Ways Of Studying The Brain:

Question 1

FMRI:

Answer 1

strengths:
noninvasive and doesn’t expose the brain to harmful radiation

limitations:
it measures changes in blood flow and thus isn’t a direct measure of neural activity in particular brain areas, meaning it’s not a truly quantitative measure of mental activity

Question 2

EEG:

Answer 2

strengths:
it provides as recording of the brain’s activity in real time rather than a still image, aiding the accuracy of research

limitations:
electrical activity can be picked up by several neighbouring electrodes and thus the EEG signal isn’t useful for pinpointing the exact source of an activity

Question 3

ERP:

Answer 3

strengths:
they can measure the processing of stimuli even in the absence of a behavioural responses

limitations:
they are so small and difficult to pick out from other electrical activity in the brain, it requires a large number of trials to gain meaningful data (time consuming)

Question 4

Post-mortem examinations:

Answer 4

strengths:
they allow for a more detailed examination of anatomical and nuerochemical aspects of the brain, allowing examination of deep regions such as the hypothalamus

limitations:
other factors can influence the post-mitten brain such as the length of time between death and the post-mortem, drug treatments and age