PSYC 309 Chapter Notes -Stimulus Modality, Visual Cortex, Bionics
Document Summary
Brain flexible and task-based, not sensory-based (parts of brain may be independent of modality), can change type of sensory input used with training. Invasive therapy: bionic eyes, gene therapy, photoreceptor transplant low res sight and expensive; can use ssds and prosthesis together. Ssds have better functional performance, rehab cns and bypass non-functioning peripheral parts. Ssds take visual info auditory or tactile. Ssds don"t give visual phenomena (usually), but do help make mental rep of shape, surface properties, and location of surroundings. Traditional view of brain: brain is divided into visual, auditory, etc cortex and only get info from once sense. Blind ppl"s visual cortex processes other sense: good bc compensates but might make it hard to restore sight bc brain not practiced in analyzing visual info. New evidence: visual cortex isn"t purely visual, brain is task-based and independent of sensory modality; ex listening to echoes activates visual cortex in ppl who know echolocation.
