Stimulus-centered neglect in reading and object recognition

Abstract We examine whether words and objects share a common stage of processing in which an item's shape is represented in a reference frame centered on the item, that is, a ‘stimulus-centered’ representation. The neurological patient MR neglected the left parts of words, letter-strings, and objects in a variety of reading and naming tests, regardless of where they were presented in the visual field. She identified only the right sides of chimeras, and failed to notice that they were not real objects. Her pattern of performance provides evidence consistent with a common pathway for word and object processing beyond the early, retinocentric levels of the visual system.