Retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory
Successful visually guided behavior requires information about spatiotopic (i.e., world-centered) locations, but how accurately is this information actually derived from initial retinotopic (i.e., eye-centered) visual input? We conducted a spatial working memory task in which subjects remembered a c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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National Academy of Sciences
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72182 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3853-7885 |
| _version_ | 1811091284459257856 |
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| author | Golomb, Julie Deanne Kanwisher, Nancy |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Golomb, Julie Deanne Kanwisher, Nancy |
| author_sort | Golomb, Julie Deanne |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Successful visually guided behavior requires information about spatiotopic (i.e., world-centered) locations, but how accurately is this information actually derived from initial retinotopic (i.e., eye-centered) visual input? We conducted a spatial working memory task in which subjects remembered a cued location in spatiotopic or retinotopic coordinates while making guided eye movements during the memory delay. Surprisingly, after a saccade, subjects were significantly more accurate and precise at reporting retinotopic locations than spatiotopic locations. This difference grew with each eye movement, such that spatiotopic memory continued to deteriorate, whereas retinotopic memory did not accumulate error. The loss in spatiotopic fidelity is therefore not a generic consequence of eye movements, but a direct result of converting visual information from native retinotopic coordinates. Thus, despite our conscious experience of an effortlessly stable spatiotopic world and our lifetime of practice with spatiotopic tasks, memory is actually more reliable in raw retinotopic coordinates than in ecologically relevant spatiotopic coordinates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:00:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/72182 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:00:03Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | National Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/721822022-09-29T11:56:33Z Retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory Golomb, Julie Deanne Kanwisher, Nancy Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT Kanwisher, Nancy Golomb, Julie Deanne Kanwisher, Nancy Successful visually guided behavior requires information about spatiotopic (i.e., world-centered) locations, but how accurately is this information actually derived from initial retinotopic (i.e., eye-centered) visual input? We conducted a spatial working memory task in which subjects remembered a cued location in spatiotopic or retinotopic coordinates while making guided eye movements during the memory delay. Surprisingly, after a saccade, subjects were significantly more accurate and precise at reporting retinotopic locations than spatiotopic locations. This difference grew with each eye movement, such that spatiotopic memory continued to deteriorate, whereas retinotopic memory did not accumulate error. The loss in spatiotopic fidelity is therefore not a generic consequence of eye movements, but a direct result of converting visual information from native retinotopic coordinates. Thus, despite our conscious experience of an effortlessly stable spatiotopic world and our lifetime of practice with spatiotopic tasks, memory is actually more reliable in raw retinotopic coordinates than in ecologically relevant spatiotopic coordinates. National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant Number R01- EY13455) National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant Number F32-EY020157) 2012-08-17T14:31:53Z 2012-08-17T14:31:53Z 2012-01 2011-08 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0027-8424 1091-6490 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72182 Golomb, J. D., and N. Kanwisher. “Retinotopic Memory Is More Precise Than Spatiotopic Memory.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109.5 (2012): 1796–1801. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3853-7885 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1113168109 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf National Academy of Sciences PNAS |
| spellingShingle | Golomb, Julie Deanne Kanwisher, Nancy Retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory |
| title | Retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory |
| title_full | Retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory |
| title_fullStr | Retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory |
| title_full_unstemmed | Retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory |
| title_short | Retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory |
| title_sort | retinotopic memory is more precise than spatiotopic memory |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72182 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3853-7885 |
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