Biological Psychology - BRAIN Flashcards
What does the CNS contain?
Brain and spinal cord
What part of the body does the left hemisphere control?
Right side of body
What part of the body does the right hemisphere control?
Left side of body
What are lobes?
Sections of the brain
What does the brainstem do?
It is the part of the brain which connects the upper brain to the spinal cord.
What does the brain do?
It is the organ in your head, made up of nerves which processes information and controls behaviour.
What is a hemisphere?
Half of the brain [left/right halves]
What is a cortex?
The outer layer of the brain.
What is the spinal cord?
Pathway of nerves in the spine, connecting the brain to the rest of the body.
What is brain lateralisation?
It refers to the fact that the left and right hemispheres have different specialised functions.
What is the corpus callosum?
It bridges the left and the right hemispheres of the brain. [connects them together]
Functions of the left hemisphere:
- logic
- analysis
- sequences
- linear
- maths
- language
- facts
- think in words
- computation
- spatial reasoning
Functions of the right hemisphere:
- creativity
- imagination
- holistic thinking
- intuition
- arts [motor skill]
- rhythm
- non verbal
- feelings
- visualisation
- day dreaming
- language
What does the frontal lobe control?
It controls decision making, impulse control, attention, voluntary movement.
What does the parietal lobe control?
It controls perception, face recognition, touch sensations.
What does the occipital lobe control?
It controls vision, making sense of images.
What does the temporal lobe control?
It controls hearing, sounds, producing speech, memory.
What does the cerebellum do?
It controls motor skills, movement, balance, coordination.
What are the 4 lobes of the brain?
- frontal
- temporal
- parietal
- occipital
What are the 4 main parts of the brain?
- midbrain
- prefrontal cortex
- amygdala
- hypothalamus
What does the prefrontal cortex do?
- This is the area of the brain that sits behind the forehead.
- It is influential in social behaviour and the regulation of behaviour.
- The prefrontal cortex has connections with the amygdala and hypothalamus.
- Damage to the prefrontal cortex can lead to problems with anger management, irritability and impulse control.
What does the midbrain do?
- The midbrain contains an area called the periaqueductal grey matter [PGM], which links the amygdala and hypothalamus with prefrontal cortex.
- It has a role with coordinating and integrating behavioural responses.
- It coordinates stress.
What does the amygdala do?
- The amygdala is the centre for emotions, emotional behaviour and motivation.
- Integrates internal and external stimuli and every sensory modality has an input.
- When this is combined, it gives us an instinctive feeling or reaction to the environment that will include aggression.
What does the hypothalamus do?
- The hypothalamus maintains homeostasis through the regulation of hormones.
- This includes those that regulate sexual function.
- This is linked to aggressive behaviour in males via the production of testosterone.
