brain functions and processes Flashcards
Where is the somatosensory cortex & what does it do?
area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes touch and movement sensations
what are the association areas and what do they do?
areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions. Instead, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking.
what is plasticity
it is the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.
what is neurogenesis
formation of new neurons in the brain.
where is the corpus callosum & what does it do?
large band of neural fibers connecting the two hemispheres. carries messages between them/
what is a split brain and why is it done?
condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers of the corpus callosum. ex: to stop epileptic seizures.
what is our consciousness?
our subjective awareness of ourselves & the environment.
what is cognitive neuroscience and what is it linked to?
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition, including perception, thinking, memory and language.
what is dual processing
the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.
what is blindsight
condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it.
what is parallel processing and how is it used?
processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously. Used to process well-learned information or to solve easy problems.
what is sequential processing and how is it used?
It is processing one aspect of a problem at a time. It is used to process new information or to solve difficult problems.
