YEAR 10, TERM 2 - Psychology: Biological Psychology

localisation

the association of functions with particular areas in the brain

three main parts of the brain

cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem

four lobes of the brain

frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital

functions of the frontal lobe

involved in planning, decision-making, personality, manages emotions, production of abstract ideas, judgement, and voluntary movement

functions of the temporal lobe

contains the sensory speech area and is involved in processing auditory information (hearing & understanding speech)

functions of the parietal lobe

involved in processing sensory information such as touch, temperature, pressure, pain, and spatial awareness

functions of the occipital lobe

involved in processing visual information including colour recognition and motion detection

functions of the cerebellum

responsible for coordinating voluntary movements, balance, and muscle control

functions of the brain stem

controls vital life functions such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure and sends messages to the body

cerebral cortex

the outer layer of the cerebrum composed of folded grey matter, responsible for higher level functions (thought, memory, reasoning, etc)

corpus callosum

the thick bundle of nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain, allowing them to share information

hemispheres

the cerebrum is divided into two halves, the left and right hemisphere, the left side controls the right side of the body (and vice versa). If a stroke damaged the left side of the brain, any motor deficiencies would manifest in the right side of the body

hemispheric lateralisation

the tendency for some neural functions or cognitive processes to be more dominant in one hemisphere than the other

left hemisphere

associated with language functions, such as formulating grammar and vocabulary and containing different language centers

right hemisphere

associated with more visuospatial functions such as visualisation, depth perception, and spatial navigation

ventricles

fluid-filled interconnected cavities in the brain that produce and circulate cerebrospinal fluid, helping to cushion and protect the brain

cerebrospinal fluid

a clear and colourless fluid that circulates around the brain and spinal cord and functions to cushion the brain within the skull (shock absorber)

who was Phineas Gage?

a railroad worker who survived a metal rod penetrating his skull, damaging his prefrontal cortex

what changes occurred in Phineas Gage after his injury?

he became impulsive and aggressive with difficulties in decision-making, but retained his memory, IQ, and physical abilities

what conclusions did psychologists draw from Phineas Gage's case?

the prefrontal cortex is critical for personality and impulse control, and damage to a specific brain area does not affect all cognitive abilities

premotor cortex

responsible for the preparation for movement, the sensory guidance of movement, and the spatial guidance of reaching

primary motor cortex

main contributor to generating neural impulses that pass down to the spinal cord and control the execution of movement

somatosensory cortex

receives and processes sensory information from the body such as touch, pressure, temperature, and pain, has numerous connections with other brain areas to help process this information

functions of the somatosensory cortex

maintaining proprioception (awareness of body position in space)

determining exact location of sensations on your body

judging degrees of pressure and weight of objects

enabling object recognition through touch

processing texture information

storing and retaining sensory information in memory

integrating sensory information with past experiences and emotions through connections to the hippocampus and amygdala

what is transcranial magnetic stimulation

a non-invasive producer that uses a magnetic pulse to stimulate brain cells that control mood

transcranial magnetic stimulation (other info)

used to treat depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, noninvasive, and may be preferred when other treatments have not worked

limbic system

a collection of structures lying in the centre of the brain, the structures in the limbic system are involved in emotion, memory, and motivation. plays a crucial role in processing emotions and linking them to behaviour. the limbic system also interacts with other brain regions to regulate stress responses, learning, and social behaviours