Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Preserved figure-ground segregation and symmetry perception in visual neglect

  • Letter
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

A CENTRAL controversy in current research on visual attention is whether figures are segregated from their background preattentively1–8, or whether attention is first directed to unstructured regions of the image9–13. Here we present neurological evidence for the former view from studies of a brain-injured patient with visual neglect. His attentional impairment arises after normal segmentation of the image into figures and background has taken place. Our results indicate that information which is neglected and unavailable to higher levels of visual processing can nevertheless be processed by earlier stages in the visual system concerned with segmentation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Baylis, G. C. & Driver, J. Percept. Psychophys. 51, 145–162 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Driver, J. & Baylis, G. C. J. exp. Psychol. hum. Percep. Perform. 15, 448–456 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Duncan, J. J. exp. Psychol. Gen. 13, 501–517 (1984).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Julesz, B. Trends Neurosci 6, 41–45 (1984).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kahneman, D., Treisman, A. & Gibbs, B. J. Cognitive Psychol 24, 175–219 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kanwisher, N. & Driver, J. Curr. Dir. psychol. Sci. 1, 26–31 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. McLeod, P., Driver, J. & Crisp, J. Nature, 332, 154–155 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Treisman, A. Q. J. exp. Psychol. 40A, 201–237 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Crick, F. Proc. natn Acad Sci. U.S.A. 81, 4586–4590 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Posner, M. I. Q. J. exp. Psychol. 32, 3–25 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Tsal, Y. & Lavie, N. Percept. Psychophys 44, 15–21 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Umilta, C. in Handbook of Neuropsychology Vol. 1 (eds Boiler, F. & Grafman, J.) 175–193 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  13. van der Heijden, A. H. C. Selective Attention in Vision (Routledge, London, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Heilman, K. M. et al. in Clinical Neuropsychology (eds Heilman, K. M. & Valenstein, E.) 243–293 (Oxford Univ. Press, New York, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Bisiach, E. & Vallar, G. in Handbook of Neuropsychology Vol. 1 (eds Boiler, F. & Grafman, J.) 195–122 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Rock, I. The Logic of Perception (MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Driver, J. & Halligan, P. W. Cognitive Neuropsychol. 8, 475–496 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Cohen, A. & Rafal, R. D. Psychol. Sci. 2, 106–110 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Volpe, B. T., Ledoux, J. E. & Gazzaniga, M. S. Nature 282, 722–724 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Sieroff, E. et al. Cognitive Neuropsychol. 5, 427–429 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Farah, M. J. et al. Neuropsychologia 29, 949–958 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Brunn, J. L. & Farah, M. J. Cognitive Neuropsychol. 8, 59–75 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Berti, A. et al. Neuropsychologia. 30, 403–415 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Rafal, R. D. et al. Science 250, 118–121 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Tranel, E. &, Daasio, A. R. Science 228, 1453–1454 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Robertson, L. C. et al. J. Neurosci. 8, 3757–3769 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Barlow, H. B. & Reeves, B. C. Vision Res. 19, 783–793 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Gordon C. Baylis: Department of Psychology 0109, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA

  2. Robert D. Rafal: Department of Neurology and Center for Neurobiology, University of California, Davis, California 94553, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK

    Jon Driver, Gordon C. Baylis & Robert D. Rafal

Authors
  1. Jon Driver
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gordon C. Baylis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert D. Rafal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Driver, J., Baylis, G. & Rafal, R. Preserved figure-ground segregation and symmetry perception in visual neglect. Nature 360, 73–75 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/360073a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/360073a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation