ways of studying the brain

Question 1

how does a fMRI work

Answer 1

detects changes in oxygen levels in the blood to see activity in specific brain areas - there is increased blood flow and thus increased oxygen during brain activity

Question 2

when is an fMRI used?

Answer 2

used to identify the specific brain areas which are active during processes

Question 3

what does a fMRI produce?

Answer 3

produces a 3D image of where the brain is active during a specific task - activation map

Question 4

strength of fMRI

Answer 4

safer technique of studying the brain to alternative methods

Question 5

why are fMRI’s more safe? + comp

Answer 5

they are non invasive as they do not use radiation to identify specific brain areas during activity,

this is unlike PET scans which use a small amount of radiation which although may be low levels can still cause potential harm

Question 6

strength link fMRI

Answer 6

increases the appropriateness of fMRIs as a method of studying the brain

Question 7

weakness/strength of fMRI (temp +spatial res)

Answer 7

low temporal resolution
high spatial resolution

Question 8

why does fMRI have high spatial resolution

Answer 8

high spatial resolution is important feature of brain scan since it can accurately identify areas of the brain which are active during activity

provides detail by mm which creates a clear image of how the brain is localised

Question 9

why does fMRI have low temporal resolution

Answer 9

there is a 5 second time lag behind the image on screen and the initial firing of neuronal activity

fMRIs may not truly represent moment by moment brain activity

Question 10

how does an EEG work

Answer 10

EEG detect small electrical changes in the brain caused by activity of brain cells

they attach electrodes to the scalp by using a skull cap

Question 11

what does an EEG produce

Answer 11

electrical signals are graphed over a period of time to show general brain activity

Question 12

when is an EEG used

Answer 12

used to detect sleep patterns and states such as arousal and sleep to help diagnose conditions such as brain tumours and epilepsy

Question 13

strength of EEG

Answer 13

high temporal resolution

Question 14

why does an EEG have high temporal res and what does it allow - comp

Answer 14

it provides the researcher with a real time recording of brain activity as an oppose to a still image which is the case with fMRIs.

allows researcher to accurately measure and identify brain activity during specific tasks and greater insight into the brain’s processes during states such as sleep

Question 15

strength link EEG

Answer 15

thus increasing validity of the EEG as a way of studying the brain

Question 16

weakness of EEG

Answer 16

low spatial resolution

Question 17

why does an EEG have low spatial resolution - comp to ERP

Answer 17

it only provides information on general brain activity - cannot pinpoint exact source of neuronal activity in the brain

unlike ERPs which allow researchers to identify specific brain areas associated with a task

Question 18

what is an ERP?

Answer 18

ERP’s work in the same way as EEG as they use electrodes attached to a skull cap onto the scalp but shows the brain’s response to a specific stimulus

the stimulus is repeatedly shown to the individual but is measured in the same way as an EEG

Question 19

how is an ERP different to an EEG?

Answer 19

It filters out an extraneous brain activity from the original EEG recording and only shows the brain’s response to the presentation of a stimuli

Question 20

what does an ERP produce?

Answer 20

It is graphed with a base line measure against the test line to show the difference in brain activity in response to the stimuli

Question 21

when is an ERP used?

Answer 21

it is used to study a range of mental cognitive processes such as memory, perception and attention in response to a stimuli

Question 22

strength and weakness of ERP

Answer 22

high temporal resolution
low spatial resolution

Question 23

weakness of ERP

Answer 23

hard to obtain meaningful data

Question 24

why does an ERP have high temporal resolution?

Answer 24

compared to fMRI, it shows brain activity by the millisecond which means researcher can see brain activity in real time.

Question 25

why does an ERP have low spatial resolution?

Answer 25

it can only show brain activity in general brain areas rather than identifying brain activity in specific locations. Thus limiting validity of ERP's as a way of studying the brain's mental processes

Question 26

what is a post mortem?

Answer 26

when the brain is dissected and examined to check for any structural or physical abnormalities this is usually done on people with brain defects or damage this is then compared to a neurotypical brain which does not exhibit these behaviours or mental processes to see the differences

Question 27

when is a post mortem used?

Answer 27

identification of the broca's area in understanding its importance for speech production

Question 28

strength of post mortem

Answer 28

only invasive way of studying the brain

Question 29

why is post mortem being the only invasive way to study the brain a strength

Answer 29

it allows researchers to conduct a more detailed examination which would not be possible by solely using a brain scan. It has allowed researchers to study deeper areas of the brain such as the hypothalamus in understanding brain functioning in a range of different behaviours

Question 30

strength link post mortems

Answer 30

increases the validity of using post mortems as a method of studying the brain

Question 31

weakness of post mortem

Answer 31

hard to establish cause and effect

Question 32

why's it hard to establish a cause and effect in post mortem studies

Answer 32

there are many extraneous variables which cannot be easily controlled such as how long the person has the disorder for, the age at the time of death or whether they were receiving treatment for their disorder. Therefore, it can be hard to interpret the role of specific brain areas in behaviour

Question 33

weakness link post mortem

Answer 33

thus limiting appropriateness of using post mortems in studying the brain and the validity of findings in post mortem studies