PSYCHOLOGY Ms. Currey Ms. LaBaw THE BRAIN

 1. Identify and describe the functions of the lower-level brain structures. 2. Identify and describe the functions of the major regions of the cerebral cortex. 3. Describe what is known about the different functions of the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. 4. Describe and evaluate the strengths of the different ways in which psychologists study the brain. GOALS FOR THE END OF THE LESSON:

 The innermost structures of the brain  The Brainstem  Oldest part and central core of the brain  Where the brain and spinal cord meet  Medulla  Located at the base of the brainstem  Controls basic life-support functions (heartbeat, breathing, circulation, etc)  Damage would most certainly lead to death  Reticular Formation  Controls wakefulness and arousal  Damage would cause a coma  Thalamus  Located at the top of the brainstem in the middle of the brain  Directs sensory information to appropriate parts of the brain LOWER-LEVEL BRAIN STRUCTURES

 The Cerebellum  Latin for “little brain”  Attached to rear of the brainstem  Controls voluntary movement and balance  Research has shown it also plays a role in governing emotions, hearing and touch  Controls memories for knowing how to use your body  Limbic System  Border between the brainstem and the cerebral cortex  Helps regulate memory, fear, aggression, hunger and thirst  Includes Hypothalamus (hunger/thirst, fight or flight, body temp, emotion and pleasure), Hippocampus (process new memories for storage), and Amygdala (emotional responses, fear/anger) LOWER-LEVEL BRAIN STRUCTURES

 The brain’s wrinkled, outer surface  Covers the brain’s lower-level structures  Major Divisions:  Longitudinal Fissure  Corpus Callosum  Frontal Lobes (advanced cognition)  Parietal Lobes (association areas)  Occipital Lobes (visual processing)  Temporal Lobes (auditory processing) CEREBRAL CORTEX

 Motor Cortex  Strip of tissue at the edge of the frontal lobes  Controls voluntary movements  More intricate movements demand more brain tissue  Somatosensory Cortex  Just behind the motor cortex – front edge of parietal lobes  Registers and processes body sensations MOVEMENT AND FEELING

 Language and Spatial abilities  Language is located primarily in the left hemisphere  Broca’s Area (L Frontal) – Directs muscle movement involved in speech  Wernicke’s Area (L Temporal) – Ability to understand what someone else says  Right hemisphere houses most of the brain’s spatial abilities  Ability to perceive or organize things in a given space  Helps make connections among words  Split Brain  Cut the corpus callosum TWO HEMISPHERES

 1. Identify and describe the functions of the lower-level brain structures. 2. Identify and describe the functions of the major regions of the cerebral cortex. 3. Describe what is known about the different functions of the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. 4. Describe and evaluate the strengths of the different ways in which psychologists study the brain. REVIEW

 Read pp and answer the Vocabulary Matching questions and the multiple choice questions on pp HOMEWORK