Object recognition occurs in most animals.
Object recognition is the brain's ability to recall an object's shape and properties. Nearly all animals share this ability, which is crucial to survival. Two theories attempt to explain how the brain creates and recalls the memories of individual objects.
Forming Memories
How memories are formed in the brain is unknown; however, it is known that through the formation of new connections and pathways between neurons, memories are consolidated and stored. The relationship between neurons triggers similar memories, allowing the brain to recall objects and events at a later time.
Geon-Structural-Description Theory
Geon-structural-description theory, known as GSD theory, is a class of theories that states the brain remembers objects by mentally breaking objects up into smaller pieces. Specific relationships between these smaller pieces allows the brain to then recognize the greater sum, according to a 2007 article in "Scientific American." In this view, the position of an object does not matter, as the components are recognized regardless of the brain's viewpoint.
View-Based Theory
View-based theories assume the brain consolidates three-dimensional objects in a series of varying views. When new views are presented, the brain works to match them with previously stored views in order to recall the object, unless a "diagnostic feature" is present, according to a paper by Marcia L. Spetch and Alinda Friedman of University of Alberta. A diagnostic feature is a specific component that allows instant recall, such as an elephant's trunk.
Tags: between neurons, diagnostic feature, Object recognition, recall object, smaller pieces