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edexcel psychology > neuropsychology > Flashcards

neuropsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

brain

A

the organ in your head made up of nerves that processes information and controls behaviour.

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2
Q

hemisphere

A

half of the brain; if we imagine a person facing forward and then look down on the brain from the top, the right hemisphere is on the right side of the brain, while the left hemisphere is on the left.

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3
Q

cerebrum

A

the largest part of the brain where higher processing happens; it includes the cortex

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4
Q

cortex

A

the outer layer of the brain

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5
Q

spinal cord

A

a pathway of nerves inside the spine, which connects the brain to the rest of the body through the peripheral nervous system,

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6
Q

brainstem

A

the part of the brain that connects the spinal cord to the upper brain.

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7
Q

reflexes

A

actions that are automatic and do not require conscious thought.

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8
Q

frontal lobe

A

the area at the front of the brain responsible for decison-making and impulse control

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9
Q

temporal lobe

A

the area on the side of the brain that controls hearing and memory.

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10
Q

parietal lobe

A

the area at the top of the brain the plays an important role in perception and sensations of touch.

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11
Q

occipital lobe

A

the area at the back of the brain that controls vision

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12
Q

cerebellum

A

an area of the brain near the brainstem that controls motor movements

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13
Q

lateralisation of function

A

the brain is split into two hemispheres: right and left. each hemispheres have different functions and roles.

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14
Q

asymmetrical

A

the two hemispheres are asymmetrical as they control different functions or play a larger/smaller role in a particular behaviour

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15
Q

corpus callosum

A

thick bundle of nerve fibres that connect two hemispheres so they can communicate with each other

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16
Q

broca’s area

A

a part of the left hemisphere of the brain that controls speech production

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17
Q

spatial awareness

A

the ability to negotiate space and navigate our way around our environment.

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18
Q

sex differences in brain lateralisation

A
  • females were thought to be better at language skills
  • males were thought to be better at spatial skills
  • evidence that females have a thicker corpus callosum which means they use both sides for tasks
  • males tend to show dominance for one hemisphere rather than equal spread of activity
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19
Q

strengths and weaknesses of lateralisation as an explanation of sex differences

A

strengths
- studies provided evidence to show sex differences in lateralisation.

harasty et. al found that part responsible for language was slightly bigger in females than males

rilea et. al found evidence that males were better at spatial skills

  • plenty evidence to support sex differences in lateralisation as they are conducted using scientific methods which are highly controlled, further strengthening explanation.

weaknesses
- weakness in studies

rilea et al. found not all males were better in spatial tasks

  • sommer et. al found no evidence that females were better at language tasks
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20
Q

central nervous system (cns)

A

the brain and the spinal cord, which relays messages from brain to rest of the body to instruct it what to do.

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21
Q

peripheral nervous system (pns)

A

nerves that connect central nervous stem to skin, muscle and organs in the body.

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22
Q

neurotransmitters

A

chemicals found in the nervous system that pass messages from one neuron to another across a synapse.

23
Q

neuron

A

nerve cell that transmits information

24
Q

synaptic transmission

A

the process by which neurotransmitters are released by neuron, move across the synaptic gap and are then taken up by another neuron.

25
Q

process of synaptic functioning

A
  • electrical impulse is triggered inside the cell body of a neuron.
  • electrical impulse travels along the axon until it reaches the terminal button
  • terminal button contains vesicles, tiny sacs containing neurotransmitters
  • neurotransmitters are released into the synapse
  • where receptors will grab on to pass the message impulse
26
Q

synapse

A

a gap between two neurons that allows messages, in the form of neurotransmitters, to pass from one cell to another.

27
Q

axon

A

long structure that connects the cell body of a neuron to the terminal button at the end of the cell.

28
Q

terminal button

A

the end of a neuron

29
Q

vesicles

A

tiny sacs containing neurotransmitters

30
Q

receptors

A

special sites on neurons that are designed to absorb neurotransmitters

31
Q

neurological damage

A

damage to the body’s cns and pns

32
Q

visual agnosia

A

inability to recognise things that can be seen

33
Q

prosopagnosia

A

‘face-blindness’ or an inability to recognise faces.

34
Q

pre-frontal cortex

A

the area of the brain’s cortex at the very front of the frontal lobe, immediately behind the forehead.

35
Q

agnosia

A

inability to interpret sensations and recognise things.

36
Q

fusiform face area

A

a part of the temporal lobe, close to the occipital lobe that is thought to help in face recognition.

37
Q

impact of damage to the pre-frontal cortex

A
  • pre-frontal cortex helps with impulse control and keeping emotions balanced
  • if damaged, individuals can be impulsive and aggressive
  • raine et al. found murderers had less activity in pre-frontal cortex which makes them more impulsive and aggressive
38
Q

aims of damasio et al.

A
  • 3D representation of phineas gage’s skull was created to identify parts of the brain which were most likely to have been badly damaged.
  • to identify if other parts were affected
39
Q

procedure of damasio et al.

A
  • damasio took pictures and measurements of gage’s skull to build a 3D replica
  • iron rod was compared to parts of damaged skull to see the most likely path the rod took. entry and exit points were matched.
  • 20 entry points, 16 exit points were tested to see the most likely path by using the replica to map out the possibilities
40
Q

results of damasio et al.

A
  • damasio found damage to the left and right hemispheres of the frontal lobe, and no other areas.
  • white matter was damaged which meant that gage was unable to pass messages along axons
  • ventromedial (underside) was more damaged, whilst dorsolateral (top edges) were less affected.
41
Q

white matter

A

brain and spinal cord tissue, consisting mainly of nerve fibres (axons).

42
Q

conclusion of damasio et al.

A
  • ventromedial area of frontal lobe important in decision-making, impulse control and balancing emotions
  • supports study of 12 other individuals with similar brain damage
43
Q

strengths and weaknesses of damasio et al.

A

strengths
- modern day technology used to investigate data which makes results more scientific, increases the scientific understanding of gage’s case

  • practical applications as it can be used to predict behaviour changes in one who has damage to frontal lobe.

weaknesses
- reports were from 1800s which means it could be inaccurate, and very unreliable

  • phineas gage’s brain damage was unique to him so it is hard to generalise findings as it is unlikely someone else experienced same damage and effects.
44
Q

aims of sperry et al.

A
  • to study how ‘split-brain’ individuals processed information and how their brains differ from normal brains
45
Q

procedure of sperry et al.

A
  • 11 participants with a cut corpus callosum were given various tasks to test how they process information
  • participants focussed on the centre of a screen where words/images appeared on the left or right of the midpoint. they were asked what they saw.
  • participants were shown a variety of pictures/items and asked to identify by pointing to the item
  • unseen objects were placed into hands of participants and were asked to identify them in a pile of different objects.
46
Q

results of sperry et al.

A
  • when asked to repeat words saw on right visual field, they had no issues identifying what they saw. however, they had issues when asked to repeat what they saw on left visual field.
  • when asked to point to a picture matching the picture shown to the left visual field, they had no issues. however, if they were asked to point to something in their right visual field, they were unable to.
  • when objects were felt by the right hand, they could name the object, but were unable when felt by the left hand.
  • when two different objects were given to them, they were only able to identify them in a pile with the hand they felt it with.
47
Q

conclusion of sperry et al.

A
  • each hemisphere has its own memories which can’t be shared with other hemisphere with a cut corpus callosum
  • strengthens idea that left hemisphere is for language tasks whilst right hemisphere is for spatial skills
48
Q

strengths and weaknesses of sperry et al.

A

strengths
- lots of detailed information was gathered, improving reliability of study.

  • standardised procedures such as the visual tasks means it can be replicated and compared easily so is very reliable.

weaknesses
- sample of 11 participants is too small which makes it difficult to generalise findings. very few people have cut corpus callosum so not useful in explaining how a normal brain works

  • tasks were done in a laboratory, meaning they are artificial. thus, lacks ecological validity as it can’t be generalised to real world.
49
Q

post-mortem

A

examination of a body after death, to find how or why they died.

50
Q

EEG

A

method of measuring brain activity using electrodes placed on the scalp

51
Q

MRI

A

method of studying the brain using electromagnets

52
Q

PET

A

imagery showing the amount of energy being used throughout the brain.

53
Q

how has the study of psychology changed over time?

A
  • psychology begun when wilhelm wundt opened a laboratory to study people’s thoughts.
  • people had not considered what happened inside our brains as they were more interested in the anatomy than its function.
  • case of phineas gage sparked interest in how the brain was involved in certain behaviours
  • study of brain was only possible before through post-mortem
  • modern technology allow study of brain when person is alive
  • this provides opportunity to help them live with brain damage

edexcel psychology (7 decks)

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