Billington, J. orcid.org/0000-0003-0995-8875, Hassall, C. orcid.org/0000-0002-3510-0728 and Craddock, M. (2024) Camouflage patterning modulates neural signatures of attention and decision-making. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291 (2028). 20240865. ISSN 0962-8452
Abstract
Many animals rely on visual camouflage to avoid detection and increase their chances of survival. Edge disruption is commonly seen in the natural world, with animals evolving high-contrast markings that are incongruent with their real body outline in order to avoid recognition. While many studies have investigated how camouflage properties influence viewer performance and eye movement in predation search tasks, researchers in the field have yet to consider how camouflage may directly modulate visual attention and object processing. To examine how disruptive coloration modulates attention, we use a visual object recognition model to quantify object saliency. We determine if object saliency is predictive of human behavioural performance and subjective certainty, as well as neural signatures of attention and decision-making. We show that increasing edge disruption not only reduces detection and identification performance but is also associated with a dampening of neurophysiological signatures of attentional filtering. Increased self-reported certainty regarding decisions corresponds with neurophysiological signatures of evidence accumulation and decision-making. In summary, we have demonstrated a potential mechanism by which edge disruption increases the evolutionary fitness of animals by reducing the brain’s ability to distinguish signal from noise, and hence to detect and identify the camouflaged animal.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Keywords: | camouflage, attention, decision-making, neural, EEG |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Psychology (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Leverhulme Trust RF-2019-343\10 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 30 Aug 2024 12:19 |
Last Modified: | 30 Aug 2024 12:19 |
Published Version: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsp... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | The Royal Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rspb.2024.0865 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:216172 |