Unit 3 vocab psychology

Dual processing

The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.

DD. split brain

A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them.

I. consciousness

– Our awareness of ourselves and our environment.

GG. Wernicke’s area

Controls language reception, involved in language comprehension and expression, usually in the left temporal lobe.

FF. thalamus

– The brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; directs messages to sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Y. parietal lobes

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear, receiving sensory input for touch and body position.

X. occipital lobes

– Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.

V. MRI

 A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue; these scans show brain anatomy.

N. fMRI

 A technique for revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans.

T. medulla

 The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.

AA. plasticity

The brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or building new pathways based on experience.

W. neurogenesis

 The formation of new neurons.

J. corpus callosum

The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

F. cerebellum

The “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.

H. cognitive neuroscience

The interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).

M. electroencephalogram

 An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface, measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

K. CT scan

– A series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body.

Z. PET scan

A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.

BB. reticular formation

A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.

S. limbic system

Doughnut-shaped neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.

A. amygdala

Two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

Q. hypothalamus

 A neural structure that directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

CC. sensory cortex

Area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.

G. cerebral cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.

P. glial cells

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

O. frontal lobes

 Portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking, muscle movements, and making plans and judgments.

E. Broca’s area

 Controls language expression; an area, usually in the left frontal lobe, that directs muscle movements involved in speech.

 EE. temporal lobes

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear.

C. association areas

 Areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, involved in higher mental functions like learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

R. lesion

A brain injury which naturally or experimentally causes destruction of brain tissue.

U. motor cortex

 An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.

D. brainstem

The oldest part and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions.

B. aphasia

Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area or to Wernicke’s area.