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Publications

Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Ppublish 1 citation

PubMed: 38401629 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108838

The contribution of semantic distance knowledge to size constancy in perception and grasping when visual cues are limited.

Neuropsychologia 196:108838

Authors: Gexiu Wang, Chao Zheng, Xiaoqian Wu, Zhiqing Deng, Irene Sperandio, Melvyn A Goodale, Juan Chen

Affiliations

  • Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and the School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510631, China.
  • Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, TN, 38068, Italy.
  • Western Institute for Neuroscience and the Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C2, Canada.
  • Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and the School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510631, China; Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510631, China.

Abstract

To achieve a stable perception of object size in spite of variations in viewing distance, our visual system needs to combine retinal image information and distance cues. Previous research has shown that, not only retinal cues, but also extraretinal sensory signals can provide reliable information about depth and that different neural networks (perception versus action) can exhibit preferences in the use of these different sources of information during size-distance computations. Semantic knowledge of distance, a purely cognitive signal, can also provide distance information. Do the perception and action systems show differences in their ability to use this information in calculating object size and distance? To address this question, we presented 'glow-in-the-dark' objects of different physical sizes at different real distances in a completely dark room. Participants viewed the objects monocularly through a 1-mm pinhole. They either estimated the size and distance of the objects or attempted to grasp them. Semantic knowledge was manipulated by providing an auditory cue about the actual distance of the object: "20 cm", "30 cm", and "40 cm". We found that semantic knowledge of distance contributed to some extent to size constancy operations during perceptual estimation and grasping, but size constancy was never fully restored. Importantly, the contribution of knowledge about distance to size constancy was equivalent between perception and action. Overall, our study reveals similarities and differences between the perception and action systems in the use of semantic distance knowledge and suggests that this cognitive signal is useful but not a reliable depth cue for size constancy under restricted viewing conditions.

MeSH

Psychology, Perception, Neurology, Semantics, Cues