Two-streams hypothesis

The two-streams hypothesis is a widely accepted and influential model of the neural processing of vision as well as hearing. The hypothesis, given its most popular characterisation in a paper by David Milner and Melvyn A. Goodale in 1992, argues that humans possess two distinct visual systems. However, recently there seems to be evidence of two distinct auditory systems as well. As visual information exits the occipital lobe, and as sound leaves the phonological network, it follows two main pathways, or "streams". The ventral stream (also known as the "what pathway") is involved with object and visual identification and recognition. The dorsal stream (or, "where pathway") is involved with processing the object's spatial location relative to the viewer and with speech repetition. Another model for the perceptual/conceptual neuropsychological model of the visual cortex was studied by Raftopoulos. In Russian neuropsychology, yet another model was discussed by Alexander Luria for the anterior/posterior approach to understanding the visual cortex.