LO #5: Explain one study related to localization of function of the brain Brain Localization

Brain Localization The concept that different parts of the brain perform different functions

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome Case Study (Harlow, 1848)

The Facts Railway Worker who ran an iron rod through his frontal lobe Never lost consciousness Lived a healthy physical life after the accident Personality changed from pleasant to violent and offensive

The Findings The Frontal Lobe: must be responsible for…some aspects of personality like social judgment, rational decision-making, and following through on goals

Case Study of “Tan” (Broca 1861) Paul Broca worked with patients who could understand speech, but had trouble producing it One of his patients could only say one word which was “tan” Broca conducted a post-mortem exam and found that he suffered from a serious brain trauma to his left frontal lobe

This area of the brain is now called “Broca’s Area” Followup Studies After conducting more post-mortem studies on his stroke victims, Broca was able to confirm that the damage to the left frontal lobe correlated with speech production. This area of the brain is now called “Broca’s Area”

Carl Wernicke (1874) Building on Broca’s findings, Wernicke studied stroke victims who could produce speech, but could not understand it After conducting post-mortem studies, he identified a part of the brain responsible for language comprehension This part (left posterior superior temporal gyros) was later named “Wernicke’s Area”

These studies all support localization, but… Not all psychologists agree with the idea that one area of the brain is solely responsible for a function They believe that areas work together and can compensate for deficiencies or injury to one area

Proof of Brain Localization: Phineas Gage case study Broca’s work with “Tan” and other stroke victims Wernicke’s research on stroke victims Sperry & Split Brain Research