This project explores the role of coordinate axes in representing object orientation and shape in the visual system. Methods include
- analysis of adults’ and children’s errors in memory for object orientation
- analysis of errors in perception of object orientation in a woman with a developmental deficit in visual location and orientation perception
- fMRI studies probing neural representation of object orientation
Among the conclusions emerging from the studies are
- object orientation is represented as a relationship between object-centered and extrinsic frames of reference
- orientation representations are compositional, consisting of multiple independent parameters
- orientation errors occur when one or more parameters of an orientation representation are missing or erroneous, with the type of error depending on the parameter(s) affected
- the principal axis of an object-centered reference frame is defined to coincide with the object’s axis of elongation, and not with a global shape axis
Current studies are exploring
- the role of object-part axes in representing object shape
- tactile vs. visual representations of object orientation
Relevant Publications
Chaisilprungraung, T., German, J., & McCloskey, M. (2019). How are object shape axes defined? Evidence from mirror-image confusions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 45, 111-124.
Gregory, E., Landau, B., & McCloskey, M. (2011). Representation of Object Orientation in Children: Evidence from Mirror-Image Confusions. Visual Cognition, 19, 1035-1062.
Gregory, E., & McCloskey, M. (2010). Mirror-image confusions: Implications for representation and processing of object orientation. Cognition, 116, 110-129.
Hatfield, M., McCloskey, M., & Park, S. (2016). Neural representation of object orientation: A dissociation between MVPA and repetition suppression. Neuroimage, 139, 136-148.
McCloskey, M. (2009). Visual reflections: A perceptual deficit and its implications. New York: Oxford University Press.
McCloskey, M., Valtonen, J., & Sherman, J. (2006). Representing orientation: A coordinate-system hypothesis, and evidence from developmental deficits. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 23, 680-713.