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Questions and Answers
What does fMRI primarily measure in the brain?
What does fMRI primarily measure in the brain?
- Brain structure
- Brain waves
- Brain activity (correct)
- Blood pressure
The fMRI uses the BOLD signal to measure oxygen levels in the blood.
The fMRI uses the BOLD signal to measure oxygen levels in the blood.
True (A)
What was the aim of the study conducted by Sharot et al.?
What was the aim of the study conducted by Sharot et al.?
To determine the role of neural mechanisms on flashbulb memories.
The left amygdala showed selective activation during the recall of events from ______.
The left amygdala showed selective activation during the recall of events from ______.
Match the following groups with their respective rates of amygdala activation during the 9/11 recall:
Match the following groups with their respective rates of amygdala activation during the 9/11 recall:
How were participants' memories evaluated during the fMRI scan?
How were participants' memories evaluated during the fMRI scan?
The Midtown group showed higher amygdala activation than the Downtown group during the 9/11 trials.
The Midtown group showed higher amygdala activation than the Downtown group during the 9/11 trials.
What characteristic of the participants correlated with the amygdala activation observed?
What characteristic of the participants correlated with the amygdala activation observed?
Which pheromone was found to bias heterosexual males' perception toward femininity?
Which pheromone was found to bias heterosexual males' perception toward femininity?
The short allele of the 5-HTT gene has no association with major depressive disorder.
The short allele of the 5-HTT gene has no association with major depressive disorder.
What do AND and EST stand for in the context of this study?
What do AND and EST stand for in the context of this study?
[Blank] is the gene responsible for transporting serotonin in the body.
[Blank] is the gene responsible for transporting serotonin in the body.
Match the following groups with their response to AND:
Match the following groups with their response to AND:
Which group did NOT show a significant effect when exposed to AND?
Which group did NOT show a significant effect when exposed to AND?
Diathesis-stress theories suggest that genetic makeup does not influence reactions to stress.
Diathesis-stress theories suggest that genetic makeup does not influence reactions to stress.
What is the effect of low levels of the 5-HTT gene?
What is the effect of low levels of the 5-HTT gene?
The study by Antonova et al. found that scopolamine increased activity in the hippocampus.
The study by Antonova et al. found that scopolamine increased activity in the hippocampus.
The neurotransmitter ______ plays a significant role in the encoding of spatial memories.
The neurotransmitter ______ plays a significant role in the encoding of spatial memories.
Match the following terms related to hormones with their respective descriptions:
Match the following terms related to hormones with their respective descriptions:
What was the primary aim of the study by Antonova et al. concerning spatial memory formation?
What was the primary aim of the study by Antonova et al. concerning spatial memory formation?
Which of the following accurately describes the effect of scopolamine on acetylcholine?
Which of the following accurately describes the effect of scopolamine on acetylcholine?
Hormones have faster effects on behavior compared to neurotransmitters.
Hormones have faster effects on behavior compared to neurotransmitters.
The hormone ______ is known to play a role in the formation of flashbulb memories.
The hormone ______ is known to play a role in the formation of flashbulb memories.
Describe the role of receptor sites in the functioning of hormones.
Describe the role of receptor sites in the functioning of hormones.
What was the mean age of the young adult male skateboarders in the study?
What was the mean age of the young adult male skateboarders in the study?
Participants showed increased risk-taking when in the presence of a male researcher.
Participants showed increased risk-taking when in the presence of a male researcher.
What were the two types of tricks participants attempted during the study?
What were the two types of tricks participants attempted during the study?
Saliva samples were collected to measure levels of ______ after the experiment.
Saliva samples were collected to measure levels of ______ after the experiment.
Match the study components with their descriptions:
Match the study components with their descriptions:
What was the primary hypothesis investigated in the study?
What was the primary hypothesis investigated in the study?
The study found that participants took greater risks on the easy tricks in the presence of the female experimenter.
The study found that participants took greater risks on the easy tricks in the presence of the female experimenter.
What were the three possible outcomes coded for each skateboarder's attempt?
What were the three possible outcomes coded for each skateboarder's attempt?
The researchers used ______ to measure the attractiveness of potential female experimenters.
The researchers used ______ to measure the attractiveness of potential female experimenters.
Match the following measurements with the corresponding aspect they were used to measure:
Match the following measurements with the corresponding aspect they were used to measure:
What type of study design was used in the Caspi study investigating the relationship between the 5-HTT gene and depression?
What type of study design was used in the Caspi study investigating the relationship between the 5-HTT gene and depression?
The Caspi study found that individuals with ______ versions of the 5-HTT gene were more likely to develop depression in response to stressful life events.
The Caspi study found that individuals with ______ versions of the 5-HTT gene were more likely to develop depression in response to stressful life events.
The Caspi study concluded that inheriting the short allele of the 5-HTT gene alone is sufficient to cause depression.
The Caspi study concluded that inheriting the short allele of the 5-HTT gene alone is sufficient to cause depression.
Match the following terms related to the Caspi study with their descriptions:
Match the following terms related to the Caspi study with their descriptions:
What was the primary effect of scopolamine on participants in the study?
What was the primary effect of scopolamine on participants in the study?
Acetylcholine is known to inhibit spatial memory creation.
Acetylcholine is known to inhibit spatial memory creation.
What is the role of acetylcholine in spatial memory according to the study?
What is the role of acetylcholine in spatial memory according to the study?
Scopolamine acts as an ______ to acetylcholine because it reduces its effects.
Scopolamine acts as an ______ to acetylcholine because it reduces its effects.
Match the following terms with their definitions:
Match the following terms with their definitions:
How long before the experimental task were participants injected with either scopolamine or a placebo?
How long before the experimental task were participants injected with either scopolamine or a placebo?
Hormones have a faster effect on behavior than neurotransmitters.
Hormones have a faster effect on behavior than neurotransmitters.
What was the population of participants in Antonova et al.'s study?
What was the population of participants in Antonova et al.'s study?
What was the aim of the study conducted by Cahill and McGaugh?
What was the aim of the study conducted by Cahill and McGaugh?
The amygdala is primarily responsible for processing emotional information.
The amygdala is primarily responsible for processing emotional information.
What substance was used in the follow-up study to prevent the activation of the amygdala?
What substance was used in the follow-up study to prevent the activation of the amygdala?
Heterosexual men and women were tested for their reaction to the putative human pheromones, _____ and _____ in Zhou's study.
Heterosexual men and women were tested for their reaction to the putative human pheromones, _____ and _____ in Zhou's study.
Match the following stories used in Cahill and McGaugh's experiment with their conditions:
Match the following stories used in Cahill and McGaugh's experiment with their conditions:
What was observed in participants who heard the emotionally arousing story?
What was observed in participants who heard the emotionally arousing story?
What role does adrenaline play in memory formation according to the findings of the study?
What role does adrenaline play in memory formation according to the findings of the study?
Participants who received beta blockers recalled more information than those who heard the dull story.
Participants who received beta blockers recalled more information than those who heard the dull story.
Which group identified gender-neutral walkers as more masculine when exposed to AND?
Which group identified gender-neutral walkers as more masculine when exposed to AND?
The presence of AND significantly affected heterosexual men in identifying gender-neutral walkers.
The presence of AND significantly affected heterosexual men in identifying gender-neutral walkers.
What is the function of the 5-HTT gene?
What is the function of the 5-HTT gene?
The variant of the 5-HTT gene associated with major depressive disorder is the ______.
The variant of the 5-HTT gene associated with major depressive disorder is the ______.
Match the pheromones with their effects on gender perception:
Match the pheromones with their effects on gender perception:
Which factor does diathesis-stress theory relate to an individual's response to stress?
Which factor does diathesis-stress theory relate to an individual's response to stress?
The participants performed the point-light walker task while being exposed to ______ mixed with cloves.
The participants performed the point-light walker task while being exposed to ______ mixed with cloves.
Low levels of the 5-HTT gene are thought to reduce the risk of major depressive disorder.
Low levels of the 5-HTT gene are thought to reduce the risk of major depressive disorder.
What was the primary purpose of the Draganski study on juggling?
What was the primary purpose of the Draganski study on juggling?
The Draganski study found that participants who learned to juggle showed a decrease in grey matter in the areas associated with visual memory after they stopped practicing.
The Draganski study found that participants who learned to juggle showed a decrease in grey matter in the areas associated with visual memory after they stopped practicing.
What brain imaging technique was used to analyze the changes in neural density in the Draganski study?
What brain imaging technique was used to analyze the changes in neural density in the Draganski study?
The Draganski study demonstrated that learning a new skill can lead to an increase in ____ matter in the brain areas involved in the learned skill.
The Draganski study demonstrated that learning a new skill can lead to an increase in ____ matter in the brain areas involved in the learned skill.
Match the following terms related to the Draganski study with their descriptions:
Match the following terms related to the Draganski study with their descriptions:
Which of the following brain areas was found to exhibit increased grey matter in the juggling group in the Draganski study?
Which of the following brain areas was found to exhibit increased grey matter in the juggling group in the Draganski study?
The Draganski study found that the non-juggling group showed significant changes in grey matter in the mid-temporal area throughout the study.
The Draganski study found that the non-juggling group showed significant changes in grey matter in the mid-temporal area throughout the study.
What was the primary conclusion of the Draganski study?
What was the primary conclusion of the Draganski study?
Flashcards
Brain plasticity
Brain plasticity
The ability of the brain to change its structure and function in response to experience.
Mid-temporal Area
Mid-temporal Area
A specific area in the brain associated with visual memory, which shows increased grey matter in jugglers.
fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
A brain imaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow.
Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters
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Synapse
Synapse
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BOLD (Blood Oxygen Level Dependent) Signal
BOLD (Blood Oxygen Level Dependent) Signal
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Flashbulb Memory
Flashbulb Memory
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Agonist
Agonist
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Amygdala
Amygdala
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Antagonist
Antagonist
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Quasi-experiment
Quasi-experiment
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Acetylcholine
Acetylcholine
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Scopolamine
Scopolamine
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Experimental Group
Experimental Group
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Control Group
Control Group
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Between-Subjects Design
Between-Subjects Design
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Heritability
Heritability
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Twin study
Twin study
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Concordance rate
Concordance rate
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Evolutionary theory
Evolutionary theory
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Sexual selection
Sexual selection
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Pheromone
Pheromone
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Androstadienone (AND)
Androstadienone (AND)
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Estratetraenol (EST)
Estratetraenol (EST)
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Point-light walker task (PLW)
Point-light walker task (PLW)
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Diathesis-stress theory
Diathesis-stress theory
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5-HTT gene
5-HTT gene
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Short allele of the 5-HTT gene
Short allele of the 5-HTT gene
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Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
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Antagonist substance
Antagonist substance
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Agonist substance
Agonist substance
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Hormone
Hormone
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Adrenaline
Adrenaline
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Hippocampus
Hippocampus
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Episodic memory
Episodic memory
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Risk-Taking in the Presence of an Attractive Female
Risk-Taking in the Presence of an Attractive Female
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Testosterone
Testosterone
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Aborted Attempts
Aborted Attempts
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Neural Pruning
Neural Pruning
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What are neurotransmitters?
What are neurotransmitters?
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What is an antagonist substance?
What is an antagonist substance?
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Brain Plasticity and Skill Learning
Brain Plasticity and Skill Learning
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What is an agonist substance?
What is an agonist substance?
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What is a hormone?
What is a hormone?
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Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM)
Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM)
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What is adrenaline?
What is adrenaline?
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Neural Networks
Neural Networks
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What is the hippocampus?
What is the hippocampus?
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Dendritic Branching
Dendritic Branching
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How does scopolamine affect spatial memory?
How does scopolamine affect spatial memory?
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Non-Juggling Group
Non-Juggling Group
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What is episodic memory?
What is episodic memory?
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Memory Consolidation
Memory Consolidation
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Zhou et al. Experiment
Zhou et al. Experiment
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
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Experimental Method
Experimental Method
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5-HTT Gene and Depression
5-HTT Gene and Depression
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Genetic Similarity
Genetic Similarity
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Gene-Environment Interaction
Gene-Environment Interaction
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Study Notes
Biological Approach SAQs
- fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging): Shows brain activity by measuring blood flow changes in active areas. Participants usually perform a task during the scan. A computer converts blood flow data into a 3D moving image. Uses the BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) signal. When a brain region is active, it receives more oxygenated blood. The fMRI measures oxygen levels in the blood. More active areas have a stronger BOLD signal.
Study: Sharot et al.
- Aim: To investigate the neural mechanisms behind flashbulb memories, focusing on the role of the amygdala.
- Method: Quasi-experiment using fMRI. Participants in NYC during 9/11 experienced either personally consequential (Downtown) or less consequential exposure (Midtown). They were presented with words associated with either summer or 9/11 while in the scanner while recalling these events.
- Findings: Selective activation in the left amygdala occurred during 9/11 recall, but not during summer recall.
- Downtown participants showed greater amygdala activation compared to Midtown participants during 9/11 recall.
- Amygdala activation level correlated with the proximity to the World Trade Center during the attacks.
- The greater the amygdala activation, the more detailed and confidently recalled the memory was.
- Conclusion: Selective amygdala activation is a potential neural mechanism for flashbulb memories—memories of shocking, surprising events—especially those with high personal consequence. Proximity to the event highly correlates with activation strength.
Localization of Function
- Strict Localization: Specific psychological functions are associated with specific brain regions.
- Weak Localization: Specific brain areas are associated with functions, but other areas may also be involved, or take over.
- Widely Distributed: Some higher-order functions are distributed across different brain regions.
Study: Draganski
- Aim: To investigate whether learning a new skill (juggling) causes changes in brain structure.
- Method: Quasi-experiment using MRI. Juggling and non-juggling groups. Pre- and post-juggling MRI scans.
- Findings: The juggling group had an increase in grey matter volume in the mid-temporal area (visual memory) during practice. The decrease in grey matter after three months suggests that these changes are not permanent and require continued practice.
- Conclusion: This research supports the concept of brain plasticity—brain structure changes in response to environmental demands.
Neuroplasticity
- Definition: The brain's ability to change in response to learning and experience.
- Mechanism: Creation and strengthening of synaptic connections (Long-Term Potentiation, LTP) between neurons as a result of repeated activity or learning.
- Neural Pruning: Unused or weaker synapses are eliminated to make the brain more efficient.
Neurotransmitters
- Definition: Chemical messengers in the nervous system that transmit signals across synapses.
- Agonists: Molecules that bind to a receptor site and activate it, thereby stimulating the biological reaction of the receptor.
- Antagonists: Molecules that bind to a receptor site but block it from being activated.
Study: Antonova et al.
- Aim: To investigate the effect of scopolamine on hippocampal activity during spatial memory formation.
- Method: Participants received either scopolamine (antagonist for acetylcholine) or a placebo. Participants played a virtual reality game ("Arena Task") and had their brain activity measured using fMRI.
- Findings: Participants who received scopolamine performed worse on the spatial memory tasks. Scopolamine also reduced activity in the hippocampus, a brain region associated with spatial memory, and known to be modulated by acetylcholine.
- Conclusion: Acetylcholine plays a significant role in spatial memory encoding.
Hormones
- Definition: Chemicals produced by endocrine glands that regulate physiological and behavioural processes.
- Adrenaline: Stress hormone produced during emergencies or situations with high emotion. Increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood flow to muscles.
Study: Cahill and McGaugh
- Aim: To investigate the role of adrenaline and the amygdala in emotional memory formation.
- Method: Participants were given either a boring story (control) or a emotionally arousing story. Some participants in the arousal condition were also injected with beta-blockers.
- Findings: Participants with an emotionally aroused story recalled more details from the slides than those in the control group. The beta-blocker group demonstrated a similar memory recall to those in the control group.
- Conclusion: Adrenaline and the amygdala play a critical role in memory consolidation, particularly for emotional memories; encoding is stronger when events are emotionally arousing.
Study: Zhou
- Aim: To investigate the potential role of pheromones in human mate-recognition.
- Method: Participants were exposed to either androstadienone (AND) or estratetraenol (EST) while participating in a point-light walker task to judge gender of the stimulus, assessing whether pheromones influence perceiption of gender.
- Findings: Males show a bias for males and females show a bias to the opposite gender when smelling a pheromone linked to the opposite sex. This effect wasn't found in all groups tested.
- Conclusion: Possible role for pheromones in mate recognition.
Study: Caspi
- Aim: To investigate the role of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) in the development of depression in response to stressful life events.
- Method: Longitudinal study; collected data on 847 New Zealanders including stressful life events, using questionnaires.
- Findings: Individuals with a short allele for the 5-HTT gene demonstrated a higher risk of developing depression after multiple stressful life events.
- Conclusion: The 5-HTT gene shows a correlation with an increased vulnerability to develop depression when multiple stressful life events occur.
Study: Ronay and von Hippel
- Aim: To examine the effect of an attractive female on young men's risk-taking behaviour, influenced by testosterone.
- Method: Study of 96 participants (male skateboarders). Recorded performance of skateboarders taking risks and measuring heart-rates in front of different experimenters. Testosterone levels were recorded as well.
- Findings: An attractive female experimenter resulted in higher risks and increased testosterone in the participants during the tests. Ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) activity was also mentioned, leading to higher risk-taking behaviour.
- Conclusion: Increased risk-taking may be influenced by testosterone, mediated through the VMPFC in response to an attractive female. This may have an evolutionary basis; higher risk-taking behaviour to attract a mate.
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Description
This quiz covers key concepts related to fMRI technology and its application in studying amygdala activation during emotional recall, particularly in the context of significant events like 9/11. Participants will explore the relationship between brain activation, genetic factors, and emotional memory retrieval.
