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
26.
Which one of the following ██████████ ██ ████ ████████ █████████ ██ ███ ████████
a
Although there are █████████ ███████████ ████ █████████ ████ ██ ████ ██████ ██ ███████████ ███████ ███████ ██ ████████ ███████ ██ ███ ██████
The author does not suggest that “most” cognition depends on independent modules located in different parts of the brain. In fact, the author questions the modular theory of mind and suggests it might not be correct.
b
The modular theory ██ ████ █████ ████ ███████ ██ ███ █████ ████ ███ ███ ███████ ██ █ ████████ █████████ ████ ████ █ ████ ██ ██████ ███ ████ ██ █████ ██ █████
Actually, the modular theory of mind is compatible with the view that parts of the brain that are not engaged in a specific cognitive task might still use oxygen. The modular theory would simply say that after we subtract the baseline oxygen use from the oxygen use during a cognitive task, the remaining difference is associated solely with the cognitive task. This doesn’t imply that other parts of the brain have “close to zero” oxygen use.”
c
During the performance ██ ███████ █████████ ██████ ███ █████ ██ ███ █████ ████ ███ ████ █████████████ ██████ ████ █ ████ ██ ██████ ███ ████ ██ ██████ ████ ████ ██ ███ ████ ██ ███ ██████
This is supported, because if it were not true, the “subtractive method” underlying an fMRI would not work. fMRIs depict “differential rate of oxygen use.” There’s a baseline level of use throughout the brain. This level is subtracted from the oxygen use during a cognitive task. The resulting difference, after subtracting the baseline, is represented in a brain scan by areas that “light up.” In order for areas to light up, those areas must be using oxygen at a higher rate than the rest of the brain.
d
The baseline measurements ██ ██████ ███ █████ ███ ███ ██ ███ ███████████ ██████ ████ ████ ████ ███████ ██ ███ █████ ████ ████ █████████ ████████ ██ ███ ██████
The author doesn’t suggest that the baseline measurements of oxygen use show regions of the brain with “high metabolic activity at all times.” Perhaps there’s only low or medium metabolic activity at the baseline; we have no reason to think otherwise.
e
When a brain ████ ███████ ███████████ ██████ ███ ███████████ ██████ █████ ███████ ███████ ██ ███ █████ ██ ████ ███ ████ █████████ █████████
The author never suggests that brain scans during anger will show several different regions with metabolic activity. It’s possible brain scans will show only one part lit up; the author would suggest that this doesn’t indicate anger comes from only that part of the brain. Anger might still involve other areas of the brain even if only 1 part lights up.