http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/perception/ Delve into the complexities of perception research. Learn how infants recognize faces, how adults interpret conversational pauses, and how taste, smell and touch are processed in the brain. en-us Thu, 22 May 2008 15:05:01 EDT Thu, 22 May 2008 15:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/perception/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521120508.htm Sophisticated mathematical modeling methods and a "CatCam" that captures feline-centric video of a forest are two elements of a new effort to explain how the brain's visual circuitry processes real scenes. The new model of the neural responses of a major visual-processing brain region promises to significantly advance understanding of vision. Thu, 22 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521120508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519104624.htm Researchers from Finland and USA have identified one major and several potential loci associated with musical aptitude in the human genome. The results raise an interesting question about common evolutionary background of music and language faculties. Mon, 19 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519104624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145356.htm Catching a football. Maneuvering through a room full of people. Jumping out of the way when a golfer yells "fore." Most would agree these seemingly simple actions require us to perceive and quickly respond to a situation. An assistant professor of cognitive science argues they require something more -- our ability to foresee the future. Fri, 16 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092610.htm New research findings from the world's largest study on language emergence have revealed that one in four late-talking toddlers continue to have language problems by age seven. Fri, 16 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092610.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512113508.htm The most attractive male birds attract more females and as a result are most successful in terms of reproduction. This is the starting point of many studies looking for factors that influence sexual selection in birds. However, is it reasonable to assume that birds see what we see? Researchers now show that our human vision is not an adequate instrument. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512113508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101713.htm As cars become entertainment centers and data-gathering devices, the amount of information they're collecting about you is rapidly growing. And guess who might be interested? Insurance companies, advertisers, government agencies, your boss and perhaps your spouse. On the other hand, say researchers, an intelligent car with a caring voice might persuade humans to drive more safely. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512163833.htm Innovative prism glasses can significantly improve the vision and the daily lives of patients with hemianopia, a condition that blinds half the visual field in both eyes. Thu, 15 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512163833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101717.htm Researchers will use music as a tool to explore the ability of children with ASD to identify emotions in musical excerpts and facial expressions. Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101717.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506112416.htm Researchers have shown exactly how the anaesthetic ketamine helps depression with images that show the orbitofrontal cortex -- the part of the brain that is overactive in depression -- being 'switched off'. Ketamine, an anaesthetic that is popular with doctors on the battlefield and also with vets because it allows a degree of awareness without pain, is a new hope for the treatment of depression -- but the minute-by-minute images show how the drug achieves this in an unexpected way. Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506112416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083952.htm In a study published in the May 7 issue of the journal PLoS ONE, Anthony Little of the University of Stirling and colleagues show that measurements of symmetry and sexual dimorphism from faces are related in humans, both in Europeans and African hunter-gatherers, and in a non-human primate. In all samples, symmetric males had more masculine facial proportions and symmetric females had more feminine facial proportions. Thu, 08 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133326.htm Anti-obesity drugs that work by blocking brain molecules similar to those in marijuana could also interfere with neural development in young children, according to a new study from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133326.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430075912.htm In humans, the eyes are said to be the 'window to the soul,' conveying much about a person's emotions and intentions. New research demonstrates for the first time that birds also respond to a human's gaze. Mon, 05 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430075912.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502110340.htm Progress being made by European researchers on automatic speech-to-speech translation technology could help the EU tackle one of the biggest remaining boundaries to internal trade, mobility and the free exchange of information -- language. With 23 official languages, European institutions spend more than a billion euros a year translating documents and interpreting speeches. Companies trading across the EU's internal borders spend millions more just to understand their business partners. Mon, 05 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502110340.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125502.htm Unlike adults, children younger than eight can't integrate different forms of sensory input to improve the accuracy with which they perceive the world around them, according to a pair of studies reported online in Current Biology, a publication of Cell Press, on May 1st. Sat, 03 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125502.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430140349.htm Ever since Ernest Moore's ears began ringing with tinnitus, he has been researching a cure. There's a lot riding on his work. Tinnitus is the top disability of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, caused by the noise of explosive devices. Moore, a former soldier and an audiologist, is doing cutting edge research with zebrafish that may offer a solution as new funding from the Department of Defense opens up. Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430140349.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429171000.htm New research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that commonalities do indeed exists across synesthaetes. In their own study of 70 synesthaetes, and a reanalysis of 19 more in previously published data, psychologists have found that synesthaetes share certain grapheme-color combinations. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429171000.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428141242.htm The idea of going blind is a frightening thought for anyone. Recent work to restore visual function during retinal degenerative diseases resulting in complete loss of photoreceptors that enable vision, has created hope that retinal diseases leading to blindness may one day be reversed. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428141242.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425151819.htm Shape matters, even in hearing. Specifically, it is the shape of the cochlea -- the snail-shell-shaped organ in the inner ear that converts sound waves into nerve impulses that the brain deciphers -- which proves to be surprisingly important. A direct link was found between the cochlea's curvature and the low-frequency hearing limit of more than a dozen different mammals. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425151819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427194726.htm Researchers have used gene therapy to safely restore vision in three young adults with a rare form of congenital blindness. Although the patients have not achieved normal eyesight, the preliminary results set the stage for further studies of an innovative treatment for this and possibly other retinal diseases. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427194726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425065418.htm For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that the efficient coding principle regarding neurobiological processes applies to sense of smell. The team displays this quantitative relationship in a study of male moths and pheromone plumes, published in PLoS Computational Biology. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425065418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140403.htm The results of large-scale imaging experiments examining how social signals are represented in the sensory system have just been published. Working with a newly-developed line of transgenic mice that expresses the genetic calcium indicator G-CaMP2, the team monitored neural activity in the vomeronasal organ, a sensory organ found in many vertebrate animals that detects pheromones. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425095204.htm Biologists, in research with implications for people suffering from seasonal affective disorder and insomnia, have determined that the eye uses light to reset the biological clock through a mechanism separate from the ability to see. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425095204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425102403.htm Children with autistic spectrum disorders who underwent sensory integration therapy exhibited fewer autistic mannerisms compared to children who received standard treatments. Such mannerisms, including repetitive hand movements or actions, making noises, jumping or having highly restricted interests, often interfere with paying attention and learning. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425102403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425164738.htm A patient who is completely deaf in his right ear, he still can hear from that side. A sound processor he wears just behind his right ear converts sound waves into tiny vibrations that move through his skull. The vibrations are detected by his good left ear, so it sounds to him like he can hear from both sides. A new study has found that this system of conducting sound through skull bone is a big boost to people who are deaf in one ear and can't be helped by hearing aids or cochlear implants. Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425164738.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423121427.htm By blocking certain mechanisms that control the way that nerve cells in the brain communicate, scientists have been able to prevent visual recognition memory in rats. This demonstrates they have identified cellular and molecular mechanisms in the brain that may provide a key to understanding processes of recognition memory. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423121427.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423175535.htm Playing a video game called 'Space Race' that requires nothing more than brainpower to make rockets on a computer screen move forward is more than just fun and games. A researcher is using video games to see if the brainwaves of children with autism can be 'retrained' to improve focus and concentration. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423175535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422150652.htm Would you rather support research for a disease that affects 30,000 Americans a year or one that affects just .01 percent of the US population? The numbers represent about the same number of people, but how you answered explains how you understand numerical information, according to a psychology professor. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422150652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142449.htm Scientists illuminate the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs. A new study suggests that antidepressants could also be used for the treatment of amblyopia. However, to produce a functional effect, antidepressant treatment also seems to require environmental stimuli, such as rehabilitation or therapy. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417095928.htm Babies with an eye-alignment disorder called infantile esotropia have delays in motor development milestones, but development "catches up" after corrective surgery. Infants tested after esotropia surgery had no delays in developmental milestones. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417095928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410153652.htm Uncover how the brains of infants distinguish differences in sounds and it may become possible to correct language problems even before children start to speak, sparing them the difficulties that come from struggling with language. Psychologists are learning new and exciting clues about how infant brains begin to acquire language. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410153652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407201846.htm Does the language people speak influence their perception of the world? Recent findings suggest that it may well. For the first time, scientists have found patterns of brain activation that signal a positive relationship between language and color perception. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407201846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407114619.htm Some seven percent of Americans have lost their sense of smell and with it their ability to enjoy the fragrance of flowers, foods and beverages. For individuals whose smell loss relates to the biochemistry of two common proteins, there is some good news. A team of researchers has found that a drug used long ago to help asthmatics can benefit some with smell loss. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407114619.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402212855.htm A new study shows how our very short-term "working memory," which allows the brain to stitch together sensory information, operates. The system retains a limited number of high-resolution images for a few seconds, rather than a wider range of fuzzier impressions. Humans rarely move their eyes smoothly. As our eyes flit from object to object, the visual system briefly shuts off to cut down visual "noise," said one of the psychologists. So the brain gets a series of snapshots of about a quarter-second, separated by brief gaps. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402212855.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404122139.htm Will the Miss America pageant ever be the same? "Beauty," goes the old saying, "is in the eye of the beholder." But does the beholder have to be human? Not necessarily, say computer scientists who have successfully "taught" a computer how to interpret attractiveness in women. Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404122139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401095216.htm Do humans hear better than animals? It is known that various species of land and water-based living creatures are capable of hearing some lower and higher frequencies than humans are capable of detecting. However, scientists have now for the first time demonstrated how the reactions of single neurons give humans the capability of detecting fine differences in frequencies better than animals. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401095216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172314.htm Each human nose encounters hundreds of thousands of scents in its daily travels perched front and center on our face. Some of these smells are nearly identical, so how do we learn to tell the critical ones apart? Something bad has to happen. Then the nose becomes a very quick learner. New research shows a single negative experience linked to an odor rapidly teaches us to discriminate that odor from similar ones. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325113407.htm Biologists have mapped the medulla circuitry in fruit flies, setting the stage for subsequent research on how color vision is processed. The work will enable researchers to explore how color vision is processed in the optic lobe of the fruit fly Drosophila, providing a paradigm for more complex systems in vertebrates. Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325113407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328124554.htm Parents should not worry when their pre-schoolers talk to themselves; in fact, they should encourage it, says a new study. The study shows that children do better on motor tasks when they talk to themselves out loud than when they are silent. Researchers also looked for the first time at the ways that autistic children talk to themselves and the effectiveness it has on the way they do things. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328124554.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326121232.htm Insulin-like growth factor has to date been shown to stimulate the growth and proliferation of cells, and recently was found to affect the shape and growth rate of nerve axons. Now, neuroscientists have shown that IGF also controls the direction of axon growth as axons stretch from the nose's odor detectors to the brain's olfactory bulb. Axon guidance represents a new role for IGF in development. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326121232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325135038.htm If you see something, it's because you're looking at it, right? A recent study has established that while people do tend to notice objects within their gaze, it is the assumptions they make about their environment that affects their perceptions. People are biased towards believing that they were looking directly at what they have seen. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325135038.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320155232.htm Impaired sense of smell occurs in the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease and there is mounting evidence that it may precede motor symptoms by several years. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320155232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317131642.htm According to researchers, fruit flies are more like humans in their responses to many sweet tastes than are almost any other species, including some species of monkeys. The findings demonstrate the critical role of environment in shaping the evolution of taste preferences and feeding behavior. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317131642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316161128.htm It's common knowledge that humans and other animals are able to visually judge depth because we have two eyes and the brain compares the images from each. But we can also judge depth with only one eye, and scientists have been searching for how the brain accomplishes that feat. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080316161128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312141225.htm Neuroscientists studying the mind's ability to process images have completed the first empirical study to demonstrate, using animal models, how populations of nerve cells in visual cortex adapt to changing images. Their findings could lead to sight-improving therapies for people following trauma or stroke. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312141225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311215702.htm Though they perch far apart on the avian family tree, birds with the ability to learn songs use similar brain structures to sing their tunes. Neurobiologists now have an explanation for this puzzling likeness. Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311215702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311151203.htm There's new evidence supporting the idea that bigger brains are better. A study of a tropical wasp suggests that the brainpower required to be dominant drives brain capacity. Researchers have found that key processing regions in the brains of both males and females of one wasp species not only increased in size with age but were also associated with being dominant. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311151203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307182748.htm A group of researchers has developed a novel way to view the world through the eyes of a common fly and partially decode the insect's reactions to changes in the world around it. The research fundamentally alters earlier beliefs about how neural networks function and could provide the basis for intelligent computers that mimic biological processes. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307182748.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310103232.htm New research suggests that humans are not as fooled as they seem when viewing visual illusions. Research participants were presented with the “Ponzo” illusion, an image common in psychological research that makes two objects that are similar in length appear drastically different. They then hooked participants’ index finger and thumb to computerized position tracking equipment and asked them to grasp the objects with their fingers. Even thought the object appeared to be larger (or smaller) than it really was, the size of their grasp reflected the object’s real rather than apparent size. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310103232.htm