Biopsychology - Localisation Of Function AO1

Question 1

What is the holistic theory on brain function that has been replaced by the theory of localisation of function?

Answer 1

• In the early 19th century holistic theories suggest that all parts of the brain were involved in processing thought and action.
• But specific areas of the brain were linked with specific physical and psychological functions (localisation theory).
• If an area of the brain is damaged through illness or injury , the function associated with that area is also affected.

Question 2

What is lateralisation?

Answer 2

• The idea that some physical and psychological functions are controlled by a particular brain hemisphere.
• Generally, the left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere and the right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere.

Question 3

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 3

• The cerebral cortex is like a tea cosy covering the inner part of the brain. It is about 3 mm thick and is what separate us from lower animals as it is highly developed.
• The cortex appears great due to the location of cell bodies hence the phrase ‘ grey matter’.

Question 4

What four lobes is the cerebral cortex of both hemispheres divided into?

Answer 4

Frontal
Parietal
Occipital
Temporal

Question 5

What is the motor area and where is it located?

Answer 5

It controls voluntary movement if damage occurs to this it will result in a loss of control over fine motor movements. It is found in the back of the frontal lobe.

Question 6

Where is the somatosensory area located and what is it?

Answer 6

At the front of the parietal lobes, it processes sensory information from the skin (touch, heat, pressure etc). The amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denotes its sensitivity.

Question 7

Where is the visual area located and what is it?

Answer 7

In the occipital lobe at the back of the brain. Each eye sends information from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and from the left visual field to the right visual cortex.

Question 8

Where is the auditory area located and what is it?

Answer 8

It is in the temporal lobe. Analyses speech based information. Damage may produce partial hearing loss – the more extensive damage the more serious the loss.

Question 9

What is Broca’s area and what can occur if it gets damaged?

Answer 9

• An area identified by Broca in the left frontal lobe which specialises in speech production.
• Damage to this area can cause Broca’s aphasia which is characterised by speech that is slow, laborious and lacking fluency (difficulty in speech production). Broca’s patience may have difficulty finding words and naming certain objects.

Question 10

What is Wernicke’s area and what happens if it becomes damaged?

Answer 10

• Identified by Veronica and located in the left temporal lobe and specialises in language comprehension.
• People with Vernas aphasia produce language but have problems understanding it, so they produce fluent but meaningless speech.
• They were often produced nonsense words as part of the content of their speech.