PSYB55H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6.7: Occipital Lobe, Grandmother Cell
Document Summary
Gnostic unit: a neuron or small set of neurons tuned for a specific percept (e. g. , an apple). The concept of the gnostic unit is based on the idea that hierarchical models of perception imply that, at higher levels in the system, neurons become much more selective in terms of what they respond to. Object constancy refers to the ability to recognize objects in countless situations, despite variation in the physical stimulus. Object perception may occur in a view-dependent frame of reference or a view- invariant frame of reference. In view-dependent theories, perception is assumed to be specific to a particular viewpoint. View-invariant theories see that recognition occurs at a level that is not linked to specific stimulus info. The lateral occipital cortex is imp for the recognition of the shape of an object. The term grandmother cell has been coined to convey the notion that recognition arises from the activation of neurons that are tuned to specific stimuli.
