How We Know Where Our Lost Keys Are
In feature-based attention, neurons form the search patterns we use to find familiar objects in unexplored places
When on a hunt for Waldo, that dastardly master of cryptic coloration, you probably try to zero in on the color red, hoping to catch the top of his candy cane–colored hat, or perhaps his distinctive black-rimmed glasses. Similar principles are helpful when trying to find apples in a supermarket or lost keys in our house.
when you know what they are but you don't know where they are
how you can efficiently find things that you're looking for," Serences says.
different subpopulations of neurons in the brain were also activated when the subjects were asked to concentrate on stimuli moving up and left versus up and right. The surprise came when they noticed that a pattern of activity among the neurons that process the lower half of the visual field echoed the behavior of the cells for the field's upper half.
clipped from: www.sciam.com