Week 1 Flashcards
Bottom-up processing
Directly influenced by environmental stimuli.
Top-down processing
Influenced by internal subject factors.
Stimulus processing that is influenced by factors such as the individual’s past experience and expectations.
Ventral
Inferior, or towards the bottom of the brain.
BOLD
Blood oxygen level-dependent contrast; this is the signal measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Case series study
Study in which several patients with similar cognitive impairments are tested; this allows consideration of individual data and of variation across individuals
Sulcus
A groove or furrow in the surface of the brain
Sydrome
The notion that symptoms that often co-occur have a common origin.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
A technique in which magnetic pulses briefly disrupt the functioning of a given brain area. It is often claimed that it creates a short-lived “lesion”.
More accurately, TMS causes interference when the brain area to which it is applied is involved in task processing as well as activity produced by the applied stimulation.
A cap is placed on the head
Cognitive neuroscience
an approach that aims to understand human cognition by combining information from behaviour and the brain
Cognitive psychology
An approach that aims to understand human cognition by the study of behaviour; a broader definition also includes the study of brain activity and structure
Cognitive architecture
Comprehensive framework for understanding human cognition in the form of a computer program.
Connectionist models
Models in computational cognitive science consisting of interconnected networks of simple units; the networks exhibit learning through experience and specific items of knowledge are distributed across numerous units.
Converging operations
An approach in which several methods with different strengths and limitations are used to address a given issue.
Computational model
This involves constructing computer programs that simulate or mimic human cognitive processes.
Lateral
Situated at the side of the brain.
Lesions
Structural alterations within the brain caused by disease or injury.
Magneto-encephalography (MEG)
A non-invasive brain-scanning technique based on recording the magnetic fields generated by brain activity.
MEG has excellent temporal resolution (at the millisecond level) and often has very good spatial resolution as well.
Implacable experimenter
The situation in experimental research in which the experimenter’s behaviour is uninfluenced by the participant’s behaviour.
Meta-analysis
A form of statistical analysis based on combining the findings from numerous studies on a given issue.
Parallel processing
Processing in which two or more cognitive processes occur at the same time.
Medial
Situated in the middle of the brain.
Paradigm specificity
This occurs when the findings with a given experimental task or paradigm are not obtained even when apparently very similar tasks or paradigms are used.
Serial processing
Processing in which one process is completed before the next one starts.
Single unit recording
An invasive technique for studying brain function, permitting the study of activity in single neurons.
Artificial intelligence
This involves developing computer programs that produce intelligent outcomes.