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A researcher needs to track brain activity with millisecond accuracy but does not need to know where in the brain it occurs. The best tool is:
AAn electroencephalogram, or EEG
BA computerized tomography scan
CA positron emission tomography scan
DA functional magnetic resonance image
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. An electroencephalogram, or EEG
1. An EEG measures the brain's electrical activity through an array of electrodes placed around the head.
2. Its printout shows brainwaves by frequency and amplitude with an accuracy within milliseconds.
3. The chapter states it is useful when you want overall activity without needing information on the actual location of that activity, and that it is especially helpful in sleep research.
4. CT builds structural images from x-rays and shows no activity at all, so it cannot track events in time.
5. PET shows activity but the chapter notes it gives little detail and is unable to pinpoint events precisely in time, while fMRI offers better spatial detail than PET but is not described as reaching millisecond resolution.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 "Biopsychology", §3.4 The Brain and Spinal Cord_
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