AP Psychology- The Brain

the brainstem

the central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions; begins where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull

localization of functions

certain brain structures have a specific role

hindbrain

section of the brain responsible for involuntary movements and survival functions, located in the back of the head

midbrain

section of the brain responsible for movement and sensory information, located on the top of the head

forebrain

section of the brain responsible for high level processing(cognitive activities, sensory and associative functions), located in the front of the head

medulla

part of the brain responsible for automatic body functions, located in the hindbrain

pons

right above the medulla, helps with coordinating movements and controls sleep; located in the hindbrain

cerebellum

part of the brain responsible for fine coordinated movements; located in the hindbrain

reticular formation (RF)

set of nuerons that screens incoming sensory information; located in the midbrain

thalamus

all sesory info, other than smell, is sent to the appropriate lobe in the cerebral cortex; located in the forebrain; the largest and most prominent part of the brain

the limbic system

responsible for emotional regulation/sending emotional cues; located in the forebrain

amygdala

responsibe for emotional memories; located in the forebrain

hippocampus

responsible for making and storing new memories; located in the forebrain

hypothalamus

responsible for controlling our urges and drives; located in the forebrain

suprachiasmatic necleus (SCN)

our body’s 24hr clock; located in the forebrain

frontal lobes

responsible for high level thinking and personality, making decisions and plans, judgments, motor control and speech production

aphasia

a disorder where comprehension and thinking doesn’t work well

pariental lobes

skin senses like touch, pain, pressure, and tempurature

kinesthetic sense

knowing the location of your body parts

temporal lobes

audition(hearing) and language comprehension

wernicke’s aphasia

disorder where you cannot understad what’s heard/read

occipital lobes

vision/visual perception of shape, color, and motion of images