Jeremy Wilmer
Department of Psychology,
Harvard University
will speak on
Individual Differences in Low-Level Visual Motion Processing:
A Study of Dyslexic Adults and Controls Across Motion Paradigms
Abstract:
Background and Goals: A number of studies have found a specific
deficit in visual motion processing among dyslexic persons. Most previous
studies have used one of several variations on a random dot detection
paradigm, and one study has used a velocity discrimination paradigm with
sinusoidal gratings. One goal of the present study was to replicate both
of these previous results, while examining the relative strengths of these
two paradigms for isolating such individual differences, specifically: a)
their relative power for discriminating these groups, b) their relative
association with various measures of dyslexic traits, and c) some of their
basic psychometric properties. The second goal was to probe for
associations between the two tasks to they whether they might be sensitive
to the same sort of individual differences in visual-motion-processing
capacities.
Results and Conclusions: In replication of previous results, both motion
paradigms differentiated dyslexic participants from controls. There was
no clear 'winner' in terms of discriminatory power between these groups,
and both paradigms were associated to a roughly equal degree with measures
of dyslexic traits. The random dot paradigm exhibited more robust
psychometric qualities. There was no association between performance on
these two tasks across subjects.
Conclusions: This study bolsters evidence for the existence of a
generalized (across motion paradigms) visual motion processing deficit in
dyslexia. This deficit appears generalized enough so as to be found
across motion paradigms that do not show an association with each other
across participants. No evidence was found for these two paradigms being
sensitive to individual differences in related visual-motion-processing
capacities.
The lecture will take place in Room 203, 44 Cummington
St.
on Thursday, April 4, 2002
at 12:15 pm
Hosted by the
Brain and Vision Research Laboratory