psychology_122_20140819035525 Flashcards
(36 cards)
What is the Cerebral Cortex?
The outermost gray layer of cerebral hemispheres
What is the Corpus Callosum?
The connection between the two hemispheres of the Cerebrum
What 3 parts is the Brain Stem divided into?
MidbrainPonsMedulla
What is the Cerebellum responsible for?
Fine motor control
What is the Thalamus responsible for?
Relaying information to and from the cortex
What are the 4 major lobes of the brain?
FrontalParietalTemporalOccipital
What does the Hippocampus do and where is it found?
Plays a key role in memory and is embedded deep within the Temporal Lobe
What are the possible consequences of damage to the Hippocampus and name one real life example
If the Hippocampus is damaged or partially removed, the patient suffers profound amnesia. Inability to form new long-term memories e.g. Clive Wearing, H.M
What are two things the Temporal lobe is responsible for?
MemoryKnowledge
What is one of the possible consequences of damage to the Temporal Lobe and name one real life example.
Semantic Dementia: Gradually increasing difficulty in recalling familiar things while retaining recent events e.g. A.M
What are some things the Frontal Lobe does?
Initiating, modulating, planning behaviourStrategic thinking, Problem solving
What are some consequences of damage to the Frontal lobe?
Change in personality, inability to plan things and incapable of strategic thinking
What is the Parietal Lobe responsible for?
Spatial, numerical processingShort-term memorySpatial Attention
What is a possible consequence of damage to the Parietal lobe and name one real life example
Unilateral Neglect: Unable to devote attention to a particular side even though there is no issue with seeing it e.g. Mrs. K
What is the Posterior TIp of the Occipital Lobe responsible for and what is one of the consequences of damage to this area? Give one real life example.
Primary Visual Cortex, the experience of consciously seeing.Damage to this area of the brain may cause Cortical Blindness. e.g. Oliver Sacks (Colourless)
What are the other parts of the Occipital Lobe responsible for and what is one of the consequences of damage to this area?
Analysing specific visual features e.g. edges, contours, shapes, colour, angle, movement. Damage may cause issues processing specific visual features.
What is Cognitive Neuroscience?
The study of mental processes using brain-based methods
What is the Lesion Method?
Examining the effect of brain damage or interference on specific cognitive functions
What do Neuroimaging Techniques involve?
Using measures of brain activity as “markers” of different cognitive processes
What is Prosopagnosia? Name one real life example and what we learned through the lesion method.
A selective inability to recognise faces e.g. Lincoln Holmes. Prosopagnosia patients can discriminate between very complex non-face objects so face-recognition must be a highly specialiised skill. The Right Fusiform gyrus is consistently damaged in Prosopagnosia and suggests there is a highly specialised brain structure for face recognition.
What is a double dissociation and what is an example in memory?
When two factors effect two processes independently of each other. One can suffer damage to long term memory but retain short term memory e.g. H.M or vice versa e.g. K.F
What is the temporal gradient and what causes this phenomenon?
The less one remembers the more recent the event. Because of frequent recall, earlier memories become consolidated over time. Note: Amnesics can often recall early memories as well as normal people
What are some disadvantages of using the Lesion Method?
Brain damage is a chance occurrence
What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?
A high-powered magnet delivers magnetic pulses to the brain and temporarily interferes in cognitive processing in the targetted region. Note: May overcome some limitations of the traditional lesion method
