Psychology - Parts of the Brain

IBDP Psychology Components and Functions of the Brain

Frontal Lobe

Located at the very front of the brain and skull, behind the forehead. Is used for high-level thinking, planning, problem solving, conscious muscle movements, and speech production.

Parietal Lobe

Located in the upper back part of the brain, behind the frontal lobe and above the Temporal Lobe. Is used to process touch, pain, temperature, body position in space, spatial awareness, navigation, reading, writing, and simple math calculations.

Occipital Lobe

Located at the back of the brain and skull, above the Cerebellum. Is used to receive raw data from your eyes and translate it into the colour, shapes, and depth that you perceive in the world visually.

Temporal Lobe

Located at the bottom middle part of the brain, at a similar level as your ears. Is used to process sounds, long-term memories, understand language, and manage emotions.

Corpus Callosum

Located at the centre of the brain, underneath the Cerebral Cortex. Is used to share sensory, motor, and cognitive information between the two sides of the brain, which unifies the body and mind.

Cerebellum

Located at the back of the brain, under the Occipital and Temporal Lobes of the Cerebrum. Is used to coordinate more complex muscle activities, balance, posture, and assist the body’s ability to learn new physical activity.

Limbic System

Located at the centre of the brain, underneath the Cerebral Cortex. Controls emotions, long-term memory, basic drives (hunger, survival, cravings), and sense of smell.

Hippocampus

Located deep in the Temporal Lobe of each Cerebral Cortex, and is part of the Limbic System - a Cortical region. Is used to regulate motivation, emotion, learning, and memory.