Humans are quicker to detect reflectional than rotational or translational symmetry, despite the fact that these patterns are equally regular. We were interested in the neural correlates of these perceptual effects. Participants viewed random, reflection, rotation, and translation patterns while we recorded EEG from the scalp. Half the participants classified the pattern regularity overtly, the other half did not explicitly attend to pattern regularity but reported rare oddball trials, where two squares were embedded among the dots. The amplitude of a symmetry-related ERP known as the sustained posterior negativity was most pronounced for reflection, then rotation and translation. We suggest that reflectional symmetry, despite its biological significance, may not be processed by unique visual mechanisms, but instead it could be a preferred stimulus for a more general regularity-sensitive network in the extrastriate visual cortex.

Electrophysiological responses to visuospatial regularity / A., Makin; G., Rampone; Pecchinenda, Anna; M., Bertamini. - In: PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY. - ISSN 0048-5772. - STAMPA. - 50:10(2013), pp. 1045-1055. [10.1111/psyp.12082]

Electrophysiological responses to visuospatial regularity.

PECCHINENDA, ANNA;
2013

Abstract

Humans are quicker to detect reflectional than rotational or translational symmetry, despite the fact that these patterns are equally regular. We were interested in the neural correlates of these perceptual effects. Participants viewed random, reflection, rotation, and translation patterns while we recorded EEG from the scalp. Half the participants classified the pattern regularity overtly, the other half did not explicitly attend to pattern regularity but reported rare oddball trials, where two squares were embedded among the dots. The amplitude of a symmetry-related ERP known as the sustained posterior negativity was most pronounced for reflection, then rotation and translation. We suggest that reflectional symmetry, despite its biological significance, may not be processed by unique visual mechanisms, but instead it could be a preferred stimulus for a more general regularity-sensitive network in the extrastriate visual cortex.
2013
Cognition, EEG/ERP, Affective Responses, Sensation/Perception,
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Electrophysiological responses to visuospatial regularity / A., Makin; G., Rampone; Pecchinenda, Anna; M., Bertamini. - In: PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY. - ISSN 0048-5772. - STAMPA. - 50:10(2013), pp. 1045-1055. [10.1111/psyp.12082]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/523601
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