Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Perception of gravity can be assessed by measuring the subjective visual vertical (SVV), the visually indicated spatial direction that appears earth-vertical to an observer. When the SVV is assessed in darkness while the observer is roll-tilted, it shows substantial biases. At tilts larger than 45°, the bias is attractive, that is, the visual indicator appears vertical when rotated toward the observer. At smaller tilts, however, a repulsive bias is observed. The attractive bias has been explained within the Bayesian framework as the effect of a prior for upright posture. The repulsive bias has so far been considered anti-Bayesian, suboptimal, or as the result of uncompensated ocular counterroll. Here we show that both biases can be explained within a purely Bayesian model. More specifically, the repulsive bias at small roll-tilts is a consequence of the known tilt-dependent variability of the SVV, which is hypothesized to reflect different levels of sensory noise of the otolith organs. We thus provide a solution to a century-old question of why there is a repulsive bias in vertical perception.
Source: PLoS Computational Biology
Authors: Stefan Glasauer, W. Pieter Medendorp
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,043
Awards: G3041425089, G3064890200, G5866100518, G5872598948, Dysfunktionale Verarbeitung respiratorischer Signale bei Patient*innen mit postCOVID?
Ein experimentellcomputationaler Ansatz zur Untersuchung der Interaktion zwischen Atemverhalten und Symptomwahrnehmung, Understanding behaviour in the real world - a naturalistic approach to Neuroscience
OpenAlex ID: W7147417247