Localization of visual objects in perceptual and motor tasks

• Applicant: Dr. Nathalie Evelyn Ziegler
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: from 2006 to 2007
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 26026344

Localization of visual objects, while subjects perform a perceptual task or during action, is important to understand the functioning of the visual nervous system. In this research area a number of visual illusions have been reported that have helped to understand the basic ability of the visual system. Two of these illusions, the so-called flash-lag effect and the motion capture effect of flashed objects are the focus of this proposal. The motion capture effect is characterized by the fact that when two flashed lines are presented in the vicinity of a rotating radial grating, then the flashed lines appear displaced in the direction of rotation of the grating. The flash-lag effect describes the following phenomenon: When a flashed stimulus is presented physically aligned with a continuously moving object, the flash is visible in a lagging position relative to the moving object. In detail, we wish to ask firstly whether the motion capture effect is restricted to the sensory domain or whether it can also occur from action produced by the subject, and secondly if the standard object-motion based flash-lag effect and the smooth-pursuit based flash-lag effect arise from the same underlying neural mechanisms or if these are just analogous phenomena.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Host: Professorin Dr. Romi Nijhawan