module 3

Question 1

what are the four assumptions of cognitive research?

Answer 1

1. mental processes exist
2. mental processes can be studied scientifically - need to use rigorous experimentation
3. we are active information processors - meaning we do not only passively respond to information (behaviourism), we also manipulate incoming information to produce behaviours
4. the basis of mental processes is the brain

Question 2

dualism vs monism

Answer 2

dualism: mind and brain are separate entities that are equally important
monism: the mind and brain are the same; only one entity exists

Question 3

interactionism

Answer 3

form of dualism that believes that the mind and brain interact to induce events in each other - mind affects brain and brain affects mind

also subscribes to idea that we have a soul - rene descartes - pineal gland as seat of the soul

Question 4

epiphenomenalism

Answer 4

form of dualism that believes that physical events (brain) can cause mental thoughts (mind) but not vice versa - one way interaction

Question 5

idealism

Answer 5

form of monism that believes that all reality is a mental construct, both physical and mental

Question 6

neutral monism

Answer 6

form of monism that believes that the underlying nature is not mental or physical but something else, something neutral

Question 7

materialism

Answer 7

form of monism that believes that all reality is the result of physical processes

Question 8

subcortical regions

Answer 8

thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, pituitary gland, hippocampus

Question 9

phrenology

Answer 9

gall and spurzheim (late 1700s)
- believed that parts of the brain corresponded to mental functions and personality - functions that were used a lot would cause the related brain area to grow, causing a bump on the head, while under used functions would cause the area to shrink - psychologists could tell things about peoples brains from feeling for bumps and dents on their heads

Question 10

issues with phrenology

Answer 10

was oftentimes based on speculation and assumed that highly developed functions have larger brain areas (not true)

Question 11

functional specialization

Answer 11

like phrenology, modern cognitive neuroscience identifies areas that support particular functions - also recognizes that functions can arise from a collection of areas or a network

Question 12

behavioural measures

Answer 12

method to study brain - behaviour link - looks at observable behaviours

Question 13

behavioural experiments

Answer 13

type of behavioural measure that looks at voluntary responses, like pressing a button

Question 14

psychophysical measurements

Answer 14

type of behavioural measure that looks at involuntary responses - measures activity in peripheral nervous system in response to things that humans perceive or imagine - eye movements, skin conductance

Question 15

skin conductance

Answer 15

skin conducts electricity when it sweats - measures amount of electricity conducted to measure amount of sweat to estimate emotional arousal response

Question 16

ptsd skin conductance

Answer 16

experiments on veterens with ptsd , without and non veterans - found that when people heard combat sounds, there was higher skin conductance in veterens with ptsd, suggesting that skin conductance is related to emotional arousal

Question 17

behavioural neuroscience: animal models

Answer 17

researchers use animals to conduct experiments by either lesioning the brain or collecting physiological brain measures -

Question 18

strengths and limits of animal models

Answer 18

provides causal link between brain and behaviour and helps us understand how the mind works BUUUUT differences in brain structures and function across species puts limits on the findings

Question 19

cognitive neuroscience: neuropsychological cases

Answer 19

studying brain function by comparing the behaviour of brain injured patients to healthy control participants

Question 20

encephalization quotient

Answer 20

a measure of actual brain size relative to the brain size that would be predicted based on body size

Question 21

broca’s/expressive aphasia

Answer 21

damage to lower frontal gyrus - difficulty making speech

Question 22

wernicke’s/ receptive aphasia

Answer 22

damage to superior temporal gyrus - difficulty understanding speech - can speak but speech isn’t meaninful