Categories in the Brain

Question 1

Sensory-functional hypothesis

Answer 1

Derived from finding that some brain-damaged individuals have trouble categorizing animals but not artifacts (or reverse)

Maybe we categorize animals with sensory info and artifacts with function
BUT, inconsistent evidence

Question 2

Semantic category approach

Answer 2

Specific neural circuits for specific categories

Question 3

Multiple factors approach

Answer 3

Maybe the way we understand concepts by grouping properties together (ex: color, motion, actions)

Question 4

The embodied approach

Answer 4

Our knowledge of concepts is based on reactivation of sensory and motor processes that occur when we interact with object

Patterns of various activations represent concept in brain

Question 5

Mirror neurons

Answer 5

Neurons that fire when observing people do actions

Question 6

Problems with the Embodied Approach

Answer 6

Approach predicts impairment with making functional movements should predict trouble recognizing objects

Not always– Garcea et al’s stroke patient

Question 7

Hub & Spoke Model

Answer 7

Some patients with anterior temporal lobe damage have semantic dementia (trouble with identifying all objects, not just particular categories)

ATL (in brain) integrated info from more specialized category areas

Pobric et al

Question 8

Pobric et al

Answer 8

Used TMS to stimulate ATL or parietal
When TMS impaired ATL, trouble naming both artifacts and living things
When TMS impaired parietal, only trouble naming artifacts