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Measuring the brain's assumptions

Nature Neuroscience volume 9, pages 468–470 (2006)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 July 2006

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A Bayesian model of visual motion perception describes how the brain combines assumptions with evidence. A new study in this issue tests and expands the model, building connections between perception, the environment and neural responses.*

Ever wondered why people drive so fast in fog? They might think they are driving slowly. This is because the perception of visual motion is affected by contrast: stimuli of lower contrast generally appear to move more slowly than stimuli of higher contrast1,2. When fog reduces contrast, drivers may think they are maintaining a constant speed when, in fact, they are accelerating3. Footnote 1

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Figure 1: The Bayesian model of speed perception, and its predictions.

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  • 09 June 2006

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Notes

  1. *NOTE: In the version of this article originally published in print and online, the abstract contained an error. The abstract should read “A Bayesian model of visual motion perception describes how the brain combines assumptions with evidence. A new study in this issue tests and expands the model, building connections between perception, the environment and neural responses.” The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

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  1. Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, 2318 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, 94115, California, USA

    Matteo Carandini

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  1. Matteo Carandini
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Carandini, M. Measuring the brain's assumptions. Nat Neurosci 9, 468–470 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0406-468

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