Ways Of Studying The Brain

Question 1

fMRI

Answer 1

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

AO1: certain areas of the brain consume more oxygen when they are working, hence more blood flow. AKA haemodynamic response
- produce 3D images showing how parts of the brain are involved in a particular mental process

Question 2

fMRI strengths AO3

Answer 2

• non invasive: no use of radiation or surgery, more appealing = more data
• good spacial resolution: the smallest measurement the scanner can detect = 1-2mm

Question 3

fMRI limitations AO3

Answer 3

• poor temporal resolution
  > 1-4s
  > unable to let psychologist predict w a high degree of accuracy
• problem w causation
  >only measure the blood flow to certain areas, so unable to make direct link between function and area
  >limits the research in neural functioning

Question 4

EEG

Answer 4

Electroencephalogram
Measures the electrical activity in your brain via electrodes fixed to a skull cap.
- measures brain wave patterns generated by the actions of millions neurons

Useful in particular for atypical brain activity
- like sleeping disorders
- epilepsy
- tumours

Question 5

EEG strengths

Answer 5

• high temporal resolution
  > takes data every millisecond
  > records brain activity in real time
• non invasive
• less expensive than fMRI

Question 6

EEG limitations

Answer 6

• poor spacial resolution
  > only detects superficial areas of the brain
  > unable to provide information of the deeper regions
• uncomfortable for the patient
  > may cause unrepresentative data due to discomfort
• problems w causation
  > shows the activity of multiple regions of the brain simultaneously
  > makes it difficult for researchers to draw accurate conclusions

Question 7

ERP

Answer 7

Event related potentials
- takes EEG data and uses it to investigate cognitive processing of a specific event
- takes multiple reading and averages it to filter out all irrelevant activity

• isolates part of the EEG so it is more specific
• uses a statistical technique to remove all extraneous brain activity form the original EEG recording

Question 8

ERP- strengths

Answer 8

• non invasive
• cheaper than MRI
• good temporal resolution
• able to show how processing is affected by a specific experimental manipulation while excluding EVs

Question 9

ERP weaknesses

Answer 9

• low spacial resolution
• discomfort for the patient

Question 10

Postmortem examinations

Answer 10

Where you dissect a dead persons brain
- brain analysed after death
And compared to typical brains

Question 11

Post mortem examination- strengths

Answer 11

Detail examinations of anatomical structures and neurochemical aspects of the brain unable to be seen via other scanning techniques
- can access hypothalamus and hippocampus
- allows deeper insights to brain regions
> Iversons discovery of concentrated dopamine in the limbic system of schizophrenics

Question 12

Post mortem examination limitations

Answer 12

• causations
  > too many extraneous variable
  > deficits the patient displays during their lifetime may not have any correlation to the deficits in the brain

Ethical values
> informed consent
> patients had serious deficiencies for the need for researches to research them, hence can they ever give informed consent