module 1: how learning occurs Flashcards
list the four lobes of the brain
frontal
temporal
occipital
parietal
what is another term for the outer portion of the brain and which color matter is it?
cortex
gray matter
what is gray matter?
most cell bodies of neurons in the brain
what is the term for the bottom portion of the brain and what color matter?
subcortex
white matter
what is the subcortex comprised of?
long nerve fibers (axons) connecting cell bodies to other neurons
why is the tissue of white matter “white”?
axons are wrapped in fatty substances (myelin) that increase the speed at which signals are transmitted
which is the largest lobe of the brain?
frontal
what is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?
planning, higher order thinking, controlling emotions, problem solving
what is the motor cortex responsible for?
controls movement and position of limbs
what is the occipital lobe responsible for?
processing visual signals
which lobe works as a monitor in which pixels of light enter eyes are projected to see world around you?
occipital
what is the parietal lobe responsible for?
integrate signals from different regions of the body about temperature, touch, and pain and location of different parts of the body
what is the temporal lobe responsible for?
associated with hearing, interpreting language, speech, facial recognition
which lobe of the brain is the hippocampus located?
temporal
what is the hippocampus responsible for?
memory formation
what is the brainstem responsible for?
body functions controlled- heart and respiratory rate, digestion
level of alertness
list the parts of the limbic system
thalamus
hypothalamus
hippocampus
amygdala
what is the limbic system responsible for?
generation and processing emotions, links emotion, reason, and memory
what is the thalamus responsible for?
relay station for relaying information coming to the brain about senses and from cerebral cortex about memories
what is the only sense that bypasses the thalamus and why?
smell because it has its own pathway
what is the hypothalamus responsible for?
monitors body temperature, food and liquid intake, and sleep
may release hormones that affect those body functions
what is the hippocampus responsible for?
memory formation
converts short term to long term
what is the amygdala responsible for?
associated with emotions of fear and anxiety
“tags” memories for long term storage in the hippocampus if associated with emotions
describe the process of how learning occurs
- brain decides which sensory inputs are important enough to process further and which can be forgotten immediately, within the thalamus
- immediate memory vs working memory
- long term memory
- long term storage occurs when information is encoded by the hippocampus and doesn’t occur instantly but usually during deep sleep