The Müller-Lyer illusion affects visuomotor updating in the dorsal visual stream

Brouwer, Anouk J. de; Smeets, Jeroen B. J.; Gutteling, Tjerk P.; Toni, Ivan; Medendorp, W. Pieter

doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.08.012

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…A similar result was recently found for perceptual illusions and saccades (Dassonville & Reed, 2015). In addition to MGA, saccades are another prominent action measure that has been frequently used to argue for a functional subdivision between vision for action and vision for perception (but see Bruno, Knox, & de Grave, 2010;de Brouwer, Smeets, Gutteling, Toni, & Medendorp, 2015).…”

Section: Physically-matched Conditions: Grasping and Perception Are Asupporting

confidence: 75%

The functional subdivision of the visual brain: Is there a real illusion effect on action? A multi-lab replication study

Kopiske

Bruno

Hesse

et al. 2016

Cortex

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It has often been suggested that visual illusions affect perception but not actions such as grasping, as predicted by the "two-visual-systems" hypothesis of Milner and Goodale (1995, The Visual Brain in Action, Oxford University press). However, at least for the Ebbinghaus illusion, relevant studies seem to reveal a consistent illusion effect on grasping (Franz & Gegenfurtner, 2008. Grasping visual illusions: consistent data and no dissociation. Cognitive Neuropsychology). Two interpretations are possible: either grasping is not immune to illusions (arguing against dissociable processing mechanisms for vision-for-perception and vision-for-action), or some other factors modulate grasping in ways that mimic a vision-for perception effect in actions. It has been suggested that one such factor may be obstacle avoidance (Haffenden Schiff & Goodale, 2001. The dissociation between perception and action in the Ebbinghaus illusion: nonillusory effects of pictorial cues on grasp. Current Biology, 11, 177-181). In four different labs (total N = 144), we conducted an exact replication of previous studies suggesting obstacle avoidance mechanisms, implementing conditions that tested grasping as well as multiple perceptual tasks. This replication was supplemented by additional conditions to obtain more conclusive results. Our results confirm that grasping is affected by the Ebbinghaus illusion and demonstrate that this effect cannot be explained by obstacle avoidance.

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Section: Physically-matched Conditions: Grasping and Perception Are Asupporting

confidence: 75%

The functional subdivision of the visual brain: Is there a real illusion effect on action? A multi-lab replication study

Kopiske

Bruno

Hesse

et al. 2016

Cortex

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“…Functional magnetic resonance imaging (Walter & Dassonville, 2008) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (Lester & Dassonville, 2014) studies have provided evidence for involvement of the right superior parietal lobule in the integration of visual contextual information in the perceived gravity reference frame. It is possible that the locus of our effect is based on these areas in the dorsal stream, in accordance with a previous study that found effects of visual illusions in this pathway (De Brouwer, Smeets, Gutteling, Toni, & Medendorp, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Updating of visual orientation in a gravity-based reference frame

et al. 2017

Self Cite

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The brain can use multiple reference frames to code line orientation, including head-, object-, and gravity-centered references. If these frames change orientation, their representations must be updated to keep register with actual line orientation. We tested this internal updating during head rotation in roll, exploiting the rod-and-frame effect: The illusory tilt of a vertical line surrounded by a tilted visual frame. If line orientation is stored relative to gravity, these distortions should also affect the updating process. Alternatively, if coding is head- or frame-centered, updating errors should be related to the changes in their orientation. Ten subjects were instructed to memorize the orientation of a briefly flashed line, surrounded by a tilted visual frame, then rotate their head, and subsequently judge the orientation of a second line relative to the memorized first while the frame was upright. Results showed that updating errors were mostly related to the amount of subjective distortion of gravity at both the initial and final head orientation, rather than to the amount of intervening head rotation. In some subjects, a smaller part of the updating error was also related to the change of visual frame orientation. We conclude that the brain relies primarily on a gravity-based reference to remember line orientation during head roll.

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“…Critically, in contrast to previous studies, the method we used here permitted to delineate more specifically the neural correlates of the illusion effect. That is, previous studies used fMRI and ERP designs that contrasted two types of stimuli: with illusory percept vs. without illusory percept91011. The limitation of previous designs is that when an illusory stimulus is contrasted with a stimulus without an illusion (i.e., a baseline), it is difficult to rule out the possibility that the difference between the two conditions is not related to unrelated (i.e., confounding) factors, such as higher arousal or selective attention in the illusory condition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to behavioral investigation, neuroimaging methods can also help to better understand the mechanisms of geometrical illusions1. Several studies in the past explored the neurobiological basis of illusions with a functional MRI (fMRI) or event-related potential (ERP) design9101112, where a stimulus with an illusory effect was contrasted with a stimulus without an illusory effect (i.e., baseline). However, because visual (i.e., physical) stimulation between a condition with illusion and baseline condition differ, we cannot be sure the difference found at the neural level is related only to illusory processing.…”

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confidence: 99%

Perceptual similarity and the neural correlates of geometrical illusions in human brain structure

Axelrod

Schwarzkopf

Gilaie-Dotan

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Geometrical visual illusions are an intriguing phenomenon, in which subjective perception consistently misjudges the objective, physical properties of the visual stimulus. Prominent theoretical proposals have been advanced attempting to find common mechanisms across illusions. But empirically testing the similarity between illusions has been notoriously difficult because illusions have very different visual appearances. Here we overcome this difficulty by capitalizing on the variability of the illusory magnitude across participants. Fifty-nine healthy volunteers participated in the study that included measurement of individual illusion magnitude and structural MRI scanning. We tested the Muller-Lyer, Ebbinghaus, Ponzo, and vertical-horizontal geometrical illusions as well as a non-geometrical, contrast illusion. We found some degree of similarity in behavioral judgments of all tested geometrical illusions, but not between geometrical illusions and non-geometrical, contrast illusion. The highest similarity was found between Ebbinghaus and Muller-Lyer geometrical illusions. Furthermore, the magnitude of all geometrical illusions, and particularly the Ebbinghaus and Muller-Lyer illusions, correlated with local gray matter density in the parahippocampal cortex, but not in other brain areas. Our findings suggest that visuospatial integration and scene construction processes might partly mediate individual differences in geometric illusory perception. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind geometrical illusions.

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The Müller-Lyer illusion affects visuomotor updating in the dorsal visual stream

Cited by 12 publications

References 61 publications

The functional subdivision of the visual brain: Is there a real illusion effect on action? A multi-lab replication study

The functional subdivision of the visual brain: Is there a real illusion effect on action? A multi-lab replication study

Updating of visual orientation in a gravity-based reference frame

Perceptual similarity and the neural correlates of geometrical illusions in human brain structure

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