Definition
Information processing in the human brain is highly parallel. This means that different features of an object are processed in different parts of the brain. For example, the color and the shape of a red square are coded by different neurons in the visual system (visual field). However, we do not perceive “red” and “square shaped” separately but a “red square.” The binding problem deals with the question of how features that are processed in parallel are bound to the one unique percept.
The term “binding problem” usually refers to the binding of features such as color and shape in contrast to, for example, binding the visual experience of one square to general concepts about squares such as equiangularity. Feature binding is often implicitly thought to occur in an epoch of 50–200 ms.
Characteristics
Information Processing
A picture is presented. Recognizing an object in this picture cannot simply be accomplished by comparing this object with some mental “images” stored in...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Malsburg C von der (1981) The correlation theory of brain functioning. In: Schulten K, Hemmen J (eds) von Models of neural networks. Springer, Berlin
Barlow HB (1972) Single units and sensation: a neuron doctrine for perceptual psychology? Perception 1:371–394
Riesenhuber M, Poggio T (1999) Are cortical models really bound by the “binding problem”? Neuron 24:87–93
Ghose GM, Maunsell J (1999) Specialized representations in visual cortex: a role for binding? Neuron 24:79–85
Treisman A, Schmidt H (1982) Illusory conjunctions in the perception of objects. Cogn Psychol 14:107–141
Eckhorn R, Bauer R, Jordan W, Brosch M, Kruse W, Munk M, Reitboeck HJ (1988) Coherent oscillations: a mechanism of feature linking in the visual cortex? Biol Cybern 60:121–130
Gray CM, Singer W (1989) Stimulus-specific neuronal oscillations in orientation columns of cat visual cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 86:1698–1702
Shadlen MN, Movshon JA (1999) Synchrony unbound: a critical evaluation of the temporal binding hypothesis. Neuron 24:67–77
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Andreas Kreiter, Joseph Krummenacher, Thomas Otto, and Maximilian Riesenhuber for helpful comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Herzog, M. (2008). Binding Problem. In: Binder, M.D., Hirokawa, N., Windhorst, U. (eds) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_626
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_626
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-23735-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29678-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences