Lecture 2 Flashcards Preview

Biological and cognitive psychology > Lecture 2 > Flashcards

Flashcards in Lecture 2 Deck (22)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

Discuss one of the first approaches of researching brain anatomy

A

Phrenology was one of the first approaches. It related your skull anatomy to behaviour. It did this by compartmentalising areas of the skull based on the bumps. However, nowadays we relate the brain anatomy to behaviour, not skull anatomy.

2
Q

Describe a CT or CAT scan

Give a disadvantage

A

You put your head in a cylinder, one side is an x-ray source the other is an x-ray detector. This cylinder rotates around your head and all the pictures are combined into one. In a CAT scan, sometimes dye is injected to increase image contrast. However, this method can be unhealthy as you’re being exposed to radiation.

3
Q

List the current methods of exploring brain anatomy

A

CT/CAT scan

MRI scan

4
Q

List the current methods of recording brain activity

A
PET scan
EEG
ERP
MEG
fMRI
Microelectrode recordings
5
Q

Discuss a PET scan

Give some disadvantages

A

It records the emission of radioactivity from injected chemicals. The chemical accumulates in particular areas of the brain and detectors pick up on where it’s accumulating. You can do this before and after a stimulus to see which areas of the brain respond to particular stimuli.
Disadvantages: Radioactive substances are being used, it’s expensive and it has low temporal resolution.

6
Q

Discuss MRI scans

Give 2 disadvantages

A

It uses a powerful magnetic field which makes use of the magnetic probabilities of hydrogen in your body. The magnet flips the hydrogen atoms and when they return to their original state a signal is emitted. Different tissues emit the signal at different rates to produce an image.
Disadvantage: The person must lie motionless and you have to be in an enclosed space. However, this can be solved with sedatives.

7
Q

Discuss EEGs

A

Electrodes placed on the scalp record the electrical activity of many neurons. They record the spontaneous activity. Up to 264 electrodes are used.

8
Q

Discuss ERPs

Give 2 disadvantages

A

These are measured via EEGs. An ERP (event related potential) is when you record the brain’s response to a stimulus or event. This can reveal information that self reports can’t as it follows information on a millisecond scale. This is repeated many times to get an average and is then compared to a control.
Disadvantages: Its spatial resolution is poor and it’s hard to see where in the brain the electrical activity occurred.

9
Q

Describe Costa’s study

A

It involved males and females self reporting arousal in response to nudes of the opposite sex. Males reported arousal and females reported neutral. However, they both had strong ERPs suggesting they were both aroused.

10
Q

Discuss MEGs

Give disadvantages

A

It works in the same way as an EEG, however, they’re recorded via extremely sensitive devices in a helmet. This method has excellent temporal resolution and better spatial resolution due to no interference of the skull.
Disadvantages: It’s more expensive than the EEG, it’s sensitive to movement, the signal needs to be shielded from other magnetic sources like the earth, cars etc.

11
Q

Discuss fMRI

Give disadvantages

A

It works the same as MRI except it’s based on haemoglobin. After neurons increase their activity in brain regions, the amount of haemoglobin with oxygen increases. This means that the hydrogen atoms emit a stronger signal. This can then be used to compare two conditions. This is a very powerful method.
Disadvantages: It’s hard to find a good condition for comparison.

12
Q

Give examples of when fMRI scans are used

A

To determine which half of the brain is dominant for language, to determine what type of surgery and how much brain tissue should be removed for epileptic patients, investigating visual spatial processing, to learn how specific brain functions develop.

13
Q

What is cognitive subtraction?

A

It’s an approach where you find two conditions that differ only in the aspect you’re looking at. So if the brain area lights up, it’s in response to the stimuli. However, you need to consider that multiple areas might be necessary for the process.

14
Q

Discuss microelectrode recordings

Give a disadvantage

A

A thin electrode is inserted into the brain. If it’s for research then it can only be used on animals. It can only be used on humans for neurological surgeries. It can study the electrical activity within one neuron, the electrical activity outside of a neuron or the activity of many nearby neurons. It has good spatial and temporal resolution.
Disadvantage: It’s an invasive technique.

15
Q

Studying the effects of brain damage can tell us how the brain correlates with behaviour/function. Give examples of this

A

Studying people who have suffered a stroke and see what behavioural impairments they get. However, there is a lack of control and more than one area might b damaged by the stroke.
You can find links between brain area and function. This can be found via double dissociation.
You can create lesions in lab animals or ablations (removing part of the brain) to see its effect. The types of lesions are: aspiration lesions, RF lesions, knife cuts and cryogenic blockades.

16
Q

What are the four types of lesions. Explain each

A

Aspiration lesion; when cortical tissue is drawn via a pipette.
RF lesion; when a high frequency current is passed through the tissue.
Knife cuts; when you cut a nerve or a tract.
Cryogenic blockade; when you cool down a piece of tissue so that it’s temporarily inactivated.

17
Q

Describe transcranial magnetic stimulation.

A

TMS stimulates the brain via an intense magnetic field that temporarily inactivates the neurons below it. You can then study cognition and behaviour. This is a new method so its effectiveness and amount of safety isn’t fully known.

18
Q

How do you record psychophysiological activity?

A
  1. Record muscle tension via an EMG. This equipment involves electrodes taped to the surface of the skin. Facial muscles can indicate emotion and arousal.
  2. Record eye movement via an EOG where electrodes are taped around the eyes. (these are part of the PNS)
  3. Record skin conductance by finding a skin conductance level and a skin conductance response. This can be used to study emotional thought.
  4. Record cardiovascular activity, for example, heart rate via an ECG which measures electrical signals in the heart, blood pressure and blood volume.
19
Q

Discuss some behavioural research methods

A
  1. Traditional conditioning paradigms; pavlov, operant conditioning.
  2. Seminatural animal learning paradigms; conditioned taste aversion (studying how rats learn to associate a particular taste with subsequent illness), radial arm maze, morris water maze etc.
20
Q

A lot of research has been based on biological responses to non-biological stimuli (perceptual/social stimuli). List some examples of behavioural responses to biological stimuli.

A
  1. Oxytocin being administered via an intranasal spray. This results in people rating others as more attractive and trustworthy.
  2. Women with higher levels of oestrogen are deemed as more attractive and more feminine.
21
Q

Does brain size correlate with intelligence across species?

A

No, you have to consider brain size in relation to body size. Evolution has shown that as body size increases, so does brain size, but this doesn’t necessarily involve intelligence. However, some new MRI studies have shown that brain size does correlate with intelligence.

22
Q

What are the 7 main categories of research methods in biological psychology?

A
  1. Brain anatomy
  2. Recording brain activity
  3. Examine the effects of brain damage
  4. Brain stimulation
  5. Psychophysiological activity
  6. Behavioural research methods
  7. Comparisons across species