PSY/360
May 19, 2014
Evi Pover
Phineas Gage Paper The layout of the brain is more complex than what can see by the human eye. The creation of Neuroscience helped divide the brain into portions and their functions. This sectioning of the brain and the individual functions was proved furthered when the case of Phineas Gage was examined.
Role of the Brain in Cognitive Functions The brain is comprised of two hemispheres or halves: the left and the right ("Brain Functions", 2010). The left side of the body is controlled by the right half and the right side of the body is controlled by the left half ("Brain Functions", 2010). In most cases, the left side controls …show more content…
The frontal lobe associates and incorporates all parts of behavior at the uppermost level (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). This is also where emotion and social regulation are located (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). Observed problems associated with the frontal lobe include; anxiety, personality changes, acting out, aggression and depression (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). The parietal lobe mainly governs language and construction ability (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). Observed problems with the parietal lobe are areas dealing with sensation like smell, taste and touch words (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). The occipital lobe is the area for vision and the ability to recognize words (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). Observed problems with the occipital lobe are color perception, depth perception, total or partial blindness and difficulty tracing moving objects (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, N.D.). The temporal Lobe distinguishes and identifies verbal material (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). Other functions include hearing, memory, musical awareness and organization (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). Observed problems with the temporal lobe are communication, understanding language, reasoning and memory (Cognitive Skills of the Brain, n.d.). The cerebellum controls balance and the equilibrium and the direction of voluntary movement …show more content…
This rod luckily missed the main blood vessels and areas of the brain that are critical for survival but the injury caused a dramatic behavioral change (Stern, 2010). Gage’s damage to his prefrontal cortex was linked to his instant erratic behavior change and gave way to information linking the prefrontal cortex to personality expression and decision making (Stern, 2010). The damage to his frontal lobe is constant with it controlling behavior, judgment and problem