PSYCH 275 — Chapters 7–12: Vision through Sleep & Consciousness
Instructions: These are questions from past quizzes. Each question is designed to be answered independently. Your response should demonstrate:
From Quiz 4 · 3 questions
Q1: Draw and Label — Vision
Draw a clear, labeled diagram of one of the structures or pathways we covered in Chapter 7 (Vision)—such as the eye and its main parts, the retina and its cell layers, the path from retina to LGN to V1, center-surround receptive fields, the ventral and dorsal streams, or any other structure or pathway you choose. Use annotations to explain what the parts do and how they contribute to vision.
Source: Quiz 4 (Chapter 7 — Vision)
Q2: From Light to Perception
Vision transforms light into perception through many stages. Pick one stage or pathway from Chapter 7—such as phototransduction in photoreceptors, center-surround processing in the retina, the M and P pathways, the ventral "what" and dorsal "where" streams, or any other—and explain how it contributes to what we see or how we use vision.
Source: Quiz 4 (Chapter 7 — Vision)
Q3: Vision as Construction
Chapter 7 showed that what we "see" is partly constructed by the brain—for example the blind spot is filled in, change blindness limits what we notice, and patient D.F. could act on visual form she could not consciously perceive. Choose one of these or any other example of vision as construction or as separate streams (what vs. where), and explain what it tells us about how vision works.
Source: Quiz 4 (Chapter 7 — Vision)
From Quiz 5 · 3 questions
Q4: Draw and Label — Sensory Systems
Draw a clear, labeled diagram of one of the sensory systems or pathways we covered in Chapter 8—such as the cochlea and how it analyzes frequency, the olfactory pathway from nose to cortex, the taste system and its five basic qualities, the auditory pathway from ear to auditory cortex, or any other structure or pathway you choose. Use annotations to explain what the parts do and how they contribute to perception.
Source: Quiz 5 (Chapter 8 — Attention & Chemical Senses)
Q5: Attention as a Filter
Chapter 8 described how the brain deals with sensory overload through attention—using mechanisms such as gain modulation, biased competition, the alerting/orienting/executive networks, or exogenous versus endogenous attention. Pick one of these or any other attention mechanism and explain how it helps the brain select what matters from the flood of incoming sensory information.
Source: Quiz 5 (Chapter 8 — Attention & Chemical Senses)
Q6: The Chemical Senses and Memory
Smell and taste work differently from vision and hearing in several important ways—for example, olfaction bypasses the thalamus and connects directly to limbic structures, taste detects just five basic qualities that combine with smell to create flavor, and odors can powerfully trigger autobiographical memories (the Proust effect). Pick one of these differences or any other feature of the chemical senses and explain what it reveals about how the brain processes sensory information.
Source: Quiz 5 (Chapter 8 — Attention & Chemical Senses)
From Quiz 6 · 3 questions
Q7: Draw and Label — Motor Structures
Draw a clear, labeled diagram of one of the motor structures, circuits, or pathways we covered in Chapter 9—such as a motor unit and its components, the stretch reflex circuit, the corticospinal tract from cortex to spinal cord, the motor homunculus, or any other structure or pathway you choose. Use annotations to explain what the parts do and how they contribute to movement.
Source: Quiz 6 (Chapter 9 — Motor Control)
Q8: Hierarchical Motor Control
Motor control is organized hierarchically, with different levels handling different aspects of movement—from spinal reflexes and central pattern generators, to brainstem pathways for posture, to motor cortex for skilled movements, to premotor and prefrontal areas for planning. Pick one level or pathway from Chapter 9 and explain what it contributes to movement and how it interacts with other levels of the hierarchy.
Source: Quiz 6 (Chapter 9 — Motor Control)
Q9: Feedback, Prediction, and Clinical Signs
Chapter 9 covered several key principles of motor control—such as the size principle for motor unit recruitment, forward models that predict sensory consequences, muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs for proprioception, or the distinction between upper and lower motor neuron lesions. Pick one of these or any other principle from the chapter and explain how it helps the nervous system produce coordinated movement.
Source: Quiz 6 (Chapter 9 — Motor Control)
From Quiz 8 · 3 questions
Q10: Draw and Label — Learning & Memory
Draw a clear, labeled diagram of one of the learning or memory mechanisms covered in Chapter 10—such as the NMDA receptor and LTP induction process, the cerebellar learning circuit with climbing fibers and Purkinje cells, the hippocampal memory consolidation pathway, Baddeley's working memory model, or any other structure or mechanism you choose. Use annotations to explain what the parts do and how they contribute to learning or memory.
Source: Quiz 8 (Chapter 10 — Learning & Memory)
Q11: Forms of Learning and Their Neural Basis
The brain supports multiple forms of learning, each with distinct neural mechanisms—from habituation and sensitization studied in Aplysia, to classical conditioning and prediction error, to reinforcement learning in the basal ganglia, to supervised learning in the cerebellum. Pick one form of learning from Chapter 10 and explain how its underlying mechanism changes neural connections and behavior, and how it relates to broader principles of synaptic plasticity.
Source: Quiz 8 (Chapter 10 — Learning & Memory)
Q12: Memory Systems Across Timescales
Chapter 10 describes memory operating at many timescales—from working memory maintained by prefrontal cortex, to episodic memories encoded by the hippocampus, to consolidated semantic knowledge in neocortex, to genetic memory shaped by evolution, to cultural memory transmitted through language and memes. Pick one memory system or timescale and explain how it stores information, what mechanisms support it, and how it interacts with or differs from other memory systems.
Source: Quiz 8 (Chapter 10 — Learning & Memory)
From Quiz 9 · 3 questions
Q13: Draw and Label — Higher-Order Brain Organization
Draw a clear, labeled diagram of one of the brain structures, circuits, or organizational principles covered in Chapter 11—such as the cortical processing hierarchy (primary → unimodal → multimodal association areas), the prefrontal cortex subdivisions and their roles, the split-brain experimental setup, or any other structure or system you choose. Use annotations to explain what the parts do and how they contribute to higher-order cognition.
Source: Quiz 9 (Chapter 11 — Executive Function)
Q14: Executive Algorithms
The prefrontal cortex implements several core executive functions that regulate thought and behavior—such as inhibitory control (the Stroop task), cognitive flexibility (the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test), hierarchical planning (the Tower of Hanoi), or error monitoring (the error-related negativity). Pick one of these or any other executive function from Chapter 11 and explain how it works and why it matters for everyday behavior.
Source: Quiz 9 (Chapter 11 — Executive Function)
Q15: Clinical Windows into Cognition
Chapter 11 explored several clinical cases that reveal how perception, attention, and control are organized—such as agnosia and prosopagnosia (seeing without recognizing), contralateral neglect (losing half the world), Phineas Gage and dysexecutive syndrome (intact abilities but disordered behavior), or split-brain patients (divided hemispheres with different specializations). Pick one case or condition and explain what it reveals about how the brain organizes higher-order cognition.
Source: Quiz 9 (Chapter 11 — Executive Function)
From Quiz 10 · 3 questions
Q16: Draw and Label — Sleep & Circadian Systems
Draw a clear, labeled diagram of one of the sleep or circadian structures, circuits, or patterns from Chapter 12—such as the sleep-wake flip-flop switch showing mutual inhibition between the VLPO and arousal systems, the suprachiasmatic nucleus and its input/output pathways, a sleep hypnogram showing the 90-minute ultradian cycle, the brainstem circuits that generate REM sleep, or any other structure or pathway you choose. Use annotations to explain what the parts do and how they contribute to sleep regulation or consciousness.
Source: Quiz 10 (Chapter 12 — Sleep & Consciousness)
Q17: Why We Sleep
Sleep serves several critical biological functions beyond simple rest—such as memory consolidation through hippocampal replay and sharp-wave ripples, synaptic homeostasis through overnight downscaling, glymphatic clearance of metabolic waste like amyloid-beta, or energy conservation and restoration. Pick one function from Chapter 12 or any other you choose and explain the mechanism behind it and why it matters for brain health.
Source: Quiz 10 (Chapter 12 — Sleep & Consciousness)
Q18: Theories and States of Consciousness
Chapter 12 introduced several theories of consciousness—such as Global Workspace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, Higher-Order Theories, or the Predictive Processing Framework—and different consciousness states like waking, NREM, and REM sleep. Pick one theory or one transition between states and explain how it accounts for what changes in the brain during sleep and waking, or any other aspect of consciousness you choose.
Source: Quiz 10 (Chapter 12 — Sleep & Consciousness)