Beyond binding: from modular to natural vision

2025/04/14 by H. Steven Scholte, Edward H.F. de Haan · 3 voices · 11 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Cognitive psychology #Cognitive science #Communication #Computer science #History #Modular design #Natural (archaeology) #Neural dynamics and brain function #Psychology #Retinal Development and Disorders #Visual perception and processing mechanisms

paper · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2025.03.002

published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences 29(6), 505-515 (Elsevier BV)

openalex publication_date 2025/04/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

The classical view of visual cortex organization as a collection of specialized modules processing distinct features like color and motion has profoundly influenced neuroscience for decades. This framework, rooted in historical philosophical distinctions between qualities, gave rise to the 'binding problem': how the brain integrates these separately processed features into coherent percepts. We present converging evidence from electrophysiology, neuroimaging, and lesion studies that challenges this framework. We argue that the binding problem may be an artifact of theoretical assumptions rather than a real computational challenge for the brain. Drawing insights from deep neural networks (DNNs) and recent empirical findings, we propose a framework where the visual cortex represents naturally co-occurring patterns of information rather than processing isolated features that need binding.

Citations

• TopoNets: High Performing Vision and Language Models with Brain-Like Topography
• A feature-integration theory of attention

Cited by

• Path Integration and Object-Location Binding Emerge in an Action-Conditioned Predictive Sequence Network
• Does Object Binding Naturally Emerge in Large Pretrained Vision Transformers?
• Feature binding in biological and artificial vision
• Mapping macaque to human cortex with natural scene responses. [europepmc]
• Investigating the temporal dynamics and modeling of mid-level feature representations in humans. [europepmc]
• Modeling attention and binding in the brain through bidirectional recurrent gating. [europepmc]

Discussions

• There is no binding problem because vision—and cortex more broadly—is not modular. Phrenological theories create phrenological artifacts. Beyond binding: from modular to natural vision doi.org/10.1016 [bsky, 47 points, 3 comments]
• Is vision modular or not? The debate continues. doi.org/10.1016/j.ti... [bsky, 27 points, 5 comments]
• The five papers: Beyond Binding paper doi.org/10.1016/j.ti..., Roelfsema & Serre, doi.org/10.1016/j.ti..., @gialdegheri.bsky.social  & Flemming doi.org/10.1016/j.ti... and our replies doi.org/10.1016/ [bsky, 4 points, 1 comments]

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