Chp 1: The Science of the Mind
- Your interpretation/understanding of some sentences relies on your background
knowledge.
- Your self-conception relies on your knowledge of your previous self.
- Introspection: The process through which one “looks within” to observe and record
one’s own mental life.
- Introspection is a limited research tool: some thoughts and deeds are
done unconsciously → introspection is the study of conscious experiences.
- Introspection problem: there is no way to test the claims; everything is subjective.
- Behavior is a means of researching → it can be observed
- Just watching behavior does not invoke an understanding of the behavior.
- Behavior: 1) physical stimulus 2) easily defined response
- The defined response is dependent on what the physical stimulus means to the
observed.
- transcendental method: a type of theorizing imposed by the philosopher Immanuel
Kant. The investigator first observes the effect or consequences of a process, then
asks: what must the process have been to bring out these effects?
- The transcendental method is used in loads of sciences today.
- To explain behavior you have to reflect back to mental processing
Chp 2: The Neural Basis for Cognition
- Capgras syndrome: you recognize the people in your world, but think they are an
impersonation from the actual person.
- Face recognition involves two systems in the brain: 1) cognitive appraisal
(physical appearance) 2) emotional appraisal (emotional connection to
this person). → Recognition happens when these two align.
- Amygdala: an almond-shaped part of the brain in the temporal lobe that
serves as an “emotional evaluator” → helps to detect threats or danger +
identifying positives/rewards
,- Prefrontal cortex: The outer surface (cortex) of the frontmost part of the
brain (frontal lobe). Crucial for planning complex/novel behaviors. One of the
main executive parts of the brain.
- The human brain can be divided into 3 main regions:
1. The hindbrain
2. The midbrain
3. The forebrain
- Hindbrain: located at the very top of the spinal cord. Controls key
life functions → regulation heartbeat, posture, balance and brain’s
alertness.
- Cerebellum: largest part of the hindbrain. Involved in spatial reasoning,
discriminating sounds, integrating the input from various sensory systems.
- Midbrain: plays an important role in coordinating precise movements of the
eyes as they explore the visual world. Process auditory stimuli. Some regions
help regulate pain.
- Forebrain: surrounds the hindbrain and most of the midbrain.
- Cortex: part of the forebrain, on the outer surface.
- Convolutions: wrinkles/connections within the cortex. Some of these are
deep grooves that divide the brain into sections.
- Longitudinal fissure: the deepest groove in the brain; runs from the front of
the brain to the back, separating the left cerebral hemisphere from the right.
- Lateral fissure: the bottom edge of the frontal lobe.
- Temporal lobes: below the lateral fissure.
- Occipital lobes: at the very back of the brain, connected to the parietal and
temporal lobes.
- Subcortical structures: part of the brain underneath the cortex. Essential for
learning and memory.
- Thalamus: relay station for all the sensory information going to the cortex.
- Hypothalamus: a section that is crucial for controlling behaviors that serve
biological needs.
- Limbic system: beneath the thalamus and hypothalamus. Included:
amygdala. Hippocampus close by.
- Commissures: thick bundles of fibers that carry information back and forth
between two hemispheres.
- Corpus callosum: largest commissure.
- Cerebral cortex: outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebellum of the brain.
Plays a key role in attention, perception, awareness, thought, memory, and
consciousness.
- The hippocampus is involved in memory making.
- Lesion: a specific area of damage.
- CT scans for imaging and PET scans for brain activity in which part.
- MRI scans for structural imaging and fMRI scans for functional imaging.
- FFA: a brain area that is especially active when a face is perceived.
- Neuroimaging data (analyzing which part is active) can't always tell us
whether the brain activity is correlated with some function.
- TMS: can be used as a means as to what happens when you activate a
certain neuron.
, - Regions of the cerebral cortex:
1. Motor areas → contain brain tissue essential for motor
functions
2. Sensory areas → contain brain tissue essential for sense
translating
3. Association areas → support many functions, including
thinking.
- Primary motor projection areas: the departure point for information from
signals leaving the cortex to your muscles etc.
- Primary sensory projection areas: the arrival point from information coming
from your senses.
- Contralateral control: a pattern in which the left half of the brain controls the
right half of the body and the right half of the brain the left half of the body.
- Information from the senses is processed in the parietal lobe, just behind the
motor projection area.
- Association cortex: The traditional name for the portion of the human cortex
outside the motor and sensory projection area.
- Apraxias: disturbances in the initiation or organization of voluntary action.
- Agnosias: disruptions in the ability to identify familiar objects.
- Unilateral neglect syndrome: individual ignores half of the visual world.
- Damaging to the prefrontal lobe: problems with remembering, spatial
planning, reasoning, planning etc.
- Glia: cell that is part of the nervous system and helps neurons work the way
they should.
- Three major parts of the neuron:
1. The cell body → the portion of the cell that contains the cell’s
nucleus + all other necessary parts of a cell.
2. The dendrites → the beginning of the cell, receives signals
from other neurons
3. The axon → the end of the cell, outputs a signal to other
neurons.
- Your interpretation/understanding of some sentences relies on your background
knowledge.
- Your self-conception relies on your knowledge of your previous self.
- Introspection: The process through which one “looks within” to observe and record
one’s own mental life.
- Introspection is a limited research tool: some thoughts and deeds are
done unconsciously → introspection is the study of conscious experiences.
- Introspection problem: there is no way to test the claims; everything is subjective.
- Behavior is a means of researching → it can be observed
- Just watching behavior does not invoke an understanding of the behavior.
- Behavior: 1) physical stimulus 2) easily defined response
- The defined response is dependent on what the physical stimulus means to the
observed.
- transcendental method: a type of theorizing imposed by the philosopher Immanuel
Kant. The investigator first observes the effect or consequences of a process, then
asks: what must the process have been to bring out these effects?
- The transcendental method is used in loads of sciences today.
- To explain behavior you have to reflect back to mental processing
Chp 2: The Neural Basis for Cognition
- Capgras syndrome: you recognize the people in your world, but think they are an
impersonation from the actual person.
- Face recognition involves two systems in the brain: 1) cognitive appraisal
(physical appearance) 2) emotional appraisal (emotional connection to
this person). → Recognition happens when these two align.
- Amygdala: an almond-shaped part of the brain in the temporal lobe that
serves as an “emotional evaluator” → helps to detect threats or danger +
identifying positives/rewards
,- Prefrontal cortex: The outer surface (cortex) of the frontmost part of the
brain (frontal lobe). Crucial for planning complex/novel behaviors. One of the
main executive parts of the brain.
- The human brain can be divided into 3 main regions:
1. The hindbrain
2. The midbrain
3. The forebrain
- Hindbrain: located at the very top of the spinal cord. Controls key
life functions → regulation heartbeat, posture, balance and brain’s
alertness.
- Cerebellum: largest part of the hindbrain. Involved in spatial reasoning,
discriminating sounds, integrating the input from various sensory systems.
- Midbrain: plays an important role in coordinating precise movements of the
eyes as they explore the visual world. Process auditory stimuli. Some regions
help regulate pain.
- Forebrain: surrounds the hindbrain and most of the midbrain.
- Cortex: part of the forebrain, on the outer surface.
- Convolutions: wrinkles/connections within the cortex. Some of these are
deep grooves that divide the brain into sections.
- Longitudinal fissure: the deepest groove in the brain; runs from the front of
the brain to the back, separating the left cerebral hemisphere from the right.
- Lateral fissure: the bottom edge of the frontal lobe.
- Temporal lobes: below the lateral fissure.
- Occipital lobes: at the very back of the brain, connected to the parietal and
temporal lobes.
- Subcortical structures: part of the brain underneath the cortex. Essential for
learning and memory.
- Thalamus: relay station for all the sensory information going to the cortex.
- Hypothalamus: a section that is crucial for controlling behaviors that serve
biological needs.
- Limbic system: beneath the thalamus and hypothalamus. Included:
amygdala. Hippocampus close by.
- Commissures: thick bundles of fibers that carry information back and forth
between two hemispheres.
- Corpus callosum: largest commissure.
- Cerebral cortex: outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebellum of the brain.
Plays a key role in attention, perception, awareness, thought, memory, and
consciousness.
- The hippocampus is involved in memory making.
- Lesion: a specific area of damage.
- CT scans for imaging and PET scans for brain activity in which part.
- MRI scans for structural imaging and fMRI scans for functional imaging.
- FFA: a brain area that is especially active when a face is perceived.
- Neuroimaging data (analyzing which part is active) can't always tell us
whether the brain activity is correlated with some function.
- TMS: can be used as a means as to what happens when you activate a
certain neuron.
, - Regions of the cerebral cortex:
1. Motor areas → contain brain tissue essential for motor
functions
2. Sensory areas → contain brain tissue essential for sense
translating
3. Association areas → support many functions, including
thinking.
- Primary motor projection areas: the departure point for information from
signals leaving the cortex to your muscles etc.
- Primary sensory projection areas: the arrival point from information coming
from your senses.
- Contralateral control: a pattern in which the left half of the brain controls the
right half of the body and the right half of the brain the left half of the body.
- Information from the senses is processed in the parietal lobe, just behind the
motor projection area.
- Association cortex: The traditional name for the portion of the human cortex
outside the motor and sensory projection area.
- Apraxias: disturbances in the initiation or organization of voluntary action.
- Agnosias: disruptions in the ability to identify familiar objects.
- Unilateral neglect syndrome: individual ignores half of the visual world.
- Damaging to the prefrontal lobe: problems with remembering, spatial
planning, reasoning, planning etc.
- Glia: cell that is part of the nervous system and helps neurons work the way
they should.
- Three major parts of the neuron:
1. The cell body → the portion of the cell that contains the cell’s
nucleus + all other necessary parts of a cell.
2. The dendrites → the beginning of the cell, receives signals
from other neurons
3. The axon → the end of the cell, outputs a signal to other
neurons.
