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  Studiegidsen 2011-2012
Radboud UniversiteitStudiegidsenFaculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen > Research Master Cognitive Neuroscience

Perception 

Perception
(Vakcode)
Course ID
SOW-DGCN44
(Studiepunten)
Credits
6
(Periode)
Scheduled
periode 2 en 3
Objectives (Doelstelling)
The course Perception aims at providing a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, overview of visual and auditory information processing. This overview includes the neuroanatomical structure of the visual and auditory systems, in depth coverage of neural coding at different levels, psychophysical characterization of processes, and cognitive aspects of visual and auditory pattern representations.

 


Contents (Inhoud / Omschrijving)
This course Perception comprises two parts: visual (1st half) and auditory (2nd half) perception.
Visual Perception.
Neurobiological aspects. Topics covered will be the neurophysiological and neuroanatomical properties of the retino-cortical pathway. In addition, processing in the ventral/dorsal streams as well as neural correlates of top-down processes, the neural basis of movement detection and colour vision, and the binding problem will be discussed.
Functional aspects. Psychophysical and empirical paradigms that are employed to investigate mental representations of visual patterns will be covered, as well as integrative theoretical paradigms, starting from structural descriptions of these mental representations.
Theoretical/quantitative aspects. Recent models of self-organization in the visual pathway will be dealt with, starting with the development of neuronal connectivity in the retina, up to models for the emergence of feature-selectivity in the visual cortex.
Auditory Perception.
Neurobiological aspects. This course provides a detailed overview of the functional and
neurobiological basis of the mammalian auditory system. This includes a discussion of the
auditory periphery (from the acoustics of the pinna, down to cochlear mechanics and hair-cell
motility in the inner ear), the role and neurophysiology of the different monaural and binaural
brainstem and midbrain nuclei in sound localisation processing, and the putative role of the auditory cortex. Most topics will be studied on the basis of
recent reviews and research papers from the literature.
Functional aspects. Some basic psychoacoustic phenomena are discussed (e.g. the concept of
the critical band, loudness perception, frequency discrimination). Methods to study these
phenomena are applied (e.g. Fourier analysis, Linear Systems theory, and signal detection theory). We will then focus on the neural and
psychophysical mechanisms of sound localisation (in birds, mammals and humans). Other topics
include pitch perception and auditory scene analysis. Students will write their own Matlab scripts
to perform psychoacoustic experiments in the practica.
Theoretical/quantitative aspects. An overview will be presented of the theoretical models of sound
processing in the CNS. This includes temporal encoding in the spike trains of individual neurons,
as well as the correlations in neural firing between small groups of neurons and within neural
assemblies. The neural encoding of sound location will also be discussed.

Literature (Literatuur)

Lecture notes. Handbook chapters and recent papers in top-quality journals such as Journal of Neurophysiology, Neuron, Journal of Neuroscience, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Vision Research, Perception, Journal of Experimental Psychology, and Psychological Bulletin.
Books:  Purves et al. (ed) (4th Edition) Neuroscience (recommended)
            BCJ Moore: An Introduction to the psychology of hearing. 5th Edition.Academic Press. 2003 (required)

Representative readings
Kandel, E.R., Schwartz, J.H., & Jessell, T.M. (2000). Principles of Neural Science (Chapters 6-20). McGraw-Hill.
Palmer, S. E. (1999). Vision Science: Photons to Phenomenology (Chapters 4-9). MIT Press.
Engel, A.K., & Singer, W. (2001).Temporal binding and the neural correlates of sensory awareness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 5, 16-25.


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Teaching methods (Werkvormen)
Lectures, student assignments, demonstrations, active participation in computer simulations, and practical work.
Coördinerend docent
dr. A. Koning, dr. J. Goossens, dr. A. v.d. Berg, dr. R. v. Lier, Prof. J. v. Opstal
Examination (Toetsingsvorm)
written exam
Enrollment ( Inschrijving college )

via STUDENT PORTAL untill 5 working days before the start of the course

Note this course is for CNS students only. Non-CNS students can contact Yvonne Schouten () or Arno Koning ().

Extra enrollment information (Extra informatie inschrijving)
 via STUDENT PORTAL untill 5 working days before the start of the course
Extra information (Bijzonderheden)

November 11, 2011 - March 30, 2012 Friday 10.45-12.30

Location: DCN,  exact location will be announced on Blackboard