Stable readout of visual representations mediates flexible generalization (opens in new tab)

Flexible visually guided behavior requires visual generalization, mapping diverse inputs to a common inference, and behavioral generalization, mapping one inference to multiple actions. Here, we tested whether visual neurons support both by maintaining a relatively fixed mapping between visual information amid many variations in stimuli and actions. We recorded neuronal populations in visual cortex in two male monkeys while they estimated the curvature of random 3D objects and flexibly mapped...