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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

How (and why) the visual control of action differs from visual perception.

Melvyn A Goodale¹

¹The Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, , London, Ontario, Canada , N6A 5B7.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences

|May 3, 2014

Summary

The primate brain has two distinct visual systems: one for perception and one for action. These systems process visual information differently, guiding our awareness and movements independently.

Keywords:

dorsal stream ventral stream visual illusions visual perception visuomotor control

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Visual Processing

Background:

Vision serves dual roles: perceiving the world and guiding actions.
Perception relies on relational metrics, while action uses absolute metrics.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the distinct computational demands of vision-for-perception and vision-for-action.
To investigate how these demands shape the organization of primate visual pathways.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of ventral ('perceptual') and dorsal ('action') visual streams.
Review of evidence from neuropsychology and neuroimaging studies.

Main Results:

The ventral stream (to inferior temporal cortex) creates detailed representations for object recognition and meaning.
The dorsal stream (to posterior parietal cortex) controls real-time actions using effector-based coordinates.
Evidence suggests distinct visual signals for experience and action control.

Conclusions:

The primate brain utilizes two independent visual systems, one for conscious perception and another for unconscious action guidance.
These systems operate with different reference frames and computational strategies to meet specialized demands.