Week 2: The constructive interaction between academic neuroscience and clinical observations.

Question 1

What can we infer about a double dissociation?

Answer 1

Two tasks or stimuli use separate neutral or cognitive resources

Question 2

Cerebral cortex - hemispheres? Lobes?

Answer 2

2 hemispheres

Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal (and the cerebellum)

Question 3

What do we need to be able to construct a good cognitive model?

Answer 3

Need to look at 2 variables at a time, also allows to distinguish between RESOURCE ARTIFACTS
Need to take two tasks and compare to norms of variability

Question 4

What do you need to do to be able to compare performance in a task to the norm?

Answer 4

Need to collect data representative of the NORM before people with cognitive defecits carry out the task.
The collection of the norm gives an indication of the boundaries of normality

Question 5

What does it indicate when an individual performs outside the boundaries of normality?

Answer 5

Indicates that they have pathological cognitive functioning

The deficit indicates HOW THE NORMAL BRAIN OPERATES

Question 6

What is meant by reverse engineering?

Answer 6

We can infer the function of a region of the brain by removing the functioning in this region and observing the impact on the rest of the system

Question 7

What is Pareidolia? Why does this occur?

Answer 7

Recognition of objects as being a face when they are not
Facial recognition very very important in humans –> sensory input via the eyes that has a suggestion of being a face can result in the interpretation of one

Question 8

What is the FFA and why is it important?

Answer 8

Fusiform Face Area
Part of the brain which is responsible for face processing
Located at the hind brain –> when the FFA is prompted with a stimulus that may be a face, the FFA is activated

Question 9

What can a lesion to the FFA result in?

Answer 9

Unable to recognise faces

Question 10

What is Prosopagnosia? (breakdown of the name)

Answer 10

‘Proso’ = face ‘agnosia’ = not knowing
IMPAIRMENT IN PROCESSING OF FAMILIAR FACES
Also refers to difficulties in visual analysis and recognition of previously familiar faces. NOT reflective of early visual analysis

Question 11

De Renzi (1986) - what did the patient show in this case study ?

Answer 11

Patient failed to recognise own family but only could do it by voice or clothes
Can still DESCRIBE DETAILS OF THE FACE

Question 12

What are the two types of face blindness?
(if confused think about what aspect the defecit is in / what the prosopagnosia or lack of recognition is associated with?

Answer 12

1) Cannot recognise familiar faces but CAN describe details –> ASSOCIATIVE PROSOPAGNOSIA
2) Can recognise familiar face but CANNOT describe details –> APERCEPTIVE PROSOPAGNOSIA

Question 13

Based on the two types of prosopagnosia, what can we conclude about the two pathways involved in facial recognition?

Answer 13

First pathway recognises the features of a face

Second recognises a FAMILIAR facial features

Question 14

Evidence for Bruce and Young (1986) model for facial recognition?

Answer 14

• Double dissociation between face recognition and matching unfamiliar faces across different viewing conditions
• Dbl diss between recognising familiar face and recognition of emotion/age/gender
• Dbl diss between recog of familiar faces and use of lip reading cues
• Dbl diss between NAMING A FACE and REMEMBERING SEMANTIC FACE ABOUT PERSON

Question 15

What does Dbl diss between NAMING A FACE and REMEMBERING SEMANTIC FACE ABOUT PERSON indicate about name generation (recognition)

Answer 15

Name generation requires SEMANTIC RETRIEVAL

Cannot name a person without also retrieving semantic facts?