Abstract
Vision has historically been subdivided into two major systems. The vision-for-perception system is thought to be responsible for generating visual representations in service of recognition and identification. Conversely, the vision-for-action system is thought to transform visual information towards the goal of guiding motor behavior. Both systems have been linked to distinct anatomical pathways - the ventral pathway, originating in early visual cortex and terminating in the temporal lobe, is thought to mediate vision-for-perception, while the dorsal pathway, originating in early visual cortex and terminating in the parietal lobe, is thought to mediate vision-for-action. While serving as a fertile and influential theoretical framework, growing body evidence suggests these processing streams may not be as independent as once thought. Our current investigation is predicated on the observation that many visuomotor behaviors (mediated through the dorsal pathway), such as the manipulation of man-made tools, are contingent on the successful identification of the object (mediated through the ventral pathway). Here we investigate the nature of these interactions using High-Density Electroencephalography (HD-EEG). We hypothesize that prior to being represented in the dorsal stream, tools should be differentiable from other categories of objects in the ventral stream. To test this hypothesis we conducted two HD-EEG experiments in which participants viewed images of animate objects (birds & insects) and inanimate objects (tools & graspable objects). Experiment one utilized the frequency-tagging approach and the Fast Fourier Transform to examine frequency domain amplitude differences between the object categories. Analyses reveal significant differences between the superordinate categories of animacy as well as differences between the subordinate categories. Experiment two utilized the event related potential approach. Analyses suggest a difference between animate and inanimate categories across central electrodes as well as a deviation of the tool category from the other object classes at frontal and posterior regions.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2017