The ermergence of predictive actions on temporarily occluded moving objects

The fact that objects go in and out of view as they and/or the perceiver move pose a basic problem to the perceptuo-cognitive system. In order to identify objects across occlusions, their spatio-temporal continuity must be preserved over the occlusion-intervals. Uninterrupted actions on objects that move temporarily out of view, such as tracking them and reaching for them, are even more demanding. To preserve spatio-temporal continuity, anticipation of the time and position of reappearance is required and an appreciation of the velocity and direction of motion at that moment. In order to solve the identity and anticipation problems and preserve spatio-temporal continuity over temporary occlusions, the representations of moving objects much persist over such events. The present symposium discusses when and how such persisting representations emerge in development.