Xu, YaodaChun, Marvin M.2010-03-012009Xu, Yaoda and Marvin M. Chun. 2009. Selecting and perceiving multiple visual objects. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 13(4): 167-174.1364-6613http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3709643To explain how multiple visual objects are attended and perceived, we propose that our visual system first selects a fixed number of about four objects from a crowded scene based on their spatial information (object individuation) and then encode their details (object identification). We describe the involvement of the inferior intra-parietal sulcus (IPS) in object individuation and the superior IPS and higher visual areas in object identification. Our neural object-file theory synthesizes and extends existing ideas in visual cognition and is supported by behavioral and neuroimaging results. It provides a better understanding of the role of the different parietal areas in encoding visual objects and can explain various forms of capacity-limited processing in visual cognition such as working memory.en-USJournal Article10.1016/j.tics.2009.01.008