Several studies have demonstrated that while perceptual judgements of object size can be biased by visual illusions, actions
remain more closely scaled to true object properties. This dissociation is often cited in support of a two-stream model of
visual processing, in which visual perception is thought to be mediated by a ventral stream, while goal-directed actions are
controlled by a dorsal stream. Evidence suggests that pantomimed actions (i.e., actions directed toward remembered targets)
are controlled differently to natural actions; indeed, it has been proposed that pantomimed actions are mediated by the ventral
rather than the dorsal stream. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of a visual size illusion (a variation of the
Müller-Lyer figure) on manual aperture formation during natural and pantomimed prehension (i.e., action) and aperture scaling
(i.e., perception). As found in earlier studies, mean peak aperture (MPA) was significantly affected by the illusion in the
perception task but not the natural action task. In the pantomime condition, action and perception were equally affected by
the illusion as reflected by MPA. These results provide support for the hypothesis that pantomimed actions are mediated by
the ventral visual processing stream, while natural actions depend on the dorsal stream.
Motor control Visual pathways Illusions Prehension Memory Human
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