CDT Flashcards
What does IV stand for?
Independent Variable
What does DV stand for?
Dependent Variable
What’s the difference between IV and DV?
The IV is what the experiment changes to see if has an effect on the DV while the DV is what the experiment measures
What is a hypothesis?
Prediction of the outcome
What does the hypothesis do?
States what will happen in the experiment
How is the hypothesis structured?
“It was hypothesised that POPULATION who presence/experience (IV) will predicted effect on (DV) than POPULATION who absence/do not experience (IV)”
What is the cerebral cortex made up of?
2 hemispheres
What is the name of the 2 hemispheres that make up the cerebral cortex?
The left hemisphere & the right hemisphere
What is the left hemisphere responsible for?
Receives sensory information from the right side of the body + controls the right side
What is the right hemisphere responsible for?
Receives sensory information from the left side of the body + controls the left side
Which skills/behaviours are specialised to the left hemisphere?
- Language
- Logic
- Critical thinking
- Numbers
- Reasoning
Which skills/behaviours are specialised to the right hemisphere?
- Facial recognition
- Music
- Visualising images
- Intuition
- Creativity
What are the 3 regions of the brain?
- Forebrain
- Midbrain
- Hindbrain
Where is the forebrain located?
Sits on top of the midbrain
What is the forebrain responsible for?
Regulates cognitive processes
What is the forebrain made up of?
- Cerebrum
- Hypothalamus
- Thalamus
What is the function of the cerebrum?
Its responsible for cognitive processes (thinking, memory, learning etc)
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Regulate the body’s internal environment
What is the function of the thalamus?
Receive information from the sensory organs and then pass it down to relevant parts of the brain for analysis
Where is the midbrain located?
The central part of the brain
What is the midbrain responsible for?
- Movement
- Processing visual, auditory and tactile information
- Sleep
- Arousal
What is the midbrain made up of?
Reticular formation
What is another name for ‘reticular formation’?
Reticular Activating System (R.A.S)
What is the function of reticular formation?
- Screen incoming information to the brain to prevent overload
- Alert important information to relevant areas of the brain
- Maintain consciousness and regulate arousal
Where is the hindbrain located?
At the base of the brain
What is the hindbrain responsible for?
It controls and influences motor functions and vital automatic responses
What is the hindbrain made up of?
- The cerebellum
- The medulla
- The pons
What is the function of the cerebellum?
It coordinates fine muscle movements, posture and balance
What is the function of the medulla?
Control vital survival functions
What is the function of the pons?
Regulate sleep, arousal and breathiing
What is the deep furrow that divides the brain into 2 halves called?
The Corpus Callosum
What is the corpus callosum?
A bundle of axons which connects the 2 halves of the brain
What is the function of the corpus callosum?
Enable communication between the 2 hemispheres
Where is the corpus callosum located?
In the white matter of the cerebrum
What happens if the corpus callosum gets damaged?
Disables communication between the left hemisphere and right hemisphere
What is the cerebral cortex?
The outer layer of the brain
How thick is the cerebral cortex?
Between 1-4mm thick
How much of the cerebral cortex is visible from outside the brain?
Only 1/3
What does the cerebral cortex look like?
A highly-wrinkled structure
Why is the brain a highly wrinkled structure?
Makes the brain more efficient + increases the surface area of the brain & the neurons within it
What does the cerebral cortex consist of?
4 lobes
What are the names of the lobes that make up the cerebral cortex?
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Temporal lobe
What is a characteristic of the frontal lobe?
Largest of the 4 cortical lobes
Where is the frontal lobe located?
At the front of the brain
What are some key functions of the frontal lobe?
- Control high order thinking
- Motor coordination
- Expression + regulation of emotions
- Personality
What does the frontal lobe do?
It integrates messages from all over the brain and coordinates appropriate responses
What can go wrong with the frontal lobe?
Diseases and disorders can be acquired or developed naturally
What happens if damage occurs to the frontal lobe?
Impairs the function
What is the primary motor cortex in the frontal lobe?
Strip of neutral tissue at the back of the frontal lobe
What does the primary motor cortex do?
Controls voluntary bodily movement through its control of skeletal muscles
What does the space devoted to the body structure correspond to (primary motor cortex)?
The complexity of the movements associated with it
Where is the Broca’s area located?
In the left frontal lobe next to the motor cortex for the lips, mouth and tongue
What is the function of the Broca’s area?
Enable articulate and fluent speech production
What happens when damage occurs to the Broca’s area?
Impacts production of speech
What is the term associated with damage to the Broca’s area?
Broca’s aphasia
Where is the temporal lobe located?
In the lower central part of the brain, near the ears
What is the temporal lobe primarily involved in?
Auditory perception
What are some roles of the temporal lobes?
- Memory
- Aspects of visual perception
- Decision making
- Object identification
- Facial recognition
How does the temporal lobe have an important role in our decision making?
Helps us perceive + remember certain features of an environment
What are some examples of how the temporal lobe has a huge role in long-term memory formation?
- Factual information
- ‘How to’ information
- Personal experiences
What can go wrong with the temporal lobe?
- Disturbance of auditory sensation + perception
- Memory impairment
- Disturbance of language comprehension
What does the primary auditory cortex do?
Receive + process sound from both ears
What does the left auditory cortex specialise in?
Verbal sounds (voice, words etc)
What does the right auditory cortex specialise in?
Non-verbal sounds (music)
Whats term does the term “Word Salad” refer to?
Wernicke’s Aphasia
How does Wernicke’s Aphasia impact a patient?
- Great difficulty comprehending speech
- Difficulty speaking in a meaningful way
- Fluent + grammatically correct speech
Where is the occipital lobe located?
At the rearmost part of the cerebral cortex (back of the head)
What is a key function of the occipital lobe?
Processing and interpreting visual sensory information
What can go wrong with the occipital lobe?
- Blindness
- Severity + location of the damage determines the long and short term outcomes
- Impairment to the perception of colour, shape, size and distance
What is the primary visual cortex?
The final destination of visual information received from both eyes
What occurs in the primary visual cortex?
- Raw visual information is organised and processed
- Neurons are specialised and respond to specific information
Where is the parietal lobe located?
Behind the frontal lobe
What does the parietal lobe occupy?
The upper back half of the brain
What are the key functions of the parietal lobe?
- Receive + process sensory information from the body and skin cells (somatosensory information)
- Spatial awareness + attention
What can go wrong with the parietal lobe?
- Deficit function in lack of sensitivity
- Tactile agnosia (inability to interpret sensation)
What does tactile agnosia do?
Deficiency in recognising objects
Where is the somatosensory cortex located?
In front of the parietal lobe behind the primary motor cortex
What does the somatosensory cortex do?
- Receives + processes sensory information from the skin and body such as:
- Touch
- Temperature of the skin
- Information about muscle movement
