CogSci C100 Cumulative Midterm Study
Questions and Answers
cognitive science - Answers -study of mind and cognition thru philosophy, psychology,
computer science, neuroscience, anthology, and linguistics
neuroimaging tool vary by - Answers -temporal (x-axis) and spatial (y-axis) resolution
behaviorism - Answers -banished idea of mind
"you can't study the mind, just a big black box"
"psychology should study observable stimuli and responses"
computational model of mind - Answers -Alan Turing
created one of first computers
parallel distributed processing (PDP) - Answers -when information is simultaneously
collected from different sources and combined to reach a decision even when
information is incomplete
The Turn to the Brain - Answers -60s: models (computational, etc.), just ideas, no
neural data
80s-90s: neuroimaging techniques became more available, ideas about cognition
became informed by neuroscientific data
frontal lobe - Answers -A region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized areas for
movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement
primary somatosensory cortex - Answers -region of the anterior parietal lobe whose
primary input is from the somatosensory system
primary motor area - Answers -sends impulses to skeletal muscles, located in frontal
lobe
occipital lobe - Answers -region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information
parietal lobe - Answers -region of the cerebral cortex whose functions include
processing information about touch
,temporal lobe - Answers -region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing
limbic system - Answers -a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border
of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and
aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus,
amygdala, and hypothalamus.
associated with negatively perceived emotions
limbic cortex - Answers -phylogenetically oldest part of limbic system
amygdala - Answers -two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to
emotion (bad emotions)
hippocampus - Answers -neural center located in the limbic system that helps process
explicit memories for storage (learning and memory)
Are our behaviors determined by brain function? - Answers -There are usually
physiological correlated states for psychological states, but that does not mean that
brain states cause mental states! Depression is reversible, not always affixed to the
brain.
experimental method of neuroimaging - Answers -Artificial experiments (are they worth
the money?)
Will these studies lead to good information about the brain?
Can the best things in life (love, truth, beauty, joy, etc.) actually be quantified?
Belief as confounding variable (Magellan's diary) -- do researchers' belief come into play
when they are analyzing data
Replication crisis in cognitive science
SQ3R Method - Answers -Survey, question, read, recite, review.
Survey a chapter, ask questions about subheadings, read the chapter, recite the
material, and review the material
"Early experience is associated with the development of categorical representations for
facial expressions of emotion" by Pollack - Answers -Abstract: children with experiences
of abuse (according to social norms) have a tendency to perceive angry faces differently
than those of their counterparts without these experiences
Discussion: difference could be due to genetic variance, only anger was different
,"Music perception and cognition: development, neural basis, and rehabilitative use of
music" by Särkämö - Answers -Abstract:
Music activates a lot of the brain (frontal, temporal, parietal, cerebellar, limbic system).
According to studies into amusia, proper music perception, which starts to be developed
in utero, boils down to the right temporal and frontal cortices.
Music can aid mood regulation; identity development; development of verbal, motor,
cognitive, and social skills; aging well.
Has been shown to be helpful in medical psychiatric settings--ASD, stroke, Alzheimer's,
depression, schizophrenia, somatic illnesses causing pain and anxiety, etc.
Conclusion:
Variety of great things for the brain; has different purposes through periods of life:
- infancy and early childhood: support speech development
- during school years: develop cognitive and attentional skills
- adolescence: help to build self-identity and enhance emotional self-regulation
- adulthood and old age, they help maintain cognitive performance and memory and
improve mood
RCTs and other good research is beneficial to understanding how else we can help
others with music.
"The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on Young Children's Executive
Function" by Lillard and Peterson - Answers -Television has been associated with long-
term attention problems. There is little research on the immediate impact of television
on EF (executive functioning). The present study found that 9 minutes of viewing a
popular fast-paced fantastical television show immediately impaired 4-year-olds' EF, a
result about which parents of young children should be aware.
"Functional connectivity changes associated with fMRI neurofeedback of right inferior
frontal cortex in adolescents with ADHD" by Rubia - Answers -Abstract: rIFC showed
increased positive functional connectivity after relative to before fMRI-Neurofeedback
with dorsal caudate and anterior cingulate and increased negative functional
connectivity with regions of the default mode network (DMN) such as posterior cingulate
and precuneus. Furthermore, the functional connectivity changes were correlated with
clinical improvements and the functional connectivity and correlation findings were
specific to the rIFC-Neurofeedback group. fMRI-neurofeedback in dysfunctional frontal
cortex in adolescents strengthen fronto-cingulo-striatal networks and weaken functional
connectivity with posterior DMN regions and that this may be underlying clinical
improvement.
"How Sleep Deprivation Affects Psychological Variables Associated with Student
Performance" by Pilcher - Answers -Abstract: Students taking Watson-Glaser Critical
, Thinking Appraisal who were sleep deprived scored lower on the test than students who
slept eight (8) hours. However, the sleep-deprived participants rated their performance
higher after taking the exam.
"Effects of sleep deprivation on cognition" by Pilcher - Answers -Evidence suggests that
aspects of higher level cognitive capacities are degraded by sleep deprivation despite
restoration of alertness and vigilance with stimulant counter measures, suggesting that
sleep loss may affect specific cognitive systems above and beyond the effects produced
by global cognitive declines or impaired attentional processes. Caffeine doesn't fix it.
Role of emotion as a critical facet of cognition has received increasing attention in
recent years and mounting evidence suggests that sleep deprivation may particularly
affect cognitive systems that rely on emotional data.
The extent to which sleep deprivation affects a particular cognitive process depends on
several factors, including
- magnitude of global decline in general alertness and attention
- degree to which the specific cognitive function depends on emotion-processing
networks
- extent to which that cognitive process can draw upon associated cortical regions for
compensatory support
"The future of dream science" by Bulkeley - Answers -This article describes the future
prospects of scientific dream research. Three frontiers of investigation hold special
promise: neuroscientific studies of the brain-mind system's activities during sleep (such
as during lucid dreaming);systematic analyses of large collections of dream reports from
diverse populations of people; and psychotherapeutic explorations of the multiple
dimensions of personal and collective meaning woven into the dream experiences of
each individual. Several helpful books on the science of sleep and dreaming are
mentioned for further study.
global neuronal workspace (GNW) - Answers -hypothesis that consciousness emerges
when incoming sensual information is broadcasted to multiple structures
integrated information theory - Answers -theory that posits that consciousness arises
from complexity in the brain
consciousness cannot be computed; it must be built into the structure of the system
Hypnosis - Answers -social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to
another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will
spontaneously occur
Hypnotic susceptibility - Answers -Correlated with measures of imagery vividness and
absorption