Cognition: Various
Unit coordinator: Dr Matt Mundy (Rm 532, Building 17, Clayton)
Assistant coordinator: Anne-Marie Ternes (AnneMarie.Ternes@monash.edu)
Tel: 03990 51035 (only for urgent enquiries)
Consultation times: By appointment
E-mail: matthew.mundy@monash.edu
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News and announcements important notices
Unit guide
Lecture and lab content
Discussion forums
Should be your primary way to ask general questions.
Look here for the answers to commonly asked questions before contacting your
Tutor/Anne Marie/Me!
Week 5: Hearing: the auditory system, localisation & auditory scene analysis
Week 6: Speech perception
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Neural Signals
Electrical signals or action potentials occur when:
Permeability of the membrane changes
Na+ flows into the fibre making the neuron more positive, then,
K+ flows out of the fibre making the neuron more negative
Finally Na+ pumped out of axon, to restore normal cell level.
This process travels down the axon in a propagated response
Neurotransmitters are:
released by the presynaptic neuron from vesicles.
received by the postsynaptic neuron on receptor sites.
matched like a key to a lock into specific receptor sites.
used as triggers for voltage change in the postsynaptic neuron.
Types of Neurotransmitters
Excitatory transmitters - cause depolarization
Neuron becomes more positive
Increases the likelihood of an action potential
Inhibitory transmitters - cause hyperpolarization
Neuron becomes more negative
Decreases the likelihood of an action potential
Receptive Fields
Area of receptors that affects firing rate of a given neuron in the circuit
Receptive fields are determined by monitoring single cell responses.
Research example for vision
Stimulus is presented to retina and response of cell is measured by an
electrode.
Center-Surround Antagonism
Output of centre-surround receptive fields changes depending on area
stimulated:
Highest response when only the excitatory area is stimulated
Lowest response when only the inhibitory area is stimulated
Intermediate responses when both areas are
Stimulated
Hermann Grid
People see an illusion of Gray images in intersections of white areas.
Signals from bipolar cells cause effect
Receptors responding to white corridors send inhibiting signals to receptor at
the intersection
The lateral inhibition causes a reduced response which leads to the perception
of Gray.
Mach Bands
People see an illusion of enhanced lightness and darkness at borders of light
and dark areas.
Actual physical intensities indicate that this is not in the stimulus itself.
Receptors responding to low intensity (dark) area have smallest output.
Receptors responding to high intensity (light) area have largest output.