Abstract
For more than 100 years we have known that the visual field is mapped onto the surface of visual cortex, imposing an inherently spatial reference frame on visual information processing. Recent studies highlight visuospatial coding not only throughout visual cortex, but also brain areas not typically considered visual. Such widespread access to visuospatial coding raises important questions about its role in wider cognitive functioning. Here, we synthesise these recent developments and propose that visuospatial coding scaffolds human cognition by providing a reference frame through which neural computations interface with environmental statistics and task demands via perception–action loops.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 81-96 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Trends in Cognitive Sciences |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 16 Nov 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Dr Chris Baker, Dr Marty Sereno, and Dr Caroline Robertson for insightful comments on an earlier version. We also thank Dr Michael Bonner, Dr Michael Arcaro, Dr Jesse Gomez, Prof. Kalanit Grill-Spector, Dr Ben De Haas, and Dr Silvia Rigato for permission to adapt figures, and Martin Szinte for providing novel figures. No interests are declared.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Funding
We thank Dr Chris Baker, Dr Marty Sereno, and Dr Caroline Robertson for insightful comments on an earlier version. We also thank Dr Michael Bonner, Dr Michael Arcaro, Dr Jesse Gomez, Prof. Kalanit Grill-Spector, Dr Ben De Haas, and Dr Silvia Rigato for permission to adapt figures, and Martin Szinte for providing novel figures. No interests are declared.
Keywords
- category selectivity
- cognition
- computational modelling
- cortical development
- retinotopic maps
- scaffolding
- visual field biases
- visuospatial coding