Ways of studying the brain

Question 1

fMRI description

Answer 1

Measures brain activity whilst a person is performing a task - detects changes in blood oxygenation and flow caused by neural activity

Question 2

fMRI evaluation

Answer 2

Strength = Risk free as there is no radiation and is non-invasive. It is also straightforward to use
Strength = High spatial resolution - very detailed and clear image
Limitation = Expensive compared to other neuroimaging techniques
Limitation = Poor temporal resolution because there is around a 5 second lag behind the image on the screen and the initial firing of neuronal activity

Question 3

EEG description

Answer 3

Measures electrical activity via electrodes and brainwave patterns

Question 4

EEG evaluation

Answer 4

Strength = Useful for diagnosing abnormal activity e.g epilepsy
Strength = Extremely high temporal resolution - can detect brain activity at a resolution of a millisecond
Limitation = Poor spatial resolution - not useful for pinpointing the exact source of neural activity

Question 5

ERP description

Answer 5

Use electrodes that are attached to the scalp but a stimulus is presented so the researcher can analyse the activity related to that stimulus

Question 6

ERP evaluation

Answer 6

Strength = Good temporal resolution - means they are used to measure cognitive functions
Limitation = Difficult to remove extraneous variables
Limitation = Lack of standardisation - makes it difficult to confirm findings

Question 7

Post mortem description

Answer 7

Physical analysis of the brain after death

Question 8

Post mortem evaluation

Answer 8

Strength = Improved medical knowledge of structures of the brain
Limitation = Ethical issues - p’s may not be able to provide informed consent