History of Cognitive neuroscience; Structure and Function of the nervous system Flashcards
Define: Cognition
Cognition refers to mental activity involving basic thought processes, such as the interpretation or transformation of recently acquired or stored information
History
Phrenology
(Late 1800s)
Believed that the brain is like a muscle that grows with training, resulting in changes in skull shape.
Suggested that brain functions are highly localised to specific parts - localisationists view
History
What did Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens do?
Conducted experiments with pigeons creating various brain lesions and could not find evidence for specific behavioural deficits.
Concluded that behavioural abilities are mediated by interactions of areas from the entire brain: aggregate field theory
History
What did John Hughlings Jackson do?
Monitored epilepsy patients and discovered localised areas (often in the motor cortex) were responsible for seizures.
This supported the localizationist view with topographic organization of muscle representation in the cortex (homunculus).
History
Topographic Organisation
The spatial arrangement of neurons in specific brain regions, such as the motor cortex, where adjacent areas correspond to and control the movements of neighboring body parts.
This is the same with the somatosensory cortex.
History
Broca and Wernicke
Associated language production and comprehension deficits with specific brain lesions.
Further supported the localizationist view.
History
Broadman and novel cell staining
New staining techniques revealed distinct appearances of different brain areas under a microscope. Allowing Broadman to subdivide the human cortex into 52 different cytoarchitectonic areas
support for localisationalists view
History
The Neuron Doctrine
Freud’s belief in neurons as part of a syncytium (continuous mass) was challenged by Golgi and Cajal.
Golgi and Cajal argued for the neuron doctrine, suggesting that neurons in the nervous system are discrete individual cells. - won Nobel prize in 1906
Psychological Perspective (Early 20th Century)
Define: Behaviourism
Behaviorism emphasizes the study of observable behaviors and external stimuli, excluding consideration of internal mental processes, with a focus on learning through environmental interactions
Psychological Perspective (Early 20th Century)
What did behaviorists like Thorndike and Watson emphasize as determinants of behavior?
Learning and conditioning
Psychological Perspective (Early 20th Century)
What belief emerged from behaviorism’s focus on measurable facts?
The idea that only measurable phenomena are suitable for scientific inquiry
Psychological Perspective (Early 20th Century)
From behaviorism, what therapeutic approach emerged and is used to treat conditions like depression?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Psychological Perspective (Early 20th Century)
What were the limitations of behaviorism? What could it not explain?
Behaviorism had an inability to explain language or provide insights into perception, emotion, memory and decision-making.
Psychological Perspective (Early 20th Century)
According to Miller and Chomsky, what did they recognize regarding learning and conditioning, especially in the context of language acquisition?
Not all learning can be explained by conditioning. In particular language cannot be learned through conditioning. It is necessary to understand how the brain works
Structure and Function of the Nervous System
What are Glial Cells?
Glial cells are non-neuronal cells in the nervous system that provide support, insulation, and various functions crucial for the overall well-being and functioning of neurons.
