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BRAIN SCANS - Coggle Diagram
BRAIN SCANS
Event-Related potentials
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stimulus way be a word, sound or picture
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within the first 100ms ERPs as they reflect an initial response to the physical characteristics of the stimulus
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EEG evaluation
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:cry: poor spatial resolution (10-15mm). electrical activity can be picked up by several neighbouring electrodes, there the EEG signal is not useful for pinpointing the exact source
:smiley: provides recording of the brain's activity in real time (good temporal resolution - 1-10 milliseconds) rather than a still image. can accurately measure a particular task
:cry: can only detect the activity superficial regions of the brain and therefore cannot reveal what is going on in the deeper regions (hypothalamus)
fMRI evaluation
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:cry: interpreting an fMRI scan is a difficult task, due to the time lag between initial neural activity and the image being generated (1-4s) - poor temporal resolution
:smiley: has a good spatial resolution, enabling researcher to pinpoint an area of activity in the brain, to within 1-2mm
:cry: expensive to buy and maintain, they require trained operators, which makes research expensive and difficult to organise
post mortem evaluation
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:smiley:allows for a detailed examination of anatomical and neurochemical aspects of the brain, is able to examine deeper regions of the brain
:cry: issues with comparison of functioning prior to death, it is therefore retrospective as the person is already dead
ERP evaluation
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:smiley: useful method to test the reliability of self report answers, particularly when the research is potentially sensitive or open to social desirability bias eg. lying or telling the truth
:cry: so small and difficult to pick out from other electrical activity in the brain, requires a large number of trials to gain meaningful data
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post mortem examinations
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examinations can be used to see where damage had occurred in the brain and how that might explain behaviour exhibited by the individual prior to death
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