Localisation of Function* Flashcards
Where is the motor cortex located?
The frontal lobe (i.e. top left).
Where is the somatosensory cortex located?
The parietal lobe (i.e. top right)
Where is the visual cortex located?
The occipital lobe (i.e. bottom right)
Where is the auditory cortex located?
Temporal lobe (i.e. bottom left).
What happened to Phineas Gage?
Dynamite exploded firing a metal rod through his frontal lobe. He survived. His personality drastically changed.
Where is Broca’s area located? And who did Broca study?
The case study of ‘Tan’ identified Broca’s area as being in the left frontal lobe.
What is the function of Broca’s area?
Language production.
What is the function of Wernicke’s area?
Language comprehension.
What condition did ‘Tan’ have?
Broca’s aphasia - an impediment to speech production.
Give an advantage of localisation of function.
Advantages:
- Supporting evidence from Petersen - Wernicke’s area was active during listening and Broca’s area was active during reading.
- Supporting treatments e.g. lobotomy- neurological support.
- Supporting evidence form case studies e.g. Tan and Phineas Gage - ideographic approach - produces great detail.
Give a disadvantage of localisation of function.
Disadvantages:
- Neural plasticity contests the theory - areas of the brain are not specialised to their seldom roles - they have the ability to acquire new roles - questioning the accuracy of this explanation.
- Lashley’s law of equipotentiality - other areas of the brain may ‘chip in’ - the brain works holistically - raising doubts of the accuracy of this explanation - reductionist.
What is the location of Broca’s area in relation to Wernicke’s area?
Broca’s area is closer to the front of the brain than Wernicke’s - it is always depicted as being ‘in front’ of Wernicke’s.
