PSYCHOLOGYMs. CurreyMs. LaBaw

THE BRAIN

1. Identify and describe the functions of the lower-level brain structures.2. Identify and describe the functions of the major regions of the cerebral cortex.3. Describe what is known about the different functions of the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere.4. Describe and evaluate the strengths of the different ways in which psychologists study the brain.

GOALS FOR THE END OF THE LESSON:

The innermost structures of the brainThe Brainstem

Oldest part and central core of the brain Where the brain and spinal cord meet Medulla

Located at the base of the brainstem Controls basic life-support functions (heartbeat, breathing,

circulation, etc) Damage would most certainly lead to death

Reticular Formation Controls wakefulness and arousal Damage would cause a coma

Thalamus Located at the top of the brainstem in the middle of the brain Directs sensory information to appropriate parts of the brain

LOWER-LEVEL BRAIN STRUCTURES

The Cerebellum Latin for “little brain” Attached to rear of the brainstem Controls voluntary movement and balance Research has shown it also plays a role in governing

emotions, hearing and touch Controls memories for knowing how to use your body

Limbic System Border between the brainstem and the cerebral cortex Helps regulate memory, fear, aggression, hunger and thirst Includes Hypothalamus (hunger/thirst, fight or flight, body

temp, emotion and pleasure), Hippocampus (process new memories for storage), and Amygdala (emotional responses, fear/anger)

LOWER-LEVEL BRAIN STRUCTURES

The brain’s wrinkled, outer surface

Covers the brain’s lower-level structures

Major Divisions: Longitudinal Fissure Corpus Callosum Frontal Lobes (advanced

cognition) Parietal Lobes (association

areas) Occipital Lobes (visual

processing) Temporal Lobes (auditory

processing)

CEREBRAL CORTEX

Motor Cortex Strip of tissue at the

edge of the frontal lobes Controls voluntary

movements More intricate

movements demand more brain tissue

Somatosensory Cortex Just behind the motor

cortex – front edge of parietal lobes

Registers and processes body sensations

MOVEMENT AND FEELING

Language and Spatial abilities Language is located primarily in the left hemisphere Broca’s Area (L Frontal) – Directs muscle movement

involved in speech Wernicke’s Area (L Temporal) – Ability to understand what

someone else says Right hemisphere houses most of the brain’s spatial

abilities Ability to perceive or organize things in a given space Helps make connections among words

Split Brain Cut the corpus callosum

TWO HEMISPHERES

1. Identify and describe the functions of the lower-level brain structures.2. Identify and describe the functions of the major regions of the cerebral cortex.3. Describe what is known about the different functions of the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere.4. Describe and evaluate the strengths of the different ways in which psychologists study the brain.

REVIEW

Read pp 113-127 and answer the Vocabulary Matching questions and the multiple choice questions on pp128-130.

HOMEWORK