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Perception is a fundamental psychological process that enables individuals to organize, interpret, and consciously experience sensory information. This process is crucial for understanding and interacting with the world around us. It includes both bottom-up and top-down processing, each playing a distinct role in how we perceive our environment.
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Active sensing without efference copy: referent control of perception.

Anatol G Feldman1

  • 1Department of Neuroscience and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; and Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal (CRIR), Montreal, QC, Canada feldman@med.umontreal.ca.

Journal of Neurophysiology
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Summary

This review critically analyzes the efference copy (EC) concept, proposing an alternative model where sensory perception is relative to brain-specified referent signals. This framework explains action control and sensory experiences like visual space constancy and phantom limb phenomena.

Keywords:
kinesthetic illusionsmotor controlphantom limbposition sensevisual space constancy

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Perception-Action Coupling
  • Sensory Processing

Background:

  • Action and perception are traditionally viewed as distinct but interrelated behaviors.
  • The efference copy (EC) concept posits that motor commands inform sensory systems.
  • Limitations of the EC concept necessitate alternative explanations for perception-action integration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Critically analyze the limitations of the traditional efference copy (EC) concept.
  • Propose an alternative framework for understanding perception-action coupling.
  • Explain various sensory experiences and motor control phenomena.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and critical analysis of the efference copy concept.
  • Theoretical framework development based on referent signals.
  • Explanation of experimental findings within the proposed model.

Main Results:

  • Identified limitations in the traditional efference copy (EC) concept.
  • Proposed a referent signal framework where sensory perception is relative.
  • Demonstrated how this framework explains position sense, visual space constancy, and kinesthetic illusions.

Conclusions:

  • The efference copy (EC) concept has significant limitations.
  • A referent signal framework offers a more comprehensive explanation for action and perception.
  • This alternative model successfully accounts for phenomena like visual space constancy and phantom limb sensations.