Chapter 3: Understanding The Role Of The Brain Flashcards
What is phrenology?
Joseph Gall.
A pseudoscience that suggests our mental abilities and personality are controlled by 27 areas of the brain and that the shape and size of the skull can be measured to determine a persons character.
Name and explain 2 neuroimaging techniques
Computed Tomography (CT): generates detailed images of the brain and other parts of the body, enabling doctors to detect structural abnormalities eg. Tumors.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET): monitor functional and to a lesser extent, structural changes in patients with degenerative conditions eg. Schizophrenia.
What did ancient Egyptians believe about the brain and heart?
During mummification after a persons death, the brain was considered was considered unimportant and was removed via the nose with a hook while other organs were extracted and placed in jars.
The heart was usually left in the body as Egyptians considered it the centre of reason, intelligence, and personality. It was deemed to be essential for rebirth into the Afterlife.
What is the Brain versus Heart debate?
Originated long ago. For some, it was the brain that was the centre of intelligent thought, personality, decision making, and consciousness, for others it was the heart that contributed these qualities and functions.
