Biopsychology - 4) Localisation of Function in the Brain Flashcards
In what part of the brain is the motor area found?
Frontal lobe
Role of the motor area
Involved in regulating and coordinating movements
Result of damage to motor area
Inability to control voluntary fine movements
In what part of the brain is the auditory area found?
Temporal lobe
Role of auditory area
Processing auditory information and speech
Result of damage to auditory area
Hearing loss
Damage to Wernicke’s area causes Wernicke’s aphasia
In what part of the brain is the visual area found?
Occipital lobe
Role of visual area
Processing visual information
In what part of the brain is the somatosensory areas found?
Parietal lobe
Role of somatosensory area
Processing information associated with the senses
Result of damage to somatosensory area
Loss of ability to denote/indicate sensitivity to particular bodily areas
In what area of the brain is Wernicke’s area located?
Left side of temporal lobe (in most people)
Role of Wernicke’s area
Responsible for speech/language comprehension
Result of damage to Wernicke’s area
Wernicke’s aphasia, characterised by use of nonsensical area and no awareness of using incorrect words
In what area of the brain is Broca’s area located?
Left hemisphere of frontal lobe (in most people)
Role of Broca’s area
Responsible for speech production
Result of damage to Broca’s area
Broca’s aphasia, characterised by difficulty forming complete sentences and understanding sentences
Who carried out research support for localisation of brain function?
Tulving et al
How did Tulving et al provide research support for localisation of brain function?
Used PET scans
Semantic memories recalled from left prefrontal cortex
Episodic memories recalled from right prefrontal cortex
Shows that different areas of the brain are responsible for different functions
Who confirmed the idea that Wernicke’s area is involved in speech comprehension and Broca’s area is involved in speech production?
Peterson and Peterson found that Wernicke’s area activation is required for listening tasks, whereas Broca’s area is required for reading tasks
What case study provided support for localisation of brain function?
Phineas Gage
How did the Phineas Gage case study provide support for localisation of brain function?
Phineas Gage had a defect in rational decision making and the processing of emotion after a metal rode being blasted through his brain
Confirms that some areas of the brain are responsible for specific functions
Evaluation of using case studies as research support
Subjectivity of conclusions drawn
Unusual sample (representativeness)
Lack of control over confounding and extraneous variables
How are rats used as an example to go against the localisation of brain function?
After removing 20-50% of the cortex’s belonging to rats, there were no specific brain area that was associated with learning how to traverse through a maze
Suggests intelligence is too complex and advanced to be restricted to certain areas of the brain
