Mistaking a house for a face: neural correlates of misperception in healthy humans
Abstract
Individuals with normal vision can sometimes momentarily mistake one object for another. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated how extrastriate visual regions respond during these erroneous perceptual judgements. Subjects were asked to discriminate images of houses and faces that were degraded such that they were close to an individually defined threshold for perception. On correct trials, voxels localized on the inferior occipital (OFA), fusiform (FFA) and parahippocampal (PPA) gyri exhibited selectivity for face and house images as expected. On incorrect trials, no face- or place-selectivity was observed for OFA or PPA. However, consistent with 'predictive coding' accounts of perception, we observed that the FFA also responded robustly on trials where a house was misperceived as a face, and concurrent activation was observed in medio-frontal and right parietal regions previously implicated in decision making under uncertainty. We suggest that FFA responses during misperception may be driven by a predictive top-down signal from these regions.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Predictive coding holds that top-down predictions suppress prediction errors in lower levels of a hierarchy.
“Theoretically, this is consistent with predictive coding, where top-down predictions suppress prediction errors in lower levels of a hierarchy”
From Network discovery with DCM (2011) · cites this paper as Summerfield et al., 2006
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
The fusiform face area: a module in human extrastriate cortex specialized for face perception
Kanwisher, N., McDermott, J., & Chun, M. M. (1997) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.17-11-04302.1997 · Cited by 7,738 · see citing works
Rao, R. P. N., & Ballard, D. H. (1999) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/4580 · Cited by 5,483 · see citing works
Thresholding of statistical maps in functional neuroimaging using the false discovery rate
Genovese, C. R., Lazar, N. A., & Nichols, T. (2002) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2001.1037 · Cited by 4,923 · see citing works
Understanding face recognition
Bruce, V., & Young, A. (1986) · British Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1986.tb02199.x · Cited by 3,900 · see citing works
Dynamic predictions: Oscillations and synchrony in top–down processing
Engel, A. K., Fries, P., & Singer, W. (2001) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/35094565 · Cited by 3,454 · see citing works
A cortical representation of the local visual environment
Epstein, R. A., & Kanwisher, N. (1998) · Nature · doi:10.1038/33402 · Cited by 2,960 · see citing works
Martı́nez, A. M. (1998) · CTIT technical reports series · Cited by 2,791 · see citing works
Yin, R. K. (1969) · Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0027474 · Cited by 2,624 · see citing works
CATEGORY SPECIFIC SEMANTIC IMPAIRMENTS
Warrington, E. K., & Shallice, T. (1984) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/107.3.829 · Cited by 2,212 · see citing works
Martı́nez, A. M. (1998) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,982 · see citing works
Neural Basis of a Perceptual Decision in the Parietal Cortex (Area LIP) of the Rhesus Monkey
Shadlen, M. N., & Newsome, W. T. (2001) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.2001.86.4.1916 · Cited by 1,755 · see citing works
Bar, M. (2004) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn1476 · Cited by 1,613 · see citing works
Conscious and unconscious perception: Experiments on visual masking and word recognition
Marcel, A. J. (1983) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1016/0010-0285(83)90009-9 · Cited by 1,391 · see citing works
What is "special" about face perception?
Farah, M. J., Wilson, K. D., Drain, M., & Tanaka, J. N. (1998) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.105.3.482 · Cited by 1,317 · see citing works
Adaptive Coding of Reward Value by Dopamine Neurons
Tobler, P. N., Fiorillo, C. D., & Schultz, W. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1105370 · Cited by 1,276 · see citing works
Information processing in the primate visual system: an integrated systems perspective
Van Essen, D. C., Anderson, C. H., & Felleman, D. J. (1992) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1734518 · Cited by 1,266 · see citing works
On the computational architecture of the neocortex: II The role of cortico-cortical loops
Mumford, D. (1992) · Biological Cybernetics · doi:10.1007/bf00198477 · Cited by 1,074 · see citing works
Scene perception: Detecting and judging objects undergoing relational violations
Biederman, I., Mezzanotte, R. J., & Rabinowitz, J. C. (1982) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1016/0010-0285(82)90007-x · Cited by 1,059 · see citing works
Mental Imagery of Faces and Places Activates Corresponding Stimulus-Specific Brain Regions
O’Craven, K. M., & Kanwisher, N. (2000) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/08989290051137549 · Cited by 1,057 · see citing works
Psychology and neurobiology of simple decisions
Smith, P. L., & Ratcliff, R. (2004) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2004.01.006 · Cited by 1,051 · see citing works
The reverse hierarchy theory of visual perceptual learning
Ahissar, M., & Hochstein, S. (2004) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2004.08.011 · Cited by 1,005 · see citing works
Henderson, J. M., & Hollingworth, A. (1999) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.50.1.243 · Cited by 971 · see citing works
PREMOTOR AND PARIETAL CORTEX: Corticocortical Connectivity and Combinatorial Computations
Wise, S. P., Boussaoud, D., Johnson, P. B., & Caminiti, R. (1997) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.20.1.25 · Cited by 952 · see citing works
On the computational architecture of the neocortex: I. The role of the thalamo-cortical loop
Mumford, D. (1991) · Biological Cybernetics · doi:10.1007/bf00202389 · Cited by 929 · see citing works
A cortical mechanism for triggering top-down facilitation in visual object recognition
Bar, M. (2003) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/089892903321662976 · Cited by 900 · see citing works
Binocular Rivalry and Visual Awareness in Human Extrastriate Cortex
Tong, F., Nakayama, K., Vaughan, J. T., & Kanwisher, N. (1998) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80592-9 · Cited by 866 · see citing works
The Parahippocampal Place Area
Epstein, R. A., Harris, A. M., Stanley, D. A., & Kanwisher, N. (1999) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80758-8 · Cited by 819 · see citing works
Fast Backprojections from the Motion to the Primary Visual Area Necessary for Visual Awareness
Pascual-Leone, A., & Walsh, V. (2001) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1057099 · Cited by 761 · see citing works
Learning and inference in the brain
Friston, K. (2003) · Neural Networks · doi:10.1016/j.neunet.2003.06.005 · Cited by 724 · see citing works
The effects of contextual scenes on the identification of objects
Palmer, S. E. (1975) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/bf03197524 · Cited by 644 · see citing works
Cortical analysis of visual context.
Bar, M., & Aminoff, E. (2003) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00167-3 · Cited by 630 · see citing works
Distributed Neural Systems for the Generation of Visual Images
Ishai, A., Ungerleider, L. G., & Haxby, J. V. (2000) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)00168-9 · Cited by 579 · see citing works
Morphing Marilyn into Maggie dissociates physical and identity face representations in the brain
Rotshtein, P., Henson, R. N., Treves, A., Driver, J., & Dolan, R. J. (2004) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1370 · Cited by 548 · see citing works
A Sequential Theory of Psychological Discrimination
Link, S. W., & Heath, R. A. (1975) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02291481 · Cited by 492 · see citing works
Seeing, sensing, and scrutinizing
Rensink, R. A. (2000) · Vision Research · doi:10.1016/s0042-6989(00)00003-1 · Cited by 483 · see citing works
An Area within Human Ventral Cortex Sensitive to “Building” Stimuli
Aguirre, G. K., Zarahn, E., & D’Esposito, M. (1998) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80546-2 · Cited by 477 · see citing works
Optimization of experimental design in fMRI: a general framework using a genetic algorithm
Wager, T. D., & Nichols, T. E. (2003) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/s1053-8119(02)00046-0 · Cited by 458 · see citing works
Huettel, S. A., Song, A. W., & McCarthy, G. (2005) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.5070-04.2005 · Cited by 457 · see citing works
Collerton, D., Perry, E. K., & McKeith, I. G. (2005) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x05000130 · Cited by 437 · see citing works
Neuronal basis of contrast discrimination
Boynton, G. M., Demb, J. B., Glover, G. H., & Heeger, D. J. (1999) · Vision Research · doi:10.1016/s0042-6989(98)00113-8 · Cited by 391 · see citing works
How the brain learns to see objects and faces in an impoverished context
Dolan, R. J., Fink, G. R., Rolls, E. T., Booth, M. C. A., Holmes, A., Frackowiak, R. S. J., & Friston, K. J. (1997) · Nature · doi:10.1038/39309 · Cited by 388 · see citing works
Viewpoint-Specific Scene Representations in Human Parahippocampal Cortex
Epstein, R., Graham, K. S., & Downing, P. E. (2003) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00117-x · Cited by 360 · see citing works
Neuronal correlates of perception in early visual cortex
Ress, D. B., & Heeger, D. J. (2003) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1024 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Tallon‐Baudry, C., Bertrand, O., Hénaff, M., Isnard, J., & Fischer, C. (2004) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhh167 · Cited by 348 · see citing works
Repetition suppression of faces is modulated by emotion
Ishai, A., Pessoa, L., Bikle, P. C., & Ungerleider, L. G. (2004) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0403559101 · Cited by 281 · see citing works
BRUNIA, C. H. M., & Damen, E. J. P. (1988) · Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology · doi:10.1016/0013-4694(88)90132-0 · Cited by 238 · see citing works
The perceptual consequences of visual loss: `positive' pathologies of vision
Ffytche, D. H., & Howard, R. J. (1999) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/122.7.1247 · Cited by 216 · see citing works
Effect of Familiarity on the Processing of Human Faces
Dubois, S., Rossion, B., Schiltz, C., Bodart, J.-M., Michel, C. J., Bruyer, R., & Crommelinck, M. (1999) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.1998.0409 · Cited by 211 · see citing works
Contextually Evoked Object-Specific Responses in Human Visual Cortex
Cox, D., Meyers, E. M., & Sinha, P. (2004) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1093110 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
How hallucinations may arise from brain mechanisms of learning, attention, and volition
Grossberg, S. (2000) · Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society · doi:10.1017/s135561770065508x · Cited by 192 · see citing works
Perceptual grouping and the interactions between visual cortical areas
Murray, S. O., Schrater, P., & Kersten, D. (2004) · Neural Networks · doi:10.1016/j.neunet.2004.03.010 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
The Neural Structures Expressing Perceptual Hysteresis in Visual Letter Recognition
Kleinschmidt, A. K., Büchel, C., Hutton, C., Friston, K. J., & Frackowiak, R. S. J. (2002) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(02)00694-3 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
McKellar, P. (1957) · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Quantitative prediction of perceptual decisions during near-threshold fear detection
Pessoa, L., & Padmala, S. (2005) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0500566102 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Neural responses to Mooney images reveal a modular representation of faces in human visual cortex
Andrews, T. J., & Schluppeck, D. (2003) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.08.023 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
An investigation of visual hallucinosis and visual sensory status in dementia
Murgatroyd, C., & Prettyman, R. J. (2001) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.426 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Expectation in perceptual decision making: neural and computational mechanisms
Summerfield, C., & de Lange, F. P. (2014) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3838 · Cited by 832 · see citing works
Self-citationPredictive coding explains binocular rivalry: an epistemological review
Hohwy, J., Roepstorff, A., & Friston, K. (2008) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2008.05.010 · Cited by 546 · see citing works
Predictive codes for forthcoming perception in the frontal cortex.
Summerfield, C., Egner, T., Greene, M., Koechlin, E., Mangels, J., & Hirsch, J. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1132028 · Cited by 496 · see citing works
Self-citationFriston, K. J., Li, B., Daunizeau, J., & Stephan, K. E. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.12.039 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
Prior probability modulates anticipatory activity in category-specific areas
Trapp, S., Lepsien, J., Kotz, S. A., & Bar, M. (2016) · Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-015-0373-4 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Noel, J.-P., Simon, D., Thelen, A., Maier, A., Blake, R., & Wallace, M. T. (2018) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01247 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
- Authors
- Summerfield, C., Egner, T., Mangels, J., & Hirsch, J.
- Affiliations
- Columbia University (US)
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Summerfield, Christopher
- Venue
- Cerebral Cortex
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2005-07-13
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 500-508
- ISSN
- 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2199
- OpenAlex
- W2128561763
- Cited by
- 120
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- W. M. Keck Foundation
- U.S. Public Health Service (R21 066129)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
- Keywords
- misunderstanding, face perception, fusiform face area, parahippocampal place area, occipital face area, predictive coding, top-down prediction, decision making under uncertainty, visual perception, neural correlates of perception
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain Mapping, Discrimination Learning, Female, Hippocampus, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Psychomotor Performance, Reference Values, Statistics as Topic, Visual Cortex, Visual Pathways
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
