Cognitive Neuroscience (AQA A Level Psychology): Revision Note

Cognitive neuroscience

• Cognitive neuroscience (CN) investigates the relationship/interaction between cognition and neural mechanisms, brain chemistry and brain structure 

• The origins of CN lie in the mid-19th century with the discovery that Broca's area (part of the frontal lobe) is linked to speech production

• New technology e.g. fMRI and PET allow researchers to explain the neurological basis of mental processes for example:

  • Maguire et al. (2000) found increased volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampi of London taxi drivers using MRI technology

    • Thus, this part of the brain is localised to spatial navigation

  • Raine et al. (1997) found via PET scans that impulsive murderers underutilise their pre-frontal cortex when making decisions

    • This finding may explain the nature of their unpremeditated crimes 

• Recently, the expanded focus of CN has included the use of computer-generated models, which, in effect, 'read' the brain, leading to mind mapping techniques (brain 'fingerprinting')

• In healthcare, computer models and mind mapping can be used diagnostically and during surgery e.g. 

  • To determine the best surgical approach to remove brain tumours

  • To diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries and conditions such as Parkinson's disease

  • To guide surgeons whilst they perform a procedure (rather like the sat-nav on a car)

• CN has been successfully implemented in the quest to understand mental disorders e.g. the link between the parahippocampal gyrus and OCD

Evaluation of cognitive neuroscience

Strengths

• CN employs a range of clinical, and scientific methods, such as scanning techniques and lab experiments, to establish links between brain and cognition

  • The use of such methods means that research in this field is objective and theories can be tested for reliability, e.g., localisation of brain function

• Research studies identifying the neurological basis of psychological disorders, such as OCD, have led to real-life applications

  • New therapies have been developed for sufferers of OCD, removing blame and stigma and showing the effectiveness of cognitive neuroscience research

Limitations

• Brain-imaging technologies are not infallible: Bennet & Miller (2010) reviewed the reliability of fMRI and found that:

  • some fMRI machines may be affected by potential errors in calibration

  • external factors, such as noise and light, can affect the accuracy of the measurement

  • researchers themselves can be a source of error depending on how well they handle the equipment

  • participants may introduce a source of error: their cognitive state will vary over time, with differences in attention and arousal

    • This means that using the test-retest method for checking reliability may not produce similar results to the first time of testing

• The use of cognitive neuroscience for its brain-mapping methods for lie detection in courts is controversial

  • Scans used for this purpose raise ethical issues such as invasion of privacy and the risk of unreliable verdicts through false readings

    • This means that ethical concerns restrict the discipline’s practical application in criminal justice settings, limiting confidence in neuroscience-based forensic interventions