Exam 1 Flashcards
Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE)
Educational neuroscience; education + psychology + neuroscience
Why MBE?
- Effective teaching can benefit from knowing something about the organ doing the learning
- Studying the human brain without studying learning is incomplete
- Need cognitive and educational psychology to bridge “from brain scans to lesson plans.”
Bruer’s Argument
There is far too great of a gap between what happens on the cellular and systems level in the brain and how people learn/show they learn, so we need cognitive psychology to bridge the gap; cannot directly link education and neuroscience
Synaptogenesis
Creation of new connections between neurons; The growth of dendrites on nerve cells and the sprouting of synapses along them. This process lasts for some time: for different lengths of time depending on the species of animal.
Synaptic Pruning
Frequently used connections are strengthened and infrequently used connections are eliminated
Dendrite
Slender forms projecting from the cell body of a neuron. Often have many synapses which receive information from other neurons; receives input
Axon
The long stem extending from the body of a neuron. Used to communicate over a distance by means of action potentials; conducts output
Synapse
Connection between cells in the form of a gap through which impulses pass
Soma
cell body; sums inputs and decides whether or not to fire
Action Potential
occurs when membrane potential of specific axon location rapidly rises and falls; this depolarization then causes adjacent locations to similarly depolarize; all or nothing firing of the cell
Neurotransmitter
A chemical released at a synapse to allow information to be transmitted from one neuron to another; fits like lock and key at the receptor
Gyri
Bumps on surface of brain
Sulci
Valleys on surface of brain
Frontal Lobe
The large region at the front of the brain, just behind the forehead; high-level cognitive processes including planning, integrating information, controlling emotions, and decision making; much bigger in humans than in any other species.
Parietal Lobe
A large region of cortex at the top and back of the brain on both sides, where spatial processing and mathematics occurs.
Occipital Lobe
Large region of cortex at the back and bottom of the brain, where visual attributes including color, form, and motion, are processed.
Temporal Lobe
The region of cortex on both sides of the brain, where visual recognition and language comprehension occurs.
Central Sulcus
Sulcus in the cerebral cortex that separates the parietal and frontal lobs and the primary motor cortex from the primary somatosensory cortex
Sylvian Fissure/Lateral Sulcus
Divides the frontal lobe and parietal lobe above from the temporal lobe
Precentral Gyrus
Located on the surface of the posterior frontal lobe; the site of the primary motor cortex (Brodmann area 4)
Postcentral Gyrus
Located in the lateral parietal lobe of the human brain; the location of the primary somatosensory cortex, the main sensory receptive area for the sense of touch
Ventricle
Communication network in brain; cavities filled with cerebral spinal fluid
White Matter
Masses of axons, which appear white under the microscope or as viewed using MRI due to their myelin sheaths
Myelin
A mixture of proteins and fats forming a whitish insulating sheath around many nerve fibers, increasing the speed at which impulses are conducted
Grey Matter
Masses of cells bodies and dendrites in the brain that appear gray under the microscope and as viewed by MRI
Broca’s Area
A region of the left frontal lobe that is dedicated to the production of language
Wernicke’s Area
Region at the base of the left temporal lobe involved in comprehension of speech
Brodmann’s Areas
A region of the cerebral cortex, in the human or other primate brain, defined by its cytoarchitecture, or histological structure and organization of cells
Inferior
Lower side of the brain
Superior
Upper side of the brain
Medial
At or near the middle of the brain, where the two hemispheres meet
Lateral
the side of the brain that is away from the center(where hemispheres meet)
Anterior
Towards the front of the brain, also known as rostral view
Posterior
Towards the back of the brain, also known as caudal view
Ventral
Bottom of the brain
Dorsal
Top of the brain
Horizontal/axial
Top view of the brain
Sagittal/lateral
Side view of the brain
Coronal
Back view of the brain
Visual Field
Things that are seen in the left visual field project to the right hemisphere, and things in the right visual field project to the left hemisphere. The fields crisscross at the optic chiasm
Dorsal visual pathway
Where/how; processing the object’s spatial location relative to the viewer
Ventral visual pathway
What; object and visual identification and recognition
Sensitive Period
The period during which the brain is particularly likely to be affected by experience. After a sensitive period, if the brain has not been exposed to certain environmental stimuli, it is unlikely that it will develop certain sensory or motor functions normally without special remedial input.
Fusiform Face Area (FFA)
Once thought to be a facial recognition area, now believed to be an expertise area. Both car experts and bird experts show activation in the FFA when they see faces, but when car experts see birds there is not activation, and when bird experts see cars there is no activation
PET
Introduce radioactive tracer into bloodstream which will attach to molecule of interest; measure where radiation comes from in brain; invasive
MRI
Noninvasive; surround the skull with extremely powerful magnets; H atom alignment; highly detailed 3D image; uses voxels
EEG/ERP
- Noninvasive; measures electrical activity arising from neurons through the scalp; records local field potentials- when a group of neurons in a given area fire together
- Good temporal resolution; can measure pre-stimulus activity
- Poor spatial localization; lots of prep time
- ERP components labeled as positive and negative
MEG
- Noninvasive; current flow in neurons creates local magnetic fields; measure magnetic field changes at surface of the scalp using superconducting coils (SQUIDs)
- High temporal and spatial resolution
- Very expensive; not widely used
fNIRS
- Use EEG like cap; emit/detect near infrared light; shine into the head; sensitive to differences in oxy and deoxy- hemoglobin
- Small, portable, non-invasive, less sensitive to motion
- Only a small number of sensor locations, cannot image deep tissues
DTI
Measure of density/motion of water in neurons; water will diffuse along a fiber tract; can measure the orientation of these water molecules to map the white matter fiber tracts in the brain
Neuromyths
- Misunderstandings stemming from information being lost in translation from neuroscience research findings through many layers of people to teachers, and then students and on
- Alleviate through teacher and researcher education-bridge the gap; don’t oversimplify concepts
- Examples: 10% brain, learning styles, left/right brain
When does language development begin?
In utero-can distinguish between languages
Sensitive Periods for Language
- Sound discrimination is determined by the sounds in a baby’s environment in the first 12 months of life; by the end of their first year babies lose the easy ability to distinguish between sounds to which they are not exposed.
- Sensitive period, because there is still a window of opportunity after 12 mo at a young age - not critical period
When brain starts responding to language
2-3 months
Monolingual v. Bilingual brain systems used
In early bilinguals, the exact same brain systems that are involved when speaking native and 2nd language; In later bilinguals, we see that you have some segregation of brain systems used
Monolingual v. Bilingual development
- 5 mo - pretty similar to being sensitive to native vowel categories & consonant categories
- 10 months- picking up not just on the sounds of language, but how we put those sounds together
- 1 year and onward- infants start to acquire word-object associations
- 2 years of age- most infants are producing 2-3 word utterances
- The progression from word-object associations to 2-3 word utterances, is very similar for bilingual and monolingual infants
Brain systems for language
- generally same in spoken language and sign language, with a few differences for signers
- auditory cortex, broca’s area,
Domain General Processing
Don’t apply to any one specific domain; memory, executive function, attention; will impact domain specific
Domain Specific Processing
Skills you only use in certain circumstances; math and reading
Approximate Number System (ANS)
- Approximate and compressed = Weber’s law; represents both small and large quantities; insensitive to surface features (color)
- Depends on mid-parietal regions.
- Develops slowly with age, beyond age 10
- IPS (intraparietal sulcus) activation
ANS developmental trajectory
- Slowly with age, beyond age 10
- Time it takes to name number of items is low for 1-3 or 4 items - OTS
- Beyond 3 or 4, naming latencies increase linearly-serial counting; errors increase with numerosity
- This number system becomes more precise with development
Difference between ANS and OTS
- Approximate number system associated with rough sense of number and the object tracking system with exact sense
- once kids get to 4 objects, they have to count
- process of serial counting-the more objects you have, the longer it takes you
- OTS for small numbers and ANS for larger
Object Tracking System (OTS)
Exact; limited to small quantities; sensitive to surface features; depends on posterior parietal regions, develops to adult-like levels within the first year of life
Paradox of Literacy
Reading is a recent cultural invention but has become nearly universal in a short time
Neuronal Recycling
Pre-existing systems for other purposes (language, object recognition) are co-opted for culturally acquired systems
Neuronal Recycling in Reading
Cultural “co-evolution” of culturally acquired systems to match brain systems; visual word recognition is a result of recycling cortical structures whose initial functions were for object recognition
Visual Word Form Area (VWFA)
Brain area which is primarily responsive to reading in left hemisphere. Activation for real words is larger than for fake words. No right hemisphere homologue. Active irrespective of visual field. Case-invariant. Critical for rapid reading. Takes over FFA when people become experts in reading/writing.
Dyslexia
A specific learning difficulty in reading, affecting 5-17% of school-age children; difficulties with accurate word recognition, decoding and spelling; may cause problems with reading comprehension and slow down vocabulary growth; may result in poor reading fluency and reading out loud
Dyslexia causes
- Neurological and often genetic; Not the result of poor instruction, intelligence or motivation.
- Competing Hypotheses of cause:
- > Phonology (sounds of language; rhyming)
- > Auditory
- > Visual (magnocellular)
- > Cerebellar (integration)
Brain features of Dyslexia
Non-dyslexic people have asymmetrical brains with the left hemisphere being larger than the same area on the right, but dyslexic people show a pattern of symmetry (right equals left) or asymmetry in the other direction (right larger than left)
Changes in brain after phonological intervention for dyslexia
increased left temporal activation
Numerical Distance Effect
Numbers that are further apart are easier to distinguish and compare(ex: 5 and 10 easier than 280 and 285), and ratios that are more different are also easier to distinguish and compare
Regions involved in numerical processing
Frontal and parietal
Discalculia
Impairments to numerical magnitude processing- can’t tell which of two numbers is bigger; correlation with ANS deficits; partial remediation of deficient brain activation after consolidation of acquired and refined number representation
Role of Angular Gyrus (AG) in math
Activation for drill or familiar problems and exact calculation
Role of Intraparietal Sulcus (IPS) in math
IPS for online calculation, non-exact processing and novel problems
Role of Intraparietal Sulcus (IPS) in math
IPS for online calculation, non-exact processing and novel problems; approximate
3 Parietal Circuits for Numerical Processing
- The “Number Sense” (approximate)
- Verbal Storage (exact)
- The Mental Number Line (approximate)
Math anxiety
A feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that interferes with math performance; related to poor math performance on math achievement tests & negative attitudes concerning math; negative feedback cycle
Math anxiety brain systems
- MCC, Insula -Areas of the brain associated with pain which are recruited when a person with math anxiety takes a math test or receives a math cue
- SPL, IPS - normally recruited when solving math problems, are not recruited for people with high math anxiety
- IPL, IFJ - less deficits when these areas associated with cognitive control are recruited
Math anxiety causes
Parents -> children; teachers -> students; female teachers transmit to girl students
Do people with high or low working memory do worse in math under high pressure?
High
Single-unit recording
provides a method of measuring the electro-physiological responses of single neurons using a microelectrode system
Frontal to Parietal shift in math processing with age
shift from procedural to retrieval strategies for problem-solving
