Failure to discriminate between mirror-image objects: A case of viewpoint-independent object recognition?

Abstract There is evidence from the literature, based on normal human subjects and on animals, to suggest that some stages of the object recognition process code images in a manner that carries no enantiomorphy (i.e. mirror-image) information. A patient, RJ, is reported who is severely impaired in discriminating between mirror-image objects. He can successfully discriminate between objects that differ by a minor structural alteration, or by rotation in the picture-plane. He can also discriminate between mirror-image words. In addition, RJ can reliably recognize objects, including those used in the mirror-image task. Various explanations for these unusual findings are discussed, the most probable of which is that RJ lacks a suitable egocentric reference frame, or is unable to compare such a reference frame with the type of representation employed for the purposes of object recognition.

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