Biopsychology: Localisation of the brain

Question 1

What is localisation of function?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

What are the four main lobes in the brain?

Answer 2

Frontal, Parietal, Occipital, Temporal

Question 3

What does the right hemisphere control?

Answer 3

The left hand side

Question 4

What does the left hemisphere control?

Answer 4

The right hand side

Question 5

Where are the Visual centres?

Answer 5

In the occipital lobe, both hemispheres

Question 6

What is the function of the visual centres?

Answer 6

To process visual information

Question 7

Where is the auditory centre?

Answer 7

In the temporal lobe, both hemispheres

Question 8

What is the pathway of the auditory centre?

Answer 8

Cochlea - nerve impulses - brain stem - auditory cortex

Question 9

What is the function of the auditory centre?

Answer 9

To analyse speech based information

Question 10

What are the two language centres?

Answer 10

Broca area and the Wernicke’s area

Question 11

Where is the Broca area?

Answer 11

In the frontal lobe, left hemisphere

Question 12

What happens if you damage the Broca area?

Answer 12

You can understand language but you are unable to communicate it back - based on motor action

Question 13

Where is the Wernicke’s area?

Answer 13

The temporal lobe and parietal lobe border - left hemisphere

Question 14

What happens if you damage the Wernicke’s area?

Answer 14

You can speak but cannot understand language - based on sensory input

Question 15

Where is the motor cortex?

Answer 15

The frontal lobe, both hemispheres

Question 16

What is the function of the motor cortex?

Answer 16

It is in charge of voluntary movements

Question 17

Where is the somatosensory cortex?

Answer 17

In the parietal lobe - both hemispheres

Question 18

What is the function of the somatosensory cortex?

Answer 18

It takes in sensory information from the skin of touch, pain pressure and temperature.

Question 19

Evaluation for localisation

Answer 19

Brain scan evidence
Neurosurgical evidence
Case study
Lashley's research
Plasticity

Question 20

Evaluation point: Brain scan evidence

Answer 20

Petersen used brain scans to demonstrate how Wernicke’s area was active during a listening task and Broca’s area was active during a reading task, showing that different areas are activated for differing tasks, rather than the brain working as one unit.

Question 21

Evaluation point: Neurosurgical evidence

Answer 21

Dougherty reported on 44 OCD patients who had undergone cingulotomy.
After 32 weeks, 1/3 had met the criteria for successful response and 14% for partial response.
This success suggests that symptoms associated with serious mental disorders are localised.

Question 22

Evaluation point: Case study

Answer 22

Phineas Gage
In an explosion a metre length pole was hurled through his left cheek, passing his left eye and exiting his skull from the top of his head taking a portion of his left frontal lobe with it.
He survived but he hanged from a calm person to a quick-tempered person.
This suggests that the frontal lobe may be responsible for regulating mood.

Question 23

Evaluation point: Lashley’s research

Answer 23

Lashley suggests learning is distributed holistically not localised.
He removed areas of the cortex in rats that were learning a maze, no area was more important.
It seemed to require the whole cortex rather than being confined to an area.
Learning is too complex to be localised

Question 24

Evaluation point: Plasticity

Answer 24

When the brain becomes more damaged the rest of the brain seems able to reorganise itself in an attempt to recover the lost function.
Stroke victims being able to recover those abilities that were seemingly lost as a result.