Chapter 21 - Space Flashcards
Define spatial behaviour
all behaviours we use to guide our bodies through space
can be cognitive or physical
How does space change as you age
space is huge as a baby
starts to decrease as you become an adult
travel makes concept of space change
What are the functions of the dorsal and ventral streams of space
dorsal = action system/movement
ventral = perceptual system
What are the 4 subspaces of space
- body space = body’s surface
- grasping space = immediately surrounding the body
- distal space = travelling space
- time space = dimension of past, present, future
Explain the idea of a cognitive map
general idea that cognitive space is a place, therefore a map is needed to find things in it
Explain the development of spatial ability
cellophane analogy
expands as you age, then at old age it starts to contract
seniors hit things with their cart because their area of space has decreased
What is the spatial behaviour of route following
following a trail or moving toward an object/cue
ex. tall building as a cue for route following, migrating salmon with odour
What is the spatial behaviour of piloting
finding your way by using several landmarks or cues. a single clue/landmark is not enough. need to rely on how they all connect
Explain how the Morris water task relates to piloting
requires the animal to learn the location of a visible or hidden platform. Spatial relationships/cues are what help the rat find the platform
What information is learned about the brain during studies of comparing birds who cache their food and those who do not
hippocampus is larger in those that cache
(ex. hummingbirds have largest hippo, remember previously visited locations for food)
use distal spatial cues which requires the hippocampus
What is the spatial behaviour of dead reckoning
form of navigation that depends on cues generated by self-movement
ability to use a starting point, monitor its speed, direction, and travel time to locate itself at any point and to return to the starting point
hippocampus also contributes
Explain the test of spatial memory task
originally asked to say the price value of 16 objects, then all objects moved and then asked to indicate where they were
right temporal damage group were very high
Define egocentric disorientation? Where is damage?
difficulty perceiving relative location of objects with respect to themselves
(ex. can’t tell how close an object is/reaching for an object)
posterior parietal cortex
Define heading disorientation? Where is damage?
no compass-like ability
no sense of direction even though they recognize landmarks
posterior cingulate
Define landmark agnosia? Where is damage?
deficit in using/learning landmarks, even though they recognize them
lingual gyrus
Define anterograde disorientation? Where is damage?
deficit in NEW spatial learning, old is intact
unable to learn unfamiliar objects
para hippocampal region
Define spatial distortion? Where is damage?
spatial mapping or memory problem
hippocampus
Explain disorders of body space
can’t say if been touched, lack of awareness of position and shape, exploration tactilely, agnosias
What is Balint’s syndrome
35 degrees to right, simultagnosia, disorder of reach, problems in following targets, deficits in reaching
bilateral damage to parietal cortex
Explain disorders of action space
L/R confusion, topographical disorientation, spatial thought
Explain disorders of visuospatial exploration
displaced visual attention, inability to perceive multiple stimuli, inability to follow moving target
What area in the brain is activated in taxi drivers while driving
posterior hippocampus
(right side is larger)
due to experience
What is the price that taxi drivers pay to be good at navigation
smaller anterior hippocampus as posterior grows
What are the key findings of the taxi driver
- increases in grey matter found in hippocampus
- right posterior hippocampus increase in size with more experience
- bus drivers dont experience hippocampus changes
- as posterior hippocampus size increases, anterior decreases
