Localisation of Function (Key Areas and Evidence) - BIOPSYCHOLOGY Flashcards
who was Franz Gall (1758-1828)
founder of phrenology (1796)
what did Franz Gall (1758-1828) propose about the brain
he divided it into 27 theoretical ‘organs’ of which we shared 19 with other animals
what did Franz Gall (1759-1828) suggest about the brain’s theoretical ‘organs’
that they could be ‘felt’ as bumps on the skull
who was Pierre Florens (1795-1867)
conducted animal lesion studies on the cerebellum and medulla oblongata - usually in rabbits or pigeons
in a very simple organism, how is the nervous system arranged
it is not functionally divided, unlike more complex organisms
in a more complex organism, how is the nervous system arranged
species have evolved specialised nerves, and connections for important tasks
what is localisation of function
functions are associated with activity specific areas of the brain
what are complex behaviours often associated with in the nervous system
whole neurons of areas work together to conduct a behaviour
name the six cortices we study
motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, visual cortex, auditory cortex, Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area
function of motor cortex
stimulates and controls conscious physical movements
function of somatosensory cortex
takes sensory information from peripheral neurons to create physical sensations
function of visual cortex
receives, orients, groups and passes on visual signals from the retina, through the optic nerve, giving us visual perception (sight)
function of auditory cortex
receives signals from the ears and creates auditory perception (hearing)
function of Broca’s area
centre for language production
combines essential signals from other regions to create speech
function of Wernicke’s area
centre for understanding language
allows us to interpret physical and verbal communication
