DANIEL'S ET AL Flashcards
(18 cards)
What was the aim of the study by Daniel et al (1991)?
To investigate the effects of dextroamphetamine on DLPFC and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during Wisconsin Card Sort Test in Schizophrenic patients.
DLPFC stands for dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in cognitive tasks.
What was the independent variable (IV) in the study?
Whether participants had been given amphetamine or not.
What was the dependent variable (DV) in the study?
How they performed on a cognitive task.
What type of experimental design was used in this study?
Double-blind placebo-controlled lab experiment.
What method was used to scan the brain during the experiment?
SPECT (single-photon emission computer tomography) scan.
How many participants were included in the study?
Ten participants.
What were the control measures taken in the study?
Participants’ symptoms were stabilized through drugs, ensuring they were not physically ill and not using alcohol or drugs.
What cognitive tasks did participants undergo during the SPECT procedures?
BAR and WCST (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test).
What design was used for testing the participants?
Repeated measures design.
What was the effect of amphetamine during the BAR control task and WCST?
Produced a modest, statistically non-significant, global reduction of flow.
Did amphetamine levels significantly correlate with rCBF during the tasks?
No, they did not significantly correlate.
What two performance parameters in the WCST were affected by amphetamine?
- Number of correct responses
- Percent conceptual level responses.
What was concluded about the effect of amphetamine on DLPFC activation?
Amphetamine appeared to enhance the ability of the cortex to focus activity in response to the WSCT task.
What was a major limitation of the study’s conclusions?
The conclusions are tentative due to the modest sample size.
What ethical concerns were raised regarding the research?
Using scanning equipment for research purposes alone as it is potentially dangerous.
True or False: The findings can be seen as outdated as schizophrenia is being diagnosed differently nowadays.
True.
Fill in the blank: The task that participants did was too _______ to relate to real life.
artificial.
What may have been an extraneous variable in the study?
The drug used to stabilize symptoms.
