Abstract
Using Multiple Identity Tracking task and the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, the present study aimed to isolate and visualize the functional anatomy of neural systems involved in the semantic category-based grouping process. Three experiment conditions were selected and compared: the category-based targets grouping (TG) condition, the targets-distractors grouping (TDG) condition and the homogenous condition. In the TG condition, observers could utilize the categorical distinction between targets and distractors, to construct a uniform presentation of targets, that is, to form a group of the targets to facilitate tracking. In the TDG condition, half the targets and half the distractors belonged to the same category. Observers had to inhibit the grouping of targets and distractors in one category to complete tracking. In the homogenous condition, where targets and distractors consisted of the same objects, no grouping could be formed. The “TG-Homogenous” contrast (p<0.01) revealed the activation of the left fusiform and the pars triangularis of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The “TG-TDG” contrast only revealed the activation of the left anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC). The fusiform and IFG pars triangularis might participate in the representation of semantic knowledge, IFG pars triangularis might relate intensely with the classification of semantic categories. The ACC might be responsible for the initiation and maintenance of grouping representation.
Highlights
People often need to localize a number of constantly moving objects and recognize their identities simultaneously in daily life situations, such as watching a football game on TV or on site, driving on a crowded street, and keeping an eye on their children who are running around on a noisy playground
Even though the behavioral results in the present experiment showed no categorybased grouping effect, based on previous findings, we conjecture that there still exists a target grouping in the targets grouping (TG) condition and an inhibition of target-distractor grouping in the targets-distractors grouping (TDG) condition
Previous research revealed that grouping representation based on objects’ spatiotemporal properties and surface features existed in MOT/Multiple Identity Tracking (MIT) task
Summary
People often need to localize a number of constantly moving objects and recognize their identities simultaneously in daily life situations, such as watching a football game on TV or on site, driving on a crowded street, and keeping an eye on their children who are running around on a noisy playground. The ability of humans to track and identify moving objects has typically been studied using Multiple Identity Tracking (MIT) task [1,2], derived from Multiple Object Tracking task [3]. In MOT/MIT task, several objects are presented to the observers at the same time. A subset of objects are designated as targets by flashing several times or being surrounded by colored lines, while the others as the distractors.
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