Reading Comprehension

PT148 · S2 · P4 · Q27 Brain Scans

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There are some basic conceptual problems hovering about the widespread use of brain scans as pictures of mental activity.

Topic

The conceptual problems with interpreting brain scans as clear evidence of distinct mental modules or localized brain functions.

Framework

Challenge Position

Main Point

It’s misleading to interpret brain scans as straightforward evidence of distinct mental modules or localized brain functions, because the methods used (like subtraction in fMRI) can create the false impression of clear, isolated brain activity—an assumption rooted in the controversial modular theory of mind. The “Most Valuable Sentence” is at the end of paragraph 4:

P1: Distinction Between Types of Brain Imaging

The author starts by noting that while brain scans are useful and straightforward in medical contexts (like spotting a tumor), using them in psychology to map mental activity relies on the unproven assumption that the mind is made up of distinct, localized modules.

P2: Critiquing the Modular Theory of Mind

The passage highlights a major critique: psychologist William Uttal and others argue that mental processes are probably broadly distributed across the brain, not neatly separated into modules like “emotion” and “reason”—in reality, these processes are deeply interconnected.

P3: How fMRI Brain Scans Actually Work

The author explains that “lighting up” on an fMRI is an illusion created by subtracting baseline brain activity from the activity during a specific task. So, the colorful brain scan really shows only the difference, not isolated activity from a single module.

27.

Which one of the following is most analogous to the manner in which fMRI scans of brain activity are typically interpreted, as described in the last two paragraphs?

  1. One particular district in the

    Weak Match

    It takes a second to realize that these answers are going to be giving us mini-arguments, so we should be expecting to match it up with the passage by finding an answer that sounds like, "We see [this sort of thing on the fMRI], so we should interpret that to mean [modular theory]." The essence of this answer choice is We see an unusually high differential in this region, so this region must have been crucial to the task I don't hate that, out of the gate. An "unusually large margin" is kind of like looking at differentials. But ultimately this is not the easiest available answer to match up with the passage. The modular theory, as far as we've heard, never assumed that "if unusually high differential, then necessary for that task". It was more like, "If there's a differential in that region, then and only then is that region involved in the task."

    14% picked this

  2. Correct

    A store launched a yearlong

    Why this is right

    The essence of this answer is "if uptick was only during the summer, then causal influence was only during the summer" Can we match that to, "If we see this on an fMRI, it means [modular theory]"? Yes, especially if we rephrase what this answer is saying into a form like, "Since there wasn't an increase of shoppers in other seasons, the ads didn't affect shoppers in other seasons." That's pretty similar to how the subtractive method gets interpreted: "If there wasn't an increase of brain activity in these regions of the brain, then task X didn't affect those regions of the brain". And, positively, "If someone doing task X only has an increase in activity in this region, then task X only affects that region".

    Skill tested: Analogy · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    55% picked this

  3. Much more of the water

    Bad Match

    How well can we assign this argument to, "We see [this sort of thing on the fMRI], so we should interpret that to mean [modular theory]." The essence of this answer choice is We see more of X is used by A than by B, so A is particularly affected by a shortage of X. That doesn't really match up with anything. The first half doesn't sound like an fMRI, because fMRI's aren't comparing region A to region B. They're comparing region A's baseline to region A's activity level while doing task X. Also, the conclusion half here is saying "this is the region most affected by a shortage", and that doesn't match up with any of the modular / subtractive takeaways we heard in the passage.

    15% picked this

  4. Internet traffic is highest during

    Bad Match

    Can we assign this argument to, "We see [this sort of thing on the fMRI], so we should interpret that to mean [this sort of modular theory concept]." The essence of this answer choice is X is higher at night, so X is related more to residences than workplaces. That doesn't really match up with anything. This interpretation relies on a pretty specific assumption that "people are more often in their homes than in office buildings during the evening hours". That assumption has nothing do to with fMRI's.

    14% picked this

  5. The cheetah is the world's

    Bad Match

    Can we assign this argument to, "We see [this sort of thing on the fMRI], so we should interpret that to mean [something related to modular theory]"? The essence of this answer choice is A is the #1 thing of its type only when it comes to task X, so most A's must lose to other things of its type when it comes to things not like task X. That doesn't really match up with anything. It's making a very specific move from "if you're group isn't #1 for task X, then most thing in your group cannot do task X better than anyone else outside you're group." If we just focus on the first half, there's no way to match up "cheetah is #1 only for category X" with the fMRI scans. There was no "#1, but only for category X".

    2% picked this

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