the emergence of cognitive neuroscience

Question 1

what is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 1

the scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes
- e.g. mapping certain brain areas to certain mental processes

Question 2

when did cognitive neuroscience develop?

Answer 2

• in 1860, when Paul Broca found that damage to a certain area of the frontal lobe could impair speech production

Question 3

how has technology developed cog neuroscience?

Answer 3

• new technology, e.g. brain scans (fMRI and PET), have allowed researchers to observe and describe the neurological basis of mental processes

Question 4

give an example of research development due to cog neuroscience

Answer 4

Tulving: found that semantic and episodic memory were located at opposite sides of the frontal lobe

Question 5

how else have scanning techniques helped?

Answer 5

• in establishing the neurological basis for some mental disorders
• e.g. OCD is linked to a brain area called the para-hippocampal gyrus, which produces unpleasant emotions