Biological Psychology Flashcards
(41 cards)
Define dualist
The idea that the conscious mind is very different from the physical brain
Descartes ideology
Mind and body are separate
Cerebellum function
Motor coordination/control
- I’m not drunk but my cerebellum is
Medulla function
Coordinates heart rate, circulation, respiration
- Without me medulla me die
Reticular formation function
Regulates sleep, wakefulness, and arousal
Pons function
Relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain
Thalamus function
Filters and transmits info from senses to the cortex
Hypothalamus function
Regulates temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, and hormones, maintaining the body’s balance and homeostasis.
Amygdala function
Role in emotional process
Hippocampus
Critical for creating and integrating new memories
Basal ganglia function
Intentional Movement
Types of Amnesia
Retrograde and Anterograde
Hindbrain structures
- Pons
- Medulla
- Reticular formation
- Cerebellum
Forebrain subcortical structures
- Basal ganglia
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- Amygdala
- Hippocampus
Cerebral Cortex
Large surface area is folded so it can be placed into the limited volume of the skull
Composed of:
- Ridges (gyrus.gyri)
- Valleys (sulcus/sulci)
Somatosensory Cortex
It processes sensory input from the body, including touch, temperature, pain, and proprioception (the sense of body position).
Brain Geography:
- What are the up, down, front, and back sides of the brain?
- What are the front and back of the brain stem?
- What is one half of the brain called?
- Superior dorsal, inferior ventral, anterior, posterior
- ventral, dorsal
- Hemisphere
What part of the brain develops last and when is it fully developed?
Prefrontal cortex
Not fully developed until 20-25 years of age
Broca’s Area
Language production
Wernicke’s area
Speech comprehension
Aphasia definition
The loss of ability to use or understand speech/language
What are the two cerebral hemispheres connected by?
The corpus callosum
Define split-brain
The corpus callosum is cut in surgery
Split brain patients
Each hemisphere can process information independently, leading to situations where a person might not be able to verbally identify an object seen in the left visual field (processed by the right hemisphere) because the speech centers are typically in the left hemisphere.
