Module 6.2 Physio Psych

In humans, the optic nerves from the two eyes follow what pathway?

Half of the axons from each eye cross to the other side at the optic chiasm.

Which ganglion cells, if any, are located mostly in or near the fovea?

Parvocellular

How do the receptive fields of the inferior temporal cortex compare to those of the primary visual cortex?

They are sensitive to larger, more complicated patterns.

Cortical area ____ appears to be where conscious visual perception occurs.

V1

Infants with cataracts need to have surgical repair:

as early as possible.

Astigmatism refers to the:

asymmetric curvature of eyes.

What is the shape of the receptive field to which a simple cell in the primary visual cortex responds?

bar in a particular orientation

Parvocellular neurons most likely receive input from:

bipolar cells that receive input from cones.

What type of cell responds to a pattern of light in a particular orientation anywhere within its large receptive field, regardless of the exact location of the stimulus?

complex

Once within the cerebral cortex, the parvocellular pathway continues as a pathway sensitive to:

details of shape.

Cases in which individuals with cataracts have sight restored to them after many years suggest that:

early experiences can have relatively permanent effects on the brain.

What is strabismus?

failure of the two eyes to focus on the same thing at the same time

Neurons whose responses indicate a particular feature of a stimulus, such as the presence of a bar, line, or edge are referred to as:

feature detectors.

Most neurons in the inferior temporal cortex that respond to a particular shape will be LEAST likely to respond to a:

figure-ground reversal.

In the vertebrate retina, which cells are responsible for lateral inhibition?

horizontal cells

A(n) ____ cell has a strong inhibitory area at one end of its bar-shaped receptive field.

hypercomplex

Which of the following has the largest receptive fields and the greatest preferential sensitivity to highly complex visual patterns, such as faces?

inferior temporal cortex

While light is striking a visual receptor, light begins also to strike the receptor next to it. What effect will this additional light have on the response of the first cell?

inhibition

Cortical plasticity:

is greatest in early life, but never ends.

The enhancement of contrast at the edge of an object is the result of:

lateral inhibition in the retin a.

In the case of blindsight, losing conscious visual perception would most likely be associated with:

loss of visual imagination.

The ability to detect movement better than color in our peripheral vision is largely due to:

magnocellular neurons in the periphery.

Once within the cerebral cortex, the magnocellular pathway continues as a pathway sensitive to:

movement.

Magnocellular cells are to ____ as parvocellular cells are to ____.

movement; color

Axons from the lateral geniculate extend to which area of the cerebral cortex?

occipital lobe

If a kitten is reared with one eye shut, cells in its visual cortex become sensitive to:

only the eye that has been active.

The optic nerves from the right and left eye initially meet at the:

optic chiasm.

If we compare the receptive fields of two simple cells in the primary visual cortex, chosen at random, in what way are they most likely to differ?

orientation (angle) of a line that they respond to

Small receptive fields are to ____ cells as large receptive fields are to ____ cells.

parvocellular; magnocellular

The receptive field of a receptor is the:

point in space from which light strikes the receptor.

V1 neurons would be most strongly activated by viewing:

repeating stripes on a flag.

A strong astigmatism during the first year or so of life can produce effects in the human brain similar to those found in what kinds of experiments on cats

restricting visual stimulation to one particular orientation

Stereoscopic depth perception requires the brain to detect:

retinal disparity

Most visual researchers suggest that area V1 neurons respond most strongly to

spatial frequencies.

Which of the following would most strongly excite a simple cell in the primary visual cortex?

square picture frame

Kittens that are restricted to having only having one eye open at a time are similar to humans with strabismus in that:

stereoscopic depth perception fails to develop.

Children with strabismus fail to develop:

stereoscopic depth perception.

The primary visual cortex is also known as the:

striate cortex.

The lateral geniculate nucleus is part of the:

thalamus

Blindsight refers to:

the ability to localize visual objects within an apparently blind visual field.

Cutting the left optic nerve in front of the optic chiasm would result in blindness in ____.

the left eye

According to research on visual development in animals, probably the best way to treat amblyopia is to cover:

the strong eye for a period of time early in life.

The primary visual cortex sends its information:

to area V2.

Where does the optic nerve send most of its information?

to the lateral geniculate

What is one way to determine whether a given cell in the primary visual cortex is "simple" or "complex"?

whether it can respond equally to lines in more than one location