Cognitive Psychology

Our Divided Brains

•  Corpus collosum – large bundle of neural fibers (myelinated axons, or white matter) connecting the two hemispheres

Split Brain Patients

•  Epileptic patients had corpus callosum cut to reduce seizures in the brain

•  Lives largely unaffected, seizures reduced •  Affected abilities related to naming objects

in the left visual field

Hemispheric Specialization

LEFT Symbolic thinking (Language) Detail Literal meaning

RIGHT

Spatial perception Overall picture Context, metaphor

Contra-lateral division of labor

•  Right hemisphere controls left side of body and visual field

•  Left hemisphere

controls right side of body and visual field

•  Accident –  Quick Recovery

•  Months later: “No longer Gage” –  Before: capable, efficient, best foreman, well-balanced

mind –  After: extravagant, anti-social, liar, grossly profane

•  Died 12 years later

Phineas Gage

Evolution of the Brain

Reptilian à Paleomammalian à Neomammalian

The Brainstem • Brainstem:

responsible for automatic survival functions:

•  Breathing •  Heartbeat •  Blood circulation •  Swallowing •  Urination

The Cerebellum

– If you injured your cerebellum you would have difficulty walking, keeping your balance, shaking hands.

The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres

Planning, decision making speech

Sensory

Auditory Vision

Motor/Sensory Function

Homunculus: representation of a small human being according to our brain’s Sensory and Motor Function. In other words, this is how our brain process our Sensory and Motor functions.

The Cerebral Cortex §  Aphasia

§  impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding) –see clips

§  Broca’s Area §  an area of the left frontal lobe that directs the

muscle movements involved in speech §  Wernicke’s Area

§  an area of the left temporal lobe involved in language comprehension and expression

Language Areas

•  Broca à Expression

•  Wernicke à Comprehensionand reception

•  Aphasias LEFT HEMISPHERE

Label the Following Two Dark Areas and Functions