A connectionist model of hemispheric interaction in unilateral visuospatial neglect

Richard Shillcock, Paul Cairns

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

The dominant models of unilateral visuospatial neglect are non-computational models. Tw o such models (Kinsbourne, 1970, 1993; Halligan & Marshall, 1994) rely on conlralaterally oriented attentional systems in the two hemispheres of the brain to capture the rich data from neglect. The line-bisection task is a standard diagnostic test that produces rich, detailed, elegant, quantitative data. W e describe an implemented connectionist model of the performance of neglect subjects in the line-bisection task. O ur model demonstrates that both the central characteristics of unilateral neglect and its task-specific complexities may be derived directly from the bicameral nature of the brain and the necessity for perceptual processing to integrate a precisely divided visual world. Our model is strictly divided at the input and hidden units, but allows complex interaction at the output units. It demonstrates the left-to-right graded nature of visuospatial neglect across the whole visual field, together with the detailed effects of midpoint displacement in the linebisection task. Very idealised connectionist models of hemispheric interaction can accurately capture detailed patient data.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society
PublisherLawrence Erlbaum Associates
Pages142-147
Number of pages6
Publication statusPublished - 1995

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