intelligence, personality and morality (4.1) Flashcards
(23 cards)
intelligence
an umbrella term that encompasses many abilities, including the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn
personality
individual differences among people in behavior patterns, cognition and emotion
morality
the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and behaviors between those that are good or right and those that are bad or wrong
frontal lobes
necessary to express intelligence, personality and morality
prefrontal lobes
express intelligence, personality and morality; necessary but not sufficient
ways to define pre-frontal cortex (3)
non-motor areas; granular frontal cortex; projection zone of the DM nucleus of the thalamus
orbitofrontal cortex
the part of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex that overlies the eyes
basal ganglia
helps prefrontal cortex make big decisions
DLPFC vs VLPFC
DLPFC: receives inputs from the where pathways out of the sensory cortices
VLPFC: receives inputs from the what pathways
general intelligence factor (g) and subdivisions (2)
general intelligence factor: the oldest theory of intelligence; suggests a single underlying construct
fluid intelligence: the ability to learn new ways of solving problems/performing activities; street smarts
crystallized intelligence: accumulated knowledge; book smarts
interpersonal vs intrapersonal
interpersonal: emotional interactions with others
intrapersonal: understanding yourself; emotional intelligence about yourself
task-positive vs default mode networks
task-positive: active when you are currently engaged in some activity; fluid; involved in problem solving, focusing of external-directed attention, making decisions, and control of action
default mode: when you are not actively doing something; plays a central role in social cognition, emotional self-awareness, and moral decision making; active when brain is at “rest” or mind is “wandering”
top-down vs bottom-up processing
top-down: DLPFC; thinking about something then looking for it
bottom-up: PPC; attention drawn to something that happens
dACC
activity monitor; flags errors in execution (good plan = do it again)
Wisconsin Card Sorting vs Stroop tasks
WCST: tests for DLPFC damage (ability to change plans) when sorting cards
Stroop: tests for dACC damage (ability to recognize, stop and correct errors)
DMPFC vs VMPFC
DMPFC: “reads” the mental states of others, such as their beliefs, desires, and intentions (theory of mind/mentalizing)
VMPFC: emotional control; adult center; morality
personality trait
enduring personal characteristics that are revealed in a particular pattern of behavior in a variety of situations
big five
openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism
personality trait that does not have a distinct biological substrate
openness
temporoparietal junction (TPJ)
intuitive reactions to situations containing implicit moral issues; mirror neurons fire when another person is observed doing a certain action
angular gyrus
part of morality circuit; empathy center
DLPFC syndrome
inability to act or change plans; loss of short-term memory; decreased attention; loss of fluid intelligence; apathetic, indifferent
OFC syndrome
wild emotional swings; loss of emotional intelligence; egocentric, anti-social; abnormalities in moral judgments and behavior
