Lesson 5.1: Powers of the Mind

Vocabulary flashcards covering the biological structures, lobes, lateralization, and theories of the human brain as discussed in Lesson 5.1.

Lateral Thinking

A term coined by Edward de Bono in $1967$ involving solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious.

Brain Weight

The human brain is a fist-sized organ that weighs approximately $3 \text{ pounds}$, representing around $2 \text{ percent}$ of a person's weight.

Brain Water Content

The percentage of the brain composed of water is approximately $73 \text{ percent}$.

Energy Consumption of the Brain

Despite its size, the brain uses $20 \text{ percent}$ of the body's oxygen and calories.

Neuron

The billions of tiny cells making up the brain that communicate with each other using electrical signals.

Cerebrum

The part of the brain that starts and manages conscious thoughts, meaning things you actively think about or do.

Cerebellum

The part of the brain involved in coordination, balance, equilibrium, and memory for reflex motor acts.

Brain Stem

The region responsible for vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, swallowing, startle response, and level of alertness.

Corpus Callosum

A major tract of white matter composed of approximately $200 \text{ million}$ nerve fibers that connects and enables communication between the left and right hemispheres.

Frontal Lobe

The lobe in charge of higher mental abilities, self-development, voluntary movement, behavior, and emotional regulation.

Prefrontal Cortex

Considered the central executive of the brain, it is part of the frontal lobe and handles working memory and metacognition.

Motor Cortex

Located at the back of the frontal lobe, it directs bodily functions including muscle control and dexterity.

Parietal Lobe

The lobe located behind the frontal lobe that contains the somatosensory cortex and is responsible for touch perception and visual attention.

Temporal Lobe

The primary location for interpreting and responding to auditory stimuli, as well as being responsible for learning and memory.

Hippocampus

A structure within the temporal lobe where forming and retaining memories takes place.

Wernicke's Area

A specific region in the temporal lobe responsible for the receptive understanding of language.

Occipital Lobe

The lobe in charge of anything related to visual processing, perception, and the recognition of printed words.

Left Hemisphere

The side of the brain that generally controls logic, analytical thinking, language, and numbers, and governs the muscles on the right side of the body.

Right Hemisphere

The side of the brain that generally handles creativity, imagination, expression, and spatial information, and governs the muscles on the left side of the body.

Roger W. Sperry

The researcher awarded the Nobel Prize in $1981$ for his work with split-brain patients, which led to the theory of left brain and right brain dominance.

Whole Brain Thinking

A model based on four thinking preference quadrants (Analytical, Practical, Relational, and Experimental) developed by Herrmann Global, LLC.