Chapter One Flashcards
Cognition collectlively refers to…
a variety of higher mental processes such as thinking, perceiving, imaging, speaking, acting, and planning
Cognitive neuroscience:
science that aims to explain cognitive processes in terms of brain-based mechanisms
Mind-body problem:
problem of how a physical substance (the brain) can give rise to our sensations, thoughts, and emotions (our mind)
Dualism:
belief that mind and brain are made up of different kinds of substances
Descartes and his belief in dualism were…
Where did the two components interact?
the mind was non-physical and immortal
the brain was physical and mortal
pineal gland
Why would there be little hope for advances in neurocognitive science if dualism were true?
sciences cannot tap into the non-physical domain
Dual-aspect theory:
belief that mind and brain are two levels of description of the same thing
ex: electron is described as both a wave and as a particle
Reductionism:
belief that mind-based concepts (emotions, memories, attention) will eventually be replaced by neuroscientific concepts (neuronal firings, patterns, NT release)
Why could you debate that the dual-aspect theory is more favorable?
emotion would still feel like emotion no matter the fully understanding of scientific components
Phrenology:
failed idea that individual difference in cognition can be mapped onto differences in skull shape
Functional specialization:
different regions of the brain are specialized for different functions
Broca documented cases which acquired brain damage and impaired the ability to […] but other aspects of […] intact.
What did Broca’s findings suggest?
speak; cognition
suggests that language could be localized to a particular brain region
Cognitive neuropsychology:
study of brain-damaged patients to inform theories of normal cognition
Information processing:
What stages did this consist of?
an approach in which behavior is described in terms of a sequence of cognitive stages (no brain reference)
- input
- perception
- attention
- short term memory
- output or long-term memory
Modularity:
What are the kinds of modularity?
the notion that certain cognitive processes (or regions of the brain) are restricted in the type of information they process
- domain specificity
- domain-independent
-Modularity-
Modules are held to demonstrate […].
Central systems are held to be […].
domain specificity
domain-independent
Domain specificity:
the idea that a cognitive process (or brain region) is dedicated solely to one particular type of information (colors, faces, words)
Domain-independent:
type of information processed is non-specific (candidates would be memory, attention, executive functions)
Interactivity:
later stages of processing can begin before earlier stages are complete
Top-down processing:
the influence of later stages on the processing of earlier ones (memory influences on perception)
Bottom-up processing:
the passage of information from simpler (edges) to more complex (objects)
Parallel processing:
different information is processed at the sam time
Neural network models:
computational model in which information processing occurs using many interconnected nodes
Nodes:
the basic units of neural network MODELS that are activated in response to activity in other parts of the network
Direct electrical stimulation is no longer used as a research tool, although it has some therapeutic applications such as in…
Parkinson’s
Modern-day electrical stimulation types (2):
- transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
- transcranial electrical stimulation (tES)
Modern-day recording devices for electrical and magnetic properties of neurons themselves:
- Electrophysiological (EEG/ERP and single cell)
- magnetophysiological methods (MEG)
Modern-day recording devices for physiological changes associated with blood supply to the brain:
- functional imaging methods (PET, fMRI, fNIRS)
Which methods of cognitive neuroscience have better spatial and temporal resolution?
Single-cell recordings and multicell recordings
Temporal resolution:
Which methods have millisecond resolution?
What temporal resolution does fMRI have? What does this mean?
accuracy with which one can measure WHEN an event (physiological change) occurs
EEG, MEG, TMS, single-cell recordings
several seconds; slower hemodynamic response
Spatial resolution:
What methods have spatial resolutions at the millimeter level? Level of the neuron?
What are the downfalls to spatial resolution precision?
the accuracy with which one can measure WHERE an event (physiological change) is occurring
mm: lesions and functional imaging methods
neuron: single-cell recordings
invasive methods are usually the most precise
What are the number of things that one could measure in a standard forced-choice reaction-time task?
- reaction time
- error rates
- sweating (skin conductance response)
- muscle contraction (electromyograph)
- scalp electrical recordings (EEG) or hemodynamic changes in the brain (fMRI)
