AO3

• Strength of fMRI?

  Very high spatial resolution, depicting detail by the millimetre and providing a clear picture of how brain activity is localised
• Why is fMRI different from other scanning techniques?

  Does not rely on use of radiation (like PET) making it virtually risk free, non invasive and straightforward to use
• Limitation of fMRI?

  Poor temporal resolution. Around 5 second time lag behind the image on screen and the initial firing of neruonal activity
• Strength of EEG

  High temporal resolution (millisecond)
• What has EEGs been useful for?

  Studying stages of sleep and in the diagnosis of conditions such as epilepsy, a disorder characterised by random bursts of activity in the brain that can easily be detected on screen
• Limitation of EEG

  Generalised nature of the information received. Not useful in pinpointing the exact source of neural activity. Researchers can’t distinguish between activities originating in different but adjacent locations
• Strength of ERP

  Specificity to the measurement of neural processes. ERPs frequently used to measure cogntive functions and deficits like allocation of attentional resources and the maintenance of working memory
• Limitation of ERPs

  In order to establish pure data in ERP studies, background ‘noise’ and extraneous material must be completely eliminated which may not always be achieved
• Strength of post mortems

  Provide a foundation for early understanding of key processes in the brain
• Limitation of post mortem

  Causation: observed damage to the brain may not be linked to the deficits under review but to some other unrelated trauma or decay