Biopsychology Flashcards
Identify areas of the brain to complete the table
C
D
E
B
Explain the difference between infradian and ultradian rhythms
The rhythms have different durations. Infradian rhythms have a duration of over 24 hours whereas ultradian rhythms are cycles that last less than 24 hours.
Explain one limitation of asking hospital patients to self report the effectiveness of Zapurpain
One limitation of self report can include the patients giving socially desirable responses. They may feel obliged to say the drug is effective at reducing their pain even if it wasn’t.
Explain how Zapurpain might affect the process of synaptic transmission through inhibition.
Zapurpain may mimic the effect of inhibitory neurotransmitters. Stimulation of postsynaptic receptors by an inhibitory neurotransmitter will result in inhibition of the postsynaptic membrane. When an inhibitory neurotransmitter binds to the postsynaptic receptors, it makes the postsynaptic cell less likely to fire. If inhibitory inputs are higher than excitatory they can cancel out excitation and inhibit an action potential occurring. Zapurpain would make the postsynaptic cell less likely to fire, reducing brain activity which may lead to reduced pain.
Explain one difference and one similarity between fMRI and ERP’s as ways of studying the brain
fMRI’s have poor temporal resolution whereas ERP’s have good temporal resolution. A good temporal resolution takes readings every millisecond, meaning it can record the brain’s activity in real time.
fMRI’s and ERP’s are both non invasive and do not use radiation so they are both risk free.
Outline split brain research
Split-brain patients are individuals who have had their corpus callosum severed, which connects the two hemispheres. This procedure, which separates the two hemispheres, was used as a treatment for severe epilepsy. Research into split brain conducted by Sperry and Gazzaniga highlights a number of key differences between the two hemispheres. Firstly, the left hemisphere is dominant in terms of speech and language. Secondly, the right hemisphere is dominant in terms of visual-motor tasks.
Evaluate split brain research
It is assumed the main advantage of brain lateralisation is that it increases neural processing capacity (the ability to complete multiple tasks simultaneously). Research by Rogers et al 2004 conducted on a chicken with its corpus collosum cut. He found that brain lateralisation is associated with an enhanced ability to perform two tasks at once; finding food and staying alert for predators. Using one hemisphere for one task and the other hemisphere for other functions. This evidences for the advantages of brain lateralisation and demonstrates how it can enhance brain efficiency in cognitive tasks.
However, this research was carried out on animals, it is very difficult to generalise to humans. Much of the research into lateralisation is flawed because the split brain procedure is rarely carried out now, meaning patients are hard to come by. Studies that do include patients with split brain usually include very few Pps, and often takes an idiographic approach. Therefore any conclusions made are unrepresentative of those individuals who had a confounding disorder that made the procedure necessary e.g epilepsy. This is problematic as these results cannot be generalised to the wider population.
Further research suggested that lateralisation changes with age. Szaflarki et al 2006 found that language became more lateralised to the left hemisphere with increasing age in children and adolescents, but after the age of 25, lateralisation decreased with each decade of life. This questions lateralisation, and whether everyone has a more dominant hemisphere or whether it changes with age.
It can be argued that language may not be restricted to the left hemisphere. Turk et al 2002 discovered a patient who suffered damage to the left hemisphere but developed the capacity to speak in the right hemisphere, eventually leading to the ability to speak about the information presented to the other side of the brain. This suggests that perhaps lateralisation is not fixed and that the brain can adapt following damage to certain areas.
Identify the graph and explain why it is appropriate for the data collected
Scattergraph- this is appropriate because the data used is correlational, looking at the relationship between recreational screen time and academic performance. Scattergraphs display relationships between co-variables, academic performance and recreational screen time as co-variables.
Explain why it would not be appropriate for the researchers to conclude that increased recreational screen time reduces academic performance.
The correlational data only shows a relationship between the two co-variables, recreational screen time and academic performance. The researcher’s conclusion implies causation, that increased recreational screen time impairs academic performance.
What is meant by meta-analysis
Meta analysis is where researchers collect a wide range of previous research conducted on a specific area. The collected research is retrieved and combined and statistically tested to provide an overall conclusion.
Briefly explain why a directional hypothesis would be most suitable for this experiment
There is past research which indicates that recreational screen time has a negative effect on academic performance
Write an appropriate hypothesis for this experiment
Students without recreational screen time for 2 weeks (group a) will have higher test scores than students with unrestricted recreational screen time for the same amount of time (group b)
Using the data in table 2, explain how the distribution of scores in group a differs from the distribution of scores in group b
The data shown in group a is normally distributed with with scores being the same, because the mean is equal to the mode and median. The data in group b is positively skewed, the mean is greater than the mode and median.
What do the mean and standard deviation values in table 2 suggest about the effect of recreational screen time on test performance.
The mean test performance in group a where there is no recreational screen time is higher than when recreational screen time is unrestricted in group b. The SD is inconsistent in group b. There is a wider variation in test scores in group b compared to group a, suggesting that test scores are consistently higher when recreational screen time is fully restricted.
Identify the most appropriate choice of statistical test for analysing the data collected. Explain three reasons for your choice.
Mann Whitney test. It is using an independent groups design- the pupils either had no recreational screen time or unrestricted recreational screen time. The data is testing for a difference between having no recreational screen time on exam performance as opposed to having unlimited recreational screen time. The data is ordinal- the difference between each test score is not fixed.
