from phrenology to scientific theory

Question 1

tabula rasa

Answer 1

blank slate of the mind

Question 2

the supra-modal mental facilty

Answer 2

builds associations between the modality-specific sensory images

Question 3

law of contiguity

Answer 3

if two things repeatedly occur together, then the occurrence of one thing will remind us of the other.

Question 4

theory of associationism

Answer 4

holds that mental processes proceed via associations and describes modality-specific sensory images (vision) supply supra-model mental faculties (thinking)

Question 5

John Locke, empiricism

Answer 5

stated that at birth the mind is a blank slate and that knowledge is obtained through the senses.

Question 6

plato and René Descartes, nativism

Answer 6

states that a set of mental abilities and knowledge is already present from birth onwards.

Question 7

John Locke four assumptions association theory

Answer 7

1. blank slate
2. sensoristic, mental content is sensory in nature
3. atomistic, states that the elementary sensory images are the building blocks for the creation of more complex mental contents
4. associative, associations create the above mentionned more complex forms of mental processes.

Question 8

Hebb’s law

Answer 8

neurons that fire together wire together

Question 9

connectionism (Rumelhart and McClelland)

Answer 9

the new associationism, addition to the classic associationism. associative networks and processes are stimulated via mathematics in computer programs to explain and predict findings.

Question 10

phrenology

Answer 10

anatomically evident in the size of the specific areas leading to bumps on the skull

Question 11

localizationism

Answer 11

the idea that specific functions bilaterally correspond to a specific brain location

Question 12

physiognomy

Answer 12

a character is perceivable from facial features

Question 13

mesmerism

Answer 13

magnets and hypnosis have the ability to cure for mental health issues

Question 14

spiritualism

Answer 14

mediums can call upon spirits of the dead

Question 15

cold reading

Answer 15

alternative explanation. it is a way of asking questions to the person to make it seem like the answers are coming from the spirits of the dead

Question 16

mental healing

Answer 16

positive and correct thinking acts as a cure for mental health issues.

Question 17

Wernicke’s discovery

Answer 17

Association theory of language and this area supplies auditory images of words

Question 18

Broca’s discovery

Answer 18

localization of language aspects, responsible for the ability to articulate speech. located in the left inferior frontal gyrus. damge causes speech production impairments.

Question 19

mental chronometry

Answer 19

measuring how long mental processes take. this is still a dominant technique of measurement nowadays.

Question 20

Weber’s law

Answer 20

delta R/R = k (R = stimulus, k = constant for each sense)

Question 21

domain specific (face perception module)

Answer 21

only processes faces

Question 22

mandatory (face perception module)

Answer 22

triggered automatically by any basic face form

Question 23

limited central access (face perception module)

Answer 23

knowledge has no effect on the perception of a face

Question 24

fast (face perception module)

Answer 24

immediate recognition of an object as a face

Question 25

informationally encapsulated (face perception module)

Answer 25

has to only have knowledge of face shapes

Question 26

shallow output (face perception module)

Answer 26

only responsible for face detection, not the recognition of these

Question 27

fixed neural architecture (face perception module)

Answer 27

fusiform gyrus of the right temporal cortex

Question 28

ontogeny (face perception module)

Answer 28

characteristics pace and sequencing of the development of the ability to identify faces. this faculty is already present in babies and fully matures in adolescence

Question 29

John Anderson

Answer 29

assumes that central processing includes retrieval of knowledge from declarative memory by using knowledge from procedural memory motivated by goals in working memory.

Question 30

physiognomy (modern form)

Answer 30

face reading (self-fulfilling prophecies)

Question 31

spiritualism (modern forms)

Answer 31

cold reading, recollection bias, syncretism, suggestibility.

Question 32

mesmerism (modern form)

Answer 32

hypnotism (placebo effect)

Question 33

mental healing (modern form)

Answer 33

cognitive behavioral therapy, positive psychology

Question 34

Flourens removal of brain stem

Answer 34

loss of viral functions

Question 35

Flourens removal of cerebellum

Answer 35

loss of motor coordination

Question 36

Flourens removal of cerebral cortex

Answer 36

loss of higher mental functions

Question 37

prosopagnosia

Answer 37

face blindness (not recognizing faces)