Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
Published on: April 16, 2014
Are different affordances subserved by different neural pathways?
1Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, UK. g.m.young@leeds.ac.uk
Abstract:
This paper questions whether affordances are allied exclusively to dorsal stream processing within the visual system, or whether in fact different affordances are subserved by functionally independent neural pathways. Using case study evidence from patients with various visual pathologies, I argue that affordances can be categorised into type based upon their respective neurological underpinning. Such categorisation has implications for the extent to which affordances are consciously perceived or non-consciously 'picked up' within the optic array, as well as whether they indicate merely potentials for action or provide necessary information in the actualisation of behaviour.
Related Concept Videos
Neural Circuits
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Neuroplasticity
Direct Motor Pathways
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

