Understanding the Brain Flashcards
what is the traditional view of the brain include?
stimulus -> sensory receptors -> neural activity -> perception
what are the different sensory input?
- vision: light enters the eyes. photoreceptors cells (rods & cones) convert light to electric signals that travel along optic nerve to brain visual cortex
- hearing: sound waves transformed to electrical signals in cochlea and travel to auditory cortex
- touch: sensors in skin touch and travel via sensory nerves to somatosensory cortex
- taste & smell: chemical signals from food/scents bind and processed in gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell) regions
what are the different sensory processing?
encoding: brain translates raw sensory data into formats it understands
integration: brain combines information from multiple senses to form cohesive understanding of environment
what is the Nobel prize experiment with sensory processing?
Hubel and Wiesel Nobel Prize experiment with neuronal computation starts with simple patterns that are synthesized into more complex ones
- features then bound together somewhere in brain to present object
what is the outside-in experiment?
stimulus reaches eyes and brain responds by causing neurons to fire -> plausible only with involvement of an “experimenter” to observe and establish a relationship between flower and response it induces
- without experimenter, neurons do not see the flower
what is the inside-out (action for perception)?
presumes that we come to understand the world by taking actions to move flower to learn about an object -> meaningful pictures arise from action initiating combining with sensory neurons
what is perception?
perception is active process in brain (not passive)
- neurons rely on grounding to assign meaning to sensory stimuli -> grounding occurs by linking neural firing patterns to other experiences or actions
- process of grounding sensory information involves initiating actions (moving objects to clarify perceptions)
what is the inside-out (action-perception) integration?
neurons in motor areas also send “corollary discharge” to sensory areas, notifying brain of action and helping to distinguish between changes caused by action versus external stimuli
- the brain knows whether the world or eye itself is moving when moving the eye to stabilize perception
- so perception is shaped by what we do
what is the complexity of the brain of outside in?
blank slate suggests brain’s complexity increases as it encounters more experiences with brain circuits becoming more elaborate as learning occurs
what is complexity of brain in inside out?
brain starts with repertoire of pre-formed neuronal patterns and learning occurs through matching these patterns to events in world
what are the different neurons of inside out?
small group of neurons (rich club) has strong, fast connections and resists changes, handling most of brain’s activity by generalizing experiences and providing quick, efficient solutions
large (poor club) is more plastic, allowing for deeper learning when important distinctions need to be made
- balance between stability and plasticity allows brain to learn and adapt efficiently without constantly remaking its structure
what is the inside out brain?
brain is a self-organized system that matches internally generated activity with outcomes in outside world
- actions generated by brain leads to perception
what is the alternative view of brain?
brain is more occupied with itself than with what is happening around it
- brain complexity leads to conscious thought with self organization allows complex brains to organize themselves to allow computations to continue when sensory inputs vanish so brain is always active
what are the main differences between traditional and alternative view?
traditional: brain’s fundamental function to perceive “signals” form outside world and correctly interpret them so the brain is tool to learn about true nature of world -> called “outside-in” view
alternative: self-organized system that matches internally generated activity with outcomes in outside world with actions generated by brain leads to perception -> called “inside-out” view
