Lecture 24

Question 1

What properties do stimuli comprise of?

Answer 1

Local properties
Global properties

Question 2

True or False:

One is better and faster at reacting to local properties of a stimulus

Answer 2

False, one is better and faster at reacting to global properties

Question 3

Give an example of:

Congruent and Non-congruent local and global properties

Answer 3

• Congruent: The letter S made up of the letter S
• Non-congruent: The letter S made up of the letter H

Question 4

True or False:

It takes longer to find local properties when the local and global properties are non-congruent

Answer 4

True

Question 5

What is happening when slips of attention occur?

Answer 5

The default attentional network is operating

Question 6

Describe/Define:

Default attentional network

Answer 6

• General background operation of attention
• Large and diffuse attentional network is active
• Doesn’t focus on anything

Question 7

True or False:

When one focuses on something, the default attentional network is turned on

Answer 7

False, the default attentional network is turned off

Question 8

What 3 areas must be active for an individual to have the shortest response time for incongruent properties?

Answer 8

1. Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG)
2. Anterior Frontal Cortex (ACC)
3. Middle Frontal Gyrus (MFG)

Question 9

Describe/Define:

Function of the IFG (Inferior Frontal Gyrus)

Answer 9

Responsible for stimulus triggered orientation of attention

Question 10

True or False:

The orientation of attention by the IFG is voluntarily captured

Answer 10

False, it is exogenously captured (involuntary captured)

Question 11

What does the IFG do when operating at a high level?

Answer 11

When a sudden stimulus is presented, it will automatically trigger your attention to move to the stimulus

Question 12

Describe/Define:

Function of the ACC (Anterior Frontal Cortex)

Answer 12

Conflict monitoring/resolution

Question 13

Describe:

How the ACC works in tasks with incongruent properties

Answer 13

The ACC inhibts the reporting of global features, and resolves conflict to report local features

Question 14

Describe/Define:

Function of the MFG (Middle Frontal Gyrus)

Answer 14

Executive function structure, maintains task goals in working memory

Question 15

In simple terms, what is the MFG doing in an incongruent properties task?

Answer 15

One has to remember what they are focusing their attention on, what they are supposed to do

Question 16

What can increase activity of the 3 areas to prevent future slips in attention?

Answer 16

Cognitive awareness of the slip

Question 17

What region can influence the activity of V1?

Answer 17

The right IFG

Question 18

True or False:

V1 is an anterior region

Answer 18

False, it is a posterior region

Question 19

True or False:

The posterior regions of the brain influence activity of anterior regions of the brain

Answer 19

False. This was the old theory, but evidence shows the anterior regions can influence the posterior regions

Question 20

Define:

Memory

Answer 20

Acquisition, retention and retrieval of information, and the rehearsal of information

Question 21

List:

The 3 divisions of memory

Answer 21

1. Short-term sensory store (STSS)
2. Short-term memory (STM)
3. Long-term memory (LTM)

Question 22

Define:

Short-term sensory store (STSS)

Answer 22

The initial memory system, most basic memory system, basic neurological code

Question 23

Why was it originally thought that the STSS does not exist?

Answer 23

STSS is very problematic to study
* Originally used whole report study
* Set of letters presented for a very short amount of time
* No one could recall anything

Question 24

Describe/Define:

What is the Partial Report Technique and Who developed it

Answer 24

Partial Report Technique
* Displayed a matrix of letters
* Asked to report the row of the letters
* Developed by George Sperling

Question 25

Explain:

How the Partial Report Technique proved STSS exists

Answer 25

When cue and matrix was presented simultaneously, there was almost 100% accuracy
* Recall accuracy gets worse as delay of tone increases
* Shows how STSS exists

Question 26

How long can information reliably persist in the STSS?

Answer 26

300 milliseconds

Question 27

True or False:

STSS has limited capacity

Answer 27

False

Question 28

Describe:

Properties of STSS

Answer 28

• Brief duration: About 300 milliseconds
• Unlimited capacity: Anything you are presented with is in your capacity
• Veridical: Real picture of your environment
• Only exists on a moment-to-moment basis
• Non-categorical

Question 29

In terms of STSS:

What does it mean that STSS only exists on a moment-to-moment basis?

Answer 29

Anytime new information is presented it overrides old information in the STSS

Question 30

What task demonstrates the veridical nature of STSS? How?

Answer 30

Backward masking task
* Ellipse circling the numbers, enters the system wipes away the old

Question 31

What type of memory is short-term memory?

Answer 31

State dependent memory

Question 32

When does information go into short-term memory?

Answer 32

When you become aware of the information

Question 33

What is a characteristic of short-term memory found in studies? Why is this the case?

Answer 33

The recall accuracy is greatest under the conditions similar to when they learned the information
* STM is a form of state-dependent memory

Question 34

Describe:

Brown-Peterson Task and related graphs

Answer 34

Given a trigram, then a backwards counting task
* The backwards counting task is a distractive task to prevent rehearsal

Graph
* X-axis: Recall interval in seconds, Y-axis: Accuracy
* The accuracy decreases as a function of the length of the backwards counting task

Question 35

How long can information persist in short-term memory?

Answer 35

3 seconds

Question 36

In STM, unrehearsed information can reliably persist for 3 seconds. Describe “reliably”

Answer 36

Reliably means that there is a 50% reliability