Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Motion perception is more nurture than nature

` You know what I came across in Nature recently? This really cool abstract:

Visual cortex neurons are arranged into maps according to their response selectivity. Ocular dominance and orientation selectivity maps can develop without visual experience. Unexpectedly, the direction selectivity map requires visual input during a critical period, as later visual experience cannot rescue the direction selectivity map in dark-reared ferrets.
` In other words, while the brain is set up to learn motion perception, it is not innate. And so, experience is required for movement to be detected.
` I'd write more, but I am currently seated next to a chatty gamer geek. Ta!

` Update, 10 minutes later: Now I am next to two girls who will not shut up, reading rants posted on MySpace aloud and talking about girls being whores or something and now the one is setting up the other's MySpace account and it's impossible to concentrate on anything but that!
` I must remember not to come here in the afternoons anymore.

7 comments:

Aaron said...

Seems logical to me.

It's hard for me to understand how people can accept such a low level sensory perception as learned, but can't accept much higher level behaviors as learned.

Anonymous said...

It's like language. Language is learned, but we have an instinct that allows us to learn it in the first place.

And Spoony - steal internet from the neighbors! Run in a rogue phone line!

Aaron said...

Pirate Internet!

Spoony, you should invest in a wireless card just to see what you can find.

Spoony Quine said...

` How many times to I have to tell you? I HAVE ONE!!!

Aaron said...

Aren't there any wireless signals around for you to sponge off of?

Spoony Quine said...

` Nope: Poor people on all sides!

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