Localisation Of Function In Brain Flashcards
Frontal lobe
-locates at front of brain and responsible for carrying out functions such as thinking, decision making and planning
Temporal lobe
-located behind temples and responsible for processing auditory info from ears
Parietal lobe
-locates at back of brain and responsible for processing sensory info that is associated with taste, temp, touch
Occipital lobe
-locates at lower back of brain and responsible for processing visual info from eyes
Cerebellum
Located in lower brain and responsible for balance and coordination
Motor area
- primary motor cortex is responsible for movement, sends messages to muscles via brain stem and spinal cord
- only complex movement not basic movements like coughing
Somatosensory area
- concerned with sensation of body and located next to motor cortex
- perceives TOUCH
Visual area
- has two visual cortices, one located in each hemisphere of brain
- primary one is called OCCIPITAL LOBE
- essential for visual perception
- people with damage to this report no vision of any kind (inc dreams)
Auditory area
-has two primary auditory cortices, located in each hemisphere
-if primary auditory cortex is damaged, DOESN’T LEAD TO TOTAL DEAFNESS
But if sounds require complex processing (such as music) ability is lost
Language area
BROCA’S AND WERNICKE’S AREA
-for most people, it is located in left hemisphere
Broca’s area and Wernickes area
B- responsible for speech production
W- responsible for comprehension of speech
Penfield’s study of Motor and Somatosensory Cortex
Aim- investigate workings of conscious mind
Method:
1)Conducted brain surgery (was a neurosurgeon) which required patients to be conscious so surgeon can be sure any actions occurred in the right place (painless as brain has no sense receptors)
2) surgeon probed different areas of brain using gentle electrical stimulation and asked patients to report what thy experienced
Results of Penfield’s study of Motor and Somatosensory Cortex
- many patients stated that when their temporal lobe was stimulated, they could hear things e.g. a man said he could hear a piano playing and recalled who played it
- surgeon then said he was going to stimulate it again but he didn’t, patient said he experienced nothing
Conclusion of Penfield’s study of Motor and Somatosensory Cortex
-evidence for localisation of function: idea that some psychological functions are controlled from particular parts of brain within cerebral cortex
Evaluation of Penfield’s study of Motor and Somatosensory Cortex
POSITIVE:
-showed that complex memories are stored in brain
NEGATIVE:
-he used patients with epilepsy so can’t be representative
-hard to generalise findings as it was different for each patient
-patients may have found it difficult to articulate their experience into words