRF modulation using a reverse correlation paradigm, and found three principal eCRF mechanisms: tuned-facilitation, untuned-suppression, and tuned-suppression. Each mechanism had a distinct timing and spatial profile. Laminar analysis showed that the timing, orientation-tuning, and strength of eCRF mechanisms had distinct signatures within magnocellular and parvocellular processing streams in the V1 microcircuit. The existence of multiple eCRF mechanisms provides new insights into how V1 responds to spatial context. Modeling revealed that the differences in timing and scale of these mechanisms predicted distinct patterns of net modulation, reconciling many previous disparate physiological and psychophysical findings.

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Sound source similarity influences change perception during complex scene perception

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.4920110 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 137 (4) ◽

pp. 2226-2226 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kelly Dickerson ◽

Jeremy Gaston ◽

Ashley Foots ◽

Timothy Mermagen

Keyword(s):

Sound Source ◽

Scene Perception ◽

Complex Scene ◽

Change Perception ◽

Source Similarity

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Regarding Scenes

Current Directions in Psychological Science ◽

10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00507.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 219-222 ◽

Cited By ~ 138

Author(s):

John M. Henderson

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Real Time ◽

Real World ◽

Visual Information ◽

Scene Perception ◽

Saccadic Eye Movements ◽

Gaze Direction ◽

Behavioral Activity ◽

Gaze Control ◽

Gaze Stability

When we view the visual world, our eyes flit from one location to another about three times each second. These frequent changes in gaze direction result from very fast saccadic eye movements. Useful visual information is acquired only during fixations, periods of relative gaze stability. Gaze control is defined as the process of directing fixation through a scene in real time in the service of ongoing perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral activity. This article discusses current approaches and new empirical findings that are allowing investigators to unravel how human gaze control operates during active real-world scene perception.

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Perceptual Cycles in Complex Scene Perception: Effects of Attentional Set on Detecting Events

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/14.10.608 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. 608-608

Author(s):

T. Sanocki

Keyword(s):

Scene Perception ◽

Complex Scene ◽

Attentional Set

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Distinct spatiotemporal mechanisms underlie extra-classical receptive field modulation in macaque V1 microcircuits

10.1101/802710 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher A. Henry ◽

Mehrdad Jazayeri ◽

Robert M. Shapley ◽

Michael J. Hawken

Keyword(s):

Receptive Field ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Scene Perception ◽

Orientation Tuning ◽

Context Modeling ◽

Complex Scene ◽

V1 Neurons ◽

Classical Receptive Field ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

AbstractComplex scene perception depends upon the interaction between signals from the classical receptive field (CRF) and the extra-classical receptive field (eCRF) in primary visual cortex (V1) neurons. While much is known about V1 eCRF properties, it remains unknown how the underlying mechanisms map onto the cortical microcircuit. We probed the spatio-temporal dynamics of eCRF modulation using a reverse correlation paradigm, and found three principal eCRF mechanisms: tuned-facilitation, untuned-suppression, and tuned-suppression. Each mechanism had a distinct timing and spatial profile. Laminar analysis showed that the timing, orientation-tuning, and strength of eCRF mechanisms had distinct signatures within magnocellular and parvocellular processing streams in the V1 microcircuit. The existence of multiple eCRF mechanisms provides new insights into how V1 responds to spatial context. Modeling revealed that the differences in timing and scale of these mechanisms predicted distinct patterns of net modulation, reconciling many previous disparate physiological and psychophysical findings.

Download Full-text