Effects of bottom-up and top-down manipulations on visual object processing across the brain

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
Object recognition is an incredibly important process in day to day life, and is accomplished by the human visual system automatically and effortlessly. However, this process is rarely done in isolation from goal-oriented behavior (or task) performed by the subject. Though much is known about the passive processing of objects in the visual system, far less is understood in both: (1) How tasks affect known responses to objects in visual cortex, and (2) How objects are represented in regions of higher cognition such as prefrontal cortex. Chapter I provides an overview of the existing knowledge regarding object recognition and visual processing of objects, the effects of task engagement on responses in high-level visual cortex, and what is currently known on representations of objects in prefrontal cortex. The study described in chapter II examined how the information content of object classes, or category representations, in different cortical regions changed across three qualitatively different tasks. Here we find that while responses in high-level visual cortex contain robust and task-general representations of visual categories, responses in prefrontal cortex are flexible and task-dependent, supporting their respective functional roles. The study in chapter III further dives into the effects of top-down signals, as well as bottom-up signals, in finer increments and in smaller (and independently derived) of the cortical expanses explored in the first study. The findings from this study reveal a far richer functional heterogeneity in high-level visual cortex than was previously assumed, capturing a diverse set of response profiles to bottom-up and top-down manipulations, as well as their interactions. In prefrontal cortex, no areas are engaged by purely bottom-up manipulation of stimulus, and only a small subset is engaged by the on-task condition, alluding to hypothesized mechanisms of attention. Together, these results expand what is known about the effects of task in high-level visual cortex, as well as the involvement of prefrontal cortex in object processing.

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource
Extent 1 online resource.
Place California
Place [Stanford, California]
Publisher [Stanford University]
Copyright date 2018; ©2018
Publication date 2018; 2018
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Author Bugatus, Lior
Degree supervisor Grill-Spector, Kalanit
Thesis advisor Grill-Spector, Kalanit
Thesis advisor Gardner, Justin, 1971-
Thesis advisor Wagner, Anthony David
Degree committee member Gardner, Justin, 1971-
Degree committee member Wagner, Anthony David
Associated with Stanford University, Department of Psychology.

Subjects

Genre Theses
Genre Text

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Lior Bugatus.
Note Submitted to the Department of Psychology.
Thesis Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2018.
Location electronic resource

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2018 by Lior Bugatus

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