Module 1 Flashcards
1.4B - 1.5C
Thalamus
- the forebrain’s sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem;
- it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex
- transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.
Reticular Formation
a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus
- it filters information and
plays an important role in controlling arousal.
- governed by the reticular activating system
Cerebellum
the hindbrain’s “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; its functions include
- processing sensory input
- coordinating movement output
- balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.
Hypothalamus
limbic system neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus
- it directs several maintenance
activities (eating, drinking, body temperature, sexual behavior)
- helps govern the endocrine system,
- linked to emotion and reward.
- controls the pituitary by stimulating it to trigger the release of hormones.
Hippocampus
a neural center in the limbic system that helps process explicit (conscious) memories — of facts and events — for storage.
Cerebral Cortex
the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the forebrain’s cerebral hemispheres;
- the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.
Frontal Lobe
- the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead.
- They enable linguistic processing,
muscle movements - higher-order thinking,
-executive functioning (such as making plans and judgments).
Parietal Lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear;
- it receives sensory input for touch and body position.
Occipital Lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head
- it includes areas that receive
information from the visual fields.
Temporal Lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears;
- it includes the auditory areas, each
of which receives information primarily from the opposite ear
- They also enable language
processing.
Somatosensory Cortex
a cerebral cortex area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.
- specializes in receiving information from the skin senses, such as touch and temperature, and from the movement of body parts.
Association areas
areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions, but rather are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.
- can’t be mapped
- found in all four brain lobes
Tasks of the Left Hemisphere
- reading
- writing
- speaking
- arithmetic reasoning
- understanding
- more verbal
Tasks of right-hemisphere
Similar to left but has less visibly dramatic effects
- excels in visual perception
- making inferences
- helps us modulate our speech
- orchestrate our self-awareness
what happens in split brain patients regarding what they say they saw
- “Splitting headache”
- HE appeared in their left visual field and ART in the right field
- patients reported that they had seen ART.
what split brain patients pointed to what they saw
When asked to point with their left hand (controlled by the right hemisphere) pointed to HE
Dual Processing
the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.
- Thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating all operate on two independent levels — a conscious, deliberate “high road” and an unconscious,
automatic “low road.”
Stage 1 Sleep
- irregular brain waves
- first non-REM (NREM) sleep stage
Stage 2 Sleep
- spend about half our sleep time
- sleep spindle waves - aid memory processing, rapid, rhythmic
Stage 3 Sleep
- lasts about 30 minutes
- large slow delta waves
Melatonin
Insomnia
recurring problems in falling or staying asleep
narcolepsy
a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The affected person may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.
- sudden attacks of sleepiness
Sleep Apnea
a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.
- stopping breathing repeatedly while sleeping
REM sleep behavior disorder
a sleep disorder in which normal REM paralysis does not occur
- twitching, talking, or even kicking or punching may occur, often acting out one’s dream
Sleepwalking
Repeated episodes
of complex motor
behavior, such as
walking, while asleep.
- Sleepwalking
happens in Stage 3
sleep.
What affect our dreams
recent experiences and preoccupations
- trauma
- music:
- vision loss: dreaming of using their nonvisual senses
How are dreams affected by media and culture?
“participants who consumed violent media tended to
have violent dreams, and participants who consumed sexual media tended to have sexual dreams”
What did Freud way about dreaming, and is this still accepted as fact?
- He proposed that dreams
provide a psychic safety valve that discharges otherwise unacceptable feelings. - he thought the things in dreams were symbolized to be erotic
- understanding our inner conflicts
it is not still accepted as a fact.
Information processing/consolidation:
Dreams help us sort
out the day’s events and consolidate them in memory.
Physiological function:
Regular brain stimulation may help
develop and preserve neural pathways in the brain.
Neural activation:
The brain attempts to make sense of
neural “static” by weaving it into a storyline.
Cognitive development:
Dreams reflect the dreamers’ level of
development — their knowledge and understanding.
