Modularity & visual pathways

• How are physiological modules defined according to Goldstein?

  By the proportion of neurons responding to a quality
• What do modules specialize in processing?

  Information of a particular perceptual type
• What are the primary receiving areas for the senses?

  • Occipital lobe: vision
  • Temporal lobe: hearing
  • Parietal lobe: skin senses
• What area of the brain responds to visual movement?

  Middle Temporal (MT) area
• What happens to perception of movement with lesions in the MT area?

  It severely reduces perception of movement
• What types of stimuli do cells in the Inferotemporal cortex respond to?

  Different forms, including faces
• How can modules be defined in terms of sensation information?

  • By the types of sensation they process
  • At different levels of sensory processing
  • More specialized modules within larger modules
• What is the role of retinal ganglion cells?

  They take sensory information along the optic nerve
• What is a retinotopic map?

  A mapping where locations correspond to the retina
• What does cortical magnification refer to?

  Area of cortex devoted varies with eccentricity
• Where do the largest projections from the retina go?

  To the visual cortex via the lateral geniculate nucleus
• What is blindsight?

  Responding accurately to stimuli without visual experience
• What do Kentridge et al. (1997) argue about blindsight?

  It is explained by processing in sub-cortical pathways
• What are the two types of visual pathways discussed?

  • Sub-cortical pathways
  • Cortical pathways
• What do parallel pathways in visual processing serve?

  Different functions while processing the same information
• What do the ventral and dorsal pathways correspond to?

  Ventral = perception, Dorsal = action
• What does double dissociation demonstrate?

  Two functions involve different independent mechanisms
• What is visual form agnosia?

  Inability to visually recognize objects or shapes
• What happens to DF with ventral damage?

  She cannot visually recognize pictures of objects
• How does DF perform actions despite her visual form agnosia?

  She can put her hand into an oriented slot
• What is the effect of dorsal damage in optic ataxia patients?

  Vision for action is deficient
• What are the characteristics of modules in cognitive psychology?

  • Domain specific
  • Innately specified
  • Informationally encapsulated
  • Fast
  • Hardwired
  • Autonomous
• What does domain specificity in modules mean?

  Modules only process a particular type of information
• How do modules access information?

  They only access required information, not higher-level processes
• What is the significance of Fodor's work on modularity?

  • Defines modules functionally, not physiologically
  • Highlights domain specificity as critical
  • Essential for developing cognitive processing theories
• What is the summary of the session's key points?

  • Physiologically defined modules process specific sensory inputs
  • Multiple visual pathways exist from the retina
  • Vision for action and perception are processed separately
  • Modularity is central to cognitive science
• What should students do to prepare for the exam?

  • Review intended learning outcomes
  • Engage with activities on BlackBoard
  • Complete essential readings
  • Prepare questions for online Q&A