The Brain and Behavior Essay Beh/225
The Brain and Behavior Essay
BEH/225
June 15,2015
University of Phoenix Axia College
The Brain and Behavior Essay
The human brain is a complex and sophisticated organ. Understanding the function of the brain is often limited to the understanding of the brains areas with regard to how these areas respond to stimuli or in cases of damage. Much of the understanding of the brain is rooted in observation of damaged brains and their correlation of impaired function with specific areas of damage. Modern technologies have begun to change this trend because tools such as the Magnetic Resonance Imager (MRI) allows scientist to observe brain function with the invasiveness of surgery. This technology has provided not just insights into neuroscience but also into psychology as brain functions can now be correlated better with behavior and heredity. One can see this insight when examining specific areas of the brain such as the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain. The cerebral cortex is “a large, deeply wrinkled sheet of neurons, or nerve cells, on the surface of the brain’s two hemispheres”. These are defined as the right and left hemispheres and make up the largest volume in the brain. The cerebral cortex controls all sensation, thought, comprehension, higher cognition, ideas, language, memory and emotion (Pinel, 2011). The hemispheres consist of four lobes, with each performing a specific function (Pinel, 2011). * Frontal lobe: behavioral activities such as decision-making, setting goals and planning * Parietal lobe: concentration and language understanding, visual, sensory and spatial orientation * Occipital lobe: processing of the visual information received to temporal and parietal lobes * Temporal lobe: identifies visual and auditory information, assists in language comprehension, smell and balance. From a behavioral standpoint the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe impact behavior in a variety of ways. For instance, the frontal lobe
BEH/225
June 15,2015
University of Phoenix Axia College
The Brain and Behavior Essay
The human brain is a complex and sophisticated organ. Understanding the function of the brain is often limited to the understanding of the brains areas with regard to how these areas respond to stimuli or in cases of damage. Much of the understanding of the brain is rooted in observation of damaged brains and their correlation of impaired function with specific areas of damage. Modern technologies have begun to change this trend because tools such as the Magnetic Resonance Imager (MRI) allows scientist to observe brain function with the invasiveness of surgery. This technology has provided not just insights into neuroscience but also into psychology as brain functions can now be correlated better with behavior and heredity. One can see this insight when examining specific areas of the brain such as the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain. The cerebral cortex is “a large, deeply wrinkled sheet of neurons, or nerve cells, on the surface of the brain’s two hemispheres”. These are defined as the right and left hemispheres and make up the largest volume in the brain. The cerebral cortex controls all sensation, thought, comprehension, higher cognition, ideas, language, memory and emotion (Pinel, 2011). The hemispheres consist of four lobes, with each performing a specific function (Pinel, 2011). * Frontal lobe: behavioral activities such as decision-making, setting goals and planning * Parietal lobe: concentration and language understanding, visual, sensory and spatial orientation * Occipital lobe: processing of the visual information received to temporal and parietal lobes * Temporal lobe: identifies visual and auditory information, assists in language comprehension, smell and balance. From a behavioral standpoint the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe impact behavior in a variety of ways. For instance, the frontal lobe
References: Baumgardner, S. R., & Crothers, M. K. (2009). Positive psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. NIH. (2008, October). Aphasia. Retrieved from NIH: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/aphasia.aspx Pinel, J. P. (2011). Biopsychology, Eighth Edition. Boston, Mass: Allyn & Bacon. Pearson Education, Inc.