Counting Multidimensional Objects: Implications for the Neural-Synchrony Theory

It has been suggested that a neural instantiation of the temporary multidimensional representations of objects might be synchrony of firing between the neurons representing the features that co-occur in a given location. In this article, we direct attention to a logical problem that arises when certain synchrony assumptions are applied to real situations in which multiple multidimensional objects are presented. We demonstrate a new behavioral effect that shows that this logical problem coincides with a genuine behavioral problem. Even when a display contains only a small number of objects characterized by features on two dimensions, the representation of the display becomes difficult when, according to our described assumptions, the object representations cannot be simultaneously synchronized on both features. This article outlines a new principle that governs object representation, and the experimental results might be unique behavioral evidence for a neural-based theory of feature binding.