RESEARCH METHODS

RESEARCH METHODS

1. PURPOSE

   • study STRUCTURE vs FUNCTION (ACTIVITY)
   • ACTIVITY VS LACK ACTIVITY
   • INVASIVE VS NON-INVASIVE
   • SPATIALLY SENSITIVE VS TEMPORALLY SENSITIVE
     • STRUCTURAL ASPECTS (WHERE?)
     • TIMING OF EVENTS (WHERE?)

2. STRUCTURAL BRAIN ACTIVITY

   • BRAIN STRUCTURE RELATING TO BEHAVIOUR
     • BRAIN EVOLVED FROM SIMPLE TO COMPLEX
   • HIGHER VERTEBRATES & LARGER PRIMATES = LARGER BRAINS
     • BRAIN SIZE CO-VARIES WITH BODY SIZE , ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLEX BEHAVIOUR
   • JERISON (1973): AMOUNT OF NEURAL TISSUE FOR FUNCTION = AMOUNT OF PROCESSING FUNCTION REQUIRES
     • COMPLEX BEHAVIOURS REQUIRE MORE NEURAL PROCESSING > MORE NEURAL TISSUE ALLOCATED

3. PHRENOLOGY

   • FRANZ JOSEPH GALL
   • studying INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN ANATOMY OF SKULL 2 ASSUMPTIONS
     • 1) DIFFERENT BRAIN REGIONS PERFORM DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS, & ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT BEHAVIOURS
     • 2) SIZE OF REGIONS PRODUCES DISTORTIONS OF SKULL & CORRELATES WITH INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN COGNITION & PERSONALITY
     • LIMITATIONS
       • SKULL SHAPE DOESN'T CORRESPOND TO ANATOMY
       • LIMITED P'S
       • INADEQUATE CLASSIFICATIONS FOR PARTS OF BRAIN

4. PATHOLOGY

   • STUDYING BRAIN POST-HUMOUSLY: IS THERE SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT EMINENT PEOPLE'S BRAINS?
     • EINSTEIN: AVERAGE SIZE
       • BUT PART ASSOCIATED WITH VISUAL & SPATIAL REASONING = 15% LARGER!
   • LIMITATIONS
     • RELIANT ON BRAIN DONATIONS
     • CAN'T GET ALL INFO ABOUT COGNITIVE ABILITIES & OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
   • IMAGING DEVELOPED SINCE EARLY 1970'S