H15 The executive brain

Question 1

executive funtions

Answer 1

associated with prefrontal cortex: control processess that enable an individual to optimize performance in situations requiring the operation & coordination of several more basic cognitive processes

Question 2

hierarchical model of working-memory

Answer 2

model in which:
-ventrolateral PFC →responsible for activating, retrieving & maintaining info
-dorsolateral PFC→responsible when info held withinthis system requires active manipulation

Question 3

self-ordered pointing task

Answer 3

task in which participants must point to a new object on each trial & thus maintain a working memory fro previous selected items

Question 4

FAS test

Answer 4

test of verbal fluency: participants must generate words beginning with a letter in limited time

Question 5

Stroop test

Answer 5

response interference from naming the ink color of a written color name

Question 6

Go/No-Go test

Answer 6

test of response inhibition: participants must respond to a frequent stimulus but withhold response to another

Question 7

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

Answer 7

test of executive functions involving rule induction & rule use

Question 8

switch cost

Answer 8

slowing of response time due to discarding a previous schema & setting up a new one

Question 9

perseveration

Answer 9

failure to shift away from a previous response

Question 10

“hot” vs “cold” processes

Answer 10

principle of organization of executive functions
hot→ control of affective or reward-related stimuli (involves primarily orbitofrontal cortex)
cold→purely cognitive stimuli (involves primarily lateral PFC)

Question 11

sociopathy

Answer 11

= anti-social personality disorder
= personality disorder associated with irresponsible & unreliable behaviour that is not personally advantageous
- inability to form lasting commitments or relationships
- egocentric thinking
- marked degree of impulsivity

Question 12

multiple-demand network

Answer 12

set of brain regions in lateral prefrontal & parietal lobes activated by a large range of tasks relative to baseline

Question 13

fluid intelligence

Answer 13

flexible thinking & problem-solving in novel situations, independent of acquired knowledge

Question 14

cristallized intelligence

Answer 14

ability to use prior expertise & knowledge

Question 15

left lateral PFC

Answer 15

relatively specialized for task-setting

Question 16

right lateral PFC

Answer 16

relatively specialized for task-monitoring

Question 17

monitoring

Answer 17

process of relating info currently held in mind back to task requirements

Question 18

sustained attention

Answer 18

maintaining focus on the task requirements over a period of time

Question 19

anterior cingulate

Answer 19

-interface between limbic & frontal regions
-role in detection of errors in executive functions

Question 20

error-related negativity

Answer 20

ERP component in EEG that can be detected at the scalp when an error is made