VESTIBULAR INFLUENCES ON SPATIAL ORIENTATION AND VISUOSPATIAL CONSTANCY

描述（由申请人提供）：在自运动过程中，穿过视网膜的图像运动模式（光流）为观察者的前进方向提供了有力的线索。然而，光流处理提出了一些计算困难的问题，最显着的例子是分离的对象运动从自运动。关于头部运动的线性分量的前庭信号可以大大简化从光流中提取行为相关信息。使用定量的人类心理物理学，在这里，我们测试的假设，前庭信息可以被大脑用来解决流解析问题，区分对象的运动和自我运动。此外，我们探讨视觉和前庭信号是否保持内部校准，以确保不同传感器对相同刺激的估计彼此一致。通过将受试者暴露于空间上冲突的光流和前庭标题信息，我们测试两种模型的内部一致性：视觉优势模型，它预计，像前庭眼反射，前庭感知总是变化，成为一致的视觉，和基于可靠性的校准模型，这取决于线索的可靠性，并确保最小方差的感官估计随着时间的推移。根据后者，前庭知觉应适应朝向视觉指定的标题时，视觉可靠性高于前庭可靠性和视觉知觉应适应朝向前庭指定的标题时，视觉可靠性低于前庭可靠性。我们还将研究外部反馈的影响，以及受试者如何权衡内部一致性与外部准确性。所有实验将使用一个6自由度运动平台，附带大视场立体投影系统和两个选择强迫选择方法。研究结果是很重要的理解基本的知觉视觉/前庭相互作用，使用定量方法，并在基础和临床空间取向心理物理学领域开辟新的方向。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The pattern of image motion across the retina (optic flow) during self-motion provides a powerful cue to the heading direction of the observer. However, optic flow processing poses a number of computationally difficult problems, the most notable example being segregation of object motion from self-motion. Vestibular signals about the linear components of head movement can greatly simplify the extraction of behaviorally relevant information from optic flow. Using quantitative human psychophysics, here we test the hypothesis that vestibular information can be used by the brain to solve the flow parsing problem and distinguish object motion and self-motion. In addition, we explore whether visual and vestibular signals maintain internal calibration such as to ensure that estimates of the same stimulus by different sensors agree with one another. By exposing subjects to spatially conflicting optic flow and vestibular heading information, we test two models of internal consistency: a visual dominance model, which expects that, like the vestibulo-ocular reflex, vestibular perception always changes to become consistent with vision, and a reliability-based calibration model, which depends on cue reliability and assures minimum variance sensory estimates over time. According to the latter, vestibular perception should adapt towards the visually-specified heading when visual reliability is higher than the vestibular reliability and visual perception should adapt towards the vestibular-specified heading when visual reliability is lower than the vestibular reliability. We will also examine the effects of external feedback and how subjects weigh internal consistency versus external accuracy. A 6-degree-of-freedom motion platform with attached large field-of-view stereo projection system and two-alternative-forced-choice methodology will be used for all experiments. Findings are important for understanding basic perceptual visual/vestibular interactions using quantitative methodology and opening new directions in the fields of basic and clinical spatial orientation psychophysics.