Localisation Of Function Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is localisation of function?
The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours or processes
Where is the motor cortex located?
Back of the frontal lobe
What is the function of the motor cortex
Controls voluntary movement in the opposite side of the body
What happens if the motor cortex is damaged
Loss of control over fine movements
Where is the somatosensory cortex located
Front of the parietal lobe
What is the function of the somatosensory cortex
Collects sensory info from the skin (touch,heat,etc)
The amount of area to each body part represents its sensitivity
What is the consequence of damage to the somatosensory cortex
Decreased sensation, inability to identify stimuli by touch
Where is the visual cortex located
Occipital lobe
What is the function of the visual lobe
Receiving info from eyes to the opposite visual cortex
What happens if the visual cortex is damaged?
Produce blindness in part of the visual field
Where is the auditory lobe located?
Temporal lobes
What is the function of the auditory cortex
Analyses speech based information
What happens if the auditory cortex is damaged?
Partial hearing loss
Where is brocas area located?
Left frontal lobe
What is the function of Broca’s area
Speech production
What happens if brcoas area is damaged?
?
Where is wernicke’s area located
Left frontal lobe
What is the function of Wernicke’s area
?
What happens if wernicke’s area is damaged?
?
Summarise the case of phinneas gage
- iron rod was driven through skull destroying most of his frontal lobe
- experiences a massive change in personality after
- unable to process info, make decisions, or show compassion
Strength: supporting evidence
I: localisation is initially supported through experiments using brain scans
E: Peterson et al used brain scans to show Wernicke’s area was active during a listening task, whereas Broca’s area was active during speaking/reading task
Suggesting 2 areas were involved in differnt language functions
C: means the theory that different areas of the brain have different functions is valid
Strength: neuro
I: Neuro imaging evidence using fMRI scans supports memories being localised
E: study on LTM Tulving et al found that episodic and semantic memories are localised to the temporal lobe of the brain. This was demonstrated through conducting fMRI scans which showed that this area of the brain rain became more active when semantic and episodic memories were accessed
C: this means the theory that different areas of the brain have different functions is valid, given that it is supported by empirical evidence
Weakness: OG evidence
I: original evidence for localisation from post mortems by Broca on Tan, has methodological problems
E: Dronkers conducted an MRI scan on Tan’s brain to try and confirm Broca’s findings. Although there was a lesion found in Broca’s area, they also found evidence to suggest other areas may have contributed to the failure in speech production
C: Broca’s area may not be the only region responsible for speech production reducing the validity of the theory that language is localised to one specific area
Weakness: contradictory
I: there is contradictory evidence against localisation
E: Lashley found that higher, complex cognitive processes are not localised to one area, but are instead more widely distributed and involve every part of the cortex. He removed areas of the cortex in rats while they were learning a maze, and found that no area was proven to be more important than othered
C: This means the theory that different areas of the brain have different functions ions may not be valid
