BP - Localisation of Function

Question 1

what is meant by localisation of function

Answer 1

the theory that specific areas of the brain are associated with particular physical and psychological functions

Question 2

what did the case study of Phineas Gage suggest

Answer 2

the brain had various roles as even though he damaged his frontal lobe, he was still a functioning human

Question 3

what happened to Phineas Gage

Answer 3

• rod went through his cheek and over his eye to pierce his frontal lobe
• never lost conciousness but lost vision in the left eye
• his personality changed from calm to violent and moody

Question 4

what is the central core

Answer 4

• regulates our most primitive and involuntary behaviours
• includes the brain stem and regulates the endocrine system
• at the core of the brain as it came first and needs protecting

Question 5

what is the limbic system

Answer 5

• this controls our emotions
• it sits around the central core of the brain
• contains hippocampus, amygdala, diencephalon

Question 6

what is the cerebrum

Answer 6

• this regulates our intellectual processes
• the outer layer is called the cortex - appears grey ‘grey matter’

Question 7

what is aphasia

Answer 7

an impediment that affects communication

Question 8

what was Broca’s aphasia

Answer 8

loss of speech production
- his spontaneous speech output was diminished
- loss of normal grammatical structure

Question 9

what was Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 9

affected comprehension of speech and language
- affected the posterior temporal lobe of the dominant hemisphere

Question 10

what is lateralisation

Answer 10

the dominance of one hemisphere of the brain for particular physical and psychological functions

Question 11

AO3: ✓ Petersen et al (1988) used brain scans to show…

Answer 11

how Wernicke’s area was active during a listening task and Broca’s area was active during a reading task

Question 12

AO3: ✓ evidence from neurosurgery from surgically removing…

Answer 12

areas of the brain to control aspects of behaviour, so Walter Freeman developed lobotomys to control aggressive behaviour
C: UNETHICAL

Question 13

AO3: ✓ Phineas Gage provides supporting evidence

Answer 13

as his frontal lobe was damaged but never lost consciousness
C: case studies cannot be replicated and low generalisability

Question 14

AO3: X Lashley suggested that higher cognitive…

Answer 14

functions are not localised but distributed in a more holistic way like learning
removed areas of rats brains