Effect of visuo-haptic experience of materials on behavioral responses and neural representation

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26330323
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Kansei informatics
• Research Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: YOKOI ISAO 生理学研究所, システム脳科学研究領域, 助教 (50592747)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 素材 / 経験 / 質感 / カテゴリー / 視触覚 / クロスモーダル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cross-modality is an important aspect of material perception. We tested whether the visuo-haptic experience of the real objects made of various materials affects the behavioral responses and the neural representation of monkeys. The behavioral responses to the real objects in a grasping task dramatically differed across the material categories, and long-term visuo-haptic exposure changed the pulling force applied to the objects. After the experiences, but not before, the activity pattern of the posterior inferior temporal cortex measured by fMRI showed correlation with visual and haptic material properties. Many neurons recorded electrophysiologically from the inferior temporal cortex tended to respond more strongly to stimuli belonging to one or a few material categories though the category selectivities were not perfect. These results highlight the importance of cross-modal experience through daily behavior for cross-modality of material perception.

Free Research Field

神経生理学