What were the reasons the ecological approach to perception was founded? Who developed it?

developed by J. J. Gibson

felt that traditional laboratory research on perception was: Too artificial

unable to provide an explanation for real world tasks

Self-produced information is created by the movement of the observer. What function of the ecological approach is this a function of? What structure is this function dependent on?

that is a function of the optic flow.

Optic appearance of objects as the observer moves past them

Provides information on where you’re heading and how fast your moving

Its dependent on he Optic array is a structure created by the surfaces, textures, and contours in the environment

What are the two sources of information available from optic flow?

Sources of information from the optic flow are:

The Gradient of flow - difference in flow as a function of distance from the observer

The Focus of expansion - point in distance where there is no flow

How is vision used in balance? What experiment exemplified this?

visual system interacts with our sense of balance and helps us maintain a stable sense of the world

swinging room” Experiment by Lee and Aronson floor was stationary but the walls and ceiling swung backward and forward.

vision has a powerful effect on balance and overrides other senses that provide feedback about body placement and posture.

Explain how optic flow is used for navigation and how this was proved

people CAN use optic flow (vision) to judge their heading 

Optic flow neurons - neurons in the medial superior temporal area (MST) of monkeys respond to flow patterns

Micro-stimulation Experiment by Britten and van Wezel

Monkeys were trained to respond to the flow of dots on a computer screen.

micro-stimulation was used to stimulate MST neurons that respond to specific directions of flow patterns.

Judgments were shifted in the direction of the stimulated neuron

The maze landmark experiment was used to determine what?

Sahar Hamid landmark use in a maze experiment

Used to determine Way-finding is following a route that you could not see from the beginning of the route

Way-finding utilizes landmarks to aid in navigation

2 types of landmarks

Landmarks At turning points and between turning points 

Observers spent more time looking at decision landmarks

When some landmarks were removed, there was a greater effect of removing the decision point markers

What regions of the brain are important to way-finding? How are they relevant?

parahippocampal gyrus, the hippocampus and the retrosplenial cortex

virtual museum.” Experiment by Janzen and van Turennout found the importance of the parahippocampal gyrus

greatest activation for objects at decision points (landmarks) occurs here

Retrosplenial cortex damage Lost ability to judge direction (taxi driver, could not name/remember objects)

Hippocampus Damage inability navigate around his own neighborhood (patient T.T, taxi driver)

 important for accessing details of routes learned long ago

When the temporal lobe is damaged what method do we depend on for interaction and use of objects?

affordances indicates the value or benefit of Interaction with objects

Affordance Experiment by Humphrey & Riddoch

Patient MP had damage Could not name objects

was given either

the name of the object

or an indication of its function

He was more accurate and fast when he had the cue that referred to the object’s function. 

What region of the  brain is involved in reaching for objects? What type of neuron is involved? When is this task difficult for people?

parietal reach region (PRR) involve in reaching for objects

Experiments by Fattori  show specific neurons in PRR respond to specific grips

neurons that response when monkeys prepared to grasp and viewed a specific object

Called this a visual-motor grip cell

Responds when seeing a specific object in preparation for  motor movement

People         with damage their parietal lobe have trouble avoiding objects well reaching for others

The linking of sensory and motor actions is an example of what type of neuron? What are its possible functions?

Mirror neurons may help link sensory perceptions and motor actions.

help understand actions and react to them appropriately

Mirror neurons might help with Environmental interaction  and social impact effect

help in observational learning

understanding communication based on facial expression and gestures

Revealing the meaning of sentences

Highlighting differences between ourselves and others

What is the opposite of self-produced information?

Invariant information - properties that remain constant while the observer is moving

What is visual direction strategy?

Visual direction strategy - observers keep their body pointed toward a target

What do blind walking experiments show?

Blind walking experiments show that people can navigate without any visual stimulation from the environment

Can navigate to area of target after brief initial viewing

what is the second type of mirror neuron?

Audiovisual mirror neurons - respond to action and the accompanying sound