Paper 2 Flashcards
What is localisation of function?
Refers to the notion that different areas of the are associated with specific functions
- motor cortex - voluntary motor functions / movements
- somatosensory - responding to sensory events in differneces places in the body
- language centres
- discussing sperrys split brain research
Evaluation of localisation of function:
Supporting evidence phineas gage case study: personality change after rod through frontal cortex - frontal cortex is responsible for mood regulation
Case study limitation - unique case cant generalise to everyone from one individuals experience
Supporting evidence Tulving: PET scans, recalling semantic memories from left pre frontal cortex and episodic memories from right prefrontal cortex suggests different areas have different functions
Limitation of plasticity in brain recover: equipotentiality after brain damage is when the brain reorganises itself so that areas that are damaged get their function taken over by different areas, if localisation were tru this would be be possible
Sperrys study - small sample size - hard to generalise
Wundt AO1:
Established the first psychology lavatory in Germany. Has been considered the bringing of psychology as a distinct scientific discipline separate from philosophy
Used introspection which included pps reporting the thoughts and feelings and sensations in response to stimuli. He aimed to break down mental processes into basic elements, this is known as structuralism
Controlled conditions and standardised procedures allowed the procedures to be replicated in future research
Wundt AO3:
S:
Controlled environments and standardised procedures, scientific research features, scientific credibility, helps psychology gain scientific status
L:
Subjectivity, relied on self report so tehre is a lack of objectivity and therefore validity and accuracy of data, limited usefulness in generating general laws of behaviour
L:
Introspection is not suitable for studying complex mental processes like memory. Behaviourists later argue that psychology should focus on observable and measurable behaviour
S:
influence on later approaches
Influential in the developemnt of later approaches. For example cognitive approach that investigates internal mental processes but does so using more scientific method like scans
