Receptive Fields Tutorial
| The receptive field depicted to the right in Figure
4 is illustrative of one type of receptive field known as the Simple Cell (Hubel
and Weisel,1962,
1968). It is found in the primary visual
cortex, also known as the striate cortex or V1, as described in the pioneering
research of Hubel and Weisel(1962,
1968).
Note that the central region is oblong and not circular as was the case for the center-surround receptive field of the retinal ganglion cells discussed earlier. Also, the surround region is now located only on the sides. In this particular cell, the inhibitory region is located in the center, not on the sides. Thinking carefully about what this receptive field implies should allow you to answer the next several questions related to the concept of what makes a "best" stimulus for a receptive field. |
 Figure 4. A cortical receptive field referred to as a simple cell by Hubel and Wiesel. |
For the simple cell shown in Figure 5, a white colored area represents the presece of a stimulus and the gray colored area (or background color) represents the absence of stimulation. Which of the following stimuli will lead to the greatest firing rate in the cell of the striate cortex that is being recorded?
Figure 5. A cortical receptive field referred to as a simple cell by Hubel and
Wiesel.
Click
here to go to the next question.