Chapter 3: Problem 26

Before the advent of modern imaging techniques, scientists and clinicians relied on autopsies of people who suffered brain injury with resultant change in behavior to determine how different areas of the brain were affected. What are some of the limitations associated with this kind of approach?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The limitations associated with using autopsy-based approach in understanding the brain functions include: the provision of only after-the-fact information, lack of control group for comparison, difficulty in determining the exact brain parts affecting behavior, inability to capture brain activities' dynamics over time, and ethical issues regarding causing intentional brain injuries for research.

Step by step solution

Adequacy of Information

This approach only provided after-the-fact information, offering knowledge of the end result of the disease or injury, but not the progression nor the initial cause, making it challenging to construct an accurate or full understanding of the brain dysfunction that led to the behavioural change.

Lack of Control Group

Compare and contrast is a key method in scientific studies. In this case, there wasn't a control group which makes it hard to differentiate between the changes caused by the disease or injury and normal variability among individuals.

Specificity of Affected Areas

It was difficult to determine the specific parts of the brain that were controlling behavior. The brain is a highly interconnected network, so damage to one area could potentially influence many behavioral functions, not just one.

Temporal and Spatial Limitations

Autopsy only provides a single, static view of the brain after death and cannot capture the dynamics of brain activity over time which is fundamental to understanding how the brain controls behavior.

Ethical Issues

The reliance on data derived from brain-injured individuals raises ethical questions. For instance, it is generally considered ethically unacceptable to intentionally cause brain injuries in humans for the sake of research.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

Full Textbook Solutions
Get detailed explanations and key concepts
Unlimited Al creation
Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...
Ads-free access
To over 500 millions flashcards
Money-back guarantee
We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

Recommended explanations on Psychology Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Before the advent of modern imaging techniques, scientists and clinicians relied on autopsies of people who suffered brain injury with resultant change in behavior to determine how different areas of the brain were affected. What are some of the limitations associated with this kind of approach?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Adequacy of Information

Lack of Control Group

Specificity of Affected Areas

Temporal and Spatial Limitations

Ethical Issues

One App. One Place for Learning.

Most popular questions from this chapter

Recommended explanations on Psychology Textbooks

Biological Bases of Behavior

Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Stress

Schizophrenia

Relationships

Health Psychology

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.