The Brain and Cognition

Education 173 with Drew at University of California - Irvine

About this deck

By: Grayson Villanueva
Created: 2010-12-09
Size: 27 flashcards
Views: 1

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Mind

not directly observable, but understood by its effects

structural - parts

experiential - conscious of it

intelligent - we can think

NOT the brain

Body

consists of physical essence

Mind-Body Problem - Descartes' Solution

the pineal gland bridges mind and body

Reductionism

mind studied in its own terms; has emergent qualities (thoughts, will, emotions, values)

Limits: irreducible patterns (consciousness)

Not epiphenomena - byproducts of more fundamental processes

Hindbrain

brainstem - basic func. for survival; connects to spinal cord

cerebellum - balance and coordination

4 Lobes of Cortex

Frontal

Temporal

Parietal

Occipital

Cerebral Cortex

Higher order functions

coordinates sensory input and motor control

highly developed in humans

Lateralization

2 hemispheres

connected by corpus callosum

contralateral motor control and vision

Left Hemisphere

language/analytical

logic

reason

objective

verbal

self-oriented

categorical

detail focused

mimicry

purposefulness

Right Hemisphere

spatial/holistic

intuition

emotions

subjective

visual

group oriented

relational

whole picture focused

creativity

playfulness

Broca's Area

damage causes aphasia, inability to speak precisely

Wernicke's Area

damage disrupts ability to comprehend and produce coherent speech

Working Memory in the Brain

Frontal lobe, Brodmann area 46

Long-Term Memory in the Brain

Hippocampus

When does the brain remap?

following injury or for special skills (music, driving, etc.)

Brain Circuits - Globalist Hypothesis

cognition involves the WHOLE brain

Brain Circuits - Localist Hypothesis

Cognition identifiable with specific areas

Brain Circuits - Luria's Hypothesis

complex cognitive performance involves coordinating several brain sites

Limitation: don't know why

Dopamine

regulates brain's ability to direct motor control

deficits: Parkinson's, ADD, schizophrenia

receptors: reward mechanisms

associated with: explicit memory

Serotonin

regulates memory, emotions, wakefulness, sleep, temperature, blood pressure

low levels: depression, anxiety, migrains, bipolar disorder

associated with: implicit memory

Synaptogenesis

blooming of synapses

Pruning

long term reduction of synapses

Experience Expectant Development

experiences typical to species

stimulates overproduction of synapses

guides selective elimination

Experience Dependent Development

particular experiences of individual organism leads to brain changes

The "Engram" - Karl Lashley

experience and synaptic formation - enriched environments produced "smarter" rats; more complex synaptic structures

Hebbian Model

increased connectivity over time

"fire together, wire together"

Learning and Brain Efficiency

Posteriorization - greater automaticity of skills

Increased Metabolic Efficiency - less glucose uptake among high performers

About this deck

By: Grayson Villanueva
Created: 2010-12-09
Size: 27 flashcards
Views: 1

About StudyBlue

“I have used this website for three exams, and I see a huge difference in my test results.”
Naj