Describe the specialization of function in the four lobes of the brain
What will be an ideal response?
ANSWER:
Much of the frontal lobe is association cortex. We know more about the association areas of the frontal lobe than any other lobes. Broca’s area in the association area of the left frontal lobe is, as previously mentioned, involved in the production of speech. It also appears that the frontal lobe association areas play a role in cognitive processes such as attention, problem solving, judgment, the planning and executing of behavior, and certain aspects of personality. At the back of the frontal lobe (behind the prefrontal cortex) lies the motor cortex or primary motor area, a narrow band of cortex that allows us to execute motor movements. The motor cortex on the right side of the brain affects movement on the left side of the body, and vice versa. Additionally, specific points along the motor cortex correspond to particular points on the body.
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As with the frontal lobe, much of the parietal lobe is association cortex, but we know much less about the specific functions of these association areas. We do know that the motor-sensory areas of the parietal lobe play a role in sensation. A thin strip of the parietal lobe affects our sense of touch, pressure, and pain. This strip, called the somatosensory cortex, or primary somatosensory area, lies directly behind the motor cortex, along the leading edge of the parietal lobe.
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The occipital lobe of the brain is located at the very back of the skull, above the cerebellum. Much of the occipital lobe is dedicated to processing visual information. The visual cortex, or primary visual area, of the occipital lobe is composed of layers of tissue that contain long axonal fibers. An action potential is stimulated in specialized cells of the visual cortex when our eyes receive specific types of visual stimuli from the outside world. For instance, some cells begin to fire only when we see lines, and other cells fire only when we see circular shapes. Like a computer, our brain integrates all the incoming neural impulses from these specialized cells in the visual cortex to enable us to perceive what we are viewing.
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The temporal lobe is in front of the occipital lobe and just below the parietal and frontal lobes—roughly behind our ears inside the skull. Not surprisingly, one of the major functions of the temporal lobe is the processing of auditory information, or hearing. The temporal lobe area devoted to hearing is the auditory cortex, or primary auditory area, located on the upper edge of the temporal lobe. In addition to the auditory cortex, the left temporal lobe of most people contains Wernicke’s area, which is responsible for the comprehension of speech.
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In Skinner’s lab rats, the process of rewarding a rat for successively closer approximations to a desired behavior is called
a. shaping. b. punishment. c. social learning theory. d. observational learning.
Which is true of ALL structured observations?
a. The data is analyzed using inferential statistics. b. They take place outside of the laboratory setting. c. They measure some verbal response. d. The researcher creates a special condition to elicit a behavior.