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Different spaces and different times for perception and action.
1Departments of Psychology and Physiology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada. mgoodale@julian.uwo.ca
Progress in Brain Research
|November 13, 2001
Summary
Primate vision uses two interacting systems: one for detailed object perception and another for action control. These complementary systems, the ventral and dorsal streams, work together for effective goal-directed behavior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Primate Vision
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- The primate brain has evolved distinct visual systems for object perception and action control.
- High-level vision is understood through a 'duplex' account, integrating 'reconstructive' and 'purposive-animate-behaviorist' approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the complementary roles of separate visual systems in perception and action.
- To elucidate how the ventral and dorsal visual streams contribute to purposive behavior.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of visual processing streams in the primate cortex.
- Examination of the functional specializations of the ventral (perception) and dorsal (action) visual pathways.
Main Results:
- The ventral stream provides rich object representations but lacks egocentric metrics.
- The dorsal stream computes necessary egocentric metrics for action but has limited scope.
- These systems interact, with one selecting goals and the other executing actions.
Conclusions:
- The perception and action visual systems are complementary, not mutually exclusive.
- The limitations of one visual system are compensated by the strengths of the other.
- Integrated function of ventral and dorsal streams enables complex, goal-directed behaviors.