biopsychology- localisation of function Flashcards
name the 4 lobes we study
frontal , parietal, occipital and temporal
what is a lobe ?
lobes are areas in the brain which have certain functions and within these lobes are cortexes with functions
where is the motor area ?
back of frontal lobe in both hemispheres
what does the motor area do ?
controls movement
which area of the body does left hemisphere control
right side of the body
where is the somatosensory area ?
front of parietal lobe in both hemispheres
what does the somatosensory area do ?
controls what we sense and different parts of the body are devoted to different parts of the cortex
where is the visual area?
occipital lobe- information in the right visual field goes to the left side of the brain. vice versa
what does the visual area do ?
processes visual information
where is the auditory area ?
temporal lobe (in the middle)
what does the auditory area do ?
analyze speech based information
where is broca’s area ?
frontal lobe only left hemisphere
what does broca’s area do ?
controls speech production and fluency of speech
how was broca’s area discovered ?
post-mortem on patient ‘tan’
what happens if broca’s area is injured?
speech is slow , laborious and lacks fluency
where is Wernicke’s area ?
back of temporal lobe on left side of the brain
what does Wernicke’s area do ?
controls language comprehension
what happens if Wernicke’s area is injured?
lack of meaningful speech and making up words
when did broca and wernicke discover lanuage areas of the brain?
1860s
what is localisation of function?
The idea that different parts of the brain are associated with different functions. It follows that if one area of the brain is damaged then the function of that area will also be faulty.
another name for localisation of function?
cortical specialisation
Explain the hemispheric lateralisation of the brain
brain is divided into two sides, right and left hemisphere.
some of our psychological traits are dominated by either side.
generally activity on the left side of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain and vice versa
the outerlayer of the brain = cerebral cortex/grey matter
what was Tulvings research into localisation of function ?
Tulving found that semantic and episodic memories reside in different areas of the prefrontal cortex. This suggests that different areas of the brain have different functions. Thus is localised.
what is the neurological evidence of localisation?
A researcher found that in 44 patients with extreme OCD who had undergone a lesioning to the cingulate gyrus, after 32 weeks a third of the patients symptoms had improved. Suggesting localisation.
