Introducing cognitive neuroscience Flashcards
A variety of higher
mental processes such
as thinking, perceiving,
imagining, speaking,
acting and planning
Cognition
Aims to explain cognitive
processes in terms of
brain-based mechanisms
Cognitive neuroscience
The problem of how a
physical substance (the
brain) can give rise to our
sensations, thoughts and
emotions (our mind)
Mind-body problem
The belief that mind
and brain are made up
of different kinds of
substance
Dualism
The belief that mind and
brain are two levels of
description of the same
thing
Dual-aspect theory
The belief that mind-
based concepts will
eventually be replaced by
neuroscientific concepts
Reductionism
The failed idea that
individual differences in
cognition can be mapped
onto differences in skull
shape
Phrenology
Different regions of the
brain are specialized for
different functions
Functional specialization
The study of brain-
damaged patients to
inform theories of normal
cognition
Cognitive neuropsychology
An approach in which
behavior is described in
terms of a sequence of
cognitive stages
Information processing
The notion that certain
cognitive processes (or
regions of the brain) are
restricted in the type of
information they process
Modularity
The idea that a cognitive
process (or brain region)
is dedicated solely to
one particular type of
information (e.g., colors,
faces, words)
Domain specificty
Later stages of processing
can begin before earlier
stages are complete
Interactivity
The influence of later stag-
es on the processing of
earlier ones (e.g., memory
influences on perception)
Top-down processing
The passage of informa-
tion from simpler (e.g.,
edges) to more complex
(e.g., objects)
Bottom-up processing
