Lecture 2 Visual Perception & Sensory Memory, imaging techniques

Question 1

What is dissociation?

Answer 1

A disruption in one component of mental functioning but no impairment of another (e.g. HM)

Question 2

What is a neuron?

Answer 2

A neuron is a cell that is specialized for receiving and transmitting infromation to other neurons (a neuron impulse) (transmitting info to others neurons)

Question 3

Structure of a neuron

Answer 3

Dendrites
Axon
Soma
Axon Terminals / Aborizatons (output)
Myelin Sheath

Question 4

How do neurons talk to eachother?

Answer 4

Through electrical pulses (chemical reactions)

Question 5

Describe action potential

Answer 5

The change in electrical charge of a neuron from negative to positive results in action potential or spike

This charge propagates from the dendrites and down the axon

Question 6

All-Or-None-Principle

Answer 6

All action potentials are the same

Either a neuron fires or it does not

Question 7

Resting Potential

Answer 7

Neuron has not been activated

Question 8

Synapses

Answer 8

The region in which the axon terminals of one neuron and the dendrites of another come together

May be a few or many synapses

Question 9

Neurotransmitter

Answer 9

The chemical substance released into the synapse between 2 neurons
Responsible for activating or inhibiting the next post-synaptic neuron
Inhibit occurs because we do not want ALL neurons firing at once

Question 10

Convergence:

Answer 10

many neurons maConvergence: many neurons may converge onto a single neuron

Question 11

How do connections between neurons change during learning?

Answer 11

Long-term Potentiation (LTP) :When you’ve activated a network it may be easier to activate the next time

Consolidation:Long-term change over days, weeks, months, or years

Question 12

What does left hemisphere specialize in?

Answer 12

Language sounds, letters, words, speech, reading, writing, arithmetic, verbal memory, complex voluntary movement

Question 13

What does right hemisphere specialize in?

Answer 13

Non-language sounds, geometric patterns, faces, nonverbal memory, prosody, narrative, inference, spatial processes, movements in spatial patterns

Question 14

Masking

Answer 14

reduction or elimination of the visibility of one brief (≤ 50 ms) stimulus, called the “target”, by the presentation of a second brief stimulus, called the “mask”.

Information in sensory memory can be erased

Question 15

Monocular:

Answer 15

target and mask to one eye

Question 16

Binocular:

Answer 16

target and mask to both eyes

Question 17

Dichoptic

Answer 17

target to one eye, mask to other eye

Question 18

Energy Masking

Answer 18

Occurs with mono and binocular, not with dichoptic

Question 19

Pattern Masking

Answer 19

Is effective with all, even dichoptic
You will get that masking

Question 20

Why is there Masking in SM?

Answer 20

Erases information to allow for next event to be cleanly encoded into SM

Question 21

SM encoding takes how long?

Answer 21

50ms

Question 22

How long does SM last?

Answer 22

250-500ms (1/4 s) max

Question 23

SM can select items from display based on what primitive features?

Answer 23

Location
Colour
Angles

Question 24

What types of masking are there?

Answer 24

Forward
Backward
Energy
Pattern

Question 25

What is an energy mask?

Answer 25

Such as a flash of light (from someone’s camera), or white noise. Theres no features to it

Question 26

Pattern Mask

Answer 26

Has features
e.g. circle around the letter was a circle feature

Question 27

When is masking the strongest?

Answer 27

masking is strongest with energy masking when it happens at same time as stimulus

Question 28

What is whole-report technique vs partial-report technique?

Answer 28

Whole: Report all items in the display (list all letters)
Partial:Report cued items only (report one row paired with sounds)

Question 29

Saccades

Answer 29

Movement of the eyes from one fixation to another
25ms - 175 ms

Question 30

Fixations

Answer 30

Eyes pause to foveate and gather visual information