Localisation of function

Question 1

The four key areas (localisation of function)

Answer 1

Motor area
Somatosensory area
Visual centres
Auditory centres

Question 2

What is the specific location and responsibility of the motor area ?

Answer 2

• location = frontal lobe - responsible for voluntary movement by sending signals to the muscles in the body

Question 3

What is the specific location and responsibility of the somatosensory area?

Answer 3

• location = parietal lobe - responsible for detecting sensory events - e.g. pain and temperature sensations

Question 4

What is the specific location and responsibility of the visual centres ?

Answer 4

• location = occipital lobe -

Question 5

What is the specific location and responsibility of the auditory centres ?

Answer 5

• location = temporal lobe

Question 6

which areas or centres are located within both hemispheres ?

Answer 6

The motor area, somatosensory, and auditory area and the auditory centre is located within the two hemispheres, but the language centres aren’t. They are only located with the left hemisphere

Question 7

Evaluation points :)

Answer 7

• Lashley - equipotentiality
• Dronkers - language production may not be confined to Brocas area alone
• Communication may be more important than localisation
• Brain scans (MRI) - aphasia study

Question 8

What does Lashley say, and is it a strength or weakness in relation to the localisation of functions?

Answer 8

• It is a weakness as it challenges the localisation of functions theory
  The equipotential theory suggests that higher functions aren’t localised
• ## The effect of damages to the brain would be determined by the extent rather than the location of the damage

Question 9

What does Dronkers say and is it a strength or weakness in relation to the localisation of functions?

Answer 9

Language production may not be confined to the Brocas area

Question 10

What do the brain scans show within Aphasia patients and does it support or go against the argument ? (first define aphasia)

Answer 10

Aphasia - difficulty processing or producing speech

The brain scans

Question 11

What is a precentral gyrus ?

Answer 11

where the motor area is located (this is at the back of the frontal lobe

Question 12

What are the language centres and what they are responsible for ?

Answer 12

Broca’s area -

Wernicke area - comprehension and understanding of speech

Question 13

where are the language centres located ?

Answer 13

Broca’s area - frontal lobe

Wernicke area - between frontal and occipital lobe

Question 14

What are the two types of aphasias and where are they located?

Answer 14

Receptive aphasia - Wernicke

Expressive Aphasia - Broca

Question 15

Evaluation point on Brain Plasticity ?

Answer 15

Brain plasticity challenges the theory of the localisation of functions - the idea that our brain is malleable and can reconstruct and reconfigured goes against the idea that the brain is localised .

• localisation suggests that one particular part of the brain is responsible for a cognitive process or a role and when this is damage that specific cognitive process would be destroyed r wouldn’t be able to functions, this however argues that once that particular area is damaged another are can replace it.

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