Lecture 3

Question 1

1. ‘Stimulus inputs can be prioritised based upon their locations or elementary features’. This refers to which aspect of attention?

A. Capacity limitation
B. Selectivity
C. Location
D. Feature-based attention

Answer 1

B. Selectivity

Another key aspect of attention is Capacity limitation – central resources for processing stimulus inputs are limited, allocation until capacity is exhausted

Question 2

2. In the TMS study of automatic spatial attention, what area of the brain affected the ability to shift attention?

A. Right angular gyrus
B. Lateral geniculate nucleus
C. Pre-central gyrus
D. None of the above

Answer 2

A. Right angular gyrus

Question 3

3. Which of these methods is not used to measure attention?

A. EEG
B. fMRI
C. PET
D. TMS

Answer 3

C. PET

Question 4

4. When spatial extinction occurs, the patient can:

A. direct their attention to the contralesional side, unless the ipsilesional side contains a distractor
B. direct their attention to the ipsilateral side, unless the contralesional side contains a distractor
C. direct their attention only to the contralesional side
D. direct their attention only to the ipsilateral side

Answer 4

D. direct their attention only to the ipsilateral side

Question 5

5. (Independent visual pathways into ventral parietal region, right AG-angular gyrus) The fast _____ pathway goes from the retina to the parietal lobe via the SC and pulvinar nucleus, while the slow ____ pathway goes from the retina to the parietal lobe via the LGN, V1, V2, V3, V4, MT and MST.

A. geniculostriate, retinotectal
B. ventral parietal, retinotectal
C. retinotectal, geniculostriate
D. retinotectal, ventral parietal

Answer 5

C. retinotectal, geniculostriate

Question 6

6. Which of the following is not true?

A. Mechanisms of attention are crucial for enhancing neural representations of behaviourally relevant sensory inputs, and for suppressing representations of irrelevant inputs/
B. Human imaging and stimulation studies have revealed the locations and time-course of brain activity associated with automatic and voluntary shifts of attention
C. Attention alters responses of individual neurons across many levels of cortical representation
D. Focused attention does not seem necessary for perceptual awareness. Without focused attention, conscious perception and corresponding neural responses are still present

Answer 6

D. Focused attention does not seem necessary for perceptual awareness. Without focused attention, conscious perception and corresponding neural responses are still present

the opposite

Question 7

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Oxyhaemoglobin is diagnetic (artery)
Deoxyhaemoglobin is paramagnetic (vein)

Answer 7

True

Question 8

What are the principles of TMS

Exploits the principle of electromagnetic induction

Stimulating coil generates a magnetic field that passes unimpeded 
through the skull to induce a secondary electric current in underlying 
cortex

TMS depolarises neurons

TMS can suppress/enhance perception, elicit phosphenes, alter 
cortical excitability; useful tool for studying localization of brain function and neural connectivity

Answer 8

True

Question 9

Cortical specialization for faces and places

Fusiform face area responds strongly to faces, but weak to other things
Parahippocampal place area responds strongly to places, but does not respond to faces

Answer 9

True