Cognition structures and functions Flashcards
Where is the frontal lobe located?
most anterior, behind the forehead
What are the functions of the frontal lobe?
Voluntary movement, consciousness, control emotional responses, controls expressive language, assigns meaning to words, memory for habits and motor activities
List 3 possible impairments of the frontal lobe?
- paralysis
- inability to plan a sequence of complex movements to complete multi-stepped tasks
- loss of spontaneity in interacting with others
- Loss of flexibility in thinking
- persistence of a single thought
- mood changes
- changes in social behaviour
- changes in personality
- difficulty with problem solving
- inability to express language
Where is the temporal lobe located?
either side of the head above the ears
What are the functions of the temporal lobe?
hearing, memory acquisition, some visual perception and categorising of objects
What are 3 possible impairments of the temporal lobe?
- Difficulty recognising faces
- difficulty understanding spoken words
- short term memory loss
- inability to categorise objects
- increased aggressive behaviour
Where is the parietal lobe located?
top of the head towards the back
What is the function of the parietal lobe?
sensation and perception, integrating sensory input, location for visual and touch perception, manipulation of objects in space
What are 3 possible impairments of the parietal lobe?
- Inability to attend to more than one object at a time
- inability to name an object
- problems with reading
- difficulty drawing objects
- difficulty distinguishing left and right
- inability to focus visual attention
- difficulties with eye and hand co-ordination
Where is the occipital lobe located?
most posterior, back of the head
What is the function of the occipital lobe?
Vision
What are 3 possible impairments of the occipital lobe?
- defects in vision
- difficulty with locating objects in environment
- difficulty identifying colours
- word blindness
- difficulty recognising drawn objects
- difficulties reading and writing
Where is the cerebellum located?
just above the brain stem towards the back of the brain and base of skull
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Co-ordination of voluntary movement, balance and equilibrium and some memory for reflex motor acts
What are 3 possible impairments of the cerebellum?
- loss of ability to coordinate fine movements
- loss of ability to walk
- tremors
- vertigo
- slurred speech
- inability to make rapid movements
Where is the brain stem located?
Deep in brain, leads to spinal cord
What is the function of the brain stem?
Breathing, heart rate reflexes, sweating, blood pressure, digestion, temperature, levels of alertness/arousal, sleep
What are 3 possible impairments of the brain stem?
- Decreased breathing capacity
- swallowing food and water
- difficulty with organisation/perception of the environment
- problems with balance and movement
- dizziness and nausea
- sleeping difficulties
What is cognition?
The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experiences and the senses
What are the four domains of cognition?
- Attention and concentration
- memory
- executive function
- metacognition
What is attention?
An active process that helps to determine which sensations and experiences are alerting and relevant to the individual
What are the 5 subcategories of attention?
- Focused/selective
- sustained
- Alternating
- Divided
- Concentration
What is focused attention?
selective attention that allows us to discriminate between a stimulus and help goal directed behaviour
What is sustained attention?
AKA vigilance, the ability to maintain attention for a long period of time
What is alternating attention?
The ability to redirect attention from current focus to another location
What is divided attention?
the ability to do several things at once
What is concentration?
the ability to complete mental work whilst attending