exam 1 Flashcards
Better ratio of photoreceptors to ganglion cells in the fovea than in the periphery
The fovea is the part of the retina that contains a high density of _______, which is why this is the region of the retina with the greatest visual acuity.
Cones
The optic nerve projects to the
lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Temporarily activates or deactivates brain regions on the surface of the brain using a magnetic pulse
Single-Unit Recording
Electrode records electrical activity from specific neurons in the brain during activity/behavior
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
Magnetometer at the scalp measures magnetic fields generated by active neurons
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Hydrogen atoms aligned by powerful magnet
Radio frequency pulse disrupts alignment of unmatched atoms
As atoms re-align they emit energy
Because tissues differ in hydrogen concentration they emit different amounts of energy resulting in acquired images
fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
Measures changes in blood oxygenation
Active areas of the brain require more oxygen from blood
TMS cannot stimulate subcortical structures
MRI scans detect brain structures, not activity
Patients with lesions may not respond the same way as typical adults
fMRI detects location but is not time sensitive
PET is invasive and has very poor temporal resolution
ERPs are sensitive to time, not location
A disadvantage of ERP compared to functional neuroimaging is that with ERPs it is hard to:
determine the exact brain region where changes in activity originate from
A researcher wants to know if the size of the hippocampus correlates with spatial navigation abilities. What method should the researcher use?
MRI
Cortical organization is contralateral
The left side of the body or perceptual world has more representation on the right side of the brain, and vice versa
If a researcher applies mild electric current to a specific area of an animal’s right hemisphere primary motor projection area, which of the following is likely to happen?
A specific movement of a body part on the side of the animal
Joe is a split brain patient. He is presented with a picture of a pencil in his right visual field. Which of the following can Joe do?
Reach for the pencil with his left hand
Reach for the pencil with his right hand
Perceptual qualities of color
Hue
Saturation
Brightness
Cerebral Achromatopsia
Damage to V4
Disrupted color perception and imagery
Interposition
Nearer objects hide more distant ones
Familiar size
We can use the size of familiar objects to judge distance
Motion parallax
Objects in the foreground appear to move more than objects in the background
Convergence
The eyes turn inward more to focus on close than distant objects
Stereopsis
The difference in the retinal image between the eyes serves as a depth cue
Visual Imager
Top-down
Representation imagery
Damage to temporal lobe can selectively disrupt imagery
Visual Perception
Bottom-up
Stimulus perception
Damage to visual cortex
can selectively disrupt perception
cognitive psychology
an approach that aims to understand human cognition by the study of behaviour.
cognitive neuroscience
an approach that aims to understand human cognition by combining information from behaviour and the brain.
positron emission tomography (PET):
a
brain-scanning technique based on the detection of positrons; it has reasonable spatial resolution but poor temporal resolution
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI
a technique based on imaging blood oxygenation using an MRI machine; it provides information about the location and time course of brain processes.
bottom-up processing
processing that is directly influenced by environmental stimuli
Cognitive neuropsychology
an approach that involves studying cognitive functioning in braindamaged patients to increase our understanding of normal human cognition
ecological validity
the extent to which experimental findings are applicable to everyday settings.
serial processing
processing in which one process is completed before the next one starts
top-down processing
stimulus processing that is influenced by factors such as the individual’s past experience and expectations
parallel processing:
processing in which two or more cognitive processes occur at the same time
paradigm specificity
this occurs when the findings obtained with a given paradigm or experimental task are not obtained even when apparently very similar paradigms or tasks are used.
sulcus
a groove or furrow in the brain.