Visual object categorization in birds and primates: integrating behavioral, neurobiological, and computational evidence within a "general process" framework

Fabian A Soto; Edward A Wasserman

doi:10.3758/s13415-011-0070-x

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Visual object categorization in birds and primates: integrating behavioral, neurobiological, and computational evidence within a "general process" framework

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Visual object categorization in birds and primates: integrating behavioral, neurobiological, and computational evidence within a "general process" framework

Fabian A Soto and Edward A Wasserman

Cognitive, affective, & behavioral neuroscience, Vol.12(1), pp.220-240

03/2012

DOI: 10.3758/s13415-011-0070-x

PMID: 22086545

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Abstract

Previous comparative work has suggested that the mechanisms of object categorization differ importantly for birds and primates. However, behavioral and neurobiological differences do not preclude the possibility that at least some of those mechanisms are shared across these evolutionarily distant groups. The present study integrates behavioral, neurobiological, and computational evidence concerning the "general processes" that are involved in object recognition in vertebrates. We start by reviewing work implicating error-driven learning in object categorization by birds and primates, and also consider neurobiological evidence suggesting that the basal ganglia might implement this process. We then turn to work with a computational model showing that principles of visual processing discovered in the primate brain can account for key behavioral findings in object recognition by pigeons, including cases in which pigeons' behavior differs from that of people. These results provide a proof of concept that the basic principles of visual shape processing are similar across distantly related vertebrate species, thereby offering important insights into the evolution of visual cognition.

Biological Evolution

Visual Pathways - physiology

Brain - cytology

Animals

Models, Biological

Primates - physiology

Computer Simulation

Neurons - physiology

Behavior, Animal - physiology

Birds - physiology

Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology

Photic Stimulation

Details

Title: Subtitle: Visual object categorization in birds and primates: integrating behavioral, neurobiological, and computational evidence within a "general process" framework
Creators: Fabian A Soto - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. fabian.soto@psych.ucsb.edu
Edward A Wasserman
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Cognitive, affective, & behavioral neuroscience, Vol.12(1), pp.220-240
Publisher: United States
DOI: 10.3758/s13415-011-0070-x
PMID: 22086545
ISSN: 1530-7026
eISSN: 1531-135X
Grant note: EY019781 / NEI NIH HHS MH47313 / NIMH NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 03/2012
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984070122102771

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