Biological Perspective: Structures of the Brain

Question 1

increase in wrinkling; allows a much larger area of cortical cells to exist in the small space inside the skull

Answer 1

Corticalization

Question 2

Left or Right Brain:
specializes in language, speech, hand-writing, calculation (math), sense of time and rhythm—any kind of thought requiring analysis

Answer 2

Left Brain

Question 3

Left or Right Brain:
processes information in a sequence

Answer 3

Left Brain

Question 4

Left or Right Brain:
good at breaking things down into smaller parts, or performing analysis

Answer 4

Left Brain

Question 5

Left or Right Brain:
“Structuralist”

Answer 5

Left Brain

Question 6

Left or Right Brain:
specializes in more global (widespread) processing involving perception, visualization, spatial perception, recognition of patterns, faces, emotions, melodies, and expression of emotions

Answer 6

Right Brain

Question 7

Left or Right Brain:
comprehends simple language but does not produce speech

Answer 7

Right Brain

Question 8

Left or Right Brain:
processes information at once and simultaneously, a more global or holistic style of processing

Answer 8

Right Brain

Question 9

Left or Right Brain:
“Gestalist”

Answer 9

Right Brain

Question 10

all the higher mental functions of the brain: planning, personality, memory storage, complex decision making, and areas devoted to language (in the left hemisphere of most people);
helps in controlling emotions by means of its connection to the limbic system

Answer 10

Frontal Lobe

Question 11

lacked emotional control after the damage to his prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex

Answer 11

Phineas Gage

Question 12

containing neurons responsible for the sense of hearing and meaningful speech; amygdala and hippocampus

Answer 12

Temporal Lobe

Question 13

processes information from the skin and internal body receptors for touch, temperature, and body position

Answer 13

Parietal Lobe

Question 14

processes visual information from the eyes

Answer 14

Occipital Lobe

Question 15

helps identify and make sense of the visual information from the eyes

Answer 15

Visual Association Cortex

Question 16

these neurons control the movements of the body’s voluntary muscles by sending out commands to the somatic division of the PNS

Answer 16

Mirror Neurons

Question 17

neurons that fire when an animal or person performs an action and also when an animal or person observes that same action being performed by another

Answer 17

Mirror Neurons

Question 18

Left Temporal Lobe:
responsible for the interaction between frontal, temporal, and motor areas responsible for speech production

Answer 18

Broca’s Area

Question 19

Left Temporal Lobe:
unable to speak fluently, mispronounce words, speak haltingly;
inability to use or understand
either written or spoken language

Answer 19

Broca’s Aphasia

Question 20

Left Temporal Lobe:
involved in understanding the meaning of words

Answer 20

Wernicke’s Area

Question 21

Left Temporal Lobe:
unable to understand or produce meaningful language

Answer 21

Wernicke’s Aphasia

Question 22

help people make sense of the incoming sensory input

Answer 22

Association Areas

Question 23

Subcortical Structures - Limbic System:
“inner chamber”
similar to a triage nurse, acts as a kind of relay station for incoming sensory information

Answer 23

Thalamus

Question 24

Limbic System:
children with ________ are found to have abnormal connections between the thalamus and brain areas associated with reading behavior

Answer 24

dyslexia

Question 25

Limbic System: only sense that does not have to first pass through the thalamus; neurons in the sinus cavity go directly to olfactory bulbs

Answer 25

sense of smell

Question 26

Subcortical Structures - Limbic System: "seahorse" instrumental in forming long-term (permanent) declarative memories that are then stored elsewhere in the brain

Answer 26

Hippocampus

Question 27

Subcortical Structures - Limbic System: plays an important role in both emotional and cognitive processing; plays different roles in processing emotional, cognitive, and automatic information; active during cognitive tasks such as selective attention, written word recognition, and working memory

Answer 27

Cingulate Gyrus

Question 28

Subcortical Structures - Limbic System: "below the inner chamber" regulates body temperature, thirst, hunger, sleeping and waking, sexual activity, and emotions; controls the pituitary, so the ultimate regulation of hormones lies with this

Answer 28

Hypothalamus

Question 29

Subcortical Structures - Limbic System: "almond" involved in fear responses and memory of fear; information from the senses goes to this before the upper part of the brain is even involved so that people can respond to danger very quickly, sometimes before they are consciously aware of what is happening

Answer 29

Amygdala

Question 30

Three Primary Divisions of the Brain

Answer 30

Forebrain Midbrain Hindbrain

Question 31

Three Primary Divisions of the Brain: processes sensory information, helps with reasoning and problem-solving, and regulates autonomic, endocrine, and motor functions

Answer 31

Forebrain

Question 32

Three Primary Divisions of the Brain: helps to regulate movement and process auditory and visual information

Answer 32

Midbrain

Question 33

Three Primary Divisions of the Brain: helps to regulate autonomic functions, relay sensory information, coordinate movement, and maintain balance and equilibrium

Answer 33

Hindbrain

Question 34

Hindbrain Structures: bridge between cerebellum and the upper sections of the brain; crossover of motor nerves carrying messages from the brain to the body; influences sleep, dreaming, arousal

Answer 34

Pons

Question 35

Hindbrain Structures: ability to generally attend to surroundings; allows people to ignore constant, unchanging information, alert to changes in information

Answer 35

Reticular Formation (RF)

Question 36

Hindbrain Structures: part of the RF; stimulates the upper part of the brain; keep people awake and alert (driving; mother hearing her baby cry at night); if destroyed, fall into a sleeplike coma from which they never awaken

Answer 36

Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Question 37

Hindbrain Structures: where sensory nerves cross over; controls life-sustaining functions (heartbeat, breathing, swallowing)

Answer 37

Medulla

Question 38

Hindbrain Structures: "little brain" controls all involuntary, rapid fine motor movement; controls all the little muscles needed to keep them from falling out of their chair

Answer 38

Cerebellum

Question 39

Hindbrain Structures: coordinates voluntary movements that have to happen in rapid succession (walking, dancing, movements of speech); learned reflexes, skills, and habits are also stored here which allows them to become more or less automatic; because of this, people don’t have to consciously think about their posture, muscle tone, and balance

Answer 39

Cerebellum