module 3 Flashcards
what are the four assumptions of cognitive research?
- mental processes exist
- mental processes can be studied scientifically - need to use rigorous experimentation
- we are active information processors - meaning we do not only passively respond to information (behaviourism), we also manipulate incoming information to produce behaviours
- the basis of mental processes is the brain
dualism vs monism
dualism: mind and brain are separate entities that are equally important
monism: the mind and brain are the same; only one entity exists
interactionism
form of dualism that believes that the mind and brain interact to induce events in each other - mind affects brain and brain affects mind
also subscribes to idea that we have a soul - rene descartes - pineal gland as seat of the soul
epiphenomenalism
form of dualism that believes that physical events (brain) can cause mental thoughts (mind) but not vice versa - one way interaction
idealism
form of monism that believes that all reality is a mental construct, both physical and mental
neutral monism
form of monism that believes that the underlying nature is not mental or physical but something else, something neutral
materialism
form of monism that believes that all reality is the result of physical processes
subcortical regions
thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, pituitary gland, hippocampus
phrenology
gall and spurzheim (late 1700s)
- believed that parts of the brain corresponded to mental functions and personality - functions that were used a lot would cause the related brain area to grow, causing a bump on the head, while under used functions would cause the area to shrink - psychologists could tell things about peoples brains from feeling for bumps and dents on their heads
issues with phrenology
was oftentimes based on speculation and assumed that highly developed functions have larger brain areas (not true)
functional specialization
like phrenology, modern cognitive neuroscience identifies areas that support particular functions - also recognizes that functions can arise from a collection of areas or a network
behavioural measures
method to study brain - behaviour link - looks at observable behaviours
behavioural experiments
type of behavioural measure that looks at voluntary responses, like pressing a button
psychophysical measurements
type of behavioural measure that looks at involuntary responses - measures activity in peripheral nervous system in response to things that humans perceive or imagine - eye movements, skin conductance
skin conductance
skin conducts electricity when it sweats - measures amount of electricity conducted to measure amount of sweat to estimate emotional arousal response
ptsd skin conductance
experiments on veterens with ptsd , without and non veterans - found that when people heard combat sounds, there was higher skin conductance in veterens with ptsd, suggesting that skin conductance is related to emotional arousal
behavioural neuroscience: animal models
researchers use animals to conduct experiments by either lesioning the brain or collecting physiological brain measures -
strengths and limits of animal models
provides causal link between brain and behaviour and helps us understand how the mind works BUUUUT differences in brain structures and function across species puts limits on the findings
cognitive neuroscience: neuropsychological cases
studying brain function by comparing the behaviour of brain injured patients to healthy control participants
encephalization quotient
a measure of actual brain size relative to the brain size that would be predicted based on body size
broca’s/expressive aphasia
damage to lower frontal gyrus - difficulty making speech
wernicke’s/ receptive aphasia
damage to superior temporal gyrus - difficulty understanding speech - can speak but speech isn’t meaninful
