Midterm 2 Flashcards
What is object recognition and what is it’s goal?
Analysis of the shape and form of something
The aim is to identify and determine the object and location
What is the hierarchical coding hypothesis?
Idea that we recognize objects by building up recognition of features.
Features > Conjunction of features > Component shape > Object
What is the grandmother cell theory and how credible is it as an explanation to how we recognize things?
Idea that specific neurons code for specific stimuli (such as your grandma)
Not accurate as we know activation of neurons isn’t specific to a stimulus
What is the ensemble theory?
Idea that collective of neurons code for stimulus
Much more accurate than the grandmother cell theory
Describe the Ventral pathway and the evidence that supports it
The What path, located along the Parietal
Responsible for object perception and recognition
Describe the Dorsal pathway and the evidence that supports it
The Where path, located along the Temporal
Responsible for spatial perception
How is the auditory system similar to pathways for object recognition?
Where and What are split
Anterior auditory cortex encodes patterns (What)
Posterior auditory cortex encodes spatial location (Where)
How does the motor system play a role in object recognition?
Our kinesthetic sense gives us an idea of how we can manipulate an object, giving us clues to what the object may be
What is category-based hypothesis of organization of semantic knowledge?
Idea that semantic knowledge is organized by categorization of objects (alive vs. dead, animate vs. inanimate)
Discovered to be less effective/accurate
What is property-based hypothesis of organization of semantic knowledge?
Idea that semantic knowledge is organized by the properties and qualities of objects
Found to be more accurate by computer simulations
What is agnosia?
Inability to interpret sensation and thus hinder recognition of things
Usually results from brain damage
What is visual agnosia?
Deficit in visual recognition
What is optic ataxia?
Inability to reach for something you are looking at
What is apperceptive agnosia?
Ability to recognize something but not at odd angles
Lesions in right hemisphere, parietal, occipital
What is integrative agnosia?
Cannot put features together to recognize the object
Lesions in extrastriate cortex
What is associative agnosia?
Most severe type of agnosia
Able to perceive objects but cannot assign meaning
Lesions in bilateral inferior occipitotemporal cortex
Which region of the brain is involved in facial recognition and why is it controversial?
Fusiform face area, found in the ventral temporal lobe
Controversial as not sure if it is face specific or expert specific
What is the parahippocampal area (PPA) and posterior parietal cortex responsible for in recognition?
Information about places and scenes
What is the lateral occipital cortex and anterior inferior temporal cortex responsible for in recognition?
Object recognition
What is the fusiform gyrus and the superior temporal sulcus responsible for in recognition?
Face recognition
What is the posterior parietal responsible for in recognition?
Visually guided actions
What is attention?
Process by which the mind chooses from various stimuli that strike the sense at any given moment
What is voluntary attention?
Attention we are manually controlling
What is reflective attention?
Attention we are not in control of (automatic)
What is covert attention?
Focusing on something while attending to something else discreetly
What is overt attention?
Actively attending to something
What is change blindness and what does it tell us about attention?
When you cannot remember something unless you pay attention to it
Shows that there is limited capacity to our attention system
Describe Broadbent’s early selection theory
Stimuli is filtered (selected to be attended to) at an early point in processing.
Problem was that unselected stimuli still get attention
Describe the late selection theory
Everything from sensory comes in, and only what we want is filtered through.
Problem in that a lot is taken in then thrown out
Describe Treisman’s attenuation theory
Things not attenuated are entered in but weaker
What is the cocktail party effect?
You are attending to a person and ignoring all the other conversations around you, but you can still attend to your name from other groups.
Describe the dichotic listening task
Subjects were asked to attend to one ear while distracting information plays in the other ear.
This task showed that much of unattended information is lost, but some information retained.
Proves that sensory processing is directed by attention and supports early selection models
Describe the symptoms of neglect and typical location of lesions
Patients tend to ignore one side of space (left side)
Lesions usually found on right parietal
Remember the failure is to attend not perceive
Also affects imagination and memory
What is Balint’s syndrome? Where is the lesion?
Severe disturbance in visual attention and awareness following bilateral damage to posterior parietal and occipital cortex
Simultanagnosia, Oculomotor apraxia, and Optic ataxia
What is simultagnosia?
A part of Balint’s syndrome, inability to perceive more than a single object at a time
What is Oculomotor apraxia?
A part of Balint’s syndrome, difficulty fixating the eyes
Describe ADHD statistics and facts
A neurodevelopment disorder associated with problems paying attention, excessive activity, or difficulty controlling behavior
Affects 5-7% children, 2-3% adults
Caused by genetics (dopamine receptor gene) and environment (exposure to teratogens reducing the size of prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex)
Treatment includes behavior therapy and stimulant drugs
Describe Posner’s spatial cueing paradigm
Participants fixate on a cross. An arrow cue indicates which part of the himishpere the participant should covertly attend to
The contralateral V3 and V4 were activated during the task
How does the visual system process visual information?
Color, shape, and motion are processed in parallel; but spatial attention is needed to bind the features that define an object
What is the frontal lobe’s role in attention?
Maintain vigilance
What is the Parietal (posterior) role in attention?
Orienting in space
What is the frontalparietal network role in attention?
Reorienting attention
What is the thalamic role in attention?
Reflective attention and attentional filtering