Self-study
P1
There are some basic conceptual problems hovering about the widespread use of brain scans as pictures of mental activity. ██ ███████ ██ ███████ █████████ ████ ████████ ██ ██████████ █ █████ ███████ █ █████ ████ ██ ███████ ██ █████████ ██ ██ ██████ ██ ██ █ ███ ██ ██████ ██████ ███ █████ ███ █████ ██ ███████████████ ███ ████████████ ████████ ███ ███ ██ ████████████ ██ ██████████ ██ █ █████████████ █████████ ████ ██ ███████████ ███
Intro topic ·
Conceptual problems with brain scans in psychology
Contrast with use of brain scans in medical diagnosis; that's straightforward.
Premise of using brain scans in psychology ·
Modular theory of mind
Belief that the mind can be analyzed as separate modules that are localized to different brain regions.
P2
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Uttal's critique ·
Mental processes result from mental activity occuring throughout the brain
This goes against the modular theory of mind. The author endorses Uttal's critique.
Example supporting Uttal's critique ·
Anger
Anger and the reason for that anger can't be separated. So, mental processes thought to be associated with the amygdala (emotion) and with the prefrontal cortex (reason) can't be cleanly separated.
P3
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Question raised by Uttal's critique ·
Why do distinct parts of brain "light up" in brain scans if modular theory of mind is wrong?
Answer to question ·
Brain scans are result of subtraction
With fMRIs (type of brain scan), what lights up is a signal of differential rate of oxygen use. There's a baseline measurement of oxygen used by brain. Then, a measurement when the person is doing a task. The difference in oxygen use is interpreted (incorrectly) as activity associated solely with the task.
P4
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Develop answer ·
Entire brain is active
The entire brain is active in the baseline measurement and in the measurement while doing a task. So, appearance of distinct areas that "light up" gives false impression of localized brain activity.
Passage Style
Critique or debate
23.
A central function of the █████ █████████ ██ ███ ███████ ██ ██
a
criticize the research ███████ █████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ ██ ███ ███████ ████ ████ ███ ████████████ ████ ███ █████ ███████ █████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████
The author doesn’t claim that the research results described in P3 are incompatible with the modular theory of mind described in P1.
b
suggest that the ████████ ███████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ █████ ██ ██ ████████ ██ ███████████ ███ ███████ ████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████
The author doesn’t suggest that the position articulated in P1 — the modular theory mind — needs to modified.
c
contend that the ████████ ██████ ████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ ██████ ████ ██ ████████ ███████████ █████ █████████ ██ ███ ██████ █████████
The author does not suggest that the subtractive method described in P3 is based on something “outdated.”
d
argue that the █████████ ████████ ████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ ██████ ██ ███ ██████████ ██ ███ █████████ █████ █████████ ██ ███ █████ ███ ██████████
The author does not suggest that the research described in P3 shows that anything is inadequate. Rather, the author shows that the research doesn’t actually prove the modular theory of mind is correct. The author explains how the subtractive method doesn’t show that mental activity doesn’t occur throughout the entire brain.
e
show why the ████ ██ █████████ ████████ █████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ ████ ███ ██████ ███ ████████ █████████ ██ ███ ██████ █████████
This best captures the purpose of P4. The author explains how the subtractive method described in P3 doesn’t show that Uttal’s argument in P2 is wrong. Even though specific areas appear to light up in fMRI scans, this doesn’t show that mental activity isn’t occurring throughout the entire brain. So Uttal’s argument in P2 can still be correct.