Reshaping the Sensory Environment
Sensory Accuracy
Survival of all animals depends on the accuracy with which sensory information is processed by the nervous system. Integrating this information in an efficient and effective manner depends on dynamic strategies that the nervous system relies on to determine the reliability and accuracy of the sensory inputs (reviewed by Zaidel, Turner, and Angelaki, 2011). This essay examines contemporary theories that attempt to explain how these strategies function.
Reliability-Based Cue Combination (RBCC) Theory
The reliability of a sensory cue is believed to determine the weight an organism assigns to a given cue, such that a more reliable cue may have a greater influence on behavioral outcomes (reviewed by Zaidel, Turner, and Angelaki, 2011). Empirical support for this theory has come from studies examining the integration of multisensory information. This theory has been called reliability-based cue combination (RBCC).
Reliability, as defined by RBCC, is used interchangeably for sensory precision; however, these terms do not necessarily imply accuracy (reviewed by Zaidel, Turner, and Angelaki, 2011). Accuracy is defined as the degree of agreement between the sensory information and the environment. External feedback is theoretically required for determining accuracy, but in the absence of additional external information, the organism must make do with the degree of agreement between different sensory inputs. For example, the sound of an approaching car can be confirmed visually, but should someone experience hearing a loud bang outside their visual field, an internal validation process will likely occur because visual confirmation is impossible.
Reliability-Based Adaptation (RBA) Theory
In situations when multisensory inputs disagree, RBCC proposes that the sensory cue with the most reliability will have the greatest influence on behavior (Burges, Girshick, and Banks, 2010, p. 8). Accordingly, if visual information is providing the most reliable cues for a given environment, discrepant auditory or touch information will be discounted or undergo adaptation and/or recalibration relative to the visual information....
Nervous System: In order to achieve its function, the nervous system is divided into two major parts i.e. The Central Nervous System (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). The central nervous system is basically made up of the brain and spinal cord and has the main function of receiving information from the body and sending out instructions. While the brain is protected by the skull, the spinal cord is guarded
Nervous System Lymphoma page literature review "Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma The primary central nervous system lymphoma The primary central nervous system lymphoma is a cancer type that is very rare, and affects the central nervous system i.e. spinal cord, brain, brain coverings, optic nerves, or the eyes. The cancer being referred to as a lymphoma indicates that its cells are lymphocytes which are a white blood cell type. Primary central nervous
The efferent division of the peripheral nervous system carries out the motor commands that are sent from the central nervous system. These commands or signals are then sent directly through the nerve fibers of the peripheral nervous system to the target organs where they will then be signaled to perform the desired action (Martini, Nath, & Bartholomew, 380). The peripheral nervous system can be further broken down as being a
What happens is this over production of neurons results in a kind or "pre-programmed 'suicide' mechanism called apoptosis" (Marino, 2010). So if the brain kills off these neurons on purpose, what happens to the dead neurons? Journalist Melissa Marino asserts that the body must dispose of the dead neurons or else the body's immune system is in trouble. Interestingly, Dr. Bruce Carter (a biochemistry professor) of Vanderbilt has discovered the
Nervous System The major structures of basal ganglia are pallidum, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus, and striatum. They are inappropriately named because the name striatum refers to all major components of basal ganglia. However it was used to refer to only one of the structures. The general function of basal ganglia is to take part in learning and motor control. Is called motor cortex, receives its primary input from the ganglia structures The
Parkinson's Disease The human central nervous system is a miraculously designed functional piece of our bodies that helps us conduct the most essential tasks to help in our survival. It is therefore very important to investigate and understand how this system functions and operates. In this investigation it is also useful to understand how disease and malfunction of this system are affected. The purpose of this essay is to describe the
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now