AP Psychology Mnemonic Devices

What are the lobes of the brain?

frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal
- FTOP : Freud Tore (his) Pants Off

What is the occipital lobe?

- Use the "Occ" part of the word Occipital and imagine an octopus
- Since the occipital lobe processes visual information, picture eyeballs instead of suckers on the tentacles
- Always good to make your image scary if you can
-"O" is for ophthalmologist who checks your vision

What is the parietal lobe?

- processes sensory information
- Use a "piranha" fish as your mnemonic
- The piranha bites you on the top of the head (where the parietal lobe is located)
- That's a sensation the parietal lobe would process

What is the frontal lobe?

- the frontal lobe is where complex thinking occurs. Use "front door" as your mnemonic
- Put the front door on your forehead and put Einstein (complex thinker) behind the door

What is the temporal lobe?

- the temporal lobe is where auditory processing occurs
- Use "tempo" as your mnemonic and picture a metronome above your ear (where the temporal lobe is located)

What is the hippocampus?

- involved in memory
- Use "compass": picture someone (perhaps yourself) who is lost and can't remember how to get home, so you need a compass.

What is the amygdala?

- involved in your fear responses
- Picture a scary wig (rhymes with "myg") with dollars in the hair (similar to "dala").
or "AHHHHH" mygdala

What is the thalamus?

- the thalamus relays information from the body to different areas of the brain for processing
- Picture Hal and Amos as traffic cops

What is the cerebellum?

- involved in helping you maintain balance. Picture a tight walker using bells for balance
- Or picture your favorite athlete trying to balance a bell on his/her head, procedural memory (remembering how to do something: driving, little brain, some emotions)

What is the hypothalamus?

- the hypothalamus regulates many of the body's metabolic processes, thirst, hunger and body temperature
- Use "hypo - the -llamas" as your mnemonic
- Picture a hypo spraying two thirsty llamas with water to quench their thirst and cool them down.

What are the three parts of the brain stem?

pons, reticular formation, medulla
- Pavlov's Really Freaking Mad!

What is the pons?

- the pons is the part of the brain that regulates waking and relaxing
- Put a "d" in pons and you have "ponds"
- Ponds are relaxing to look.
- Your pons is activated when you look at a calm, relaxing pond.

What is the reticular formation?

- the reticular formation is involved in motivation and alertness
- Use "tickle" as your mnemonic. If you (or your roommate) were asleep and someone tickled you, your reticular formation would wake you up.

What is the medulla?

- the medulla regulates the autonomic activity of the heart and lungs
- Use medals as your mnemonic and stick the medals in a bloody heart and lungs
- Or picture an Olympic athlete wearing gold medals around her neck and covering her heart and lungs

What is the cerebral cortex?

- imagine a Texas hat on your head which is covering the outermost part of your brain - the cor"tex"

What is the pineal gland?

- the pineal gland receives info on light and dark cycles in the environment and secretes melatonin (in dark cycle) which helps you sleep
- Use "pins and needles in a melon" as the mnemonic.

What is the corpus callosum?

- the corpus callosum connects the two hemispheres. Thus, the corPLUS CalloSUM
- it is through the corpus callosum that the two hemispheres communicate. Thus, you could also picture "corpus CALL SOMEONE"

What is Broca's area?

- Broca's area is the area of the brain responsible for producing speech
- If it is damaged, you can understand what someone says, but your speech is disjointed
- Broca sounds like "Boca" (Spanish for "mouth) and "Broken" so your mouth is broken

What is Wernicke's area?

- Wernicke's area is responsible for the comprehension of speech
- If you have an aphasia in this area of the brain you are unable to understand and respond to what people are saying to you
- In other words, "Wernicke's comprehension is crappy".

What are the four lobes of the brain?

Mnemonic: "Freud Tore Off his Pants" A: Frontal, Temporal, Occipital and Parietal

Which brain lobe is the seat of complex thinking?

Mnemonic: a front door on your forehead with Einstein behind the door A: the Frontal lobe

Which brain part is responsible for releasing melatonin?

Mnemonic: pins and needles sticking in a melon A: the pineal gland

What part of the brain is involved in memory?

Mnemonic: someone using a compass A: the hippocampus

What part of the brain is involved with your fear response?

Mnemonic: a scary wig A: the amygdala

What part of the brain takes signals from the body and relays them to the appropriate part of the brain?

Mnemonic: The traffic cops Hal and Amos A: the thalamus

What part of the brain helps you with your balance?

Mnemonic: an athlete with bells on A: the cerebellum

What part of the brain is regulate thirst, hunger, your metabolic system, motivation and the sex drive?

Mnemonic: two llamas getting sprayed with a hypo A: the hypothalamus

What are the 3 parts of the brainstem?

Mnemonic: Pavlov is Really Frickin' Mad A: the Pons, the Reticular Formation, and the Medulla

What part of the brain helps you sleep and awaken?

Mnemonic: a calm, dreamy pond A: the pons

What part of the brain helps you become alert very quickly?

Mnemonic: a feather tickling you on the foot while you sleep A: the reticular formation

What part of the brain maintains the autonomic activity of your heart and lung?

Mnemonic: medals in a bloody heart and lungs A: the medulla

What are seven main parts of the neuron?

Mnemonic: Damn! Skinner Ate Mice? Not Very Smart. A: Dendrites, Soma, Axon, Myelin Sheath, Nodes of Ranvier, Synaptic Vesicles, and the Synapse

What part of the neuron receives signals from other neurons and from muscles?

Mnemonic: kites A: the dendrites

What is the cell body of the neuron called?

Mnemonic: somebody's ma A: the soma

What is the part of the neuron that extends out from the soma and carries signals to the synapse?

Mnemonic: "an ax in your ma" A: the axon

What covers the axon, protecting it and helping move the signal along the axon?

Mnemonic: "my yelling sheep" A: myelin sheep 31

what are the spaces between the myelin sheath called (hint: the signal jumps from one to the next)?

Mnemonic: "noses of ranvier" A: Nodes of Ranvier

at the end of the neuron is the terminal button. What are the sacs called inside the terminal button which hold neurotransmitters?

Mnemonic: synaptic vehicles A: synaptic vesicles

What do you call the space between two neurons (or between a neuron and a muscle)?

Mnemonic: naps A: the synapse

During the neuron's resting potential the ions outside the neuron are _____ and the ions inside the neuron are ____ charged.

Mnemonic: "passed out" outside the neuron, "neckin'" inside the neuron A: positive, negative

What is the outer layer of the brain called? What does the corpus callosum do?

Mnemonic: a Texas hat on top of a brain A: the cortex

What is the part of the brain called that connects the right and left hemisphere?

Mnemonic: a plus sign between the two hemispheres A: the corpus callosum

What does the corpus callosum do?

Mnemonic: a brain with a person in each hemisphere who are calling each other A: help the two hemispheres communicate

Which part of the brain is responsible for your ability to comprehend what someone says to you?

Mnemonic: "_____'s comprehension is crappy" A: Wernicke

Which part of the brain is responsible for your ability to speak clearly?

Mnemonic: "____ is broken" A: Broca's area