Cognitive Neuroscience Overview

Study Notes

Cognitive Neuroscience examines the relationship between brain activity and mental processes.
Other psychology branches may focus on behavior, experience, or mental processes without considering the underlying neural mechanisms.

Split-brain patients have their corpus callosum severed, preventing communication between the left and right hemispheres.
The left hemisphere is dominant for language, while the right hemisphere is dominant for spatial processing.
Tasks requiring communication between hemispheres will be impaired.

Modularity refers to the idea that the brain is organized into distinct modules, each responsible for a specific cognitive function.
Brain specialization occurs when a particular area of the brain becomes more adept at performing a specific task due to experience or genetics.
Factors like genetics, experience, and environmental pressures can influence brain specialization.

An association is a relationship between two variables, where a change in one is correlated with a change in the other.
A dissociation is a situation where a manipulation affects one variable but not another, suggesting that the two variables are processed differently.
A double dissociation is a type of dissociation that demonstrates a clear separation between two cognitive functions.
Double dissociations provide stronger evidence for independent neural systems underlying different cognitive functions compared to single dissociations.

Case studies are in-depth investigations of an individual, providing detailed information about their experiences, skills, and limitations.
Group studies involve examining data from large groups, providing statistical analysis and comparisons across participants.
Case studies offer rich and detailed information, but may lack generalizability.
Group studies allow for statistical analysis and comparisons, but may lack the intricate detail of case studies.

Domain specificity theories emphasize the existence of specialized neural systems for recognizing faces.
Expertise accounts propose that face recognition proficiency arises from extensive experience with faces, rather than specific brain regions.
Supporting evidence for domain specificity includes the observation of face recognition deficits in individuals with prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces), even though they can recognize other objects.
Expertise accounts are supported by findings that individuals with expertise in other domains, like birdwatchers recognizing different bird species, often exhibit similar brain activation patterns to face recognition experts.

Neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and PET scan brain activity by measuring blood flow.
Electrophysiology methods like EEG and ERP measure electrical activity in the brain.
Lesion studies examine the effects of brain damage on cognitive abilities.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) temporarily disrupts brain activity in specific regions.
Behavioral measures assess performance on tasks that require specific cognitive functions.
Subtraction methodology in functional imaging compares brain activation patterns during different tasks to isolate the neural activity associated with a specific process.

fMRI can potentially provide insights into brain activity related to cognitive processes like deception, intention, and memory.
However, fMRI has limitations in its accuracy and interpretation, making its use in court cases controversial.

EEG (electroencephalography) records electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp.
ERPs (event-related potentials) are specific brain responses to stimuli.
ERPs are measured by averaging EEG recordings across multiple trials locked to the onset of a stimulus.
ERP components are distinct waveform patterns reflecting different cognitive processes evoked by the stimulus.

Advantages: High temporal resolution (millisecond precision), non-invasive, relatively inexpensive.
Disadvantages: Limited spatial resolution, susceptible to artifacts, requires many trials for clear data.

Damage to the optic nerve pathway:
- Monocular blindness: Loss of vision in one eye.
- Bitemporal hemianopia: Loss of vision in the outer halves of both visual fields.
- Homonymous hemianopia: Loss of vision in the same half of both visual fields.
Lesions to the Primary Visual Cortex:
- Cortical blindness: Complete loss of vision in the affected visual field.
- Scotoma: Partial loss of vision in a specific area of the visual field.

Prejudice: Negative attitudes and beliefs about a group, often based on stereotypes.
Stereotype: Oversimplification of a group's characteristics.
Self-regulation: The ability to control one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Diversity in research participants: Recruiting diverse participant samples can help mitigate bias in findings.
Developing tools and methods that are sensitive to individual differences: This can include adjusting for factors like different head shapes and hair texture.

ERPs can be sensitive to subtle changes in cognitive processing associated with biased attitudes.
ERP components like the N400 (reflecting semantic processing) and the P300 (reflecting attention and decision-making) can be informative in understanding how implicit biases influence how people process different types of information.