cerebral cortex Psychology exam revision

Flashcards covering the facts and functions of the brain and its different areas.

Brain Facts

Encased in a hard protective skull, weighs about 1.3-1.5 kg in adults, has the consistency of firm jelly, covered by a strong plastic-like membrane, complex structure of billions of neurons and trillions of connections.

Cerebral Cortex

The convoluted (folded) outer layer of the two cerebral hemispheres, 2–4 mm thick, only one third is visible from the outside.

Corpus Callosum

A band of nerve tissue that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres and is the main communication pathway between the hemispheres.

Cerebral Hemispheres

The two ‘halves’ of the cerebral cortex, alike in size, shape and structure, and have many of the same functions.

Contralateral Organization

Each hemisphere controls and receives sensory information from the opposite side of the body.

Frontal Lobe

The largest of the four lobes, involved with higher mental functions, expression of personality and emotions.

Primary Motor Cortex

Located at the rear of each frontal lobe, controls voluntary bodily movements through the skeletal muscles.

Broca’s Area

Location: Left frontal lobe; Function: production of articulate speech, control of muscles required in speech, linked with the meaning of words, structure of sentences and parts of speech, involved with analysing grammatical structure.

Parietal Lobe

Located in the top and center of the brain, receives and analyzes messages from the body's sensory receptors in the skin.

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Located at the front of each parietal lobe, receives and processes sensory information from the skin and body, we perceive bodily sensations.

PMC

Coordinates movement.

PSC

Processes sensations

Occipital Lobe

Visual information is received and processed. Enables us to form visual perceptions, think visually and remember visual images.

Primary Visual Cortex

Located at the base of each occipital lobe. Receives and processes visual information from the photoreceptors on the retina of each eye.

Temporal Lobe

Associated with hearing and plays a role in memory. Decides which features of our environment we choose to remember and perceive.

Primary Auditory Cortex

Receives and processes sounds from both ears. Verbal sounds are processed in the left hemisphere, and non-verbal sounds are processed in the right hemisphere.

Wernicke’s Area

Behind Broca's area in the left temporal lobe, next to the primary auditory cortex. Involved with interpreting sounds, especially those involved in human speech, and is vital for locating appropriate words from memory.

Frontal lobe

Motor cortex (voluntary movement); Broca’s Area (Language, Left H); Reasoning, Problem solving; Planning, decision making; Personality

Temporal Lobe

Wernicke’s area – meaningful speech and language comprehension; Facial recognition; Processing auditory stimuli: pitch, tempo, volume; Memory

Parietal Lobe

Spatial awareness; 3 Ps: Pressure, pain, position in space; Temperature

Occipital Lobes

Processing visual stimuli