Receptive Fields

Free and complete software providing experience with a visual neural simulator. Coming Summer 2011 but links to some files are available now.

About Receptive Fieldsreceptivefields_pic

Receptive Fields is an instructional tool for teaching visual neurophysiology that requires only a computer.  Receptive Fields is available for free, along with student and instructor tutorials.

Download Receptive Fields Files

NOTE:  Everything below is outdated and needs to be edited!!!

Students and Faculty can download the Visual Neural Simulator, the Receptive FieldsProgram and the Receptive Fields Tutorials for free.

(1)  Download the Receptive Fields Program (called Visual Neural Simulator):  This program allows for observation and manipulation of virtual receptive fields.

(2)  Take the Student Pre-Test:  If you are a student and are about to begin the Receptive Fields module, please take our Pre-Test [NOTE: this will NOT affect your grade].  We are asking you to participate in a study on the efficacy of the teaching module delivered by your instructor.  This study will help us to revise this teaching module to make it more effective and to develop new modules in the future so that they are educationally effective, are easy to understand, and successfully meet student needs.  Not only will your participation help us make better teaching modules, but your participation may also help your understanding of the material (again, this will not figure into your grade).

–>  We ask that you take a short Pre-Test BEFORE the material is presented and also take an idential Post-Test AFTER the module has ended.  These little quizzes will help us gauge your gains from this module.  The quiz can be taken over the web and should take about 10 minutes.  When you take the tests online, please use the SAME, real email address each time, as we will need them for tracking data.

–>  Since we are going to ask you to take the quiz as well as fill out an opinion questionnaire after the unit is completed, we request that you give us your email address so that we can send you one, and ONLY one, reminder email.  We will NOT be sending you any further emails, nor will we submit your email address to any outside sources.  Note: providing you email address is voluntary, as is your participation in this study (see below).

–>  Participation in this study is completely voluntary.  You are not required to participate to receive or use the materials included in this module.

–>  First download the Questions (PDF) then input your answers into the Answer Form (electronic).

*** NOTE: If you downloaded the Pre-Test BEFORE 8pm on Friday November 5, please discard that version, and download the updated version (below) instead. ***

(3)  Download the Receptive Fields Tutorial:

(4)  View Lecture and Lab Materials:  The following are PowerPoint files that should serve as a guide to Bird Song Systeminstruction.  Each lecture, taught by Dr. William Grisham (UCLA), is available with and without voiceover.

Lecture 1

  • ReceptiveFields_Lect1_092910.ppt
  • ReceptiveFields_Lect1_VO_092910.ppt

Lecture 2

  • ReceptiveFields_Lect2_092910.ppt
  • ReceptiveFields_Lect2_VO_092910.ppt

Lecture 3

  • ReceptiveFields_Lect3_092910.ppt
  • ReceptiveFields_Lect3_VO_092910.ppt

Lecture 4

  • ReceptiveFields_Lect4_092910.ppt
  • ReceptiveFields_Lect4_VO_092910.ppt

Lab 1

  • ReceptiveFields_Lab1_101910.ppt
  • ReceptiveFields_Lab1_VO_101910.ppt

(5)  Watch the Lectures:  If you would like to view a series of lectures given by the teacher and developer of the Bird Song System module, please follow the links below.

  • Receptive Fields Lecture, Part 1 of 4  (from 01-25-2010)
  • Receptive Fields Lecture, Part 2 of 4  (from 01-28-2010)
  • Receptive Fields Lecture, Part 3 of 4  (from 02-01-2010)
  • Receptive Fields Lecture, Part 4 of 4  (from 02-04-2010)

(6)  Take the Student Post-Test:  If you are a student and have completed the Receptive Fields module, please provide us with your level of scientific knowledge coming out of the module by taking the following Post-Test.

(7)  Fill out the Student Materials Evaluation:  If you are a student and have completed the Receptive Fields module, please provide us with basic feedback on the materials used in this module by filling out the multiple choice Materials Evaluation.

For Faculty

Faculty members interested in accessing faculty-related materials will need to obtain approved access. While we are still developing this website, please email natalie@psych.ucla.edu or wgrisham@g.ucla.edu using the email listed in your institution’s faculty directory so that we can verify you as an instructor.  Please include your first and last name, and the names of the modules you wish to access.

Extras

(1)  Institution Review Board (IRB) exemption documentation.  (NOTE: Viewing this PDF file requires login.)

  • IRB Exemption for UCLA

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License Information

Modular Digital Course in Undergraduate Neuroscience Education—Revised: Receptive Fields by Dr. ???, Ph.D., is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Creative Commons License