Question 1

The homunculus in S1:
A) exaggerates some parts of the body and de-emphasizes others.
B) represents each body part equally.
C) represents the feet at the base of the cortex and the head at the top of the cortex.
D) has no representation of the face.

Accepted Answer

The homunculus in S1 (primary somatosensory cortex) exaggerates parts of the body like the hands and lips, which have more sensory receptors, and de-emphasizes others with fewer receptors.

Question 2

The central tendency of an idealized version of a concept or category is referred to as the:
A) structure.
B) category.
C) concept.
D) prototype.

Accepted Answer

The central tendency of an idealized version of a concept or category is referred to as the "prototype." This term is used in cognitive psychology to describe a mental image or best example of a category.

Question 3

Aidan plays well with his brother and with his sister, but, when Aidan tries to play with both of them together, the three of them just end up arguing. This is an example of:
A) discrimination training.
B) negative patterning.
C) sensory preconditioning.
D) acquired equivalence.

Accepted Answer

Negative patterning is when an individual learns to respond differently to separate stimuli than to the combination of those stimuli. In this case, Aidan plays well with each sibling individually (separate stimuli), but not when both are present together (combination of stimuli), illustrating negative patterning.

Question 4

It is obvious that all criminals have mothers. However, it is untrue that people who have mothers are criminals. This is an example of what type of reasoning?
A) inductive inference
B) natural categories
C) negative patterning
D) inverse reasoning

Accepted Answer

This is an example of inverse reasoning, where the direction of a condition and its outcome is reversed, leading to a false conclusion.

Question 5

In negative patterning, the connection from a configural node to the output node is given a:
A) negative weight that cancels the weights from the individual cues, leading to no response to the compound stimulus.
B) negative weight that cancels the weights from the individual cues, leading to an increased response to the compound stimulus.
C) weight of 0, leading to no response to the compound stimulus.
D) weight of 0, leading to an increased response to the compound stimulus.

Accepted Answer

In negative patterning, the configural node associated with the compound stimulus is given a negative weight that effectively cancels out the positive weights from the individual cues. This results in no response when the compound stimulus is presented, despite responses to the individual cues.

Question 6

A division or class of entities in the world is referred to as a:
A) concept.
B) category.
C) prototype.
D) node.

Accepted Answer

A category refers to a division or class of entities in the world, grouping them based on shared characteristics or attributes.

Question 7

If one lesions the primary auditory cortex of a cat, the cat will:
A) not be able to respond to any tones.
B) be able to respond only to a particular tone.
C) not be able to discriminate between different tones.
D) not be able to generalize different tones.

Accepted Answer

Lesioning the primary auditory cortex impairs a cat's ability to discriminate between different tones, but it does not completely prevent the cat from responding to sounds. This is because the primary auditory cortex is crucial for processing the complex aspects of sounds, including their differences, but basic sound detection and response can still occur through other auditory pathways and brain regions.

Question 8

If a tone and shock are repeatedly paired, neurons in A1:
A) reduce their responding to the tone.
B) change their best frequency to correspond with that of the tone.
C) do not change their response to the tone.
D) reduce their response to tones of similar frequency.

Accepted Answer

Neurons in A1 can change their best frequency to correspond with that of a tone when it is repeatedly paired with a shock, demonstrating neural plasticity in response to associative learning.

Question 9

A psychological representation of a category of objects, events, or people in the world is referred to as a:
A) concept.
B) category.
C) prototype.
D) node.

Accepted Answer

A concept is a psychological representation of a category of objects, events, or people in the world.

Question 10

The process by which animals and humans learn to classify stimuli into categories is known as:
A) discrimination learning.
B) category learning.
C) configural learnaing.
D) negative patterning

Accepted Answer

Category learning is the process through which animals and humans learn to classify stimuli into different categories, enabling them to recognize and respond to new stimuli based on learned characteristics.

Question 11

The different sensory cortices receive information about:
A) whether a salient event has occurred.
B) the other sensory modalities.
C) the nature of an important consequence.
D) the type of response to make.

Accepted Answer

The sensory cortices are responsible for processing sensory information and determining whether a salient event has occurred in their respective modalities.

Question 12

One solution to the problem of combinatorial explosion is to design a network in which:
A) there is no internal representation layer.
B) nodes in the internal layer can be designated as configural nodes as needed.
C) the weights between the input nodes and the internal layer are fixed weights.
D) the weights between the output nodes and the internal layer are fixed weights.

Accepted Answer

Configural nodes in the internal layer of a network can help manage the problem of combinatorial explosion by allowing the network to dynamically reconfigure itself in response to different patterns of input. This flexibility can reduce the number of pathways needed to process complex combinations of inputs, thus mitigating the issue of combinatorial explosion.

Question 13

The receptive field properties of A1 neurons can be explained by:
A) the consequential region.
B) the homunculus.
C) distributed representations.
D) discrete-component representations.

Accepted Answer

The receptive field properties of A1 neurons are best explained by distributed representations, where multiple neurons respond to a range of frequencies, allowing for the complex processing of auditory information.

Question 14

Which statement is TRUE regarding configural nodes?
A) They are part of the input layer of a discrete-component representation.
B) They are part of the input layer of a distributed representation.
C) They respond only when a combination of input nodes are active.
D) Their connection to the output node has a positive weight.

Accepted Answer

Configural nodes are designed to respond to specific combinations of inputs, rather than to individual inputs. This means they activate only when a particular set of input nodes is active simultaneously, allowing for the representation of complex patterns or configurations.

Question 15

In a single-layer network using a discrete-component representation, negative patterning:
A) is represented by assigning a weight of 1 to one stimulus and a weight of 0 to the other.
B) is represented by assigning a weight of 1 to both stimuli and a weight of 0 to their combination.
C) is represented by assigning a weight of 1 to both stimuli and to their combination.
D) cannot be represented in any way that would make the network respond correctly.

Accepted Answer

Negative patterning, where a response is required to individual stimuli but not to their combination, cannot be represented in a single-layer network using discrete-component representation due to its linear nature. This limitation arises because a single-layer network cannot perform the XOR operation, which is needed for negative patterning.

Question 16

The rapid expansion of resources required to encode configurations as their number of component features increases produces:
A) the consequential region.
B) a combinatorial explosion.
C) the generalization gradient.
D) a topographic representation.

Accepted Answer

A combinatorial explosion refers to the rapid increase in the complexity of a problem due to the growth in the number of possible configurations as more variables or features are added. This makes the problem increasingly difficult to solve because of the exponential growth in the resources needed to explore all possible configurations.

Question 17

A detector for a unique configuration of two cues such as a certain tone and light is known as:
A) similarity-based generalization.
B) acquired equivalence.
C) negative patterning.
D) configural nodes.

Accepted Answer

A detector for a unique configuration of two cues is known as configural nodes. Configural learning refers to the acquisition of associations between two or more stimuli that are presented together in a particular configuration. Configural nodes are specialized neurons or regions in the brain that are activated by specific configurations of stimuli.

Question 18

_____ is a logical inference that is probably true and is usually based on attempts to draw a general rule from one or more specific instances or premises.
A) Discrimination learning
B) Inductive reasoning
C) Inductive inference
D) Negative patterning

Accepted Answer

The answer of _____ is a logical inference that is...

Question 19

If one lesions the primary auditory cortex of a cat, the generalization gradient:
A) becomes negative.
B) acquires two or more peaks.
C) acquires a much sharper peak.
D) flattens out.

Accepted Answer

Lesioning the primary auditory cortex in a cat disrupts its ability to process auditory stimuli, leading to a reduction in the differentiation between sounds. This results in a generalization gradient that flattens out, indicating a less precise response to varying auditory stimuli.

Question 20

Which statement is TRUE regarding the primary sensory cortices?
A) There is a specific cortical region dedicated to processing information from each sensory modality.
B) Each region of the cortex responds preferentially to a particular type of stimulus.
C) Neighboring cortical regions respond to similar stimuli.
D) All of the statements are true.

Accepted Answer

Each statement accurately describes aspects of the primary sensory cortices: A) highlights the modality-specific regions, B) emphasizes the stimulus-specific response of each region, and C) notes the topographical organization where similar stimuli are processed by neighboring regions.

Quiz 6: Generalization, Discrimination Learning, and Concept Formation Memory Module

The homunculus in S1:

The central tendency of an idealized version of a concept or category is referred to as the:

Aidan plays well with his brother and with his sister, but, when Aidan tries to play with both of them together, the three of them just end up arguing. This is an example of:

It is obvious that all criminals have mothers. However, it is untrue that people who have mothers are criminals. This is an example of what type of reasoning?

In negative patterning, the connection from a configural node to the output node is given a:

A division or class of entities in the world is referred to as a:

If one lesions the primary auditory cortex of a cat, the cat will:

If a tone and shock are repeatedly paired, neurons in A1:

A psychological representation of a category of objects, events, or people in the world is referred to as a:

The process by which animals and humans learn to classify stimuli into categories is known as:

The different sensory cortices receive information about:

One solution to the problem of combinatorial explosion is to design a network in which:

The receptive field properties of A1 neurons can be explained by:

Which statement is TRUE regarding configural nodes?

In a single-layer network using a discrete-component representation, negative patterning:

The rapid expansion of resources required to encode configurations as their number of component features increases produces:

A detector for a unique configuration of two cues such as a certain tone and light is known as:

_____ is a logical inference that is probably true and is usually based on attempts to draw a general rule from one or more specific instances or premises.

If one lesions the primary auditory cortex of a cat, the generalization gradient:

Which statement is TRUE regarding the primary sensory cortices?