Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Vision01:24

Vision

61.4K
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
61.4K
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

10.4K
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
10.4K
Visual System01:26

Visual System

2.3K
Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
2.3K
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

9.0K
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
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....
9.0K
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision01:15

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

2.6K
Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.
2.6K
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

4.3K
The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
4.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

EXPRESS: The Effect of Response-code on Stroop Interference and Facilitation.

Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006)·2026
Same author

Is "sky" bluer than "grass" is green? Word-color associations dataset for cognitive science.

Behavior research methods·2026
Same author

Phasic LC-NE firing and attentional profiles: a pupillometric study.

Consciousness and cognition·2026
Same author

The illusion of numerical value.

Cognition·2026
Same author

Pupil size response within direct and random exploration and exploitation behaviors selectively reflects value of control.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same author

Linguistic experiential priors account for notation-dependent numerical representations.

Cognition·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

8.8K

Conceptual size representation in ventral visual cortex.

Shai Gabay1, Eyal Kalanthroff2, Avishai Henik3

  • 1Department of Psychology & Cognitive Science Studies, The Open University, Raanana, Israel; Department of Psychology and the Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.

Neuropsychologia
|January 6, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study shows the brain processes abstract size concepts, not just real-world object properties. Using trained shapes, researchers found distinct brain activity for

Keywords:
Conceptual sizeNumerical processingOccipital place areaParahippocampal place areaSize-preference

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Insights into Visual Cortex Research Through Wide-View fMRI Mapping
07:11

Author Spotlight: Insights into Visual Cortex Research Through Wide-View fMRI Mapping

Published on: December 8, 2023

2.5K
A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity
10:05

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity

Published on: May 7, 2017

13.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

8.8K
Author Spotlight: Insights into Visual Cortex Research Through Wide-View fMRI Mapping
07:11

Author Spotlight: Insights into Visual Cortex Research Through Wide-View fMRI Mapping

Published on: December 8, 2023

2.5K
A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity
10:05

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity

Published on: May 7, 2017

13.0K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Previous research suggests ventral occipitotemporal cortex maps visual objects by real-world size.
  • This mapping may rely on visual or functional properties, not abstract size concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if abstract conceptual size representations influence visual cortical activation.
  • To determine if the brain processes abstract size independent of object properties.

Main Methods:

  • Participants underwent extensive training to associate meaningless shapes with size concepts.
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measured brain activity during size comparison tasks.
  • Tasks involved abstract shapes and numeral digits to minimize semantic and visual confounds.

Main Results:

  • Medial (parahippocampal place area) and lateral (occipital place area) regions showed greater blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) responses for 'big' versus 'small' concepts.
  • Enhanced activation in early visual cortex was observed for 'big' shapes, suggesting top-down processing.
  • Similar patterns were found for comparing numerical digits representing big versus small numbers.

Conclusions:

  • Findings provide evidence for abstract conceptual size representation in the ventral visual stream.
  • The brain appears to process abstract size independently of visual or functional object characteristics.
  • This suggests a neural mechanism for representing abstract size concepts.