PSY 497 Exam 3 (Chapter 6 and 7)

Smith Papyrus

The earliest known text linking the brain to behavior, from around 1700 BCE.

Mummification and the brain

During Egyptian mummification, the brain was removed through the nostrils using hooks and disposed of, while other organs were preserved.

Plato's theory

Proposed that the brain houses the reasoning part of the soul.

Galen's empirical evidence

Demonstrated that throat nerves connect to the brain, not the heart, suggesting the voice is produced by the brain.

Andreas VanWesel (Vesalius)

Father of human anatomy; proposed that the brain has three ventricles.

Back ventricle (Vesalius)

Associated with memory.

Middle ventricle (Vesalius)

The source of thoughts and judgments.

Front ventricle (Vesalius)

Where all sensory information is processed, referred to as 'common sense'.

Galen's observation of reflexes

Theorized that body parts 'sympathize' with each other’s distress.

Cerebrospinal Axis

Found by Jiří Procháska, showing that the spinal cord and central core control reflexes.

Reflex Arc

Concept proposed by Marshall Hall that outlines stimulus-response pathways.

Localization of Brain Function

The discovery that different brain structures serve different functions.

Jean Flourens

Demonstrated that different brain structures serve different functions, considered the father of experimental brain science.

Paul Broca

Demonstrated that the left frontal lobe dominates speech production.

Karl Wernicke

Found a part of the left hemisphere specializing in language comprehension.

Neurons

Individual nerve cells that communicate electrically and chemically.

Electricity in the Brain

Emil duBois used electric eels as an analogy to explain how human nerve signals could be electric.

Neurophysiology

Branch of physiology specializing in the study of the nervous system.

Neuropsychology

Branch of psychology specializing in the relationship between the brain and behavior.

Cognitive Neuropsychology

A sub-branch of neuropsychology that relies on information processing models to study brain-behavior relationships.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

First recorded by Hans Berger to measure brain electrical activity.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

A scanning technique that uses radioactive tracers to map active brain areas.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Measures the magnetic fields surrounding the head to detect neural activity.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Tracks blood flow to map brain activity.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TCMS)

A device that creates 'virtual lesions' by disrupting local brain area functioning.

Sex differences in the brain

Males have larger brains overall, but females may have bulkier areas associated with cognitive functioning.

Differences in facial recognition

Females generally perform better in facial recognition tasks compared to males.

Cahill

Conducted PET scans indicating that men and women encode memories of emotionally-arousing incidents differently.

Capgras delusion

A false belief that a family member has been replaced by an impostor.

Prosopagnosia

A condition where individuals are unable to recognize familiar faces, often due to brain injury.

Dual Processing

The concept that one can have unconscious emotional reactions to faces despite not recognizing them.

Blindsight

Ability to respond to visual stimuli without conscious awareness of them.

Mind-Brain Problem

The fundamental issue in psychology regarding the separation of mind and brain.

Dualism

The viewpoint that the mind is independent of the body.

Materialism

The viewpoint that the mind is simply a by-product of the physical brain.

Philosophical Functionalism

The view that the mind is information contained within the brain.

The Mary Problem

A thought experiment questioning whether knowledge is complete without experiential context.

The Zombie Problem

The hypothetical situation of a being identical in every way except lacking consciousness.

Ben Libet's experiment (1985)

Found that decisions to act occur before conscious awareness.

Global Workspace Model (GWM)

A model suggesting that consciousness coordinates mental activities like a stage manager.

Embodied Cognition

The view that understanding cognition requires considering perceptual experiences.

Kick, Pick, Lick Study (Pulvermüller)

Found that reading action words activates related motor cortex areas.

Information Distribution Network (IDN)

The concept that consciousness serves to distribute and coordinate information processing.

Consciousness and free will

Debate around whether free will exists if brain activity precedes conscious actions.

Cognitive Neuropsychiatry

Applying cognitive neuropsychology principles to study mental disorders.

Emotional Memory Encoding

Research shows differences between men and women in emotional memory recall.

Procháska's discovery

Established the spinal cord and central core's role in controlling reflexes.

Interaction problem

The difficulty in explaining how an independent mind influences a physical brain.

Phlogiston

An obsolete concept proposed to explain combustion in materials.

Vital force

A concept similar to phlogiston explaining why some entities are alive.

Æther

A material that was once hypothesized to permeate space, though it was later discredited.

Reductionism

The belief that complex systems can be understood by studying their simpler components.

Cognitive functions related to the brain

Studies indicate that cognitive functions are influenced by the physical state of the brain.

Neuronal communication

Smooth and consistent communication among neurons vital for brain function.

Brain imaging techniques

Methods such as EEG, PET, and fMRI used to study the brain's structure and function.

Emotional responses in men and women

Research indicates the amygdala's activity varies by gender in emotional recall.

Electrodermal conductance test

A measure of skin response to stimuli, used to infer emotional recognition in prosopagnosia.

Research importance in neuropsychology

Establishing a link between brain structures and cognitive functions through research.

Behaviorism

A psychological approach emphasizing observable behavior over internal thoughts.

Radical behaviorism

An extension of behaviorism that seeks to explain all behavior in terms of learned responses.

Classical conditioning

A learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus.

Operant conditioning

A method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior.

Cognitive development

The process by which individuals learn to think and understand; examined by theorists like Piaget.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.

The role of the cerebellum

Involved in the coordination of voluntary movements, balance, and posture.

The role of the medulla

Controls involuntary functions such as heart rate and respiration.

The role of the left hemisphere

Dominates language production, processing verbal information.

The role of the right hemisphere

Specializes in non-verbal processes, such as spatial awareness.

Differences in brain structure

Variations in male and female brain anatomy, affecting cognitive abilities.

Hans Berger's contributions

First to record electrical activity in the brain, leading to advancements in EEG.

Cognitive neuropsychology's focus

Examines how cognitive processes are linked to brain function and structure.

Neuropsychological testing

Assessments used to determine cognitive functioning related to specific brain areas.

Functional characteristics of neurons

Neurons transmit signals through both electrical impulses and chemical synapses.

Patterns of neurophysiological activity

Understanding normal and abnormal patterns is crucial in neuropsychology.

Cerebral lateralization

The specialization of the left and right hemispheres in different cognitive functions.

Sex-based differences in cognition

Explore how gender influences cognitive processing and behavior.

Neuroscience advancements

Recent progress in understanding brain function and cognitive processes through technology.

Impacts of neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit signals across synapses and influence behavior and mood.

Cognitive models in psychology

Theoretical frameworks that explain mental processes and their relation to observable behavior.

Historical perspectives on brain function

Shifts in scientific understanding of the brain's role in behavior over time.

Psychological theories of memory

Investigate different models of memory and their frameworks.

Cognitive neuroscience's domain

Intersecting field of psychology and neuroscience aiming to link cognition with brain activity.

Methodologies in neuroimaging

Techniques used to visualize the brain's structure and function.

Research on brain injuries

Studies exploring the effects of brain damage on behavior and cognitive functioning.