Trajectory recognition as the basis for object individuation: A functional model of object file instantiation and object token encoding

Abstract

The perception of persisting visual objects is mediated by transient intermediate representations, object files, that are instantiated in response to some, but not all, visual trajectories. The standard object file concept does not, however, provide a mechanism sufficient to account for all experimental data on visual object persistence, object tracking, and the ability to perceive spatially-disconnected stimuli as coherent objects. Based on relevant anatomical, functional, and developmental data, a functional model is developed that bases object individuation on the specific recognition of visual trajectories. This model is shown to account for a wide range of data, and to generate a variety of testable predictions. Individual variations of the model parameters are expected to generate distinct trajectory and object recognition abilities. Over-encoding of trajectory information in stored object tokens in early infancy, in particular, is expected to disrupt the ability to re-identify individuals across perceptual episodes, and lead to developmental outcomes with characteristics of autism spectrum disorders.