Biological Perspective: Structures of the Brain Flashcards
increase in wrinkling; allows a much larger area of cortical cells to exist in the small space inside the skull
Corticalization
Left or Right Brain:
specializes in language, speech, hand-writing, calculation (math), sense of time and rhythm—any kind of thought requiring analysis
Left Brain
Left or Right Brain:
processes information in a sequence
Left Brain
Left or Right Brain:
good at breaking things down into smaller parts, or performing analysis
Left Brain
Left or Right Brain:
“Structuralist”
Left Brain
Left or Right Brain:
specializes in more global (widespread) processing involving perception, visualization, spatial perception, recognition of patterns, faces, emotions, melodies, and expression of emotions
Right Brain
Left or Right Brain:
comprehends simple language but does not produce speech
Right Brain
Left or Right Brain:
processes information at once and simultaneously, a more global or holistic style of processing
Right Brain
Left or Right Brain:
“Gestalist”
Right Brain
all the higher mental functions of the brain: planning, personality, memory storage, complex decision making, and areas devoted to language (in the left hemisphere of most people);
helps in controlling emotions by means of its connection to the limbic system
Frontal Lobe
lacked emotional control after the damage to his prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex
Phineas Gage
containing neurons responsible for the sense of hearing and meaningful speech; amygdala and hippocampus
Temporal Lobe
processes information from the skin and internal body receptors for touch, temperature, and body position
Parietal Lobe
processes visual information from the eyes
Occipital Lobe
helps identify and make sense of the visual information from the eyes
Visual Association Cortex
these neurons control the movements of the body’s voluntary muscles by sending out commands to the somatic division of the PNS
Mirror Neurons
neurons that fire when an animal or person performs an action and also when an animal or person observes that same action being performed by another
Mirror Neurons
Left Temporal Lobe:
responsible for the interaction between frontal, temporal, and motor areas responsible for speech production
Broca’s Area
Left Temporal Lobe:
unable to speak fluently, mispronounce words, speak haltingly;
inability to use or understand
either written or spoken language
Broca’s Aphasia
Left Temporal Lobe:
involved in understanding the meaning of words
Wernicke’s Area
Left Temporal Lobe:
unable to understand or produce meaningful language
Wernicke’s Aphasia
help people make sense of the incoming sensory input
Association Areas
Subcortical Structures - Limbic System:
“inner chamber”
similar to a triage nurse, acts as a kind of relay station for incoming sensory information
Thalamus
Limbic System:
children with ________ are found to have abnormal connections between the thalamus and brain areas associated with reading behavior
dyslexia
Limbic System:
only sense that does not have to first pass through the thalamus;
neurons in the sinus cavity go directly to olfactory bulbs
sense of smell
Subcortical Structures - Limbic System:
“seahorse”
instrumental in forming long-term (permanent) declarative memories that are then stored elsewhere in the brain
Hippocampus
Subcortical Structures - Limbic System:
plays an important role in both emotional and cognitive processing;
plays different roles in processing emotional, cognitive, and automatic information;
active during cognitive tasks such as selective attention, written word recognition, and working memory
Cingulate Gyrus
Subcortical Structures - Limbic System:
“below the inner chamber”
regulates body temperature, thirst, hunger, sleeping and waking, sexual activity, and emotions;
controls the pituitary, so the ultimate regulation of hormones lies with this
Hypothalamus
Subcortical Structures - Limbic System:
“almond”
involved in fear responses and memory of fear;
information from the senses goes to this before the upper part of the brain is even involved so that people can respond to danger very quickly, sometimes before they are consciously aware of what is happening
Amygdala
Three Primary Divisions of the Brain
Forebrain
Midbrain
Hindbrain
Three Primary Divisions of the Brain:
processes sensory information, helps with reasoning and problem-solving, and regulates autonomic, endocrine, and motor functions
Forebrain
Three Primary Divisions of the Brain:
helps to regulate movement and process auditory and visual information
Midbrain
Three Primary Divisions of the Brain:
helps to regulate autonomic functions, relay sensory information, coordinate movement, and maintain balance and equilibrium
Hindbrain
Hindbrain Structures:
bridge between cerebellum and the upper sections of the brain;
crossover of motor nerves carrying messages from the brain to the body;
influences sleep, dreaming, arousal
Pons
Hindbrain Structures:
ability to generally attend to surroundings;
allows people to ignore constant, unchanging information, alert to changes in information
Reticular Formation (RF)
Hindbrain Structures:
part of the RF;
stimulates the upper part of the brain;
keep people awake and alert
(driving; mother hearing her baby
cry at night);
if destroyed, fall into a sleeplike coma from which they never awaken
Reticular Activating System (RAS)
Hindbrain Structures:
where sensory nerves cross over;
controls life-sustaining functions (heartbeat, breathing, swallowing)
Medulla
Hindbrain Structures:
“little brain”
controls all involuntary, rapid fine motor movement;
controls all the little muscles needed to keep them from falling out of their chair
Cerebellum
Hindbrain Structures:
coordinates voluntary movements that have to happen in rapid succession (walking, dancing, movements of speech);
learned reflexes, skills, and habits are also stored here which allows them to become more or less automatic;
because of this, people don’t have to consciously think about their posture, muscle tone, and balance
Cerebellum
