Chapter 2: Cognitive Neuroscience

Question 1

The study of the physiological basis of cognition

Answer 1

Cognitive Psychology

Question 2

A topic can be studied in a number of different ways, with each approach contributing to its own dimension of our understanding

Answer 2

Levels of analysis

Question 3

The idea that individual cells transmit signals in the nervous system, and that these cells are not continuous with other cells.

Answer 3

Neuron doctrine

Question 4

The metabolic centre of the neuron

Answer 4

Cell body

Question 5

Branch out from the cell body, receive signals from other neurons

Answer 5

Dendrites

Question 6

Long processes that transmit signals to other neurons

Answer 6

Axons

Question 7

Small gap in between the end of an axon and the dendrites/cell body of another

Answer 7

Synapse

Question 8

Groups of interconnected neurons which are in turn connected

Answer 8

Neural circuits

Question 9

Neurons that are specialized to pick up information in the environment

Answer 9

Receptors

Question 10

What are the three main concepts introduced by Cajal?

Answer 10

Individual neurons, synapses, and neural circuits

Question 11

Value (millivolts) at which neurons stay when there are no signals

Answer 11

Resting potential (-70 millivolts)

Question 12

Energy transmitted down an axon when a neuron is stimulated

Answer 12

Nerve impulse (leading to action potential)

Question 13

What property makes action potentials ideal for transmitting signals over a distance?

Answer 13

No change in height or shape (signal remains the same size)

Question 14

What happens when an action potential reaches a synapse?

Answer 14

Neurotransmitters are released

Question 15

What is the relationship discovered by Adrian between the intensity of a stimulus and nerve firing?

Answer 15

Electrical signals are representing the intensity of the stimulus - the more intense the stimulus, the greater the rate of nerve firing - and this is related to the magnitude of the experience

Question 16

How can different qualities and experiences of stimuli be explained?

Answer 16

Different stimuli activate different neurons and areas of the brain.

Question 17

Explain the principle of neural representation.

Answer 17

Everything that a person experiences is based on representations in the person’s nervous system.

Question 18

Neurons that respond to specific stimulus features.

Answer 18

Feature detectors

Question 19

Phenomenon in which the structure of the brain is changed by experience.

Answer 19

Experience-dependent plasticity

Question 20

Explain Blakemore and Cooper’s (1970) experiment on experience-dependent plasticity?

Answer 20

Reared kittens in an environment with only verticals, found that visual cortex was reshaped such that it responded mainly to neurons

Question 21

Progression from lower to higher levels of the brain

Answer 21

Hierarchical processing

Question 22

The problem of neural representation for the senses

Answer 22

Problem of sensory coding

Question 23

How neurons represent various characteristics of the environment

Answer 23

Sensory code

Question 24

The representation of a particular object by the pattern of firing of a large number of neurons

Answer 24

Population coding

Question 25

When a particular object is represented by a pattern of firing of only a small group of neurons

Answer 25

Sparse coding

Question 26

Specific functions are served by specific areas of the brain

Answer 26

Localization of function

Question 27

Layer of tissue about 3mm thick which covers the brain

Answer 27

Cerebral cortex

Question 28

Located below the cortex

Answer 28

Subcortical areas

Question 29

The study of the behaviour of people with brain damage

Answer 29

Neuropsychology

Question 30

Describe characteristics of Broca's aphasia

Answer 30

Slow, laboured, ungrammatical speech

Question 31

Describe characteristics of Wernicke's aphasia

Answer 31

Fluent, grammatically correct speech that tends to be incoherent

Question 32

Name key pieces of evidence for the localization of function in the brain

Answer 32

Broca's and Wernicke's areas WW1 damage to the occipital lobe (blindness) Recording from single neurons Brain imaging (fMRI research)

Question 33

Where is the auditory cortex?

Answer 33

Upper temporal lobe

Question 34

Where is the somatosensory cortex?

Answer 34

Parietal lobe

Question 35

Which area of the brain is associated with sensory coordination and higher functioning

Answer 35

Frontal lobe

Question 36

An inability to recognize faces

Answer 36

Prosopagnosia

Question 37

Describe double dissociation

Answer 37

Damage to one area of the brain causes function A to be absent while function B is present, and damage to another area causes function B to be absent while function A is present

Question 38

Explain how fMRI works

Answer 38

Oxygen binds to hemoglobin in the blood, increasing its magnetic properties such that when a magnetic field is presented to the brain, oxygenated hemoglobin molecules respond more strongly

Question 39

Damage to which part of the brain causes prosopagnosia?

Answer 39

Fusiform face area (FFA)

Question 40

Area associated with spatial layout

Answer 40

Parahippocampal place area (PPA)

Question 41

Area associated with bodies and parts of bodies

Answer 41

Extrastriate body area (EBA)

Question 42

Explain the principle of cognition saying that most of our experience is multidimensional

Answer 42

Even simple experiences involve combinations of different qualities

Question 43

Activates many areas of the brain

Answer 43

Distributed representation

Question 44

Memories for events in a person's life

Answer 44

Episodic memories

Question 45

Memories for facts

Answer 45

Semantic memories

Question 46

Interconnected areas of the brain that can communicate with each other

Answer 46

Neural networks

Question 47

What are the four principles associated with neural networks?

Answer 47

1. There are structural pathways called networks 2. Within the structural pathways are functional pathways that serve different functions 3. Networks operate dynamically 4. There is a resting state of brain activity

Question 48

The brain's "wiring diagram" created by nerve axons that connect different brain areas

Answer 48

Structural connectivity

Question 49

Structural description of the network of elements and connections forming the human brain

Answer 49

Connectome

Question 49

Imaging technique based on how water diffuses down the length of nerve fibres

Answer 49

Track-weighted imaging (TWI)

Question 49

The extent to which activity in two areas of the brain are correlated

Answer 49

Functional connectivity

Question 49

Name a method to determine functional connectivity

Answer 49

Resting-state fMRI

Question 50

Describe the four steps in resting-state functional connectivity tests

Answer 50

1. Use task-related fMRI to determine a brain location associated with a task 2. Measure resting-state fMRI at the seed location 3. Measure resting-state fMRI at the test location 4. Calculate the correlation between the seed and test location responses

Question 51

A network of structures that respond when a person is not involved in specific tasks

Answer 51

Default mode network (DFM)

Question 52

What are the 3 key questions?

Answer 52

The representation question: "How are cognitions represented by neural firing?" The organization question: "How are cognitions localized in different areas of the brain?" The communication question: "How are different areas of the brain connected and how do they communicate?"