Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026
07:08
Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
Neuropsychological evidence distinguishing object selection from action (effector) selection.
M J Riddoch1, G W Humphreys, M G Edwards
1University of Birmingham, UK.
Cognitive Neuropsychology
|October 15, 2010
Summary
Patient ES demonstrates impaired action selection but intact object selection, even with distractors. Suppressing inappropriate responses improved task performance, highlighting distinct cognitive processes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuropsychology
Background:
- Patients with impaired action selection struggle to perform task-appropriate actions.
- Understanding the dissociation between object and action selection is crucial for cognitive function research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate object and action selection abilities in a patient (ES) with impaired task-based actions.
- To determine if object selection remains intact despite action selection deficits.
Main Methods:
- Assessed object and action selection in patient ES using simple action tasks.
- Evaluated performance with varying distractor salience and proximity to the action path.
- Tested the effect of suppressing inappropriate responses on task performance.
Main Results:
- Patient ES exhibited impaired selection of task-appropriate actions but preserved object selection based on perceptual differences.
- Object selection remained effective even when distractors had stronger learned responses.
- Action selection was hindered by nearby distractors, but performance improved when inappropriate responses were suppressed.
Conclusions:
- Object selection and action selection are dissociable cognitive functions.
- Perceptual salience plays a key role in guiding object selection, independent of action planning.
- Inhibitory control over inappropriate responses is vital for successful task-based action execution.
