Generative Models for Active Vision

The active visual system comprises the visual cortices, cerebral attention networks, and oculomotor system. While fascinating in its own right, it is also an important model for sensorimotor networks in general. A prominent approach to studying this system is active inference-which assumes the brain...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in neurorobotics 2021-04, Vol.15, p.651432
Main Authors: Parr, Thomas, Sajid, Noor, Da Costa, Lancelot, Mirza, M Berk, Friston, Karl J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
active vision
Attention
Bayesian
Eye
generative model
inference
Neuroscience
Neurosciences
oculomotion
Oculomotor system
Predictions
Proprioception
Random variables
Retina
Sensorimotor system
Vision
Visual perception
Visual system
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The active visual system comprises the visual cortices, cerebral attention networks, and oculomotor system. While fascinating in its own right, it is also an important model for sensorimotor networks in general. A prominent approach to studying this system is active inference-which assumes the brain makes use of an internal (generative) model to predict proprioceptive and visual input. This approach treats action as ensuring sensations conform to predictions (i.e., by moving the eyes) and posits that visual percepts are the consequence of updating predictions to conform to sensations. Under active inference, the challenge is to identify the form of the generative model that makes these predictions-and thus directs behavior. In this paper, we provide an overview of the generative models that the brain must employ to engage in active vision. This means specifying the processes that explain retinal cell activity and proprioceptive information from oculomotor muscle fibers. In addition to the mechanics of the eyes and retina, these processes include our choices about where to move our eyes. These decisions rest upon beliefs about salient locations, or the potential for information gain and belief-updating. A key theme of this paper is the relationship between "looking" and "seeing" under the brain's implicit generative model of the visual world.
ISSN:1662-5218
1662-5218
DOI:10.3389/fnbot.2021.651432