localisation of function

Question 1

what is localisation of function?

Answer 1

the theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities

Question 2

what is the motor area?

Answer 2

a region of the frontal lobe involved in regulating movement. it controls voluntary movement in the opposite side of the body. damage to this may result in the loss of fine motor movement.

Question 3

where is the motor area located?

Answer 3

at the back of the frontal lobe, in both hemispheres

Question 4

what is the somatosensory area?

Answer 4

an area where sensory information from the skin is represented and processed. receptors in our face and hands occupy over half of the somatosensory area.

Question 5

where is the somatosensory area located?

Answer 5

at the front of both parietal lobes

Question 6

label the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe and cerebellum

Question 7

what is the visual area?

Answer 7

a part of the occipital lobe that receives and processes visual information. damage to the left hemisphere can produce blindness in part of the right visual field of both eyes.

Question 8

where is the visual area located?

Answer 8

in the occipital lobe at the back of the brain

Question 9

what is the auditory area?

Answer 9

it analyses speech-based information. damage may produce partial hearing loss

Question 10

where is the auditory area located?

Answer 10

in both temporal lobes

Question 11

what is broca’s area?

Answer 11

an area of the brain which is responsible for speech production. damage to broca’s area causes aphasia which is characterised by speech that is slow, laborious and lacking in fluency (like Broca’s patient ‘Tan’ who could only say tan)

Question 12

where is broca’s area?

Answer 12

located in the frontal lobe of the brain in the left hemisphere

Question 13

what is wernicke’s area?

Answer 13

an area of the braid which is responsible for language comprehension. people who damage this part will develop wernicke’s aphasia and will often produce nonsense words as a part of their speech.

Question 14

where is wernicke’s area?

Answer 14

located in the temporal lobe in the left hemisphere

Question 15

strength: autopsy research- Broca

Answer 15

•he has a patient called ‘tan’ because that was the only word he could say
•be completed an autopsy and found that Tan had a stroke which has damaged the left hemisphere of the frontal lobe
•he concluded that speech production existed in this area of the brain, as these results were consistent with other patients

Question 16

strength: autopsy research- Wenicke

Answer 16

•he was interested in people who couldn’t comprehend language or follow instructions
•upon an autopsy and examination of the brain he found that patients who lacked that ability had sustained damage to the left hemisphere of the temporal lobe
•he concluded that this area was responsible for language comprehension

Question 17

strength: brain scan evidence of localisation

Answer 17

•Tulving conducted a study which found that semantic and episodic memories resides in different parts of the brain
•scans allow scientists to pinpoint which areas of the brain are active during cognitive functions

Question 18

strength: neurosurgical evidence

Answer 18

•neurosurgery is still used today in extreme cases of OCD and depression
•44 OCD patients had undergone a surgical procedure on a specific area of the brain which was thought to have led to their symptoms
•in the months following the surgery patients reported seeing an improvement in symptoms
•the success of such procedures strongly suggests that symptoms and behaviours associated with serious mental disorders are localised