2. Welcome to the exciting world of Biopsychology You are about to enter into the world inside your head…THE BRAIN! Click on the brain to go to the next slide!

3. Everything psychological is simultaneously biological All of your thoughts, feelings, and memories, could not happen without the specialized functions of the brain. Are you concentrating on breathing right now? I didn’t think so, this is possible because of our brain (more specifically the brainstem). To separate the biology from the psychology in understanding the brain is like running without legs, we must understand the intrinsic relationship between function and structure. Just like the world is interdependent, all of our behaviors and experiences rely on the various parts of the brain. Investigating the functions of the brain is like understanding how each part of a computer work together to produce the most incredible product…YOU!

4. The brain’s ultimate challenge? To understand itself. You are about to partake in this challenge. Get ready to unravel the mysteries behind the brain!

5. The brain is EXTREMELY complicated, and breaks down into ALL of the following parts: WOW…that’s A LOT of parts, let’s just examine the Cerebral Cortex!

6. The Cerebral Cortex is our ultimate control and information-processing center of interconnected neural cells that like bark on a tree, forms a thin surface layer on the cerebral hemispheres. The basic subdivisions of the cerebral cortex are the: Occipital Lobe: Occipital Lobe:responsible for vision Frontal Lobe: Frontal Lobe:involved with speaking and muscle movements, making plans and judgment Parietal Lobe: Parietal Lobe:includes the sensory cortex that processes all bodily sensations Temporal Lobe: Temporal Lobe:receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear Let’s learn more about each of these lobes!

7. Where are the lobes of the cerebral cortex located? Frontal Lobe Occipital Lobe Parietal Lobe Temporal Lobe Frontal Lobe Temporal Lobe Parietal Lobe Occipital Lobe

8. Let’s take another look at that!

9. What does the cerebral cortex really look like? Frontal Lobe Temporal Lobe Occipital Lobe Parietal Lobe Did you know that if the cerebral cortex was flattened, it would be as big as a LARGE pizza? YUM!

10. What does the Occipital Lobe do? The occipital lobe is the visual portion of cerebral cortex, located at the back of the head. Everything you see is processed in the occipital lobe. http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110299/brain/anatomy.php?page=anatomy0 Check out the following link to discover more about the occipital lobe: Occipital Lobe

11. What do you notice about the information highway from the eye to the occipital lobe? Information that is received from the right half of your field of vision goes to the left hemisphere (Make sure you try all of your choices!) Information that is received from the left half of your field of vision goes to the right hemisphere Each eye receives sensory information from both the right and left visual fields

12. Information received in the left field of vision is transmitted to the right side of the occipital lobe by the Corpus Callosum, and then the data is quickly transmitted to the left side of the occipital for more interpretation. A lot of processing is constantly going on without our conscious awareness.

13. Information received in the right field of vision is transmitted to the left side of the occipital lobe by the Corpus Callosum, and then the data is quickly transmitted to the right side of the occipital for more interpretation. Question to ponder: What would happen if someone had a severed corpus callosum?

14. We are constantly receiving sensory information from both visual fields, but each hemisphere of the occipital lobe is specialized in interpreting the information. So…it’s first processed in one side and then quickly shared with the other side Left hemisphere= responsible for speech Right hemisphere= responsible for object recognition We’ll learn more about hemisphere specialization later

15. Quick review! Click on the lobe that is responsible for vision:

16. Try again! Review the Lobes OR Try Again! Review the lobes!

17. This is the Occipital Lobe Thanks to me, you can see!

18. Quick Review! Click on the lobe responsible for processing sensory information!

19. This is the Parietal Lobe! I’ve got the SENSE that you know what I do!

20. Try again! Review the Lobes OR Try Again! Review the lobes!

21. What does the Parietal Lobe do? The parietal lobe is located towards the top and rear of the head (just above the occipital lobe) It contains the sensory cortex which registers all of our bodily sensations The more sensitive a body part, the greater area of the sensory cortex devoted to it

22. If you stimulate specific portions of the sensory cortex, that body region will feel like it’s being touched

23. In a human, what region of the sensory cortex is the largest ?

24. Close…There is a large area devoted to the face, but think about which part is extremely important from an evolutionary psychology perspective. Try Again! Review the sensory cortex!

25. The lips are EXTREMELY sensitive- that’s why you kiss with your lips rather than your toes!

26. The toes can’t be very sensitive, some people can walk on fire (or hot coals). Some people can’t even stand a hot cup of coffee with this sensitive area. Try Again! Review the sensory cortex!

27. Quick Review! Click on the lobe responsible for judgment and planning!

28. This is the Frontal Lobe! Without me, you would have a hard time making good judgments or speaking!

29. Try again! Review the Lobes OR Try Again! Review the lobes!

30. What does the Frontal Lobe do? Just like it sounds, the frontal lobe is in the FRONT of your head (the forehead). Think about when you are trying to concentrate and you rub your forehead…the frontal lobe is responsible for judgment and planning so perhaps you are rubbing it like a genie bottle to make good choices!

31. That’s not all the Frontal Lobe does! It is also responsible for speaking and muscle movements. The motor cortex is located at the rear of the frontal lobe and controls ALL voluntary movement. Look at all the specialized parts on the motor cortex! Motor Cortex Sensory Cortex

32. Look what happened to Phineas Gage? In 1848, I was packing gunpowder into a rock with a tamping iron and BOOOM! A spark ignited, shooting the rod up through my left cheek and out the top of my skull, BUT I didn’t die!

33. How do you think poor Phineas was affected by this injury? He was unable to speak He became dishonest He became irrational

34. CLOSE...he was still able to speak but he didn’t have good judgment as to what came out of his mouth which was often quite profane- you can imagine the predicaments this got him into! Try Again! Review the frontal lobe!

35. He sure did!!!! The damage caused his moral center (judgment) to be inactive making him more prone to lie. Find out what else happened to poor Phineas!

36. That he did!!! Although his memory and mental abilities were intact, the damage to his moral compass caused him to act without any good reason. Poor Phineas, he ended up losing his job and earning his living as a fairground exhibit. BUT…the damage did lead scientists to a greater understanding of the functions of the Frontal Lobe, thanks Phineas!

37. Quick Review! Click on the lobe responsible for hearing!

38. Try again! Review the Lobes OR Try Again! Review the lobes!

39. This is the Temporal Lobe! It would be difficult to hear all the AMAZING information about the brain without me!

40. What does the Temporal Lobe do? Think of rubbing your “temples” and where you ears are located… This is exactly where the temporal lobes are located! The temporal lobes are responsible for receiving auditory information; usually from the opposite ear.

41. YOU DID IT! WAY TO GO! Click here to learn about the various brain structures