Experience Dependent Object Perception Richard Zemel Computer Science Department University of Toronto
Two Sets of Experiments 1. To what degree is object perception invariant? Familiarity Naming Reference-Frames .2. What is the role of experience in completion? Novel occluded shapes Occlusion without occluders
Collaborators Mary Peterson Larry James Dave Towers Marlene Behrmann Mike Mozer Daphne Bevalier
Sample Stimuli
Familiarity: Methods Training Phase: 16 stimuli, fixed locations passive viewing (6 blocks) active: old/new discrimination (2 blocks) [repeat] Testing Phase (2 blocks) new trials -- 16 distractors old trials -- half of learned objects: stay in learned location shift to diagonally-opposite location
Familiarity: Accuracy
Familiarity: RT
Naming: Methods Training Phase [8 rounds]: 8 named objects passive [2 blocks]: (160 ms) GIX (500 ms) active [1 block]: (160 ms) keyboard (feedback) Testing Phase [6 rounds]: half shift sides, half stay passive [2 blocks] active [1 block]: (no feedback)
Naming: Accuracy
Reference-Frames: Variations
Reference-Frames: Methods Training Phase [2 rounds]: 16 objects passive [6 blocks]: active [2 blocks]: old/new (f-back) Testing Phase: same/different retinal & screen locs active [2 blocks]: old-new
Reference-Frames: Conditions
Reference-Frames: Results
Experience Dependence When Objects Irrelevant? Many properties of objects not invariant, but rather depend on experience Evidence from experiments in which object memory directly relevant to task Is experience important when the object is unnecessary to accomplish task?
Object attention & occlusion
Object attention sensitive to layout
Object attention & experience
Experience affects object attention
Completion without occluder? Subjects complete fragments given experience with potential linking shape: Is evidence of occlusion required?
Completion w/o occluder: Methods Phase 1: Ends displays Phase 2: V displays Phase 3: Ends and Vs
Missing Occluder: Results
Conclusions Memories of novel objects are specific to learned locations Both retinal & screen coordinates involved, so not just episodic memory Object attention applies to recently viewed novel shapes Experience-dependent object effects can apply to fragments without occluder
Current Directions Duration of effects Generalization Amount of experience required