Localisation of function

Question 1

What did Broca and Wernicke discover about the brain?

Answer 1

Specific areas of the brain are associated with particular physical and psychological functions

Question 2

Which theory of the brain did scientists generally support before Broca and Wernicke’s investigations?

Answer 2

The holistic theory

Question 3

What did the holistic theory of the brain suggest?

Answer 3

That all parts of the brain were involved in the processing of thought and action

Question 4

What did Broca and Wernicke argue for

Answer 4

Localisation of function/cortical specialisation

Question 5

What is localisation of function/cortical specialisation?

Answer 5

The idea that different parts of the brain perform different tasks and are involved with different parts of the body

Question 6

If localisation of function is true, what would happen if a certain area of the brain becomes damaged through illness or injury?

Answer 6

The functions associated with that area will also be affected

Question 7

Language is restricted to which side of the brain in most people?

Answer 7

The left

Question 8

Broca identified a small area where in the brain that was responsible for speech production?

Answer 8

In the left frontal lobe

Question 9

Broca identified a small area in the left frontal lobe that was responsible for what?

Answer 9

Speech production

Question 10

What does damage to Broca’s area cause?

Answer 10

Broca’s aphasia

Question 11

What is Broca’s aphasia characterised by?

Answer 11

Speech that is laborious, slow and lacking in fluency

Question 12

Who was Broca’s most famous patient, and why was he called this?

Answer 12

Tan, because this was the only word he could say

Question 13

Which types of words do people with Broca’s aphasia have difficulty with?

Answer 13

Prepositions and conjunctions

Question 14

Wernicke was describing people who had no problem doing which thing, but severe difficulties with what?

Answer 14

No problem producing language but severe difficulties understanding it

Question 15

Wernicke was describing people who had no problem producing language but severe difficulties understanding it. What did this mean about their speech?

Answer 15

It was fluent but meaningless

Question 16

Wernicke identified Wernicke’s area as being responsible for what?

Answer 16

Language understanding

Question 17

Wernicke identified Wernicke’s area in which region of the brain?

Answer 17

The left temporal lobe

Question 18

What does damage to Wernicke’s area result in?

Answer 18

Wernicke’s aphasia - difficulty speaking in coherent sentences or understanding others’ speech

Question 19

People who have Wernicke’s aphasia will often produce…

Answer 19

nonsense words as part of the content of their speech

Question 20

People who have Wernicke’s aphasia will often produce nonsense words as part of the content of their speech. What are these known as?

Answer 20

Neologisms

Question 21

True/False: The review by Dick and Tremblay (2016) supports the idea that language is localised just to Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas

Answer 21

False, their review found that only 2% of modern researchers think that language in the brain is completely controlled byt hese areas

Question 22

Dick and Tremblay’s 2016 review found that what percentage of modern researchers think that language in the brain is completely controlled by Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas?

Answer 22

2

Question 23

What do advances in brain imaging techniques such as fMRI mean about studying the brain?

Answer 23

Neural processes in the brain can be studied with more clarity than ever before

Question 24

Advances in brain imaging techniques such as fMRI means that neural processes in the brain can be studied with more clarity than ever before. What has this meant about researchers’ thoughts of the location of the language function in the brain?

Answer 24

It seems that the language function is distributed far more holistically in the brain than was first thought

Question 25

Since the identification of Broca's and Wernicke's areas, so-called language streams have been identified where in the brain?

Answer 25

Across the subcortical regions such as the thalamus

Question 26

The fact that so-called language streams have been identified across the subcortical regions such as the thalamus suggests what about the location of language in the brain?

Answer 26

Rather than being confined to a couple of key areas, language may be organised more holistically in the brain

Question 27

The fact that so-called language streams have been identified across the subcortical regions such as the thalamus in the brain supports/contradicts localisation theory

Answer 27

contradicts

Question 28

True/False: Damage to areas of the brain has been linked to mental disorders

Answer 28

True

Question 29

What does a cingulotomy involve?

Answer 29

Isolating a region called the cingulate gyrus which has been implicated in OCD

Question 30

How many people did Dougherty et al. report with OCD who had undergone a cingulotomy?

Answer 30

44

Question 31

What did Dougherty et al. (2002) find at their post-surgical follow-up after 32 weeks about people with OCD who had undergone a cingulotomy?

Answer 31

About 30% had met the criteria for successful response to the surgery, 14% had a partial response

Question 32

After how many weeks did Dougherty et al. (2002) do their post-surgical follow-up?

Answer 32

32

Question 33

At the post-surgical follow-up, what percentage of people who had OCD and had undergone a cingulotomy had met the successful criteria for successful response to the surgery?

Answer 33

30%

Question 34

What does the success of cingulotomy procedures for OCD suggest about behaviours associated with serious mental disorders?

Answer 34

They may be localised

Question 35

At the post-surgical follow-up, what percentage of people who had OCD and had undergone a cingulotomy had met the criteria for partial response to the surgery?

Answer 35

14%

Question 36

Give an example of a unique case of neurological damage that supports localisation theory

Answer 36

Phineas Gage

Question 37

What's the main criticism of the case of Phineas Gage in supporting localisation theory?

Answer 37

It's difficult to make meaningful generalisations from findings of a single individual - conclusions drawn may depend on the subjective interpretation of the researcher

Question 38

Why is it difficult to make meaningful generalisations from findings of case studies?

Answer 38

It's only a single individual and conclusions drawn may depend on the subjective interpretation of the researcher

Question 39

What is the main part of the brain called?

Answer 39

The cerebrum

Question 40

What is the cerebrum divided into?

Answer 40

Two symmetrical halves - the left and right hemisphere

Question 41

What are the two symmetrical halves of the cerebrum called?

Answer 41

Left and right hemisphere

Question 42

Some of our physical and psychological functions are controlled or dominated by a particular hemisphere. What is this called?

Answer 42

Lateralisation

Question 43

Activity on the left-hand side of the body is controlled by which hemisphere?

Answer 43

Right

Question 44

Activity on the right-hand side of the body is controlled by which hemisphere?

Answer 44

Left

Question 45

Which hemisphere is language linked to?

Answer 45

The left hemisphere

Question 46

What is the outer layer of both hemispheres called?

Answer 46

Cerebral cortex

Question 47

The cortex of both hemispheres is subdivided into how many centres?

Answer 47

Four

Question 48

What are the four centres of the brain called?

Answer 48

'Lobes'

Question 49

What is the frontal lobe responsible for?

Answer 49

Motor functions

Question 50

Where is the motor area located?

Answer 50

At the back of the frontal lobe in both hemispheres

Question 51

What does the motor area of the brain control?

Answer 51

Voluntary movement in the opposite side of the body

Question 52

What could damage to the motor area of the brain result in?

Answer 52

Loss of control over the fine movements

Question 53

Which area can be found in the parietal lobe?

Answer 53

Somatosensory area

Question 54

Where is the somatosensory area located?

Answer 54

At the front of both parietal lobes

Question 55

How is the somatosensory area separated from the motor area?

Answer 55

By a 'valley' called the central sulcus

Question 56

Which area of the brain is where sensory information from the skin is represented?

Answer 56

The somatosensory area

Question 57

What happens in the somatosensory area of the brain?

Answer 57

Sensory information from the skin is represented

Question 58

Give an example of information from the skin that would be represented in the somatosensory area

Answer 58

Any from related to touch, heat, pressure, etc.

Question 59

What does the amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denote?

Answer 59

Its sensitivity

Question 60

How much of our somatosensory area do receptors for our face and hands occupy?

Answer 60

Over half

Question 61

Which area can be found in the occipital lobes?

Answer 61

The visual area/visual cortex

Question 62

Where is the visual area/visual cortex?

Answer 62

In the back of the brain within the occipital lobes

Question 63

Where does each eye send information from the right visual field?

Answer 63

The left visual cortex

Question 64

Where does each eye send information from the left visual field?

Answer 64

The right visual cortex

Question 65

What would damage to the left occipital lobe produce?

Answer 65

Blindness in part of the right visual field of both eyes

Question 66

Which area can be found in the temporal lobes?

Answer 66

The auditory area

Question 67

What does the auditory area analyse?

Answer 67

Speech-based information

Question 68

What may damage to a temporal lobe produce?

Answer 68

Partial hearing loss

Question 69

The more extensive the damage to your temporal lobe, the more...

Answer 69

extensive your hearing loss will be

Question 70

Damage to a specific area of the temporal lobe may affect the ability to comprehend language. Which area is this?

Answer 70

Wernicke's area

Question 71

Damage to a specific area of which lobe may affect the ability to comprehend language (Wernicke's area)?

Answer 71

Temporal

Question 72

A 'lobe; is a part of an organ that is...

Answer 72

separate in some way from the rest

Question 73

True/False: Each lobe in the brain is associated with different functions

Answer 73

True

Question 74

True/False: Peterson et al.'s 1988 brain scans provide evidence to support the idea that many everyday functions are localised

Answer 74

True

Question 75

How did Petersen et al. (1988) provide evidence to support the idea that many everyday functions are localised?

Answer 75

Used brain scans to demonstrate how Wernicke's area was active during a listening task and Broca's area was active during a reading task

Question 76

What did a 1996 review of long-term memory studies by Buckner and Petersen reveal?

Answer 76

Semantic and episodic memories reside in different parts of the prefrontal cortex

Question 77

Evidence from studies such as Buckner and Petersen and Petersen et al. confirm what?

Answer 77

Localised area for everyday behaviours

Question 78

Evidence from Buckner, Petersen and Petersen et al. have provided sound scientific evidence that...

Answer 78

many brain functions are localised

Question 79

Lashley (1950) supports/challenges the localisation theory

Answer 79

challenges

Question 80

What did Lashley do in their study that challenged localisation theory?

Answer 80

Removed areas of the cortex in rats that were learning the route through a maze (between 10% and 50%)

Question 81

What did Lashley find in their 1950 study to challenge localisation theory?

Answer 81

No area was proven to be more important than any other area in terms of rats' ability to learn the route

Question 82

Lashley found that the process of learning in rats seemed to require which parts of the cortex?

Answer 82

Every part rather than being confined to a particular area

Question 83

What do Lashley's findings from their rat in a maze study suggest?

Answer 83

Higher cognitive processes, such as learning, are not localised and are distributed in a more holistic way in the brain