Biomedical subjects

Erin L Austen

Publications and source records attributed to Erin L Austen.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Multiple-object tracking is based on scene, not retinal, coordinates.

This study tested whether multiple-object tracking-the ability to visually index objects on the basis of their spatiotemporal history-is scene based or image based. Initial experiments showed equivalent tracking accuracy for objects in 2-D and 3-D motion. Subsequent experiments manipulated the speeds of objects independent of the speed of the scene as a whole. Results showed that tracking accuracy was influenced by object speed but not by scene speed. This held true whether the scene underwent translation, zoom, rotation, or even combinations of all 3 motions. A final series of experiments interfered with observers' ability to see a coherent scene by moving objects at different speeds from one another and by distorting the perception of 3-D space. These reductions in scene coherence led to reduced tracking accuracy, confirming that tracking is accomplished using a scene-based, or allocentric, frame of reference.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Mislocalizations of touch to a fake hand.

Observers can mislocalize a tactile target delivered to an unseen hand if a visible rubber glove is positioned next to a pair of distractor lights that flash in correlation with the tactile target (Pavani, Spence, & Driver, 2000). In the present study, we explored visual, tactile, and postural factors that influence this fake hand effect. Comparison with baseline conditions revealed that the fake hand effect was larger than a general spatial congruity effect but weaker than the effect obtained when tactile and visual stimuli were actually in the same locations (Experiment 1). Surprisingly, the effect did not depend on direct vision of the fake hand (Experiments 1 and 2), nor was it enhanced by congruent tactile information (Experiment 3). However, the fake hand effect was sensitive to the postural compatibility of the real and the fake hands (Experiment 4). These findings indicate that the available sensory information is used flexibly to incorporate the rubber glove into the body schema.

Artificial Limbs↗

PubMed2003

Change detection in an attended face depends on the expectation of the observer.

Sensitivity to a scene change during a brief interruption depends critically on a match between what the observer expects to see and the kind of change that occurs (Austen & Enns, 2000). The present study tested the generality of this conclusion using human faces, which are both socially more relevant and perceptually more configural than the compound letters tested previously. An experiment using the flicker technique examined sensitivity to two types of change: facial identity and emotional expression. Change detection was assessed when attention was either focused or distributed, the change was either expected or unexpected, and the faces were either upright or inverted. The main finding was that detection was expectation-dependent, even when only a single upright face was presented. Secondary findings with regard to attentional distribution and face inversion confirmed that observers were indeed engaged in face processing. We conclude that observer expectations critically influence the perception of single and fully attended human faces.

Attention↗