Schedule of Events | Search Abstracts | Invited Symposia | Symposia | Poster Sessions | Data Blitz

Grasping unseen physical properties of objects: The role of the ventral visual pathway in object-directed action

Poster Session D - Monday, March 9, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom
Also presenting in Data Blitz Session 4 - Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm PST, Salon F.

Emefa Akwayena¹ (), Bradford Z. Mahon^1,2; ¹Carnegie Mellon University, ²University of Rochester Medical Center

Many daily activities require object-directed actions that involve reaching to grasp an object that is manipulated to achieve a goal. Even before grasping an object, visual cues affect the form of grasp. Consider two cups filled with water, one made of styrofoam and one made of glass. Upon observing each, our brains automatically and implicitly process the difference in material properties to determine that a glass cup requires a stronger grip force than one made from styrofoam. Thus, perceptual inferences about what objects are made of and their associated weight, an unobserved physical property, are necessary for functional interactions. This study examined the role of the ventral visual pathway in translating visual cues into functionally appropriate object-directed actions. Specifically, it tested the use of surface texture cues to drive inferences about material properties and the internal weight distribution of an object. In Study 1, subjects completed a localizer task in which they viewed images from different categories (e.g., faces, tools, words) during fMRI scanning. In Study 2, subjects made center of mass estimations on small manipulable objects while in the scanner. Results demonstrated that voxels in the collateral sulcus preferring small manipulable objects show functional overlap with voxels that process surface texture and material properties. Additionally, our findings show that the neural response observed in the collateral sulcus is modulated by the complexity of the center of mass inference. These findings support the view that the collateral sulcus supports perceptual inferences about material properties and weight distribution of graspable objects.

Topic Area: PERCEPTION & ACTION: Vision