2022-2024 Year 13 A-Level Psychology - Biopsychology: Ways of Studying the Brain
This flashcard set covers Ways of Studying the Brain in A-Level Psychology (Biopsychology), highlighting key methods such as fMRI, EEG, ERPs, and post-mortems, with a focus on understanding brain activity and structure.
Name four ways of studying the brain
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Event Related Potentials (ERP)
Post mortems
Key Terms
Name four ways of studying the brain
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Event Related Potentials (ERP)
Post mortems
What does EEG stand for?
Electroencephalograph
What does fMRI stand for?
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
What does ERP stand for?
Event Related Potentials
What does fMRI identify changes in?
Oxygen levels in the blood due to brain activity
What is the 3D image from an fMRI called?
Activation Map
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Name four ways of studying the brain | Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) |
What does EEG stand for? | Electroencephalograph |
What does fMRI stand for? | Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
What does ERP stand for? | Event Related Potentials |
What does fMRI identify changes in? | Oxygen levels in the blood due to brain activity |
What is the 3D image from an fMRI called? | Activation Map |
What has fMRI been used to study? | Which specific parts of the brain are active in particular processes. |
in an fMRI what does increased blood flow show? | When a brain area is active |
fMRI is a much safer way of studying the brain than … | PET scans |
In terms of resolution, what can we say about fMRI? | High Spatial |
In EEG where are the electrodes placed? | On the scalp |
What does an EEG detect? | Small electrical changes from brain cell activity. |
What have EEGs been used to study? | Sleep Patterns |
How are the electrical signals seen in an EEG? | Graphed over a period of time |
In terms of resolution, what can we say about EEG? |
|
How is an ERP similar to an EEG? | Electrodes are placed on the scalp |
How is an ERP different to an EEG? | EEG shows general activity whereas ERP shows specific brain activity |
In an ERP how is a stimulus presented? | Many times |
In an ERP what is filtered out? | All extraneous brain activity |
In terms of resolution, what can we say about ERP? | High Temporal |
Why is it hard to get meaningful data from a ERP? | It can take many trials as they are affected by external factors e.g. noise |
When is a Post-mortem conducted? | After death |
What do they do in a post-mortem? | Examine and dissect the brain to identify and physical/structural abnormalities. |
What do they compare in a post-mortem? | A brain with a disorder/mental process with one that doesn’t show this. |
Identify one area of the brain located by post-mortem. | Broca's area |
Why might a postmortem lack internal validity? | They are affected by extraneous variables such as age, medication or time of death. |
When is the use of post-mortem most valuable? | When trying to study the deeper areas of the brain such as the hypothalamus |