Studied by 8 people
Biological Bases of Behavior Unit
cerebral cortex
body’s info-processing center; originates distinctly human traits
thalamus
directs messages to sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and the medulla; receives info from all senses except smell; located at top of brainstem
corpus callosum
neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
hypothalamus
directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp) and helps govern endocrine system via the pituitary gland; also linked to emotion and reward
amygdala
linked to emotions like fear and anger and coordinates fight or flight
pituitary gland
master gland that secretes hormones that tell other glands to secrete their hormones; regulates growth
brainstem
reticular formation, pons, medulla
reticular formation
plays a role in controlling conscious arousal and helps filter out unnecessary stimuli
pons
plays a role in regulating sleep (sleeping, waking, REM) and coordinating facial expressions
medulla
controls heart beat and breathing
brainstem
responsible for automatic survival functions (breathing, swallowing, heart rate, blood pressure, consciousness)
spinal cord
how brain communicates with body
cerebellum
processes sensory input, coordinates movement output and balance, and nonverbal learning and memory
hippocampus
critical role in formation, organization, and storage of new memories (declarative memories)
hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus
limbic system
limbic system
associated with emotions, drives, and conscious memories
frontal lobe
involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements
prefrontal cortex
associated with planning and complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behavior
motor cortex
controls voluntary movements; part of frontal lobe
somatosensory cortex
processes body touch and movement sensations; part of parietal lobe
parietal lobe
receives sensory input for touch and body position
occipital lobe
receive info from visual fields
temporal lobe
includes auditory areas
Broca’s Area
controls motor function and speech production; only in left hemisphere
Wernicke’s Area
language comprehension; only in left hemisphere
plasticity
brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
consciousness
our awareness of ourselves and our environment
dual processing
the principle that info is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
cerebrum
largest part of the brain consisting of two hemispheres that enable perceiving, thinking, and speaking (left hemisphere controls right side of body); evolutionarily newest part of brain
Note
Flashcard