Question 1

Sensory neglect is a disorder that involves lesions to which brain region?

Accepted Answer

Sensory neglect is primarily caused by damage to the right parietal cortex, which leads to a lack of attention and awareness of one side of the body or surrounding environment. Lesions in other regions may also contribute to sensory neglect, but the right parietal cortex is the most commonly associated area.

Question 2

In Moran and Desimone's experiment, attentional effects were observed _____.

Accepted Answer

Attentional effects in Moran and Desimone's experiment were specifically observed in area TE, which is part of the inferior temporal cortex involved in visual processing.

Question 3

According to an imaging study conducted by Liston and colleagues, stress has what effect on brain regions subserving attentional performance?

Accepted Answer

The imaging study conducted by Liston and colleagues showed that stress led to decreased activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which is a brain region that subserves attentional performance.

Question 4

The _____ works with the executive attentional network to keep unattended stimuli outside of conscious awareness.

Accepted Answer

The posterior parietal cortex, along with the executive attentional network, plays a crucial role in filtering out unattended stimuli to prevent them from reaching conscious awareness. This is part of the brain's broader function in managing attention and focus, determining what information is relevant and should be attended to versus what can be ignored.

Question 5

All of the following are processes believed to be prerequisites for consciousness EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

While language can certainly be a component of consciousness, it is not considered a prerequisite. Arousal, attention, and working memory are all processes that are necessary for conscious experience.

Question 6

When subjects fail to detect a second visual target if it is presented within half a second of the first one, this is called _____.

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is known as attentional blink, where if a second visual target is presented within half a second of the first one, it may not be detected due to a temporary inability to shift attention. Inattentional blindness refers to the failure to notice a fully visible, but unexpected object because attention is focused elsewhere. Change blindness is the failure to notice changes in the environment due to limitations in attention and memory. Retrograde amnesia refers to the loss of memories from the past.

Question 7

"Pop - out" stimuli are associated with which type of visual system search?

Accepted Answer

"Pop-out" stimuli are associated with the feature search, in which the target can be detected regardless of the presence of distractors, based on a single feature that differentiates it from the other items in the display.

Question 8

In Treisman's theory, attention is a cognitive process that serves to _____.

Accepted Answer

According to Treisman's theory of feature integration, attention is the cognitive process that serves to select and integrate features in maps. This process allows us to perceive objects as whole entities rather than as a collection of individual features.

Question 9

Serial processing is used by subjects for _____.

Accepted Answer

Conjunction searches require serial processing because the subject must attend to each item in the array and compare it to the target.

Question 10

There are several diffuse regions associated with consciousness. Koubeissi and colleagues, using deep brain stimulation methodology, identified which structure as being critical to coordinating the activity among these regions?

Accepted Answer

Koubeissi and colleagues identified the claustrum as being critical to coordinating the activity among the diffuse regions associated with consciousness. They used deep brain stimulation methodology to stimulate the claustrum and observed widespread disruption in conscious awareness. This suggests that the claustrum may play a crucial role in integrating information from different brain regions to create a unified perception of the world.

Question 11

Summarizing several studies, Corbetta and colleagues found that the parietal cortex is particularly active during tasks that require attention to _____.

Accepted Answer

According to several studies, the parietal cortex is particularly active during tasks that require attention to location.

Question 12

Bottom - up processing is associated with _____.

Accepted Answer

Bottom-up processing refers to the process of analyzing sensory information by starting with the individual elements and building up to a complete perception. This type of processing is often associated with the identification of "pop-out" stimuli in an array, such as easily spotting a red apple in a basket of green apples.

Question 13

Regarding attention, an example of an automatic process would be:

Accepted Answer

Driving a five-speed (automatic shift) car is an example of an automatic process as it becomes a routine activity once we learn it, and we don't require much attention to perform it, unlike searching for a street sign or learning a new skill such as playing piano by ear or reading braille, which require conscious effort and attention.

Question 14

Temporary reductions in the field defect present in patients with contralateral neglect were observed by Rossetti after the use of _____.

Accepted Answer

Rossetti observed temporary reductions in field defect in patients with contralateral neglect after the use of prisms that shifted the visual field to the right. This technique is called prism adaptation and has been shown to temporarily improve the symptoms of neglect.

Question 15

A key aspect of the reticular activating system (RAS) is the _____ projection from the locus coeruleus.

Accepted Answer

The locus coeruleus is a noradrenergic nucleus located in the dorsal pons that sends projections to the reticular formation, which in turn activates the cortex and other brain regions through the reticular activating system.

Quiz 22: Extension: C - Attention and Consciousness