ch 5: methods

Question 1

what is behavior the result of?

Answer 1

1. information processing depends on internal REPRESENTATIONS
2. mental representations undergo TRANSFORMATIONS

Question 2

stages of processing

Answer 2

1. encode
2. compare
3. decide
4. respond

Question 3

why is it harder to identify 2 constanants compared to vowels?

Answer 3

our brain has an automatic activation for vowels but not constanants

Question 4

simple feature search

Answer 4

only looking for one stimulus and fast reaction time
- example: green rectangle

Question 5

conjugation search

Answer 5

identifying 2 or more stimuli and slow reaction time
- example: green vertical rectangle

Question 6

parallel search

Answer 6

everything is compared at the same time
- number of items does not effect the reaction time

Question 7

serial search

Answer 7

everything is searched for one at a time
- example: green then vertical rectangle
- more items = slower reaction time

Question 8

single-cell recordings

Answer 8

sticking an electrode inside skull directly onto brain tissue to measure single neurons

Question 9

strengths of single cell recordings

Answer 9

great picture for single neurons
great temporal and spatial resolution
good physiological basis (voltage)

Question 10

weaknesses of single cell recording

Answer 10

not good scope of entire brain
invasive
cost

Question 11

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 11

measures changes in voltage and does this by creating a dipole

Question 12

as the brain gets less excited and more sleepy, what happens to EEG reading?

Answer 12

amplitude increases and frequency decreases

Question 13

event-related potentials (ERPs)

Answer 13

consistent patterns of EEG that are triggered by a stimulus and are embedded in the overall EEG
- takes the average

Question 14

what is an ERP the result of?

Answer 14

postsynaptic potentials in the brain

Question 15

strengths of EEG/ERP

Answer 15

good temporal resolution
good physiological basis
not super expensive
not invasive

Question 16

weakness of ERP/EEG

Answer 16

bad spatial resolution

Question 17

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Answer 17

non-invasive stimulation of the cerebral cortex that stimulates neurons by repetitive magnetic energy to brain

Question 18

TMS clinical application

Answer 18

motor pathway integrity and relieve symptoms of depression

Question 19

TMS experimental application

Answer 19

to test behavioral things

Question 20

strengths of TMS

Answer 20

not invasive
good spatial and temporal resolution

Question 21

weaknesses of TMS

Answer 21

bad scope: only cortex
expensive

Question 21

genetic variation

Answer 21

the natural differences in DNA sequences among individuals within a species or population

Question 22

genetic manipulation

Answer 22

knockout gene that develops certain cells to see how behavior changes

Question 23

optogenetics

Answer 23

shine laser(light) at neuron to hyperpolarize or depolarize the neuron
- observe different behaviors

Question 24

strengths of genetic approaches

Answer 24

- easily control specific neurons - good spatial resolution - good temporal resolution for optogenetics - physiological basis is the neuron

Question 25

weaknesses of genetic approaches

Answer 25

only done in certain animals limited scope/knowledge of genes bad temporal resolution for knockout genes expensive