Module 13 Study Guide Questions

Explain how cognitive neuroscience is changing the way we understand mental processes.

Helps us to understand the "HOW" of the brain.

Discuss what cognitive neuroscientists mean by: "In everyday life, we mostly function like an automatic camera, but with a manual override."

We do things without consciously being aware, such as blinking, breathing, moving our hand out of a flame, and other such things. However, we can control when we blink if we think about about. We can try to do a staring contest or hold our breath under water.

Discuss how Sherry and Gazzaniga studied split-brain patients and how their research helps us to understand the functions of the two hemispheres and the corpus callosum.

ART was flashed in the right visual field of the screen and was transmitted to the left hemisphere of the brain. The left hemisphere contains language centers and is able to send a signal to the motor cortex to direct the person to say "ART". HE was flashed in the left visual field of the screen and was transmitted to the right hemisphere of the brain. The right hemisphere controls the motor coordination of the left side of the body and will direct the left arm to point to the word "HE". If corpus callosum was intact, the brains would communicate and they would be able to put together HEART. Split brain research makes it so that researchers can study the functions of each hemisphere separately.

Explain how the examples of blindsight demonstrate dual processing.

Ability of people who are cortically blind, to respond to visual stimuli that they do no consciouly see. Blindsight patients are able to navigate a cluttered hallway despite, once again, no conscious experience of the obstacles. Ability demonstrated by some blind people to respond to visual stimuli that they do no consciouly perceive.

Discuss evolutionary psychology's argument regarding consciousness helping humans survive.

It helps us act in our long-term interests by considering consequences rather than merely seeking short-term pleasure and avoiding pain.

Define dual processing AND give an example from your own life.

It is the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious an unconscious tracks. Ex: The dual processing of vision, visual perception track and a visual action track.

Explain why the tasks you have listed in the chart above lend themselves to the myth that we are "right" or "left" brained AND using the information regarding brain structures and association areas you learned in the last two modules, address why this myth is erroneous.

It lends itself to the myth because there are people who are stronger in the factors listed below each respective column. Any task that is performed is not due solely to the activation of structures in only one hemisphere but is a coordinated, holistic process that includes the entire brain.

Define lateralization AND explain why it is important in understanding the way our brain functions.

Lateralization is the differing functions of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Research over the years has shown that damage to one hemisphere or the other can produce different problems and knowing this can help predict behavior.

Create a chart detailing the tasks served by the right and left hemispheres of the brain AND add to the chart.

Left Hemisphere Functions: Reading, writing, speaking, arithmetic reasoning, math, and decision making. Right Hemisphere Functions: Perceptual tasks, making inferences, perceiving/portraying emotions, modulating our speech, orchestrating our sense of self, and recognizing faces.

Discuss the difference between parallel processing and sequential processing AND provide an example from your own life of each.

Sequential Processing: Slower than parallel processing and is focused on by prefontal cortex; only use it for one thing at a time Parallel Processing: Can do a lot of parallel things at once (easy, well learned tasks); typing or driving somewhere familiar, do things enough they become paralllel

Discuss what is meant by the term split-brain AND whether it is correct to refer to this condition as "having two brains"?

Split brain is a term used to describe the brain after cutting the corpus callosum. No, this is not two brains, but rather, one brain with two hemispheres that no longer communicate.