biopsychology Flashcards
1
Q
What are the 4 ways of studying the brain?
A
- FMRI
-EEG - Post- Mortem
- ERP
2
Q
What is an ERP?
A
- Stimulus
- uses EEG data to look at specific response to stimuli.
- they look at types of brainwaves that are triggered by particular events. Cognititve processes.
- for example if someone is pinched the ERP will look at the specific response in the brain
3
Q
What is a Post-Mortem?
A
- the analysis of a persons brain following their death.
- individuals that are studied usually had brain defects or behavioural issues when they were alive. (e.g HM, who lost the ability to form memories).
4
Q
What is an FMRI?
A
- detects changes in blood oxygenation.
- produces three-dimensional images showing parts of the brain that are involved in a particular mental processes.
5
Q
What is an EEG?
A
- measures electrical activity within the brain via electrodes. Using a skull cap.
- a scan recording that shows overall account of brain activity and looks at brain waves.
6
Q
What is a strength of FMRI?
A
- high spatial resolution
- usually risk free
7
Q
What is a weakness of FMRI?
A
- it is expensive
- poor temporal resolution
8
Q
What is a strength of an EEG?
A
- high temporal resolution
- aids diagnosis
9
Q
What is a weakness of an EGG?
A
- difficult to determine the exact source of neural activity
- cannot distinguish between activities originating on different locations of the brain.
10
Q
What is a strength of a post-mortem?
A
- provided foundation for early understanding of key processes in the brain (Broca and Wernicke)
- helped improve medical knowledge and prompted research
11
Q
What is a weakness of a post-mortem?
A
- issues surrounding causation(damage may not be linked to defects under review)
- Ethical issues (ppts cannot give consent) e.g HM
12
Q
What is a strength of an ERP?
A
- high temporal resolution
- precise role of cognitive functioning
13
Q
What is a weakness of an ERP?
A
- lack of standardisation( makes it difficult to understand findings)
- hard to eliminate background noise and extraneous materials (may not establish pure data)
14
Q
What is a similarity of an ERP and a FMRI?
A
- they both use tasks to examine and trigger the brain
