Lesson 6 - Cognitive neuroscience Flashcards
1
Q
Emergence of cognitive neuroscience
A
- Emerged in 1971
- Miller (1991)
- Looks at the biological aspect of thought processes
- Combines the cognitive approach with the biological approach
- “The scientific study of the influence of the brain structure (biological approach) on mental processes. Areas of the brain can be mapped to locate specific cognitive functions”
- Uses computer generated imagery from scans like CT, PET and fMRI scans
- Computer generated models have helped develop mind mapping and brain finger printing which has now had a profund influence on eye witness testimony
2
Q
Strengths of cognitive neuroscience
A
- Very dominant in psychology today. Has contributed to the development of AI and ‘thinking’ robots
- The cognitive approach is praised as it is founded on the idea of soft determinism, which means that humans have free will while operating within the limits of what they know. It is not as deterministic as the behavioural approach
- Uses scientific methods such as using lab experiments. High levels of control can be placed on these experiments, and a causal relationship couldn’t be identified
3
Q
computers
Weaknesses of cognitive neuroscience
A
- Theorised computer models simplify cognitive function and it is reductionist. Emotion is also overlooked when looking at theoretical models
- It is not accurate to compare humans to computers. Computers are mechanistic and have no free will unlike humans. This must be considered when making comparisons between the two.
- There are also many other factors that differ humans and computers: we can get tired, we forget can be distracted etc, and a computer does not have these issues
4
Q
Maguire (2000)
A
Is brain anatomy predetermined, or can there be plastic changes?
- Taxi drivers undergo training, called ‘The Knowledge’, therefore they have very good spatial awareness
- 32 healthy males (avg. 44 years old) split into two groups of 16
- One group were licensed taxi drivers in London and the other had never driven taxis (control)
- MRI scans of each group were taken
- The right posterior hippocampus in the taxi drivers’ brains were larger than the control group, and this was proportional the the amount of time they had been a taxi driver
- The right posterior hippocampus is responsible for storing visual representations, which is important as a taxi driver
5
Q
Strengths of Maguire (2000)
A
- Supports the key aspects of cognitive neuroscience in which both the cognitive and biological approach go hand in hand. Also uses brain scanning like MRIs to investigate brain plasticity
- There is research evidence to support the idea that the right posterior hippocampus is involved in spatial awareness. Studies conducted on rodents, monkeys and birds also suggest the same. Functionality of the brain is similar across many species
6
Q
Weaknesses of Maguire (2000)
A
- Lacks ecological validity as it only studied men in London and it cannot be generalised to females across different parts of the world. This is important to consider as individual differences may occur across different people.
- Lacks temporal validity, as now, drivers use satnavs
7
Q
fMRI scans
A
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery
- Passes a magnetic field over the head
- It is more accurate than a CT scan
- Different to an MRI as fMRI’s can be taken while a patient is doing an action and images are provided in real time
- Non invasive
- Expensive
8
Q
PET scans
A
- Positron Emission Tomography
- Cannot be used on children or pre-menopausal women
- Injection of radioactive glucose
- Heat map like images produced
- Accumulates in the active part of the brain
- Invasive
- Expensive
