AP Psychology: The Brain Review
This flashcard set covers key brain regions and their functions. It includes the motor area, which controls voluntary movement; the sensory area, which processes skin sensations; and the frontal lobe, responsible for movement, thinking, problem-solving, and aspects of personality and mood.
motor area
control of voluntary muscles
Key Terms
motor area
control of voluntary muscles
sensory area
skin sensations (temperature, pressure, pain)
frontal lobe
movement, problem solving, concentrating/thinking, behavior/personality/mood
Broca’s Area
speech control
temporal lobe
hearing, language, memory
brain stem
consciousness, breathing, heart rate
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
motor area | control of voluntary muscles |
sensory area | skin sensations (temperature, pressure, pain) |
frontal lobe | movement, problem solving, concentrating/thinking, behavior/personality/mood |
Broca’s Area | speech control |
temporal lobe | hearing, language, memory |
brain stem | consciousness, breathing, heart rate |
parietal lobe | sensations, language, perception, body awareness, attention |
occipital lobe | vision, perception |
Wernicke’s Area | language comprehension |
cerebellum | posture, balance, muscle coordination |
medulla | unconscious vital processes (circulation, heart rate, breathing) |
pons | communicates sensory messages and movement from cerebellum to cerebrum, eye and face movements |
reticular formation | arousal and attention, filters stimuli coming to brain |
thalamus | directs sensory information to particular areas of brain |
amygdala | instinctual emotional reactions (aggression or fear), attention to novel stimuli |
hypothalamus | regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, endocrine system |
pituitary gland | master gland – directs endocrine system |
hippocampus | formation of new memories |
cerebrum | divided into two hemispheres, higher order functions |
left hemisphere | logic, language (verbal tasks), math, detail-oriented, control the right side of the body |
right hemisphere | visual-spatial tasks, creativity, controls left side of body |
corpus callosum | thick bundle of nerve fibers that connects left and right hemispheres, communicates between the two hemispheres |
cerebral cortex | wrinkled surface of brain, divided into four lobes |
frontal lobes | emotion regulation, speaking, judgment and reason, planning, personality |
parietal lobes | pain, pressure, touch sensations |
temporal lobes | auditory cortex (hearing) |
occipital lobes | visual cortex (sight) |
basal ganglia | collection of nuclei (at base of the hemispheres) for controlling voluntary movements and establishing postures |
glial cells | nourish, protect and support neurons |
angular gyrus | transforms visual representations into auditory code (Wernicke's area uses this auditory code to derive meaning); damage to this means someone will be able to speak and understand words, but cannot read aloud |
locus coeruleus | role in physical reaction to panic/stress |