Preserved recognition of basic visual features despite lack of awareness of shape: evidence from a case of neglect

Human visual experience of objects comprises a combination of different visual features, such as their color, position, and shape. Spatial attention is thought to play a role in creating a coherent perceptual experience, integrating visual information coming from a given location, but the mechanisms underlying this process are not entirely understood. Deficits of spatial attention in which this integration process does not occur normally, such as neglect, can provide insights regarding the mechanisms of spatial attention in visual object recognition. In this study, we describe a series of experiments conducted with an individual with neglect, XX. XX presents characteristic lack of awareness of the left side of individual objects, evidenced by poor object and face recognition, and impaired word reading. However, he exhibits intact recognition of color within the boundaries of the same objects he fails to recognize. Furthermore, he can also report the orientation and location of a colored region on the neglected left side despite lack of awareness of the shape of the region. To our knowledge, selective lack of awareness of shape despite intact processing of basic visual features in the same spatial location has not been reported previously. XXs performance raises intriguing questions and challenges about the role of spatial attention in the formation of coherent object percepts and visual awareness.