The Brain

Question 1

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Answer 1

Includes all parts of the nervous system that lie outside the brain and the spinal cord.

Question 2

Cerebral cortex

Answer 2

Involved with information-processing activities such as perception, language, learning, memory, thinking and problem solving.

Question 3

Cerebral hemispheres

Answer 3

2 almost symmetrical brain structures that appear to be separated by a deep groove (called the longitudinal fissure) running from the front to the back of the brain.

Question 4

Corpus callosum

Answer 4

A band of nerve tissue that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres and serves as the main communication pathway between them.

Question 5

Cortical lobes

Answer 5

Are areas of the brain associated with different structures and functions.

Question 6

Sensory areas

Answer 6

Receive and process information from sensory receptors in the body.

Question 7

Motor areas

Answer 7

Receive and process information about voluntary bodily movements; that is intentional movements such as when you scratch your nose or pick up a pen and write.

Question 8

Association areas

Answer 8

Receive and combine information from more specialised areas allowing us to undertake more complex cognitive processes such as perceiving, thinking, learning, remembering, reasoning, etc.

Question 9

Frontal lobe

Answer 9

The largest of the four lobes and occupies the upper forward half of each cerebral hemisphere, right behind your foreheads.

Question 10

Primary motor cortex

Answer 10

Specifically involved in controlling voluntary bodily movements through its control of skeletal muscles.

Question 11

Broca’s area

Answer 11

Crucial role in the production of articulate speech; that is, speech that is clear and fluent.

Question 12

Parietal lobe

Answer 12

Receives and processes sensory information from the body and skin senses and other sensory areas in the brain.

Question 13

Primary somatosensory cortex

Answer 13

Receives and processes sensory information the from the skin and the body, enabling us to perceive bodily sensations.

Question 14

Temporal lobe

Answer 14

Involved with auditory perception, but also plays an important role in memory, aspects of visual perception such as our ability to identify objects and recognise faces and our emotional responses to sensory information and memory.

Question 15

Wernicke’s area

Answer 15

Involved in the production of speech but has a crucial role in the comprehension of speech; more specifically, in interpreting the sounds of human speech.

Question 16

Occipital lobe

Answer 16

Almost exclusively devoted to the sense of vision.

Question 17

Primary visual cortex

Answer 17

Located at the base of each occipital lobe and this is the major destination of visual information from the two eyes.

Question 18

Hemispheric specialisation

Answer 18

The ideas that one hemisphere has specialised functions, or exerts greater control over a particular function.

Question 19

Aphasia

Answer 19

A language disorder apparent in speech, writing or reading caused by injury to brain areas specialised for these functions.

Question 20

Broca’s aphasia

Answer 20

A person has difficulty speaking, although they continue to understand speech.

Question 21

Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 21

A type of aphasia whereby a person has considerable difficulty comprehending speech and speaking in a meaningful way.

Question 22

Spatial neglect

Answer 22

An attentional disorder whereby individuals fail to notice sensory information either on their left or right side of their world.

Question 23

Spilt brain surgery

Answer 23

Involves surgically cutting the corpus callosum thereby disconnecting one hemisphere of the brain from the other.

Question 24

Merit

Answer 24

Worthwhile and justifiable by potential benefits such as the advancement of knowledge and understanding, improved wellbeing of individuals or society in general, and even improved skill and expertise of researchers.

Question 25

Integrity

Answer 25

Is demonstrated in a researchers commitment top : honest and ethical conduct of their research, the reach for knowledge, recognised principles of conducting reader has, communication of results obtained from the research, where the results are favourable or unfavourable.

Question 26

Respect

Answer 26

Is demonstrated when the researcher values each participant as a human being and properly regards the welfare, rights, beliefs, perceptions, customs and cultural heritage of each individual.

Question 27

Beneficience

Answer 27

Refers to the researchers responsibility to maximise possible benefits of the research to the participants, to the wider community, or to both, while minimising harm or discomfort to the participants.

Question 28

Justice

Answer 28

Requires that researchers, as far as possible, be fair in relation to the selection, inclusion and exclusion of different categories of potential research participants.

Question 29

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Answer 29

Comprises of the brain and the spinal cord - the spinal cord connects the brain and the PNS.

Question 30

Somatic nervous system

Answer 30

A subdivision of the PNS that carries sensory information to the CNS and motor information from the CNS.

Question 31

Sensory neurons

Answer 31

Specialised nerve cells that receive and carry sensory messages.

Question 32

Motor neurons

Answer 32

Specialised nerve cells that carry messages to skeletal muscles causing them to contact or relax.

Question 33

Interneurons

Answer 33

Perform the important function of making the connection between sensory and motor neurons, which rarely ever connect directly.

Question 34

Autonomic nervous system

Answer 34

A subdivision of the PNS that connects the CNS to the body’s internal organs and glands, providing feedback to the brain about their activities.

Question 35

Sympathetic nervous system

Answer 35

Activates internal muscles, organs and glands to prepare the body for vigorous activity or to deal with a threatening or stressful situation.

Question 36

Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 36

Keeps the systems of the body functioning efficiently - it helps to maintain a balanced, steady internal environment in times of minimal stress or in the absence of threats.