Ways of studying the brain Flashcards
what are the different ways of studying the brain
fMRI
EEG
ERP
post mortem examinations
what is temporal resolution
refers to the precision of a measurement with respect to time
what is spatial resolution
accuracy of the image
what is fMRIs
measures changed in brain activity while a person performs a task
- measures changes in the blood flow in certain areas of the brain
strengths of fMRIs
non invasive and doesn’t expose brain to harmful radiation
objective and reliable due to scientific methods
limitations of fMRIs
measures blood flow so it’s not a direct measure of neural activity
what are EEGs
- measures electrical activity in the brain
— electrical signs from electrodes are graphed over a period of time
strengths of EEGs
- provides recording of brain activity in real time rather than an immahe
- used in clinical diagnosis
limitations of EEGs
only detects activity in surface of brain so doesn’t reveal what’s going on in deeper regions
what is an ERP
small voltage change in the brain triggered by certain events
- researcher looks for activity related to the stimulus
strengths of ERPs
provide a continuous measure of processing in a response to a stimulus
measures processing of stimuli even in a amende to behavioural response
limitations of ERPs
requires a larger number of trials to gain meaningful data as they are small and difficult to pick out
what are post mortem examinations
researchers examine a dead person’s brain to look for abnormalities that might explain behaviour when alive
strengths of post mortem examinations
allows for a detailed examination of the brain as it enables them to examine deeper regions of the brain
limitations of post mortem examinations
confounding areas can affect the research like length of time between death admins examination
