title: Detection by action: neuropsychological evidence for action-defined templates in search.
abstract: How do we detect a target in a cluttered environment? Here we present neuropsychological evidence that detection can be based on the action afforded by a target. A patient showing symptoms of unilateral neglect following damage to the right fronto-temporal-parietal region was slow and sometimes unable to find targets when they were defined by their name or even by a salient visual property (such as their color). In contrast, he was relatively efficient at finding a target defined by the action it afforded. Two other patients with neglect showed an opposite pattern; they were better at finding a target defined by its name. The data suggest that affordances can be effective even when a brain lesion limits the use of other properties in search tasks. The findings give evidence for a direct pragmatic route from vision to action in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. g.w.humphreys@bham.ac.uk
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Humphreys
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Riddoch
mesh_terms: D000377:Agnosia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003118:Color Perception; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology