localisation of function

Question 1

what is meant by localisation

Answer 1

the theory that specific areas of the brain are associated with particular physical and psychological functions

Question 2

outline a case study looking at the localisation of function

Answer 2

• Phineas Gage
• iron bar went through skull working on railway
• experienced change in personality
• supports theory of localisation of brain function, as it was believed damaged area was responsible for personality

Question 3

outline the function of the Broca’s area and what injury to it causes

Answer 3

• speech production
• left frontal lobe
• Broca’s aphasia - slow and unfluent speech
• no difficulty finding words or naming objects

Question 4

outline the function of Wernicke’s area and what injury to it causes

Answer 4

• language comprehension
• back of temporal lobe
• Wernicke’s aphasia - can produce language but struggle to understand it
• produce meaningless speech

Question 5

outline the function of the motor cortex

Answer 5

• back of frontal lobe
• generation of voluntary motor movements
• regions arranged in a logical order

Question 6

outline the function of the somatosensory cortex

Answer 6

• front of parietal lobe
• detects sensory events
• produces sensations of touch, pressure, pain and temperature, which it localises to specific body regions

Question 7

outline the function of the visual centres

Answer 7

• occipital lobe
• receives and processes visual information
• info from right hand field of vision processes in left hemisphere and vice versa
• contains several areas fro colour, shape or movement

Question 8

outline the function of the auditory centres

Answer 8

• temporal lobe
• analysing and processing acoustic information
• info from left ear goes primarily to right hemisphere
• travels cochlea to brain stem to thalamus to auditory cortex

Question 9

EVALUATION
challenges to localisation: equipotentiality

Answer 9

• not all researchers agree with localisation
• basic motor and sensory functions localised
• higher mental functions not localised
• intact areas of cortex could take over responsibility for specific cognitive functions following injury
• effects of brain damage determined by extent rather than location of damage

Question 10

EVALUATION
support for language centres from aphasia studies

Answer 10

• evidence for Broca’s and Wernicke’s area comes from studying aphasia
• support from these in evidence of damage to the particular area causing aphasia
• (outline Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia)
• demonstrates important role of these areas