Space, Objects, Minds and Brains

The fact that half of space can disappear while the other half remains intact or that an object can be seen without its location is something that most normal perceivers find astonishing. The belief that space is a unitary platform supporting objects is hard to shake, and it is almost impossible to imagine what the world would look like if space perception disappeared. Yet, some people do not have to imagine this because they experience it every day. Under normal circumstances constructing a spatial map is a computational problem that the brain solves easily, but spatial perception can disappear or crumble in different ways depending on what part of the brain is damaged.
Lynn Robertson has been studying how brain lesions affect spatial abilities for over twenty years, and her work has revealed some surprising facts about space and its role in visual perception. In this book she combines evidence collected in her laboratory with findings from others to explore the cognitive and neural basis of spatial representations and their contributions to spatial awareness, object formation, attention, and binding.

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Table of contents : Losing Space. When There is No 'There' There. When Only Half is There. Not There But There. Components of Spatial Reference Frames. Origin. Orientation. Sense of Direction. Unit Size. Summary. Spatial-based Attention and Reference Frames. Selecting Locations. Reference Frames and Spatial Selection in Healthy and Neurological Populations. Spatial Resolution and Reference Frames. Spatial Extent, Spatial Resolution and Attention. What is the Space for Spatial Attention? Object-based Attention and Space. Dissociating Object- and Space-based Attention. Controlled Spatial Attention and Object-based Effects. Object-based Neglect. What is an Object for Object-based Attention? Space and Awareness. RM: Brief History and Spatial Function of a Balints Patient. Explicit Spatial Maps. A Case of Loss of Body Frame of Reference. Implicit Access to Space. 'What' and 'Where' Processing Streams Reconsidered. Many 'Where' Systems. Summary. Space and Feature Binding. The Effect of Occipital-parietal Lesions on Binding. Additional Evidence for Parietal Involvement in Feature Binding. Implicit and Explicit Spaces and Binding. Summary. Space, Brains and Consciousness. Lessons from the Study of Spatial Deficits. Parietal Function and Consciousness. Spatial Maps and Conscious Perceptions. Some Final Comments.