Term
|
Definition
| this involves developing computer programs that produce intelligent outcomes; see computational modelling. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| concerning brain damage, the finding that certain symptoms or performance impairments are consistently found together in numerous brain- damaged patients. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a learning mechanism in connectionist networks based on comparing actual responses to correct ones. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| blood oxygen-level dependent contrast; this is the signal that is measured by fMRI. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| processing that is directly influenced by environmental stimuli; see top-down processing. |
|
|
Term
| Cognitive neuropsychology |
|
Definition
| an approach that involves studying cognitive functioning in brain-damaged patients to increase our understanding of normal human cognition. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an approach that aims to understand human cognition by combining information from behaviour and the brain. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an approach that aims to understand human cognition by the study of behaviour. |
|
|
Term
| Computational cognitive science |
|
Definition
| an approach that involves constructing computational models to understand human cognition. Some of these models take account of what is known about brain functioning as well as behavioural evidence. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| this involves constructing computer programs that will simulate or mimic some aspects of human cognitive functioning; see artificial intelligence. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| these consist of elementary units or nodes, which are connected; each network has various structures or layers (e.g., input; intermediate or hidden; output). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an approach in which several methods with different strengths and limitations are used to address a given issue. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a map of the brain based on variations in the cellular structure of tissues. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| as applied to brain-damaged patients, normal performance on one task combined with severely impaired performance on another task. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the notion that a given module or cognitive process responds selectively to certain types of stimuli (e.g., faces) but not others. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the finding that some individuals (often brain-damaged) do well on task A and poorly on task B, whereas others show the opposite pattern. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the extent to which experimental findings are applicable to everyday settings. |
|
|
Term
| Electroencephalogram (EEG) |
|
Definition
| a device for recording the electrical potentials of the brain through a series of electrodes placed on the scalp. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the pattern of electroencephalograph (EEG) activity obtained by averaging the brain responses to the same stimulus presented repeatedly. |
|
|
Term
| Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) |
|
Definition
| a technique based on imaging blood oxygenation using an MRI machine; it provides information about the location and time course of brain processes. |
|
|
Term
| Functional specialisation |
|
Definition
| the assumption that each brain area or region is specialised for a specific function (e.g., colour processing; face processing). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| structural alterations within the brain caused by disease or injury. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a non-invasive brain-scanning technique based on recording the magnetic fields generated by brain activity. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the assumption that the cognitive system consists of several fairly independent processors or modules. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| this occurs when the findings obtained with a given paradigm or experimental task are not obtained even when apparently very similar paradigms or tasks are used. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| processing in which two or more cognitive processes occur at the same time; see serial processing. |
|
|
Term
| Positron emission tomography |
|
Definition
| a brain-scanning technique based on the detection of positrons; it has reasonable spatial resolution but poor temporal resolution. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| "If..Then" or condition-action rules in which the action is carried out whenever the appropriate condition is present. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| these consist of numerous"If..Then" production rules and a working memory containing information. |
|
|
Term
| Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) |
|
Definition
| the administration of transcranial magnetic stimulation several times in rapid succession. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| processing in which one process is completed before the next one starts; see parallel processing. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an invasive technique for studying brain function, permitting the study of activity in single neurons. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| labels used to categorise patients on the basis of co-occurring symptoms. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| stimulus processing that is influenced by factors such as the individual's past experience and expectations. |
|
|
Term
| Transcranial magnetic stimulation |
|
Definition
| a technique in which magnetic pulses briefly disrupt the functioning of a given brain area, thus creating a short-lived lesion; when several pulses are administered one after the other, the technique is known as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). |
|
|
