Actual Responses From Beav's PSYC 463 Exams, Exam 1
My PSYC 463 class has all computerized tests that the students take in the testing center at Burnett Hall. Ah, the magic of technology, right? WRONG! This is a room full of computers and people. It is hot, features the noise of scores of clicking keyboards, shuffling backpacks and opening and shutting doors, and has a constant traffic of people coming in and out, and proctors moving around to administer people's exams. In short, it is the opposite of the ideal place to take a test. The typing allows me plenty of time to write "creative" answers on my exams, though. Since my professor is really cool, she appreciates the humor and writes little comments back to me. She has on several occasions told me that she "loves" grading my exams, and saves them as a special break from grading the boring exams of my classmates. The following are actual questions, my actual responses, and my professor's actual reactions from some of my exams.
Q: Where are cortical cells for vision located, and where is the receptive field for these cortical cells? What is a feature detector? Describe the three types of cortical cells and the ways in which they act as visual feature detectors.
OR
What is the sensory code? Describe how each of the specificity coding theory and distributed coding (across-fiber pattern) theory propose that the sensory code works. Which theory is right? (Beware the too simple answer). How do these two theories address the mind-body problem? (Be sure to tell what the mind-body problem is).
Me: Before I begin this question, I would like to share with you that the click-click-clicking of scores of different keyboards in this hot room full of harsh flourescent light is pushing my "freak out" meter increasingly higher.
Ok, now that I've read the question, I have no idea what the answer is. I really was convinced for some reason that since the start date of the test had been pushed back, that the ending date had been pushed back as well, and I am what we call "unprepared" due to the exams being given in literally all of my other classes, as well as extensive rehearsals and performances for vocal groups, work, and a friend visiting from out of town. I was really counting on that extra day or two.
Q: What is detection? Compare and contrast absolute threshold and difference threshold. Why are thresholds important?
Me: Oh thank God, I know this one. I was about to have an aneurism. My space bar squeaks every time I press it. I would pay large sums for a good old pencil-and-paper test right now.
Detection is essentially the ability of an organism (let's use me as an example) to tell that a stimulus is "there". Since we're using examples, let's use my squeaky spacebar as an example of thresholds.
The fact that I am able to hear the squeak EVERY TIME I press space bar is because it produces a stimulus (in this case sound) sufficient for me to DETECT it. I really wish (and suspect that the people around me also wish) that it produced a sound below the absolute threshold of human audition so that we couldn't hear it. I don't think I technically defined absolute threshold in that rant...it's the least amount of a stimulus necessary for detection.
Perhaps it might be better even if the squeaking of my space bar were gradually decreased until I noticed the change--which would be an example of difference threshold, which is the amount of change in a stimulus necessary to realize that there has been a change. Yes, just keep on gradually descreasing the space bar squeak until I can notice the differences (method of adjustment) and then keep on decreasing until it's gone. Either that or throw the keyboard off Oldfather. I'd enjoy that.
Her: At least I'm entertained....hope you were able to laugh at your situation -- or at least that you can in hindsight...SO why are thresholds important?
Q: CHOOSE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING (be sure I can tell which):
Construct a description of the retina around the duplicity theory. (Be sure to start by briefly describing the duplicity theory).
What is a receptive field, and where are they located (specifically) for each modality? What is a center-surround receptive field and what are the two types? What is center-surround antagonism, and how might it affect the response of a neuron with a center-surround receptive field?
Me: Hey, congratulations, you selected more information I have yet to master. Also, am I supposed to CHOOSE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING between the first line and second paragraph, or do I select one and only one question? I'm going to assume the former and make an attempt at answering. Ready? Here I go.
A receptive field, as it pertains to vision (and in this question I assume we're discussing vision, but forgive me if I've made an 'ass' of 'u' and 'me') is the area of the eye and its structures that is *receptive* (hence the name) to stimulation. That having been said, I have no idea where they're located, or even what each modality is. How about the retina? The retina sounds like a great place for a receptive field, if only to me.
I have good news though, I do know what a center-surround receptive field is. It's pretty much what the name suggests...there is an area in the center of the field with a particular sensitivity, and a surrounding area with a different sensitivity. The two types are excitatory center with inhibitory surround, and inhibitory center with excitatory surround.
Center-surround antagonism, then, is also precisely what the name suggests. The if the center of the field is excitatory and the surround is inhibitory, then those are *antagonistic* properties, and it might affect the response of a neuron with a center-surround receptive field by making it quite picky about what types of stimuli make its little action potentials fire. I really wish I could draw a picture at this point.
Okay, let's say I have a cat with an electrode in its brain, and his little electrode is on a neuron with said center-surround field. If (between sneezes, because I'm allergic to cats) I show the cat a bar of light that lands in the excitatory center of his neuron and not on the inhibitory periphery, then his little neuron will just go nuts. If I put the bar of light outside the center and into the inhibitory surround, the firing rate will drop below baseline. If I put it somewhere between, you guessed it, the response will be somewhere between.
Unrelated request: Look at the picture of the cats with goggles on from those experiments on sensitive periods of vision development, and try not to laugh. I bet you can't do it, because a cat in goggles is funny looking.
Her: You have a fun sense of humor, Dan! Good job with the center surround stuff. Back to receptive fields...yes for vision it's on the retina. where for the other modalities (senses)?
Q: Describe the physical characteristics of light that are related to our perception of color. (be sure to consider both emitted & reflected light) Respond to the statement, "Each object has its own single wavelength."
Me: Ok, first I'm going to respond to the statement, "Each object has its own single wavelength." Ready?
NUH-UH! NO IT DOESN'T! DOES NOT DOES NOT DOES NOT TIMES INFINITY PLUS ONE!!!
Now, that having been done, I'm going to guess (because I've dealt with an educator or two in my day) that you want me to explain *why* that was my response before you'll give me any credit. Very well, then. Each object does not have its own wavelength, only the light has its own wavelength. An object is just an object, and it appears to be whatever color it appears to be not because it "is" that color, but because we *perceive* that color when we look at it. If a bird looks at the same object, it sees something different, especially if it's a hummingbird. Those little buggers have a crazy visual system. It is the light, not the object, that has the wavelength.
The physical characteristics of light that are related to our perecption of color as essentially wavelength, hue and saturation...but arguably wavelength is the only "physical" characteristic of the light. The lower wavelengths of light will be perceived as violet, then moving upward we see blues and greens, then yellows, oranges and reds at the high wavelenths. Saturation just refers to how much white light is or is not presenet as we perceive the color, and hue refers to...uh...how "true" the color is? I got nothin'...
Q: (Huge story problem. I won't paste it all here, because I know you don't care.)
A. Which event in Josie's experience corresponds the the perceptual phenomenon of detection?
Me: Vision? I'm not sure what you're asking me, but I think I'm supposed to say that she was relying on her vision to initally "detect" the things around her, namely a deer.
Q:
B. Which event in Josie's experience corresponds to the perceptual phenomenon of identification?
Me: The left side of this keyboard sticks, and it's making my left pinky feel really weird. Identification was when our pal Josie said to herself "that's a deer". Also later on when she realized "that is a statue" and "that is a crow" and "I am a moron". Okay, maybe that last part wasn't in there.
Q: E. Which receptors are responsible for Josie's perception of the movement off to the side of the road AND what kind of neural wiring connects those receptors to their ganglion cells?
Me: Yeah, couldn't tell ya. Did I mention I thought I had more time to study? One of the proctors is kinda cute, I can tell ya that.
Q: F. Which pathway from the striate cortex to the extrastriate cortex carried the information about the movement on the side of the road AND which cortical module(s) received this information?
Me: See answer e
Q:
You're at a party talking about the study of perception (this is going past dream into nightmare!) with a friend who is a biology major and insists that the most important way to understand human perception involves studying neural responses. He gives you some examples of response characteristics of primate neurons he's been studying and is wildly surprised at your ability to name the type of neurons he's studying and tell where they're located (make me proud now!).
(a)
What approach to the study of perception is your friend most strongly aligned with?
Me: How about I make you ashamed now? I can much more readily do that. My friend here is pretty deep into the biological/physiolgical approach.
(c)
The next neuron is one that responds best to a 90 degree "corner" of a particular size moving from left to right. What kind of cell is this, where is it located, and where is its receptive field?
Me: That's a....um...right angle cell located in the ehm....yeah ok, I give up.
(d)
Your friend is impressed so far, but he's pretty sure he's got you on this next one. This neuron is specialized to respond to faces. What kind of cell is this, where is it located (be specific), and where is its receptive field?
I can assure you my friend is NOT impressed, and I have already left to get another beer. I have only three words that could possibly help my point total for this question: Fusiform Face Area
(e)
Your brother's girlfriend, who is a postdoc in neurobiology at Cornell, where she is participating in a program designed to integrate the study of neurobiology with the study of behavior, has been eavesdropping on your conversation. She sidles up with a sly grin and asks, "So do you really believe that neural responses of non-human primates tell the whole story about human perception?" What other approach to understanding perception will she try to convince your friend to consider AND how would she suggest integrating this approach with your friend's approach?
I think the more important question is why did she just sidle up to me with a sly grin? She's supposed to be my brother's girlfriend...we're not in olden times here where if he dies she becomes my wife. Really, how does one sidle? If I were to say to you, "Dr. Turnage, show me a sidle." could you do it? I know I couldn't.
I don't remember what approach she's going to pitch to me, but I'll probably beg her to ask my perception professor to let me keep the retake score as my exam 1 score and take pity on me for being a stressed-out moron. If I weren't cracking jokes right now I'd probably be crying.
Her: Better laughing than crying....we'll talk after the retake
Q: Where are cortical cells for vision located, and where is the receptive field for these cortical cells? What is a feature detector? Describe the three types of cortical cells and the ways in which they act as visual feature detectors.
OR
What is the sensory code? Describe how each of the specificity coding theory and distributed coding (across-fiber pattern) theory propose that the sensory code works. Which theory is right? (Beware the too simple answer). How do these two theories address the mind-body problem? (Be sure to tell what the mind-body problem is).
Me: Before I begin this question, I would like to share with you that the click-click-clicking of scores of different keyboards in this hot room full of harsh flourescent light is pushing my "freak out" meter increasingly higher.
Ok, now that I've read the question, I have no idea what the answer is. I really was convinced for some reason that since the start date of the test had been pushed back, that the ending date had been pushed back as well, and I am what we call "unprepared" due to the exams being given in literally all of my other classes, as well as extensive rehearsals and performances for vocal groups, work, and a friend visiting from out of town. I was really counting on that extra day or two.
Q: What is detection? Compare and contrast absolute threshold and difference threshold. Why are thresholds important?
Me: Oh thank God, I know this one. I was about to have an aneurism. My space bar squeaks every time I press it. I would pay large sums for a good old pencil-and-paper test right now.
Detection is essentially the ability of an organism (let's use me as an example) to tell that a stimulus is "there". Since we're using examples, let's use my squeaky spacebar as an example of thresholds.
The fact that I am able to hear the squeak EVERY TIME I press space bar is because it produces a stimulus (in this case sound) sufficient for me to DETECT it. I really wish (and suspect that the people around me also wish) that it produced a sound below the absolute threshold of human audition so that we couldn't hear it. I don't think I technically defined absolute threshold in that rant...it's the least amount of a stimulus necessary for detection.
Perhaps it might be better even if the squeaking of my space bar were gradually decreased until I noticed the change--which would be an example of difference threshold, which is the amount of change in a stimulus necessary to realize that there has been a change. Yes, just keep on gradually descreasing the space bar squeak until I can notice the differences (method of adjustment) and then keep on decreasing until it's gone. Either that or throw the keyboard off Oldfather. I'd enjoy that.
Her: At least I'm entertained....hope you were able to laugh at your situation -- or at least that you can in hindsight...SO why are thresholds important?
Q: CHOOSE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING (be sure I can tell which):
Construct a description of the retina around the duplicity theory. (Be sure to start by briefly describing the duplicity theory).
What is a receptive field, and where are they located (specifically) for each modality? What is a center-surround receptive field and what are the two types? What is center-surround antagonism, and how might it affect the response of a neuron with a center-surround receptive field?
Me: Hey, congratulations, you selected more information I have yet to master. Also, am I supposed to CHOOSE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING between the first line and second paragraph, or do I select one and only one question? I'm going to assume the former and make an attempt at answering. Ready? Here I go.
A receptive field, as it pertains to vision (and in this question I assume we're discussing vision, but forgive me if I've made an 'ass' of 'u' and 'me') is the area of the eye and its structures that is *receptive* (hence the name) to stimulation. That having been said, I have no idea where they're located, or even what each modality is. How about the retina? The retina sounds like a great place for a receptive field, if only to me.
I have good news though, I do know what a center-surround receptive field is. It's pretty much what the name suggests...there is an area in the center of the field with a particular sensitivity, and a surrounding area with a different sensitivity. The two types are excitatory center with inhibitory surround, and inhibitory center with excitatory surround.
Center-surround antagonism, then, is also precisely what the name suggests. The if the center of the field is excitatory and the surround is inhibitory, then those are *antagonistic* properties, and it might affect the response of a neuron with a center-surround receptive field by making it quite picky about what types of stimuli make its little action potentials fire. I really wish I could draw a picture at this point.
Okay, let's say I have a cat with an electrode in its brain, and his little electrode is on a neuron with said center-surround field. If (between sneezes, because I'm allergic to cats) I show the cat a bar of light that lands in the excitatory center of his neuron and not on the inhibitory periphery, then his little neuron will just go nuts. If I put the bar of light outside the center and into the inhibitory surround, the firing rate will drop below baseline. If I put it somewhere between, you guessed it, the response will be somewhere between.
Unrelated request: Look at the picture of the cats with goggles on from those experiments on sensitive periods of vision development, and try not to laugh. I bet you can't do it, because a cat in goggles is funny looking.
Her: You have a fun sense of humor, Dan! Good job with the center surround stuff. Back to receptive fields...yes for vision it's on the retina. where for the other modalities (senses)?
Q: Describe the physical characteristics of light that are related to our perception of color. (be sure to consider both emitted & reflected light) Respond to the statement, "Each object has its own single wavelength."
Me: Ok, first I'm going to respond to the statement, "Each object has its own single wavelength." Ready?
NUH-UH! NO IT DOESN'T! DOES NOT DOES NOT DOES NOT TIMES INFINITY PLUS ONE!!!
Now, that having been done, I'm going to guess (because I've dealt with an educator or two in my day) that you want me to explain *why* that was my response before you'll give me any credit. Very well, then. Each object does not have its own wavelength, only the light has its own wavelength. An object is just an object, and it appears to be whatever color it appears to be not because it "is" that color, but because we *perceive* that color when we look at it. If a bird looks at the same object, it sees something different, especially if it's a hummingbird. Those little buggers have a crazy visual system. It is the light, not the object, that has the wavelength.
The physical characteristics of light that are related to our perecption of color as essentially wavelength, hue and saturation...but arguably wavelength is the only "physical" characteristic of the light. The lower wavelengths of light will be perceived as violet, then moving upward we see blues and greens, then yellows, oranges and reds at the high wavelenths. Saturation just refers to how much white light is or is not presenet as we perceive the color, and hue refers to...uh...how "true" the color is? I got nothin'...
Q: (Huge story problem. I won't paste it all here, because I know you don't care.)
A. Which event in Josie's experience corresponds the the perceptual phenomenon of detection?
Me: Vision? I'm not sure what you're asking me, but I think I'm supposed to say that she was relying on her vision to initally "detect" the things around her, namely a deer.
Q:
B. Which event in Josie's experience corresponds to the perceptual phenomenon of identification?
Me: The left side of this keyboard sticks, and it's making my left pinky feel really weird. Identification was when our pal Josie said to herself "that's a deer". Also later on when she realized "that is a statue" and "that is a crow" and "I am a moron". Okay, maybe that last part wasn't in there.
Q: E. Which receptors are responsible for Josie's perception of the movement off to the side of the road AND what kind of neural wiring connects those receptors to their ganglion cells?
Me: Yeah, couldn't tell ya. Did I mention I thought I had more time to study? One of the proctors is kinda cute, I can tell ya that.
Q: F. Which pathway from the striate cortex to the extrastriate cortex carried the information about the movement on the side of the road AND which cortical module(s) received this information?
Me: See answer e
Q:
You're at a party talking about the study of perception (this is going past dream into nightmare!) with a friend who is a biology major and insists that the most important way to understand human perception involves studying neural responses. He gives you some examples of response characteristics of primate neurons he's been studying and is wildly surprised at your ability to name the type of neurons he's studying and tell where they're located (make me proud now!).
(a)
What approach to the study of perception is your friend most strongly aligned with?
Me: How about I make you ashamed now? I can much more readily do that. My friend here is pretty deep into the biological/physiolgical approach.
(c)
The next neuron is one that responds best to a 90 degree "corner" of a particular size moving from left to right. What kind of cell is this, where is it located, and where is its receptive field?
Me: That's a....um...right angle cell located in the ehm....yeah ok, I give up.
(d)
Your friend is impressed so far, but he's pretty sure he's got you on this next one. This neuron is specialized to respond to faces. What kind of cell is this, where is it located (be specific), and where is its receptive field?
I can assure you my friend is NOT impressed, and I have already left to get another beer. I have only three words that could possibly help my point total for this question: Fusiform Face Area
(e)
Your brother's girlfriend, who is a postdoc in neurobiology at Cornell, where she is participating in a program designed to integrate the study of neurobiology with the study of behavior, has been eavesdropping on your conversation. She sidles up with a sly grin and asks, "So do you really believe that neural responses of non-human primates tell the whole story about human perception?" What other approach to understanding perception will she try to convince your friend to consider AND how would she suggest integrating this approach with your friend's approach?
I think the more important question is why did she just sidle up to me with a sly grin? She's supposed to be my brother's girlfriend...we're not in olden times here where if he dies she becomes my wife. Really, how does one sidle? If I were to say to you, "Dr. Turnage, show me a sidle." could you do it? I know I couldn't.
I don't remember what approach she's going to pitch to me, but I'll probably beg her to ask my perception professor to let me keep the retake score as my exam 1 score and take pity on me for being a stressed-out moron. If I weren't cracking jokes right now I'd probably be crying.
Her: Better laughing than crying....we'll talk after the retake
posted by Beav at 1:30 PM
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