Space, objects, minds, and brains / Lynn C. Robertson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Robertson, Lynn C.

Series:

Essays in cognitive psychology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Space perception.

Perceptual disorders.

Perceptual Disorders--physiopathology.

Visual Perception--physiology.

Medical Subjects:

Perceptual Disorders--physiopathology.

Visual Perception--physiology.

Physical Description:

xi, 263 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Psychology Press, 2004.

Summary:

The fact that half of space can disappear while the other half remains intact or that an object can be seen without its location is something that most normal perceivers find astonishing. The belief that space is a unitary platform supporting objects is hard to shake, and it is almost impossible to imagine what the world would look like if space perception disappeared. Yet, some people do not have to imagine this because they experience it every day. Under normal circumstances constructing a spatial map is a computational problem that the brain solves easily, but spatial perception can disappear or crumble in different ways depending on what part of the brain is damaged. Lynn Robertson has been studying how brain lesions affect spatial abilities for over 20 years, and her work has revealed some surprising facts about space and its role in visual perception. In this book she combines evidence collected in her laboratory with findings from others to explore the cognitive and neural basis of spatial representations and their contributions to spatial awareness, object formation, attention, and binding.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Losing Space 1

When There Is No "There" There (Balints Syndrome) 4

When Only Half Is There (Unilateral Neglect) 7

Not There but There (Integrative Agnosia) 16

Chapter 2 Object/Space Representation and Spatial Reference Frames 23

Origin 33

Orientation 46

Sense of Direction 52

Unit Size 60

Chapter 3 Space-Based Attention and Reference Frames 65

Selecting Locations 65

Reference Frames and Spatial Selection in Healthy and Neurologic Patient Populations 69

Spatial Extent, Spatial Resolution, and Attention 92

Spatial Resolution and Reference Frames 96

What Is the Space for Spatial Attention? 102

Chapter 4 Object-Based Attention and Spatial Maps 105

Dissociating Object- and Space-Based Attention 108

Controlled Spatial Attention and Object-Based Effects 129

Object-Based Neglect 136

What Is an Object for Object-Based Attention? 149

Chapter 5 Space and Awareness 153

Spatial Functions of a Balints Patient 156

Explicit Spatial Maps 159

Loss of a Body Frame of Reference 163

Implicit Access to Space 164

Functional Aspects of Dorsal and Ventral Processing Streams Reconsidered 177

Many "Where" Systems 186

Chapter 6 Space and Feature Binding 197

The Effects of Occipital-Parietal Lesions on Binding 200

Additional Evidence for Parietal Involvement in Feature Binding 206

Implicit and Explicit Spaces and Binding 209

Chapter 7 Space, Brains, and Consciousness 217

Lessons about Consciousness from the Study of Spatial Deficits 218

Parietal Function and Consciousness 219

Spatial Maps and Conscious Perceptions 227

Spatial Forms and Spatial Frames 232

Spaces in and out of Awareness 235

The Space That Binds 236

A Brief Note on Measures 237.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-256) index.

ISBN:

1841690422

OCLC:

52127832