Ways Of Studying The Brain 🧠

Question 1

fMRI definition

Answer 1

Uses both radio waves X magnetic Fields

To detect changes in blood oxygenation due to neural activity

Places rich with oxygen are considered active

❌Measure of blood O2, not direct activity

❌Expensive

✅Spatial resolution e.g. 3D image

Question 2

EEG definition

Answer 2

Use electrodes placed on a patients scalp

To measure electrical activity

Scan records brainwave patterns generated by neurons

❌Surface level, not deeper regions e.g. hippocampus

✅Diagnostic tool

✅Cheaper than fMRI’s

Question 3

ERP’s

Answer 3

Use electrodes to record neural responses

But= specific stimulus and stat averaging to analyse response to stimulus.

Question 4

Post- mortems

Answer 4

Brain structure is analysed after death

To determine if observed behaviours from their life

Can be linked to structural abnormalities in the brain

✅ Centuries old scientific method. Helped understand 4 lobes, 2 hemispheres X more complex workings of brain e.g. hemipheersic lateralisation. Helped foreground Sperry’s research. Respected method in science x psych.

❌not loving= trauma or decay? Less accurate.

❌Ethics of pressuring families

Question 5

Temporal resolution

Answer 5

Accuracy of the scanner in relation to time

How quickly it can detect

Changes in brain activity

Question 6

Spatial resolution

Answer 6

Smallest measurement

A scanner can detect

Important feature of brain scanning techniques