Psych Week 3

Occipital Lobes

Process visual information.

Temporal Lobes

Involved in auditory processing, memory, and language comprehension.

Wernicke’s Area

Responsible for language comprehension.

Wernicke’s aphasia

Caused by damage to Wernicke’s Area, leading to difficulty understanding language and producing meaningful speech.

Parietal Lobes

Process sensory information related to touch, spatial awareness, and body position.

Somatosensory Cortex

Processes sensory input from the body, such as touch and temperature.

Frontal Lobes

Involved in decision-making, problem-solving, personality, and voluntary movement.

Motor Cortex

Controls voluntary movements.

Broca’s Area

Responsible for speech production.

Broca’s aphasia

Caused by damage to Broca’s Area, leading to difficulty speaking but intact comprehension.

Corpus Callosum

Connects the two hemispheres of the brain and allows communication between them.

Split-Brain Patients (left visual field)

Cannot verbally describe the image but can draw or select it with their left hand.

Split-Brain Patients (right visual field)

Can verbally describe the image.

Thalamus

Acts as a relay station for sensory information.

Hypothalamus

Regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, and hormones.

Amygdala

Involved in processing emotions, especially fear and aggression.

Hippocampus

Important for memory formation.

Brain Stem

Regulates basic life functions like breathing, heart rate, and reflexes.

Reticular Formation

Controls arousal and consciousness.

Cerebellum

Coordinates balance, movement, and fine motor control.

Circadian Rhythm

The body's internal 24-hour biological clock.

Cortisol

Helps wake the body up in the morning.

Melatonin

Helps the body fall asleep at night.

Alpha waves

Brain waves present when awake but relaxed.

Theta waves

Brain waves present in Stage 1 sleep.

Sleep spindles and K-complexes

Brain waves present in Stage 2 sleep.

Delta waves

Brain waves present in Stage 3 and 4 sleep (deep sleep).

Beta waves

Brain waves present in REM sleep, similar to being awake.

Sleepwalking

Occurs in Stage 3 or Stage 4 of sleep.

Night terrors

Intense episodes of fear during sleep, occurring in Stage 3 or Stage 4.

REM sleep

Occurs after deep sleep, with cycles increasing as the night progresses.

Motor activity during dreams

Inhibited by the brainstem to prevent physical movement.

REM sleep behavior disorder

Condition where people physically act out their dreams.

Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud)

Says dreams reveal unconscious desires and conflicts.

Information Processing Theory

Says dreams help process and store daily experiences.

Activation-Synthesis Theory

Says dreams result from random neural activity that the brain attempts to make sense of.

Cognitive effects of sleep deprivation

Include impaired memory, decreased attention, and poor decision-making.

Emotional effects of sleep deprivation

Include increased stress, irritability, and higher risk of depression.

Physical effects of sleep deprivation

Include weakened immune system, increased risk of obesity and heart disease.