Chapter 11: Visual Imagery and Spatial Cognition Flashcards
When performing a mental rotation, a block can rotate on the page, known as ___ ___, or rotate in depth (3D), known as ___ ___
When performing a mental rotation, a block can rotate on the page, known as PICTURE PLANE, or rotate in depth (3D), known as DEPTH PLANE
is it easier to determine if an object is the same if it was rotate in the picture or depth plane?
no. There is no differences in reaction time between depth plane or picture-plane rotated pictures.
Other than __ __, men and women have equal spatial ability.
other than BLOCK ROTATION.
what is the relationship between the ability to answer whether or not a block is the same block shown in a picture and the degree of rotation?
there is a PERFECTLY linear relationship between degrees of rotation and ability to answer.
Describe the object location task. Which sex had better scores?
in the object rotation task, people are asked to look at a page of random object (not told to memorize them). They are then given a distraction test.
They are then provided with another picture that has the same objects as the first but some have been rearranged. Asked to note which objects ARE THE SAME between the two pictures
women are better at object location.
5 Principles of visual imagery
1) implicit encoding
2) perceptual equivalence
3) transformational equivalence
4) Structural equivalence
5) Spatial equivalence
What is implicit encoding? (Principles of visual imagery)
we encode mental images of experiences whether we intend to or not. It’s implicit (unconcious and automatic).
What is perceptual equivalence? (Principles of visual imagery)
there are similar brain areas at work during mental visualization of objects as during real interactions
What is transformational equivalence? (Principles of visual imagery)
Imagined transformations are bound by the same laws of motion as physical transformations.
What is Structural equivalence? (Principles of visual imagery)
the basic structure of mental images corresponds to the actual objects, but fine details may be missed.
What is spatial equivalence? (Principles of visual imagery)
the relative spatial relationships among elements are preserved in the visual images.
___ ___ is used to navigate to and from places
Spatial memory
spatial memory and the ability to navigate are dependent on two factors
1) complexity of environment
2) cognitive capability
2 strategies of naviation. Describe.
1) egocentric navigation: remember where you started from and you figure out how you get somewhere based on info from yourself.
2) Allocentric navigation: using your surroundings and landmarks and environment to infer where you need to go.
Which type of navigation strategy is more sophisticated?
allocentric navigation.
in egocentric navigation, position is tracked relative to ___ ___ and based purely on ___ ___ of the navigator, like turn rate and distance.
in egocentric navigation, position is tracked relative to START POINT and based purely on PHYSICAL MOVEMENT of the navigator, like turn rate and distance.
which part of the brain is activated during egocentric navigation? What is this part of the brain also associated with?
the partial lobe of the brain is activated during egocentric navigation. which is also activated during PROCEDURAL tasks.
When would using egocentric navigation be okay?
good for short distances, but not good for long distances, because you may go in circles.
in allocentric navigation, a location is remembered relative to its ___ to ___
in allocentric navigation, a location is remembered relative to its POSITION to LANDMARKS
Which part of the brain is associated with allocentric navigation? Downfall of using allocentric navigation?
need a hippocampus.
allocentric navigation is more time consuming because you often need multiple experiences from multiple directions and viewpoints to create a 3D image relative to landmark.
utilizing allocentric navigation can create a ___ ___ in long term memory. What does this allow for?
COGNITIVE MAP in LTM can be created. This can allow for viewpoint-independent navigation, you can get to the same place multiple ways because you know where objects are relative to each other. Allows for NOVEL SHORTCUTTING
What does it mean by saying allocentric navigation is viewpoint independent?
using allocentric navigation, they can navigate their way regardless of position.
___ ___ allow you to find short cuts without experiencing that exact path, you just know its the fastest because of ___ ____.
COGNITIVE MAPS allow you to find short cuts without experiencing that exact path, you just know its the fastest because of LANDMARK RELATIVISM.
This phenomena is known as NOVEL SHORTCUTTING.
which cells in the hippocampus are specially designed to process spatial info?
PLACE CELLS
Describe place cell specificity
specific place cells fire when person is in that specific area the cell is “primed to.”
As you walk through a maze, place cells fire and strengthen to build the spatial map more and more as you walk through a location.
What is the multiple trace theory?
the idea that as we build our spatial memories, we leave details in the hippocampus. Damage to HC prevents you from retaining details of memory that have already been encoded away from the HC because the HC still has some remnants.
London taxi drivers are known for their very good allosteric navigation. Which part of the london taxi drivers differ from normal route-based bus drivers?
london taxi drivers have larger POSTERIOR hippocampi, signalling that there are PLASTIC EFFECTS ( if taxi drivers take an extended leave, the HC goes back to normal).
Differences between men and women in their spatial ability and accuracy?
No differences. both men and women have equal spatial ability and ability to get to their destinations successfully. Women are able to locate objects better (seen in object recognition tasks) and men are able to do the block rotation test a bit better.
Even though men and women are able to navigate with the same degree of success, they pay attention to different things in order to get to their destination. What are the sex differences?
Men speak more in terms of CARDINAL DIRECTIONS (go south)
Women describe landmarks (go down until you see the statue on the corner)
Explain the spatial memory capabilities and brain changes seen in the food-storing bird Clark’s Nutcracker.
the clark nutcracker eats pine seens in the fall and stores caches of seeds for the winter. They need to create a MIND MAP about where he stores all his pine nuts.
There are noticeable HIPPOCAMPAL CHANGES because of the increased demand for spatial memory in the fall and winter. In the summer the HC GOES BACK TO NORMAL because it does not need to find its caches
There is HIPPOCAMPAL PLASTICITY.
Explain the 2 navigation techniques used by European starlings that migrate from norway to spain every winter
European starlings use Vector navigation and True navigation
1) vector navigation: uses EGOCENTRIC strategies, simpler. If you displace them thousands of km east, they try and go back south, but they cannot find their way back to spain, they usually end up in italy.
VECTOR NAVIGATION IS USED BY YOUNGEr BIRDS
2) True navigation: used by adult birds.. More complex, still find their way to spain even if they are physically displaced. Probably has a bunch of adapations for true navigation that develops through experience.
4 cues that homing pigeons use for long distance navigation
1) magnetic cues
2) olfactory cues
3) sun compass: internal clock and where the sun is located in the sky
4) landmarks; they can follow railways/roads.
2 types of magnet cues used by pigeons for navigation
1) magnetite magnetoreception: centered in the beak
2) chemical magnetoreception: photoreceptors of eyes sensitive to changes in magnetic field.
Local vs global landmarks used in navigation
local landmarks : near home landmarkers
global landmarkers: more permanent markers that signify going in a general direction (ex/ mountain range)
Birds who can’t rely on landmarks (ex/ ocean birds) tend to rely on what for navigation?
sense of smell over magnetoreception. When researchers disabled the magnetoreceptors in ocean birds, they were still able to get back to their nest. When they disabled the olfactory cells, the birds were not able to navigate until their nasal cells regenerated.
T/F: there is true navigation in insects.
false. they do not have many neurons and no hippocampus. cognitive maps cannot be be produced to form routes
If insects cannot use true navigation, how do monarch butterflies undergo long distance migration from canada to mexico?
they still use vector navigation because they do not have a hippocampus for cognitive mapping. The also have a STRONG SUN COMPASS and INTERNAL CLOCK to keep precise course in particular direction.
This is also a one way trip.
If insects cannot use true navigation, how do african desert ants return back from their colonies after finding food in the middle of the sand filled desert?
there are no landmarks in the desert and even if there were, the ants couldn’t use them because they are not able to allocentrically navigate since they have no HC.
They also have a STRONG SUN COMPASS and can look at sun and PATTERNS of POLARIZED LIGHT every few steps as a method of STEP COUNTING.
When the ant needs to return back to the nest, it uses its calculations of steps and lights to reference where they are.
Therefore, ants use sun and steps for directionality.
How do honey bees communicate spatial knowledge (ex/ where food is located)
through coreographed movements, the waggle dance. Figure 8 dance is orientated at a dif rotation; angle is indicative of angle that the food source is relative to the hive.
For honey bees, the sun acts as a ____ cue rather than a time cue
DIRECTIONAL CUE (like how desert ants uses polarized sun rays as a method of step counting and orientation).
bees (like most insects) are sensitive to UV light and helps them locate themselves relative to sun.
How do honey bees guage distance from the hive?
they use OPTIC FLOW: how fast the environment passes by you to detect their own speed, and gives a sense of distance based on how FAST THE ENVIRONMENT PASSED their eye.
