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Psyc 134- Cognitive Processes > Exam 2 > Flashcards

Exam 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Function of the corpus callosum

A

Major pathway between hemispheres
Major fiber tract for inter hemispheric communication
Transcallosal info transformation takes time (20 ms delay)

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2
Q

When CC is cut or disrupted

A

Each hemisphere still gets contralateral sensory input (e.g., info from left visual field goes to right hemisphere

Motor cortex in each hemisphere still controls contralateral effectors (e.g., commands from left M1 control right hand)

BUT hemispheres CANNOT communicate

Provides opportunity to present info to only one hemisphere and see if it gets processed

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3
Q

Split brain patients

A

Surgery for epilepsy (cut CC to prevent seizures from jumping to other hemisphere)

Perform visual search task twice as fast as normal
-suggests that each hemisphere has its own mind

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4
Q

Posterior CC cut

A

Transfer of sensory (visual, tactile, and auditory) info disrupted, but higher-level (semantic) info can still be transferred

Opposed to full CC cut -> no (or close to no) data transfer

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5
Q

Split brain study contributions

A

Functional specifications
LH: language production, analytic
RH: visual-spatial processing and action

Each hemisphere can function independently (to some degree)
-even double cognitive capacity

No cross-hemisphere communication, with some residual cross-task via subcortical pathway

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6
Q

Limitations to split brain studies

A

Patients not “normal” prior to study
Findings are from a handful of patients
Brain imaging studies show that both hemispheres contribute to all functions but to a different degree

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7
Q

Global vs local processing

specialization in ventral stream

A

Global letter captures attention

RH better at global level (low spatial freq info; perception of whole)
LH better at local level (high spatial freq; perception of details)
but either can do task

Double disassociation

Local level based on HIGH spatial frequencies
Global level based on LOW spatial frequencies

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8
Q

Categorical vs coordinate reps

specialization in dorsal stream

A

Categorical (LH- abstract, top/bellow, left/right- verbal terms)
-specify the RELATIVE position between objects or between object and viewer

Coordinate (RH- specific metric, relative distance- visual-spatial)
-specify the EXACT positions and distances between objects or between objects and viewers

Functional asymmetry in dorsal pathway

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9
Q

Attention

A

Limited capacity to process information
-> competition between items for precessing (bottleneck/ capacity limits)

Attention is the mechanism that SELECTS the most important/ behaviorally relevant info at the COST of others
-> what is important changes depending upon goals of moment

Normally keeps the bias to processes info balanced, which involved a network of areas that integrate sensory and goal info (shown from spatial neglect)

Studies through:
visual search
Ponser cueing
Stroop

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10
Q

Two mechanisms of selection

A

Voluntary attention

  • select info relevant to current goals and ignore irrelevant info (top-down)
  • > ex. finding a friend wearing red in crowd

Reflexive attention

  • re-orienting towards unexpected, but potentially important info (bottom-up)
  • > ex. turning towards sound of sirens OR novel stimuli

NOT mutually exclusive

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11
Q

Eye movements and visual attention

A

We can see details only at center of gaze

Make frequent eye movements to inspect objects of interest

  • 3 per second
  • called overt attention

Most eye movements are sudden jumps (saccades)
-each preceded by a covert shift of attention

Attention ALWAYS precedes eye-movements, but NOT all shifts of attention are followed by eye-movements
-> covert attention (without eye movement)

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12
Q

Voluntary Attention

A

Effects of ERPs
Early in time

Effects on fMRI
Late in processing hierarchy?

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13
Q

Late selection

A

What goes to memory
What we act upon

Stroop effect
Attentional blink
Flankers task (ignore letters on sides, focus on middle letter)

[semantic processing of distractors]

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14
Q

Feature integration theory

A

We perceive simple features (e.g., color) without focused attention, but we need attention to perceive objects defined by multiple features

Attention is used to INTEGRATE (“glue”) the FEATURES of an object

Preattentive stage

  • visual input is decomposed into maps of simple features
  • > separate for each color, orientation, etc.
  • parallel, with NO capacity limitations
  • only “pooled activity” from feature map is available to awareness (“approximately”)

Attentive stage

  • attention is focused onto a location
  • > features can be LOCALIZED and BOUND TOGETHER (conjoined)
    • > form object file (abstract representation of current features of object)
  • serial (one location at a time)
  • output is available to AWARENESS
  • can DIRECTLY control behavior
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15
Q

Feature vs. conjuncture search

A

Feature:
Only look for specific feature (green rectangle)

Conjuncture:
Look for specific target with more than one feature (vertical green rectangle)

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16
Q

Spatial neglect

A

Ignore contralesional space
Sensory perception is INTACT
CAN direct voluntary attention to neglected side

Sensory-driven (reflexive) attention very impaired

Extinction
-problem only occurs when competition over visual fields

17
Q

IM, STM and LTM differences

A

Capacity

  • IM: unlimited (spelling partial reports)
  • STM: limited, 3-4 items
  • LTM: infinite

Lifetime

  • IM: <500 ms (typically 150 ms)
  • STM: short-lived; 50% at 4 seconds
  • LTM: lifetime memory; forgetting = retrieval failure

Retrieval

  • IM: fragile, eliminated by eye movements
  • STM: fast, parallel
  • LTM: slow
18
Q

Retrograde amnesia

A

Amnesia for past

Intact ability to store new memories

19
Q

Anterograde with some retrograde amnesia

A

Partial recall of memories for events prior to the amnesia onset, but their ability to form new memories is impaired

20
Q

Amnesia case study: H.M.

A

Unable to form new long term memories (anterograde amnesia)
Some loss of events 1-3 years prior to surgery (retrograde amnesia) [memory recall]

No ability to form new episodic memories

Star mirror experiment (implicit memory/ procedural memory)
-gradually improved, but could not remember previous events

21
Q

Can amnesiacs learn new semantic knowledge?

A

Some newly acquired knowledge, although more difficult to learn

  • can learn facts (pop culture, news events, etc.)
  • > semantic memory (maybe relies less on medial temporal lobe [MTL] for encoding)
22
Q

Can amnesiacs learn procedural skills?

A

Serial reaction time task (implicit sequence learning)
No different from control, no episodic memory

Similar to mirror tracing task

23
Q

Dual-process theory of recognition

A

Recollection and familiarity
-memory retrieval can be based on either

Recollection (Hippocampus)

  • relatively slow search process
  • qualitative info about prior events retrieved
  • re-experiencing the encoding event at the time or recall
  • true EPISODIC memory

Familiarity (Perirhinal cortex)

  • relatively fast
  • ‘sense of recency’ is used as basis for recognition
  • feeling seen before, but not remember exact encoding event
  • NOT implicit because is conscious

Dissociation between recollection and familiarity

  • single dis (hippo and recollection)
  • kind of double dis, but not most clear
24
Q

Nondeclarative memory

A

Explicit memory tests
-tasks that explicitly instruct subjects to use memory (e.g., recall, recognition)

Implicit memory tests (priming)

  • tasks that do not explicitly instruct subjects to use memory
  • > measure the unconscious influence of experience without asking to recall the past
25
Q

Vowel counting task, followed by stem completion task

A

Implicit memory task

  • increased likelihood of solving the words that have been studied
  • likely related to “activation” parts of sensory cortex

Results:
Free recall [C > A] lowest results
Cued recall [C > A] highest results
Stem completion [C < A] A results same as A cued

26
Q

False memories

A

Memory is reconstructive
-may “remember” something that never actually happened

Unaware of how unreliable our memory can be and overly confident in the accuracy of our memories

27
Q

Semantic rep. of sleep, even though specific word never shown

A

Recall
~40% recalled “sleep”

Recognition
-remembering lure (sleep) during recall strengthened participants memories of the lure during recognition (vs. “knowing” it had been on the list”

28
Q

Basic emotions

[Ekman’s universal facial expressions]

A 
Anger
Fear
Disgust
Happiness
Sadness
Surprise

(innate)

29
Q

Emotion dimensions

A

Describe emotions as reactions to events where each emotion is a continuous state

  1. Characterization based on 2 continuous variables
    - valence (pleasant/unpleasant; good/bad)
    - arousal (intensity of the emotion; low/high)
  2. Characterization based on ACTIONS and goals that MOTIVATE the person to:
    - approach/engage OR withdraw
30
Q

Amygdala & fear - Patient S.M.

A

Doesn’t fear (social behavior overly trusting and friendly)
-lesion of all nuclei of amyg. bilat.; most all other subcortical structures intact

Cannot draw fear

Does not used info from eyes for any emotion (sadness and fear)

31
Q

Amygdala & fear - facial processing

A

Sadness and fear most detectable when look at eyes, so if do not look there, unable to identify

32
Q

Insula & disgust

A

Functional role: avoidance

Plays role in mapping bodily states with emotional experiences
Emotional decision making

Part of limbic system

Psyc 134- Cognitive Processes (6 decks)

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