Question 1

What is lateral inhibition
(b) Select either the Hermann Grid or Mach bands, and discuss how lateral inhibition accounts for the phenomenon.

Accepted Answer

Lateral inhibition is inhibition that is transmitted across the retina. Explanations will vary, but should focus on the effects of summing lateral inhibition over a circuit.

Question 2

In the 1990s, researchers discovered an area on the underside of the temporal lobe of the human cortex that was named the _____ face area because it responded strongly to faces.

Accepted Answer

A)  fusiform 
B)  cingulate 
C)  geniculate 
D)  occipital A

Question 3

Lateral inhibition has previously been used to explain _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the Hermann Grid only 
B)  Mach bands and the Hermann Grid, but not the Chevreul illusion 
C)  Chevreul illusion only 
D)  the Hermann Grid and Mach bands, and the Chevreul illusion D

Question 4

Quiroga et al. (2008) studied sensory coding by _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  ablation of the IT in humans 
B)  ablation of the FFA in humans 
C)  using implanted electrodes in the limbic system of college student volunteers 
D)  using implanted electrodes in the temporal lobe of epileptic patients

Question 5

Which proposed representational system is the least likely to actually be in place in the human visual system

Accepted Answer

A)  sparse coding 
B)  specificity coding 
C)  representation by a small number of neurons 
D)  distributed coding

Question 6

In Hermann's grid, a possible explanation for why gray areas appear at the intersections is because _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the amount of inhibition right at the intersections is twice as great as the inhibition between each square 
B)  the amount of inhibition right at the intersections is much less than the inhibition between each square 
C)  the superior colliculus responds maximally as you move your eye from intersection to intersection 
D)  moving the eye creates a blur at all the intersections

Question 7

The Nobel Prize winners who conducted the pioneering research on the physiology of striate cortex neurons were _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  White and Benary 
B)  Hubel and Wiesel 
C)  Mathers and Marshall 
D)  Libby and Rizzutto

Question 8

Unlike simple cells, complex cells respond best to _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  stationary spots of light 
B)  small spots of light 
C)  moving stimuli 
D)  stationary lines of any orientation

Question 9

Neurons in the LGN have _____ receptive fields.

Accepted Answer

A)  center-surround 
B)  side-by-side columnar 
C)  ill-defined 
D)  ambiguous

Question 10

As we travel farther from the retina, neurons fire to _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  more complex stimuli 
B)  less complex stimuli 
C)  more intense stimuli 
D)  less intense stimuli

Question 11

The area on the retina that influences the firing rate of the neuron is called the _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  receptive field 
B)  amacrine region 
C)  divergence area 
D)  inverted fovea

Question 12

Describe how information would be represented under each of the following representational schemes: specificity coding, population coding, and sparse coding.

Accepted Answer

The answer of  Describe how information would be represented under...

Question 13

The results of experiments of selective adaptation to gratings with specific orientations can be related to the _____ of _____ cells.

Accepted Answer

A)  lateral inhibition; simple cortical 
B)  lateral inhibition; end-stopped 
C)  tuning curves; amacrine 
D)  tuning curves; simple cortical

Question 14

Most of the signals travel from the retina to the _____ via the optic nerve.

Accepted Answer

A)  temporal cortex 
B)  lateral geniculate nucleus 
C)  the superior colliculus 
D)  the visual homunculus

Question 15

Discuss the relationship between neural plasticity and selective rearing as it relates to sensory functioning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of  Discuss the relationship between neural plasticity and...

Question 16

Neurons in the _____ respond to complex stimuli, but not simple stimuli such as straight lines.

Accepted Answer

A)  LGN 
B)  striate cortex 
C)  IT cortex 
D)  retina

Question 17

A neuron with an excitatory center-inhibitory surround receptive field will respond most when we stimulate _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  only the center 
B)  only the surround 
C)  both the center and surround together 
D)  part of the surround

Question 18

Describe Hartline's procedure for mapping receptive fields.

Accepted Answer

The answer of  Describe Hartline's procedure for mapping receptive fields....

Question 19

The difference in intensity between light bars and dark bars is called

Accepted Answer

A)  orientation 
B)  wave form 
C)  phase 
D)  contrast

Question 20

_____ refers to the fact that the response properties of neurons can be shaped by an animal's or person's perceptual experience.

Accepted Answer

A)  Selective adaptation 
B)  Neural plasticity 
C)  Sensory integration 
D)  Perceptual analysis

Exam 3: Neural Processing

What is lateral inhibition (b) Select either the Hermann Grid or Mach bands, and discuss how lateral inhibition accounts for the phenomenon.