Ways of studying the brain Flashcards
(18 cards)
Over the years science and technology has led to the creation of scanning techniques which have given psychologists an understanding of the…
function of the brain and the brain areas that are involved in behaviour
How does fMRI work?
It identifies changes in the levels of oxygen in the blood that occurs due to brain activity in specific areas
When a brain area is more active it leads to…
more oxygen being used so there is an increase of blood flow to this area
What does an fMRI produce?
It produces a 3D image showing which part of the brain is active, called an activation map
When is fMRI used?
It is used to identify which specific parts of the brain are active in particular mental processes
How does an EEG work?
Electrodes are placed on the scalp using a skull cap
What does an EEG detect?
It detects small electrical changes reaulting from the activity of brain cells
What does an EEG produce?
It produces electrical signals which are graphed over a period to see a person’s general brain activity
When are EEG’s used?
The yare used to detect sleep patterns and states such as sleep or arousal or to diagnose conditions such as brain tumours and epilepsy
How do ERPs work?
Electrodes are also placed on the scalp but an ERP shows the brains response to a specific stimulus
During an ERP, a stimulus is presented multiple times whilst…
their brain activity is measured in the same way as an EEG
What is filtered out in an ERP?
All brain activity from the original EEG is filtered out leaving only those responses that link to the presentation of the stimulus
What do ERP’s look like?
They are graphed and a base line measure line is shown with a test line to the difference in brain activity to specific stimuli
When are ERP’s used?
ERP’s are used to study a range of cognitive processes such as attention, memory or perception in response to specific stimuli
How do post mortems work?
The brain of a dead patient is examined and disected to see if there’s any physical/structural abnormalities
What is the brain in a post mortem compared to?
It is compared with a brain that does not show this behaviour or mental process
Post mortems are mainly used on…
people who have a rare disorder or defect
When are post mortems used?
One area of research has been the identification of Broca’s area as an important brain area for speech production
