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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
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Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
Published on: April 16, 2014
Dynamics of Active Sensing and perceptual selection.
Charles E Schroeder1, Donald A Wilson, Thomas Radman
1Cognitive Neuroscience and Schizophrenia Program, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, USA. schrod@nki.rfmh.org
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|March 24, 2010
Summary
Sensory processing is not passive; it is an active process driven by motor and attention. Rhythmic motor activity shapes sensory input, enabling perceptual selection within an active sensing framework.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Perception
- Motor Control
Background:
- Traditionally, sensory processing is viewed as passive transduction by receptors.
- Emerging evidence challenges this passive model, highlighting active mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the Active Sensing paradigm.
- To emphasize the dynamic motor and attentional context in sensory processing.
Main Methods:
- The study synthesizes recent findings on sensory processing.
- It integrates concepts from motor control, attention, and neural coding.
Main Results:
- Sensory processing is predominantly active, guided by motor/attentional sampling.
- Motor routines introduce rhythmicity to sensory inflow.
- Attentional mechanisms modulate sensory pathway rhythms for perception.
Conclusions:
- The Active Sensing paradigm redefines sensory processing as dynamic and context-dependent.
- Future research should focus on the interplay between motor activity, attention, and sensory perception.
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