Biopsychology: Investigating the brain Flashcards
what’s fMRIs?
a method used to measure brain activity while a person is performing a task that uses MRI technology (detecting radio waves from changing magnetic fields). this enables researchers to detect which regions of the brain are rich in oxygen and therefore active.
what’s EEG?
it measures electrical activity via electrodes that are fixed to an individual’s scalp. the scan represents brainwave patterns that are generated from neuron actions. it helps diagnose certain conditions of the brain.
what’s event-related potentials?
the brain’s electrophysiological response to specific sensory, cognitive or motor event can be isolated through statistical analysis of EEG data.
what’s post-mortem examinations?
the brain is analysed after death to determine whether certain observed behaviours during the patient’s lifetime can be linked to abnormalities in the brain.
what’s the evaluation for fMRIs?
+ doesn’t rely on radiation so if administrated correctly, it’s risk-free, non-invasive. produced images with high spatial resolution. - expensive and can only capture clear image if the patient stays still, poor temporal resolution.
what’s evaluation for EEGs? (A03)
+ contributed to understanding of the stages of sleep, high temporal resolution. - generalised nature of information received, can’t pinpoint the exact source of neural activity.
what’s the evaluation for event-related potential? (A03)
+ good temporal resolution, can describe the precise role of these cognitive functions. - lack of standardisation, makes it difficult to confirm findings.
what’s the evaluation for post-mortems? (A03)
+ Broca and Wernicke both relied on post-mortems to establish links between language, brain and behaviour. - patients are unable to give fully informed consent.
