The spatio-temporal dynamics of visual letter recognition. 2009

Daniel Fiset, and Caroline Blais, and Martin Arguin, and Karine Tadros, and Catherine Ethier-Majcher, and Daniel Bub, and Frederic Gosselin
University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

We applied the Bubbles technique to reveal directly the spatio-temporal features of uppercase Arial letter identification. We asked four normal readers to each identify 26,000 letters that were randomly sampled in space and time; afterwards, we performed multiple linear regressions on the participant's response accuracy and the space-time samples. We contend that each cluster of connected significant regression coefficients is a letter feature. To bridge the gap between the letter identification literature and this experiment, we also determined the relative importance of the features proposed in the letter identification literature. Results show clear modulations of the relative importance of the letter features of some letters across time, demonstrating that letter features are not always extracted simultaneously at constant speeds. Furthermore, of all the feature classes proposed in the literature, line terminations and horizontals appear to be the two most important for letter identification.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008960 Models, Psychological Theoretical representations that simulate psychological processes and/or social processes. These include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment. Model, Mental,Model, Psychological,Models, Mental,Models, Psychologic,Psychological Models,Mental Model,Mental Models,Model, Psychologic,Psychologic Model,Psychologic Models,Psychological Model
D010364 Pattern Recognition, Visual Mental process to visually perceive a critical number of facts (the pattern), such as characters, shapes, displays, or designs. Recognition, Visual Pattern,Visual Pattern Recognition
D010775 Photic Stimulation Investigative technique commonly used during ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY in which a series of bright light flashes or visual patterns are used to elicit brain activity. Stimulation, Photic,Visual Stimulation,Photic Stimulations,Stimulation, Visual,Stimulations, Photic,Stimulations, Visual,Visual Stimulations
D011930 Reaction Time The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed. Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D004193 Discrimination Learning Learning that is manifested in the ability to respond differentially to various stimuli. Discriminative Learning,Discrimination Learnings,Discriminative Learnings,Learning, Discrimination,Learning, Discriminative
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor
D017711 Nonlinear Dynamics The study of systems which respond disproportionately (nonlinearly) to initial conditions or perturbing stimuli. Nonlinear systems may exhibit "chaos" which is classically characterized as sensitive dependence on initial conditions. Chaotic systems, while distinguished from more ordered periodic systems, are not random. When their behavior over time is appropriately displayed (in "phase space"), constraints are evident which are described by "strange attractors". Phase space representations of chaotic systems, or strange attractors, usually reveal fractal (FRACTALS) self-similarity across time scales. Natural, including biological, systems often display nonlinear dynamics and chaos. Chaos Theory,Models, Nonlinear,Non-linear Dynamics,Non-linear Models,Chaos Theories,Dynamics, Non-linear,Dynamics, Nonlinear,Model, Non-linear,Model, Nonlinear,Models, Non-linear,Non linear Dynamics,Non linear Models,Non-linear Dynamic,Non-linear Model,Nonlinear Dynamic,Nonlinear Model,Nonlinear Models,Theories, Chaos,Theory, Chaos
D021641 Recognition, Psychology The knowledge or perception that someone or something present has been previously encountered. Familiarity,Psychological Recognition,Recognition (Psychology),Psychology Recognition,Recognition, Psychological

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