Biopsychology- Localisation of function in the brain and hemispheric lateralisation: motor, somatosensory, visual, auditory and language centres

Question 1

What is meant by localisation function?

Answer 1

The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities.

Question 2

What is believed about the brain under holistic brain theory?

Answer 2

All parts of the brain were involved in the processing of thought and action.

Question 3

The motor area is located in the frontal lobe and regulates…

Answer 3

movement

Question 4

The somatosensory area is located in the parietal lobe and processes…

Answer 4

sensory information such as touch.

Question 5

The visual area is located in the occipital lobe and receives and processes..

Answer 5

visual information

Question 6

The auditory area is located in the temporal lobe and analyses…

Answer 6

speech based information

Question 7

The Broca’s area is located in the frontal lobe in the left hemisphere and is responsible for…

Answer 7

speech production

Question 8

The Wernicke’s area is located in the temporal lobe in the left hemisphere and is responsible for…

Answer 8

language comprehension

Question 9

Which lobe is the motor area located?

Answer 9

Frontal lobe

Question 10

Which lobe is the motor area located?

Answer 10

Frontal lobe

Question 11

Which lobe is the somatosensory area located?

Answer 11

Parietal lobe

Question 12

Which lobe is the visual area located?

Answer 12

Occipital lobe

Question 13

Which lobe is the auditory area located?

Answer 13

Temporal lobe

Question 14

Which lobe is the Broca’s area located?

Answer 14

Frontal lobe in the left hemisphere (in most people)

Question 15

Which lobe is the Wernicke’s area located?

Answer 15

Temporal lobe in the left hemisphere (in most people)

Question 16

How many hemisphere is the brain split into?

Answer 16

2 - left and right

Question 17

How thick is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 17

3mm

Question 18

What is the outer layer of both hemisphere’s of the brain?

Answer 18

Cerebral cortex

Question 19

At the back of the frontal lobe is the motor area. What does this control?

Answer 19

Voluntary movement in the opposite side of the body

Question 20

The cortex of both hemispheres of the brain is divided into 4 lobes. What are the names of these lobes?

Answer 20

1. Frontal lobe
2. Parietal lobe
3. Occipital lobe
4. Temporal lobe

Question 21

The occipital lobe at the back of the brain is the visual area. Information from the eyes are sent to which part of the cortex?

Answer 21

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 22

At the front of both parietal lobes is the somatosensory area. What does this control?

Answer 22

Sensory information from the skin (e.g. touch, heat)

Question 23

Damage to which lobe and which area may affect ability to comprehend language?

Answer 23

Auditory areas in the temporal lobe

Question 24

Language is restricted to which side of the brain for most people?

Answer 24

Left

Question 25

What separates the somatosensory area from the motor area?

Answer 25

A valley called the central sulcus

Question 26

EVALUATION 3: Case study evidence

What happened to Phineas Cage in 1848?

Answer 26

He was preparing to blast some rocks with explosives. A meter length pole went through his left cheek and behind his eye. Most of his frontal lobe was destroyed. He survived but went from being calm and reserved to rude and quick tempered.

Question 27

EVALUATION 3: Case study evidence

Does the case of Phineas Gage support localisation theory or holistic theory? Why?

Answer 27

The specific changes observed in his behaviour support theories about the localisation of brain function, or the idea that certain functions are associated with specific areas of the brain. The part of the brain damaged in the accident was the area in the frontal cortex associated with planning, reasoning and control – Gage’s personality changed from him being mild mannered to rude and hostile. Today, scientists better understand the role that the frontal cortex has to play in important higher order functions such as reasoning, language and social cognition. In those years, while neurology was in its infancy, Gage’s extraordinary story served as one of the first sources of evidence that the frontal lobe was involved in personality.

Question 28

EVALUATION 3: Case study evidence

Why is the case of Phineas Gage seen as a landmark case?

Answer 28

It suggested the frontal lobe is responsible for regulating mood.

Question 29

EVALUATION 4: Lashley’s research

What did Lashley do in 1950?

Answer 29

Removed between 10 to 50% of cortex in rats that were learning a maze.

Question 30

EVALUATION 4: Lashley’s research

What were the outcomes of Lashley’s experiment (1950)?

Answer 30

No area in particular affected the rats ability to learn the maze.

Question 31

EVALUATION 4: Lashley’s research

What did Lashley’s experiment (1950) suggest about localisation theory?

Answer 31

Learning is too complex to be localised and requires the whole brain

Question 32

EVALUATION 5: Plasticity

How does plasticity support holistic theory rather than localisation theory?

Answer 32

When the brain becomes damaged and a particular function is lost the rest of the brain appears to reorganise itself to recover lost function.