Biological factors in cognition
IB PsychologyΒ· Learning and cognitionΒ· 14 min read
1. Core concept
Cognitive processes have a biological basis: specific brain structures and systems support specific kinds of thinking and remembering. The hippocampus is critical for forming new long-term declarative memories, while the amygdala adds emotional weight that can make some memories especially vivid. Evidence comes mainly from brain-damage case studies and imaging, which link a structure to a cognitive function β showing biology shapes cognition, though such links are largely correlational rather than proof of cause.
2. Key studies
IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:
Scoville and Milner (1957)
The case of H.M. showed that removing the hippocampus caused severe anterograde amnesia for new declarative memories, while procedural memory was preserved. β A biological factor (the hippocampus) is critical for forming new long-term memories β and reveals that memory is not a single system.
Sharot et al. (2007)
People who had been closer to the 9/11 attacks showed selective amygdala activation when recalling the event. β A biological factor (the amygdala / emotional processing) underlies vivid 'flashbulb' memory β emotion influencing a cognitive process biologically.
3. Evaluation (AO3)
Strength β converging, objective evidence β Brain-damage case studies and imaging point to the same structures, giving a replicable, biologically grounded picture of where a cognitive process is supported.
Limitation β correlational and case-bound β Imaging shows co-occurring activity, not cause, and single cases like H.M. are unique and unrepeatable, so localised biological claims must be made cautiously.
4. Scope
5. Common Pitfalls
Wrong move:
Naming a brain area's general job (e.g. 'the hippocampus is for memory') without linking it to the specific cognitive process, or reading a scan/case as proof of cause.
Why:
A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
Correct move:
Identify the biological factor AND show HOW it shapes the named cognitive process; and treat imaging/case-study links as correlational β vivid emotional memory needs the amygdala evidence linked to the process, not just a region named.
Going deeper
- Localization of functionlocalization of function as a biological-approach concept is BIO_7; here it is applied specifically to memory as a cognitive process.
- Brain-imaging techniquesthe brain-imaging techniques supplying the correlational evidence are BIO_3.