lab one: electroencephalography (EEG), psychophysiology, and wii Flashcards
electroencephalogram (EEG)
recording of electrical potential differences between various cortical areas
cortical neurons
excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials
brain waves
patterns of neuronal electrical activity
what are the different categories of brain waves?
alpha, beta, theta, delta, gamma
alpha
subject has eyes closed and is relaxed (brain that is -idling: a calm, relaxed state of wakefulness)
8 to 13 Hz
beta
occur when mentally alert
14 to 30 Hz
theta
occur during sleep at all ages; common in awake children
4 to 7 Hz
delta
occur during deep sleep; indicate brain damage in awake adults
less than or equal to 4 Hz
gamma
may be associated with higher mental activity
30 to 50 Hz
consciousness
encompasses conscious perception of sensations, voluntary initiation and control of movement, and capabilities associated with higher mental processing (memory, logic, judgement, perseverance, and so on)
*knowing what we are doing within our environment
suppositions about consciousness
1) involves simultaneous activity of large areas of the cerebral cortex, 2) superimposed with other types of neural activity and 3) holistic and interconnected
what are the two major types of sleep?
non-rapid eye movement (NREM) with four stages and rapid eye movement (REM)
stage one of sleep (non-rapid eye movement): wave activity
beta and alpha activity decreases while theta activity increases
stage two of sleep (non-rapid eye movement): wave activity
irregular theta activity; sleep spindles and increase in K complexes
stage three and four of sleep (non-rapid eye movement): wave activity
increase in delta activity
flat electroencephalogram (EEG)
absence of brain wave activity indicating brain death
language: left hemisphere
broca’s and wernicke’s area
broca’s area
speaking language
wernicke’s areas
understanding language and producing sentences that are structured with logical thought
language: right hemisphere
produces body language through gestures and tone of voice
what are the four types of memory
procedural, motor, emotional, declarative
procedural memory
skill memory; memory is practiced over and over and over again
motor memory
memory associated with the ability to repeat the same muscle movements
emotional memory
memory associated with the sentiments of an event
declarative memory
memory of facts (words, names, faces, dates); two stages known as short-term and long-term memory
short-term memory
limited to 7 to 8 parts of information
long-term memory
remembering large sums of information
what facilitates the conversion (transfer) from short-term to long-term memory?
rehearsing and repeating
seizures
torrent of electrical discharges from groups of brain neurons that interrupt normal functioning
aura
experience of sensory hallucinations before a seizure begins
absence seizure
mild form during which the person is no longer conscious of their environment as their expressions goes blank for a few seconds
tonic-clonic seizure
more severe form and result in convulsions; person loses consciousness, bowel, and bladder control; lasts for a few minutes
psychophysiology
branch of science concerned with physiological bases of psychological processes
electrodermal response (EDR)
galvanic skin response (GSR) or skin conductance level (SCL); eccrine sweat glands respond to a person’s mental state more than they do to temperature increase; when filled with fluid, skin resistance decreases and skin conductance increases
what do psychophysiologists measure?
skin temperature, heart rate, muscle activity, eye movement, blood pressure, and respiratory rate
what parts of the brain are associated with concentration and distraction?
frontal lobe, parietal love, occipital love, temporal lobe, brain stem, and cerebellum
frontal lobe
consciousness of what you are doing as well as decision making on tasks or our environment
parietal lobe
integrating sensory information particularly spatial awareness and navigation
occipital lobe
deals with vision and our ability to locate objects in the environmental as well as details about those objects (color)
temporal lobe
auditory perception and memory acquisition
brain stem
vision-based reflexes
cerebellum
coordination of voluntary movement
top-down attention
willful, goal-oriented attention (focused)
bottom-up attention
reflexive attention to sensory information (loud noises, bright colors, or threatening animals)
distraction
divided attention of an individual from a particular task onto the source of the distraction
inattentive blindness
occurs when someone is distracted and becomes “blinded” to sensory information that would likely process without the distraction