117 research outputs found
Face-Processing Differences Present in Grapheme-Color Synesthetes
Graphemeâcolor synesthesia is a heterogeneous neurological phenomenon whereby the experience of a grapheme automatically and involuntarily elicits an experience of color. While the majority of synesthesia research has focused on inducerâspecific influences of synesthetic associations, more recent efforts have examined potential broader differences. Based on spontaneous reports from synesthetes detailing problems with face recognition, in conjunction with the geographical proximity of neurological regions relevant to both synesthesia and face processing, we sought to examine whether synesthetes demonstrated atypical faceâprocessing abilities. A total of 16 graphemeâcolor synesthetes and 16 ageâandâgender matched controls (Âą3 years) completed the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT; Duchaine & Nakayama, 2006) of face memory, the Vanderbilt Holistic Face Processing Task (VHPTâF; Richler, Floyd, & Gauthier, 2014) of holistic face processing, as well as a standardized selfâreport questionnaire the Faces and Emotions Questionnaire (Freeman, Palermo, & Brock, 2015). The results revealed significantly poorer performance in synesthete's ability to recognize faces in the CFMT that was driven by a reduction in upright advantage. Results also revealed a significant reduction in overall accuracy on the VHPTâF for synesthetes, who despite this displayed a comparable holistic processing advantage compared to matched controls. Finally, synesthetes also rated themselves as significantly worse at face recognition. We suggest that this pattern may reflect differences in the development of individualized perceptual strategies
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Strategies that shape perception
In recent years there has been an increased focus on individual differences. Such differences have been observed in conditions where people display performance deficits, such as developmental prosopagnosia (McConachie, 1976), in conditions where subjects demonstrate enhanced skills, such as synesthesia (Terhune et al., 2013), as well as in neurotypical individuals, for instance, in the form of subtle individual differences in visual perception (Zelazny & Sørensen, 2020). Our interaction with the environment during brain maturation shapes how perceptual strategies are formed and prioritized. One of the principal tasks for the brain during this stage is to establish templates and context frames in long-term memory. These templates and context frames serve as the basis for various perceptual strategies used to interpret sensory information. Over time, these templates are updated in light of both sensory evidence and the perceptual strategies that have proven advantageous. Successful strategies thus have a greater likelihood of being used in the future, hence shaping our perceptual strategic preferences. In the well-known case of AB, who was afflicted with developmental prosopagnosia (McConachie, 1976), there is evidence to suggest that she prioritized peoplesâ clothing as a strategy for recognition over the more common one of relying on facial features. Similarly, grapheme-color synesthesia may develop as a strategy for learning the alphabet. Here, a common strategy may be to associate the abstract letter shapes with previously established color categories in an attempt to aid letter recognition (Brogaard & Sørensen, in press). If this particular strategy is sufficiently prioritized, this may result in grapheme-color synesthesia (cf. Mannix & Sørensen, in press). Here, we argue that individual variability in visual perception reflects differences in perceptual strategies. An interesting consequence of this thesis is that perceptual experience is likely to vary considerably more across individuals than hitherto assumed
Is threat the only modulator of attentional selectivity? Redefining the Easterbrook hypothesis
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