Ch. 3 Flashcards
Biological Psychologists/Neuroscientists
Study the brain and behavior
The brain
-complex
-100 bill neurons for specialized communication
Phrenology
Exploration of shape, size, and protrusions of the brain
What did phrenology believe?
-sole mind organ
-inherited traits + intelligence
-differences in people = differences in brains
-different sections grow when used more
Electrical stimulation
electrically stimulating brain during neurosurgery
Wilder Penfield
-neurosurgeon
-founded electrical stimulation
-mapped the brain
-found neurons communicate electrically
Lesion or damage study
-psychological study assessing brain damage in specific areas noting defects
What did the lesion model learn
-helped understand impairment from brain damage
Electroencephalography (EEG)
recording brains electrical activity on the surface of the skull
Electrical stimulation recording (advantages)
-non-invasive
-high temporal resolution
Electrical stimulation recording (Disadvantages)
-doesn’t say individual brain activity
-Doesn’t accurately represent brain region activity
Computed tomography (CT scan)
multiple x-rays building a 3D brain image
CT advantages
good to detect dense brain tissue
CT disadvantage
-produces a static image
-no detailed activity over time
Positron emission tomography (PET scan)
uses trace amounts of short lived radioactive material to map brain function
PET advantage
attaches and highlights radioactive isotopes to drugs to see where they’re used
PET disadvantages
-invasive
-poor time course
-poor spatial resolution
Structural MRI
uses magnetic fields to indirectly visualize brain structure
MRI advantages
-better to detect soft tissue than CT
- higher spatial resolution than CT
MRI disadvantages
-expensive
-invasive
-poor time course
-not great spatial resolution
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
detects changes in blood oxygenation + flow occurring in response to neural activity
fMRI advantages
-can see activity with good image clarity over time
-many pictures rapidly
fMRI disadvantages
-less precise spatial resolution then EEG
-poor temporal resolution (better then PET/CT)
-expensive
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
measures brain activity by detecting tiny magnetic fields generated by the brain
MEG advantages
-good temporal resolution
-decent spatial resolution
MEG disadvantages
-not good detection of deep brain activity
-expensive
requires high degree of technical expertise
Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
battery powered electrodes implanted in brain providing electrical stimulus in certain areas
DBS advantages
can treat neuropsychological conditions and assess brain activity
DBS disadvantages
-invasive (requires neurosurgery)
-researchers have no control over electrode implant position
-must be used for medical purposes
transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
applies a strong fast changing electric signal to the skull surface that enhances or disrupts brain function
TMS advantages
-active inhibition of neural function for moments (causality)
TMS disadvantage
-can cause seizures if used incorrectly
-only operates on outer layers of brain (cortex)
Localization of function
Term for when certain brain areas are active during specific psychological tasks
Localization of function example
Broca’s area
