PSYCH Test term 1

localization of a brain function and its relevance to behaviour TERM

Understanding of how designated areas of the brain are responsible for different

• biological operations

• behaviour

• cognitive activity.

localization of a brain function and its relevance to behaviour RESTATE

Prefrontal cortex; a region of the brain located in the frontal lobe that is responsible for decision-making, impulse control and consideration of consequences.

localization of a brain function and its relevance to behaviour EXAMPLE

Phineas Gage

• Three-foot iron bar punctured his skull and pierced through his head

• Damaged the frontal region of his brain including the prefrontal cortex

localization of a brain function and its relevance to behaviour EXPLAIN

• After the incident, his personality and behaviour was permanently altered and his ability to control his actions was negatively impacted.

• This damage to the prefrontal cortex in relation to his sudden change in character, illustrates how different sections of the brain can influence our behaviour and cognitive processes. 

neuroplasticity & environmental factors TERM

Neuroplasticity is the understanding of how the structure and cognitive functions of the brain can be modified by environmental factors (4):

• Sociocultural

• Experience

• Learning

• Physical environment.

neuroplasticity & environmental factors RESTATE

Child Abuse and the Amygdala (McCrory et al), a study which aimed to observe how childhood abuse effects amygdala activity.

neuroplasticity & environmental factors EXPLAIN - Link to amygdala and study

The amygdala is the part of the brain which manages emotions such as empathy, fear and anger, it allows people to sense threats within their environment and activates our fight or flight responses.

In this study, there were two groups of teenagers, one group was abused at an early age whilst the other was the control group, who were similar in age, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. During the study, both groups of teenagers had undergone fMRI scans where they were shown images of angry and happy expressions.

neuroplasticity & environmental factors EXAMPLE

Mistreated group had higher amygdala activity.

This study revealed that prior abuse trained the brain to be hypervigilant/react faster towards threats as form of survival response, demonstrating the brain’s ability to adapt to its given environment. 

brain imaging technique & behaviour (what it revealed)  TERM

Neurophysiological tool used to create a scan of the brain;

• fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) used to measure levels of brain activity within different brain regions

• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) used to measure physical brain structures, including size and shape by displaying volumes of brain matter.

brain imaging technique & behaviour (what it revealed)  RESTATE

MRI imaging in the study of criminal behaviour.

MRI Imaging of the Criminal Brain (Sajous-Turner et al.) in the study, psychologists used MRI brain scans and different psychological tests to identify structural differences in the brain between three specific groups: homicide, non-homicide and non-violent criminals.

brain imaging technique & behaviour (what it revealed)  EXPLAIN

Psychologists gathered statistics from over 800 male criminals, controlling age, IQ, drug use, psychotic disorders, and time in prison.  

brain imaging technique & behaviour (what it revealed)  EXAMPLE

Results from indicated that between the three groups, the homicide group had distinct qualities of reduced grey matter in their prefrontal cortex.

This revealed that murderers have unique brain abnormalities in contrast to violent and non-violent criminals and less cognitive control.

testosterone & aggression EXAMPLE

Testosterone is the male sex hormone that is correlated with aggression, status seeking behaviour and libido.

testosterone & aggression RESTATE

One study that shows how testosterone influences aggression is Testosterone and aggression in rats (Albert et al.1986), which aimed to understand how testosterone levels impact the aggressiveness of male rats.

testosterone & aggression EXPLAIN

Researchers

1.Identified the alpha males in the colony through measuring aggression levels by recording behaviours eg. biting

2.Four surgical categories, castration, castration followed by the implantation of testosterone tubes, castration followed by the implantation of empty tubes and a placebo (rats that underwent surgical procedure without the removal of testicles).

3.The rats were then placed in a cage with a non-aggressive rat.

testosterone & aggression EXAMPLE

• Rats with lower testosterone had reduced aggressive behaviour

• Rats that still had testosterone within their system continued to display similar levels of aggression

This evidence illustrates the influence of testosterone on aggression. 

testosterone & brain function (impact on social threat processing) TERM

Testosterone is the male sex hormone that is correlated with aggression, status seeking behaviour and libido.

The relationship between testosterone and a brain function is the amygdala and influence on sensitivity towards social threat processing.

testosterone & brain function (impact on social threat processing) RESTATE

Testosterone and aggression in rats (Albert et al.1986) aimed to understand how testosterone levels impact the aggressiveness of male rats.

testosterone & brain function (impact on social threat processing) EXPLAIN

This is because the first cognitive function which is impacted by high levels of testosterone

1.perception of social threat

2.motivation to approach the threat

3.activation of the amygdala.

How testosterone enhances reactivity to social provocation in males.

• To provoke the volunteers, they played a rigged reaction time game against a non-existent opponent.

• When participants lost, the opponent would subtract money from the participant, but they could make a decision to subtract money from their opponent.

testosterone & brain function (impact on social threat processing) EXAMPLE

When received additional testosterone

• provocation and success during the repetition of games caused higher rates of reactivity among participants

• Their decision to reduce money from their opponent increased.

This data suggests that testosterone’s influence on aggression is a result of increase in sensitivity in the cognitive function of processing social threats. 

Serotonin & behaviour TERM

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects an individual’s mood regulation.

Serotonin & behaviour RESTATE

Serotonin modulates learning from reward and punishment, which aims to explore the impact serotonin has on learning from positive and negative outcomes.

Serotonin & behaviour EXPLAIN

• 66 healthy volunteers were randomly allocated to receive a daily dose of SSRI medication (a chemical that blocks the reuptake of serotonin) or a placebo over the course of 7 days.

• To examine the differences in learning from success and failure, subjects partook in a modified version of gambling where the goal was to maximize monetary gain and minimize losses.

Serotonin & behaviour EXPAMPLE

• SSRI treated subjects had a tendency to avoid gambling in response to negative outcomes compared to placebo groups.

In summary the experiment showed how serotonin can help create positive responses from a negative outcome and transform punishment into a less disappointing experience. Showing how serotonin plays a role in impacting mood and contributes to reinforced learning.