Cognitive Neuroscience Chapter 1 Flashcards
action potentials
The electrical signal conducted along neuronal axons by which information is conveyed from one place to another in the nervous system.
behaviorism
A perspective in cognitive psychology that holds that only directly observable behavior, and not internal mental states, can be studied scientifically.
cerebral cortex
The superficial gray matter of the cerebrum.
cognition
“Higher-order” mental processes.
cognitive functions
The set of processes that allow humans and many other animals to perceive external stimuli, to extract key information and hold it in memory, and ultimately to generate thoughts and actions that help reach desired goals.
cognitive models
An explanatory framework that invokes unobserved internal states to predict how stimuli lead to actions.
cognitive neuroscience
A scientific discipline that seeks to create models that explain the interrelations between brain function and cognitive functions.
complementarity
The combination of data across multiple methods for measuring brain function, often to improve inferences about the nature of the generative neural processes.
convergence
The combination of results across multiple experimental paradigms, often to support inferences about an unobservable internal state.
individual differences
Variation in a cognitive function or other trait across people, often as can be related to a particular biological predictor.
localization of function
The idea that the brain may have distinct regions that support particular cognitive functions.
mind
The full spectrum of a person’s awareness (one aspect of consciousness) at any point in time, reflecting sensory percepts, as well as thoughts, feelings, goals, desires, and so on.
nervous systems
The network of nerve cells throughout the body.
neural correlates
A measure of brain function that covaries with the expression of a cognitive function.
neurons
A cell specialized for the conduction and transmission of electrical signals in the nervous system.
neurotransmitters
A chemical agent released at synapses that mediates signaling between nerve cells.
phrenology
Originating in the early nineteenth century, the attempt to create maps of brain function based on the pattern of bumps and valleys on the surface of the skull.
psychological constructs
A theoretical concept, often generated by converging results across experiments, that cannot be directly observed but serves to explain and unify a body of research.
synapses
A specialized point of contact between the axon of a neuron (the presynaptic cell) and a target (postsynaptic) cell. Information is transferred between the presynaptic and postsynaptic cells by the release and receipt of biochemical neurotransmitters.
