2480 - Dec 11 - key concepts (2)

Question 1

Transcendental Method

Answer 1

This approach, introduced by Immanuel Kant, involves inferring mental processes based on observable outcomes. This is analogous to a detective piecing together a crime based on clues.

Question 2

Schemas

Answer 2

These are mental frameworks or knowledge structures that help individuals understand and interpret the world. They are shaped by experience and influence expectations.

Question 3

Neural Basis of Attention

Answer 3

Attention involves multiple brain regions, including the frontal cortex (executive attention), brainstem and thalamus (alerting), and the parietal lobe (orienting).

Question 4

Executive Control:

Answer 4

This system manages and directs attentional resources, particularly when dealing with conflicting tasks. The statement “Even very different tasks compete with each other for mental resources” highlights this concept.

Question 5

Inattentional Blindness:

Answer 5

This occurs when an individual fails to notice a prominent stimulus due to their attention being directed elsewhere. An example is the “invisible gorilla” experiment.

Question 6

Spatial Attention:

Answer 6

Attention can be directed towards specific locations, like a spotlight beam. This can be illustrated with the “All is Vanity” illusion, where shifting the focus of attention reveals either a woman at a vanity or a skull.

Question 7

Cocktail Party Effect:

Answer 7

This phenomenon illustrates that even when attending to a specific conversation, personally relevant information from unattended sources can still be processed.

Question 8

Shadowing

Answer 8

where participants repeat the attended channel, confirms selective attention.

Question 9

Selective Attention:

Answer 9

This is the ability to focus on one source of information while ignoring others. Dichotic listening tasks demonstrate this by presenting different audio inputs to each ear and instructing participants to attend to one while ignoring the other.

Question 10

Word Superiority Effect:

Answer 10

Letters are more accurately recognized when presented within a word context compared to isolation. Well-formed letter sequences that resemble English words also show enhanced recognition.

Question 11

Activation Levels:

Answer 11

Each detector has an activation level influenced by factors like frequency and recency. Priming a word reduces the activation level required for recognition. The quote “So basically just saying like we don’t have a ‘tae’ detector that’s very well primed” illustrates this point.

Question 12

Feature Nets:

Answer 12

This model proposes a hierarchical network of detectors for object recognition. Starting with feature detectors (lines, curves), the network progresses to letter, bigram, and ultimately, word detectors.

Question 13

Lateral Inhibition:

Answer 13

This process enhances the contrast between edges of differing shades by triggering edge-detection in the visual system. The Mach Band illusion demonstrates this effect; when a pencil is placed along the edges of slightly differing grey shades, the perceived difference lessens, highlighting the role of lateral inhibition in exaggerating contrast.

Question 14

Single-Cell Recording:

Answer 14

This technique provides insights into the visual system by measuring the firing rate of individual neurons in response to stimuli. Each neuron in the visual cortex has a “receptive field”, and its firing rate (frequency of action potentials) reflects the specific stimulus presented.

Question 15

Parallel Processing:

Answer 15

The visual system utilizes a “divide and conquer” strategy, with specialized regions processing different aspects of a stimulus simultaneously. This results in a holistic understanding of the visual input. The process of transferring light input from the retina to the occipital lobe can be understood as hierarchical.