Lesson 10 - Ways of studying the brain Flashcards
Describe post-mortem examinations.
Psychologists may study a person that displays an interesting behaviour. After they die abnormalities can be looked for in the brain that may explain the behaviour
What is a strength of post-mortem examinations?
They allow for more detailed examination of anatomical and neurochemical aspects of the brain then other methods.
What is a weakness of post-mortem examinations?
Post mortars have small sample size. Findings can’t be representative of whole population
What does Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) do?
It provides an indirect measure of neural activity. It uses magnetic fields and radio waves to monitor blood flow in the brain. Measures change in release of energy by Haemoglobin, reflecting activity of brain
What is a strength of fMRI?
Captures dynamic brain activity as opposed to a post-mortem examination which purely show the physiology of the brain
What is a strength of fMRI?
Has good spatial resolution, can detect finer features
What is a weakness of fMRI?
Expensive, low sample size, reduces validity
What does an Electroencephalogram do ?
It directly measures General neural activity in the brain, usually linked to states like sleep and arousal. Its done by placing electrodes on the head and using these to detect neural activity
What is a weakness of Electroencephalogram?
They have poor spatial resolution, can’t see intricacies.
What is a strength of Electroencephalogram?
Provides recordings of brain activity in real time rather than a still image - researcher can accurately measure a particular task
What is an Event-related potential ?
Its when electrodes are placed on scalp and they measure neural activity in response to a specific stimulus introduced by the researcher.
What is a strength of Event related potentials?
Cheaper than fMRI so can be used more widely in research
What is a weakness of Event related potentials?
Poor spatial resolution.
