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Brain and Cognition Some New Technologies (1989) / Chapter Skim
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5. Applications and Ethical Considerations
Pages 60-64

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From page 60...
... Until the problems are resolved and progress is made in development, it would be premature to use these technologies for operational purposes. Nevertheless, the fact that the technologies are in the public domain and have been used in clinical contexts makes it tempting to consider adopting them for use in other applied settings.
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From page 61...
... To date there has not been an ecologically valid test of the P30~based procedures, with the exception of some of the more clinical applications. We know the procedures work weD In complex laboratory arrangements, yet there has never been support for thorough experimentation in normative situations.
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From page 62...
... Cognitive psychophysiologists benefit from the fact that, when occurring in the mass and in a highly synchronous manner, these interneuronal transactions manifest themselves on the scalp in the form of large integrated fields of potentials recorded as the EEG. If labeled radioactively, they may manifest themselves to an imaging device.
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From page 63...
... Thus, the degree to which psychophysiological signals can have psychological meaning depends on the degree to which the system is set to be driven in a unique fashion by the psychological variables. For example, the workload assessment techniques employing the P300 depend on the establishment of a very sensitive relationship between the conditions of measurement and the subject's understanding of the situational demands.
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From page 64...
... Unfortunately, this does not imply that someone with a gadget and a good marketing technology cannot attempt to persuade the public, as individuals and through their government, that some technical marvel has been achieved. From snake oil to water divining to more contemporary panaceas, those who peddle worthless solutions to serious problems have often been able to induce belief in the efficacy of some technique despite the caveats of science.
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Key Terms

  • psychophysiological signals
  • manifest themselves
  • currently accepted
  • describing psychophysiological
  • popular notion

  • externally carry
  • peddle worthless
  • neurons affect
  • technical feat
  • scientific feasibility

  • neural action
  • induce belief
  • seeking answers
  • measuring instrument
  • cautious approach

  • conclusions reached
  • valid test
  • biological principles
  • judicious construction
  • accepted interpretation

  • pose useful
  • vast exchanges
  • secreting tiny
  • laboratory arrangements
  • highly synchronous

  • eliminated stem
  • sensor technology
  • thorough experimentation
  • easily resolved
  • snake oil


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