Studying the brain

Question 1

What are all the ways to study the brain?

Answer 1

• fMRI
• Electroencephalogram
• Event-related potentials
• Post-mortem examination

Question 2

How do fMRI work?

Answer 2

• Measures the blood flow in the brain when a person performs a task
• It works on the idea that the neurons that are the most active (during a task) are the ones that use the most energy
• It creates a dynamic 3D map of the brain highlighting the areas involved in different neural activities

Question 3

Evaluate fMRI

Answer 3

• One strength is that it is non-invasive meaning it does not require any instruments to be inserted into the brain making it risk-free
• One limitation is that it has poor temporal resolution (the accuracy of the scanner in relation to time). fMRI has a temporal resolution of 1-4 seconds whereas EEG/ERP are 1-10miliseconds

Question 4

How do EEG’s work?

Answer 4

• They work on the idea that information is processed in the brain as electrical activity in the form of nerve impulses (transmitted across neurons)
• They measure this activity by electrodes attached to the scalp
• Small electrical charges and detected by the electrodes and are graphed overtime to show the level of brain activity.

Question 5

Tell me about the EEG patterns

Answer 5

4 types of EEG patterns:
- Alpha waves
- Beta waves
- Theta waves
- Delta waves
Each of these patterns have 2 properties that psychologists examine:
- Amplitude (the intensity/size of the activity)
- Frequency (the speed or quantity of activity)

Question 6

What are the 2 distinctive states that EEG patterns produce and what are they usually associated with?

Answer 6

Synchronised patterns - where a recognised waveform (alpha, beta, theta & delta) can be detected. Associated with sleep
Desynchronised pattern - no pattern detected. Associated with being awake

Question 7

Evaluate EEG

Answer 7

• They have poor spatial resolution (the smallest measurement a scanner can detect). They only detect activity in superficial regions of the brain and are unable to provide information about deeper regions of the brain such as the hippocampus.
• Can be uncomfortable for the participant meaning the readings could be unrepresentative.

Question 9

How do event-related potentials work?

Answer 9

• Electrodes are also attached to scalp but the difference is that a stimulus is presented
• The research looks for activity related to the stimulus
• A process called ‘averaging’