Characterizing the third visual pathway for social perception

To understand the behaviour and intentions of other people we use visual cues generated by the movements and actions of their faces and bodies. These include facial expressions, eye-gaze, body movements and the audio-visual integration of speech. Explaining the neural processes that enable us to see, process and respond to these signals is a fundamental aim of psychology. In pursuit of this goal, we recently proposed the existence of a visual pathway specialised for social perception. This pathway projects from V1 into the posterior banks of the superior temporal sulcus (STS), via the motion-selective area V5/MT. In response, Weiner and Gomez have raised salient questions about the third pathway, which I welcome the opportunity to address here.