Contrast the functions of the primary cortical areas and the association areas of cortex in each lobe.

What will be an ideal response?

The primary cortical areas in each lobe of the cortex handle one type of sensory or motor information, while the association areas integrate information from more than one sense and assist the primary areas. In the frontal lobe, the primary motor cortex plans and executes movements. In the parietal lobe, the primary somatosensory cortex processes the skin senses from the body, while the association areas combine information, such as visual and body sense information, to do more complex tasks such as locating objects in space and identifying objects by touch. In the temporal lobe, the auditory cortex processes sound information, while the association areas (such as the inferior temporal cortex) assist in tasks such as recognizing objects and faces. In the occipital lobe, the visual cortex is important for vision, while the four visual association areas detect different parts of a visual sense such as color, movement, and form.