ways of studying the brain

Question 1

What is functional magnetic resonance imaging? (fMRI)

Answer 1

• detects changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occurs due to activity in certain areas of the brain
• when a part of the brain is active it requires more blood flow
• shows which parts of the brain are involved in which mental processes

Question 2

What is electroencephalogram (EEG)?

Answer 2

• measures electrical activity in the brain by putting electrodes fixed to a scalp
• the scan records brainwave patterns generated by neurons providing overall brain activity

Question 3

what is Event related potentials (ERP)?

Answer 3

• using statistical averaging brain activity from the original EEG are filtered
• leaving the responses that relate to a stimulus or doing a particular task

Question 4

what are post mortem examinations?

Answer 4

• analysing someones brain following their death
• used on those with rare conditions and have experienced unusual deficits
• may be compared with a neurotypical brain to find the extent of the difference

Question 5

fMRI evaluation: strength doesnt rely on radiation

Answer 5

• unlike other scanning techniques e.g PET it doesnt rely on radiation
• risk free, non-invasive and easy to use
• ## high spatial resolution and shows a clear imagine of how activity is localised

Question 6

fMFRI evaluation: limitation expensive

Answer 6

• expensive compared to other
• poor temporal resolution as 5 second time lag between imagine on screen and the initial neuron firing
• doesn’t show moment to moment brain activity

Question 7

EEG evaluation: strength useful in studying sleep stages

Answer 7

• useful in studying the stages of sleep and diagnosing conditions
• high temporal resolution ( single millisecond)
• real world usefulness

Question 8

EEG evaluation: limitation cant pinpoint source of neural activity

Answer 8

• there is a generalised nature of the information received
• doesnt allow researchers to distinguish activities originating in different but adjacent locations

Question 9

ERPs evaluation: strength more specific measure

Answer 9

• more specific measure of neural processes than could be found when using raw EEG
• good temporal resolution
• used to measure cognitive functions and deficits e.g. working memory

Question 10

ERPs evaluation: limitation lack of standardisation

Answer 10

• lack of standardisation between different research so hard to confirm findings
• to find ‘pure’ data, background noise and extraneous variables must be completely eliminated

Question 11

Post mortem examinations evaluation: strength helped find initial key processes about the brain

Answer 11

• Broca and Wernicke relied on these studies to find language links
• used to study HM’s brain to find damaged area
• they provide useful info and case studies

Question 12

Post mortem examinations evaluation: limitation causation issue

Answer 12

• damages to the brain may not be linked to deficits under review but other trauma or decay
• ## participants cannot give informed consent