Cognition and Personality Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 3 streams of information that occur after a visual stimuli has been detected?

A

Visual information is processed by the occipital lobe
Dorsal stream- ‘where’ is fast
Anterior stream-
Ventral stream- ‘what’ is energy demanding

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2
Q

What are the ‘executive functions’ of the brain?

A

Attention, working memory, reasoning and problem solving

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3
Q

What is ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’ thinking?

A

Bottom up= focuses on interpreting sensory information in real-time. Does not require previous knowledge
Top down= the interpretation of incoming information based on prior knowledge, experiences, and expectations

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4
Q

How long does short term memory last?

A

Around 10s

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5
Q

What are the two types of long term memory?

A

Implicit (procedural) and explicit (declarative)

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6
Q

What is implicit memory

A

It does not require the conscious or explicit recollection of past events or information e.g. like riding a bike

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7
Q

What are the 4 types of explicit memory?

A
  • Semantic memory- knowledge about facts
  • Episodic memory- remembering events
  • Autobiographical- remembering our life
  • Visual memory- photographic memory
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8
Q

What mainly controls the advanced thinking?

A

Pre-frontal cortex

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9
Q

What are the two areas that working memory is held?

A

The pre-frontal cortex and the episodic buffer in the parietal lobe

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10
Q

What is working memory?

A

Working memory is a cognitive system with a limited capacity that can hold information temporarily

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11
Q

What is the episodic buffer?

A

In the parietal lobe, it is a temporary store that integrates information from the other components and maintains a sense of time, so events occur in a continuing sequence

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12
Q

What structure is important for long term memory?

A

The hippocampus- It is necessary for the process of encoding short term memory into long term, particularly episodic or autobiographical

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13
Q

Where is the hippocampus?

A

Deep in temporal lobes

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14
Q

What can happen if the hippocampus is damaged?

A

Loss of explicit memory (amnesia)

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15
Q

Where are procedural memories stored?

A

Split between two areas; basal ganglia and cerebellum
Cerebellum= responsible for timing and execution of learned motor skills e.g. playing piano
Basal ganglia= repetitive movements we use frequently e.g. use of muscles grab an object

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16
Q

What happens during sleep with memories?

A

During sleep the hippocampus and neocortex relay information to one another

17
Q

Where are plans for movement made?

A

Information about perception of space, audio and visual stimuli are carried to pre-frontal cortex where movement plans are made.

18
Q

Where do bottom up goals and top down goals come from?

A

Bottom up goals= limbic system
Top down goals= prefrontal cortex (high thinking)

19
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

The limbic system is the part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses, especially when it comes to behaviours we need for survival: feeding, reproduction and caring for our young, and fight or flight responses

20
Q

What are the structures within the limbic system?

A

The hypothalamus, nucleus accumbent, median forebrain bundle, ventral segmental area and the amygdala

21
Q

Where do negative and positive emotion arise from

A

Amygdala is more associated with negative emotion
The reward area (nucleus accumbens, medial forebrain bundle and ventral segmental area) associated with positive emotion

22
Q

What is salience?

A

The limbic drive to invest perceptual resource in significant stimuli
The salience network is a collection of regions of the brain that select which stimuli are deserving of our attention.

23
Q

What is the dorsal stream of visual information?

A

Fast
From occipital lobe to parietal lobe
‘Where’

24
Q

What is the anterior stream of visual information?

A

saliance system or the ‘so what’ pathway. Tries to decide if the stimuli is interesting enough to invest in

25
What is the ventral stream of visual information?
From occipital to temporal Energy expensive 'What'
26
What happens if the limbic system and/or the prefrontal cortex find a stimuli worth investing in?
There are two responses; 1. The limbic system activates the hippocampus- if stimuli is useful important to make a memory of it 2. The attention control system is also activated, which tells the ventral stream it is worth investing in
27
What is entityfication?
Trying to distinguish something that is a coherent object in the world from other things
28
What is the dynamic hypothesis testing theory?
- We have a best guess about what reality is - We commit to a goal - We hypothesise how to achieve that goal (in pre-frontal cortex) - We act - There is dynamic monitoring of whether the goal is getting closer or further away - Continue this until we reach the goal
29
What neurotransmitter results in positive emotion?
Dopamine
30
What structures in the brain release dopamine and what does this target?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is produced in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and hypothalamus of the brain. Reaches frontal cortex
31
What neurotransmitter are pathways for fear moderated by?
Come from the amygdala and are moderated by glutamate
32
What are two scales to measure cognition?
MMSE- limited value other than in advanced dementia Addenbrooke's cognitive examination III (total score out of 100- useful to chart over time)
33
What are the 'big 5' traits in personality?
Openness Conscientousness Extroversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
34
What is the 'negative' trait out of the big 5?
Neuroticism, high would be tense, moody, anxious, sensitive, prone to negativity
35
What acronym does the big 5 spell?
OCEAN
36
What structures are contained within the salience system?
This network consists of the following brain regions: the dorsal anterior cingulate, the insula and the amygdala