Week 2 Moduality

Question 1

What is a physiological module?

Answer 1

A structure with neurons specialized for processing specific qualities of sensory input, e.g., color or motion (Goldstein).

Question 2

Name the primary receiving areas for the senses.

Answer 2

Vision: Occipital lobe
Hearing: Temporal lobe
Touch/Temperature/Pain: Parietal lobe

Question 3

What does the Middle Temporal (MT) area specialize in?

Answer 3

Processing visual motion; 90% of neurons respond to specific directions of movement.

Question 4

What is the function of the Inferotemporal Cortex (IT)?

Answer 4

Processes forms and shapes, from simple stimuli (spots) to complex ones (faces).

Question 5

What happens when the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) is damaged?

Answer 5

It can cause prosopagnosia, or an inability to recognize faces.

Question 6

What are rods and cones?

Answer 6

Rods: Photoreceptors sensitive to low light, no color.
Cones: Photoreceptors for color vision, concentrated in the fovea.

Question 7

What is retinotopic mapping?

Answer 7

The spatial correspondence between the retina and processing locations in the brain, such as the visual cortex.

Question 8

What is the cortical magnification factor?

Answer 8

The central visual field (fovea) occupies more cortical space than the peripheral field due to its higher density of photoreceptors.

Question 9

What is blindsight?

Answer 9

A phenomenon where individuals with damage to the visual cortex can respond to visual stimuli without conscious perception.

Question 10

What are the two main visual processing pathways?

Answer 10

Dorsal Pathway: Vision for action (e.g., reaching, navigation).
Ventral Pathway: Vision for perception (e.g., recognizing shapes, colors).

Question 11

What evidence supports the double dissociation between action and perception?

Answer 11

Case DF (Visual Form Agnosia): Ventral pathway damage impairs object recognition but preserves actions like posting a card.
Optic Ataxia: Dorsal pathway damage impairs action but preserves object recognition.

Question 12

How are cognitive modules defined?

Answer 12

Functionally, based on the type of information they process, rather than their anatomical location.

Question 13

List Fodor’s (1983) characteristics of cognitive modules.

Answer 13

Domain-specific
Fast
Autonomous
Hardwired
Informationally encapsulated

Question 14

What is domain specificity in cognitive modules?

Answer 14

Modules process only a particular type of information, e.g., language syntax or visual movement.

Question 15

What is informational encapsulation in modules?

Answer 15

Modules operate independently and do not access higher-level beliefs or desires but can receive top-down feedback.

Question 16

Provide an example of a cognitive module.

Answer 16

The Fusiform Face Area (FFA) for face recognition or the phonology module for processing speech sounds

Question 17

What is Fodor’s main argument in “The Modularity of Mind”?

Answer 17

Modules are functionally, not anatomically, defined, and are central to understanding cognitive processing

Question 18

What is the significance of parallel processing in visual pathways?

Answer 18

It allows the brain to simultaneously process vision for action and perception, even in separate pathways.