H1 Introducing cognitive neuroscience Flashcards
cognition
a variety of higher mental processes (such as thinking, perceiving imagining,speaking, acting and planning)
cognitive neuroscience
aims to explain cognitive processes in terms of brain-based mechanisms
cognitive psychology+biology & neuroscience
mind-body problem
how can a physical substance give rise to sensations, thoughts and emotions
dualism
the belief that mind and brain are made up of different kinds of substance (Descartes)
dual-aspect theory
belief that mind and brain are two levels of description of the same thing (Spinoza)
reductionism
belief that mind-based concepts will eventually be replaced by neuroscientific concepts
phrenology
idea that different regions perform different functions + size of these regions produces distortions of the skull- correlating with indiv differences
functional specialization
different regions of the brain are specialized for different functions
cognitive neuropsychology
study of brain-damaged patients to inform theories of normal cognition
information-processing approach
approach in which behaviour is described in terms of a sequence of cognitive stages (computer metaphor)
theory of modularity
theory with 2 classes of cognitive process: central systems & modules
central systems → domain independant: type of info processed is non-specific
modules→ domain specific: process only 1 type of info
interactivity
later stages of processing can begin before earlier stages are complete
top-down processing
later stages can influence the processing of earlier ones
bottom-up processing
passage of information from simpler (vb edges) to more complex (vb objects)
parallel processing
different info is processed at the = time
recording methods
EEG/ERP, single cell recordings, MEG →record magnetic & electrical properties of neurons
stimulation methods
TMS, tES →stimulation across the skull
functional imaging methods
PET, fMRI, fNIRS → record physiological changes associated with blood supply to the brain
= hemodynamic methods
TMS
transcranial magnetic stimulation
tES
transcranial electrical stimulation
temporal resolution
accuracy with which one can measure WHEN an event occurs
spatial resolution
accuracy with which on can measure WHERE an event occurs
connectome
comprehensive map of neural connections in the brain that may be thought of as its ‘wiring diagram’
structural connectivity
white matter fibers
functional connectivity
correlated patterns of brain activity between regions
graph theory
mathematical technique for computing the pattern of connectivity from a set of correlations (zoals subway map)
