Biopsychology 2

Question 1

What is localisation of function in the brain?

Answer 1

The idea that specific functions if the brain have specific location in the brain.

Question 2

What is the theory of Franz Gall?

Answer 2

Franz Gall’a theory of phrenology. This is looking at the structure of the skull to determine a persons character. It was very influential but quickly discredited.

Question 3

What was the study of Phinias Cage?

Answer 3

• Provided evidence for localisation of function.
• Prior to his accident he was nice, friendly, however post accident he was the polar opposite.
• His accident included a pole travelling straight through his eye and out the top of his head, striking through the frontal lobe of the brain.

Question 4

What are the 4 lobes in the brain?

Answer 4

• Frontal lobe
• Temporal lobe
• Parietal lobe
• Occipital lobe

Question 5

What are the processes of the frontal lobe?

Answer 5

• Movement
• Problem solving
• Concentrating
• Behaviour/mood
• Personality

Question 6

What are the processes of the temporal lobe?

Answer 6

• Hearing
• Language
• Memory

Question 7

What are the processes of the parietal lobe?

Answer 7

• Sensations
• Language
• Perception
• Body awareness
• Attention

Question 8

What are the process of the occipital lobe?

Answer 8

• Vision
• Perception

Question 9

What are the features of the motor complex?

Answer 9

• Generation of voluntary motor movements.
• Located in the frontal lobe.
• On both hemispheres, motor cortex on the right controls muscles on the left side of the body and vice versa.
• Different parts if the motor cortex control different parts of the body (arranged logically).
• A stroke can cause a range of damage to this and will cause paralysation.

Question 10

What are the features of the somatosensory complex?

Answer 10

• Detects sensory events from different regions of the body.
• In the parietal lobe, separated from the motor area by the ‘valley’ called central suicus.
• Dedicated to the processing of sensory information related to touch; different areas of the body have more receptors than others making them more sensitive such as the skin.
• Uses sensory information from skin to produce sensations such as touch, pressure, pain and temperature.
• The amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denotes its sensitivity (e. Receptors in our face and hands occupy over half of the somatosensory area).
• Both hemispheres have a somatosensory cortex.
• Left side of the brain detects from the right side of the body and vice versa.

Question 11

What are the features of visual centres?

Answer 11

• Located on the visual cortex in the occipital lobe.
• Visual processing begins in retina (light enters and strikes the photoreceptors).
• Nerve impulses from the retina travel to areas of the brain via the optic nerve.
• Some travel to areas of the brain involved in coordination of circadian rhythms.
• Each eye has a left and right visual area.
• Each eye sends info from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and from the left visual fields to the right visual cortex. This means damage to the left hemisphere can produce blindness in the right visual field of both eyes.
• Visual cortex contains different areas that process different types of visual information such as colour, shape and movement.

Question 12

What are the features of auditory centres?

Answer 12

• In temporal lobes on both sides of the brain.
• Begins in cochlea in inner ear, sound waves are converted to nerve impulses.
• These travel via the auditory nerve to the auditory cortex.
• Pit stop at the brain stem where basic decoding happens. Then on to thalamus which as a relay station and carries out further processing of auditory stimulus.
• Last stop is at auditory cortex.
• Sound has already been largely decoded by this point, in the auditory cortex it is recognised and may result in an appropriate response.
• Damage may produce partial hearing loss; the more extensive the damage, the more extensive the haring loss.