Dataset Information

When past is present: Substitutions of long-term memory for sensory evidence in perceptual judgments.

ABSTRACT: When perception is underdetermined by current sensory inputs, memories for related experiences in the past might fill in missing detail. To evaluate this possibility, we measured the likelihood of relying on long-term memory versus sensory evidence when judging the appearance of an object near the threshold of awareness. Specifically, we associated colors with shapes in long-term memory and then presented the shapes again later in unrelated colors and had observers judge the appearance of the new colors. We found that responses were well characterized as a bimodal mixture of original and current-color representations (vs. an integrated unimodal representation). That is, although irrelevant to judgments of the current color, observers occasionally anchored their responses on the original colors in memory. Moreover, the likelihood of such memory substitutions increased when sensory input was degraded. In fact, they occurred even in the absence of sensory input when observers falsely reported having seen something. Thus, although perceptual judgments intuitively seem to reflect the current state of the environment, they can also unknowingly be dictated by past experiences.

SUBMITTER: Fan JE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4898202 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

When past is present: Substitutions of long-term memory for sensory evidence in perceptual judgments.

Fan Judith E JE Hutchinson J Benjamin JB Turk-Browne Nicholas B NB

Journal of vision 20160601 8

When perception is underdetermined by current sensory inputs, memories for related experiences in the past might fill in missing detail. To evaluate this possibility, we measured the likelihood of relying on long-term memory versus sensory evidence when judging the appearance of an object near the threshold of awareness. Specifically, we associated colors with shapes in long-term memory and then presented the shapes again later in unrelated colors and had observers judge the appearance of the ne ...[more]

PMID: 27248565

Similar Datasets

Project description:Cutaneous sensation is vital to controlling our hands and upper limbs. It helps close the motor control loop by informing adjustments of grasping forces during object manipulations and provides much of the information the brain requires to perceive our limbs as a part of our bodies. This sensory information is absent to upper-limb prosthesis users. Although robotic prostheses are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the absence of feedback imposes a reliance on open-loop control and limits the functional potential as an integrated part of the body. Experimental systems to restore physiologically relevant sensory information to prosthesis users are beginning to emerge. However, the impact of their long-term use on functional abilities, body image, and neural adaptation processes remains unclear. Understanding these effects is essential to transition sensate prostheses from sophisticated assistive tools to integrated replacement limbs. We recruited three participants with high-level upper-limb amputation who previously received targeted reinnervation surgery. Each participant was fit with a neural-machine-interface prosthesis that allowed participants to operate their device by thinking about moving their missing limb. Additionally, we fit a sensory feedback system that allowed participants to experience touch to the prosthesis as touch on their missing limb. All three participants performed a long-term take-home trial. Two participants used their neural-machine-interface systems with touch feedback and one control participant used his prescribed, insensate prosthesis. A series of functional outcome metrics and psychophysical evaluations were performed using sensate neural-machine-interface prostheses before and after the take-home period to capture changes in functional abilities, limb embodiment, and neural adaptation. Our results demonstrated that the relationship between users and sensate neural-machine-interface prostheses is dynamic and changes with long-term use. The presence of touch sensation had a near-immediate impact on how the users operated their prostheses. In the multiple independent measures of users' functional abilities employed, we observed a spectrum of performance changes following long-term use. Furthermore, after the take-home period, participants more appropriately integrated their prostheses into their body images and psychophysical tests provided strong evidence that neural and cortical adaptation occurred.

Dataset Information

When past is present: Substitutions of long-term memory for sensory evidence in perceptual judgments.

Publications

When past is present: Substitutions of long-term memory for sensory evidence in perceptual judgments.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets