Introduction Flashcards
What are the aims of neuropsychology?
To establish a relationship between psychological functions
What is the mind-body problem?
The body is physical. The mind is intangible. How can one influence the other?
What is phrenology?
The philosophy that cranial bumps reflect the size of brain regions, and so can be used to determine cognitive traits
What is Broca’s aphasia?
The word recall one
What is Wernicke’s aphasia?
The coherency one
Where is Broca’s area?
Left interior frontal lobe
Where is Wernicke’s area?
Superior temporal gyrus
What is prosopagnosia?
The inability to differentiate between faces
What are double dissociations?
Two different forms of neurological impairment, which rarely co-occur and appear to be mutually exclusive, though are related
What are the limitations of dissociation studies?
> Compensatory strategies
May be impaired in both, but more impaired in one
Methodological variation
What are the advantages of the lesion method of neurological study?
> Links specific brain regions to functions
> Advances theories of cognitive functioning
What are the limitations of the lesion method?
> Brain damage is not specific
Individual differences
Other brain regions may have a supporting role
Damaged region may be a major site, or just a connection
Compensation strategies
What are the advantages of single participant research designs?
> Comprehensive longitudinal insight
> Results are highly representative
What are the limitations of single person research designs?
> Invasive
May be confounded by medication
Little external validity
Not amenable to certain designs
What are the advantages of group studies?
> Increase external validity
Reduce sampling errors
Replication
Can use full range of research designs
What are the limitations of group studies?
> Heterogeneity of brain damage
> Individual differences can be masked by averaging
What are the different neuropsychological methods of research?
> Cell recordings > Electroencephalography (EEG) > Magnetoencephalography (MEG) > Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) > Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
What are the different behavioural methods of research?
> Reaction time
Accuracy
Eye tracking
What are the problems with single-cell recordings in humans?
> Invasive
Difficult to isolate cells
Fluctuating baseline activity
What are the advantages of EEG?
> Millisecond temporal resolution
Cheap, widely available
Measures ongoing activity
Noninvasive
What are the limitations of EEG?
> Poor resolution
‘Inverse Problem’
Lots of trials needed to average the signal
Artefacts
Individual differences in strength of data
Time consuming
What is EEG?
Recording electrical fluctuations across the scalp
What are the shared advantages of EEG and MEG?
> Good temporal resolution
> Non-invasive
What are the advantages MEG has over EEG?
> Signal not distorted by the skull
Quick
No direct contact of sensors
What are the advantages of EEG over MEG?
> Cheap and widely available (MEG is extremely expensive)
What is fMRI?
Inferring neural activity by measuring changing blood oxygen levels in the brain
What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)?
Magnetically stimulating the surface of the brain to technologically disable some brain regions
What are the advantages of TMS?
> Reversible
Timing is controllable
No neural reorganisation
Within subjects design is possible
What are the limitations of TMS?
> Effects not fully understood
Restricted to surface regions
Not very precise
What are the advantages of functional neuroimaging?
> Can localise function in healthy controls
Revealed activity in regions previously thought to be unrelated
Techniques can be used in a complimentary fashion
What are the limitations of functional neuroimaging?
> Interpretation of data complex
No standard vocabulary
Poor reliability
What are the possible confounding factors in neuropsychological research?
> Level of education > Age > Test type > Assessor interactions > Formality >Compliance > Malingering > Reporting of facts
What is malingering?
The exaggeration of symptoms for secondary benefits
