Brain Structure                                                                   

HINDBRAIN

• structures in the top part of the spinal cord, controls basic biological functions that keep us alive.            

MEDULLA

• controls blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing  

PONS

• connects the hindbrain with the mid and forebrain, also involved in the control of facial expressions

CEREBELLUM

•portion of the lower brain that coordinates and organizes bodily movements for balance and accuracy

MIDBRAIN

•between the hind and forebrain, coordinates simple movements with sensory information

FOREBRAIN

• controls what we think of as thought and reason    

THALAMUS

•portion of the lower brain that functions primarily as a central relay station for incoming and outgoing messages from the body to the brain and the brain to the body

HYPOTHALAMUS

•portion of the lower brain that regulates basic needs (hunger, thirst) and emotions such as pleasure, fear, rage, and sexuality

AMYGDALA AND HIPPOCAMPUS

• two arms surrounding the thalamus, important in how we process and perceive memory and emotion

THE LIMBIC SYSTEM

• The Hypothalamus, Amygdala and Hippocampus- • are grouped together and called because they all deal with aspects of emotion and memory

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

•brain and spinal cord

PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM-

• all other nerves 

SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM-

• controls voluntary movements 

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM-

• controls involuntary movements

SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM-

• speeds things up•prepares body for fight or flight

PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM-

•brings the body back to normal

CEREBRAL CORTEX-

•  covers the lower brain• controls mental processes such as thought

FRONTAL LOBES

• contains the motor strip and frontal association area  

PARIETAL LOBES

• area that contains the sensory strip  

OCCIPITAL LOBES

• area that interprets visual information

TEMPORAL LOBES

• area responsible for hearing and some speech functions

HORMONESchemical regulators that control bodily processes such as:• emotional responses•growth• sexuality

PITUITARY GLAND

• the master gland of the body that activates other glands and controls the growth hormone

THYROID GLAND

• controls and regulates the speed of bodily processes called metabolism

ADRENAL GLANDS

•glands that release the hormone that causes excitement in order to prepare the body for an emergency

ADRENALINE

• chemical that prepares the body for emergency activity by increasing blood pressure, breathing rate, and energy level

ABSOLUTE THRESHOLDS

minimum stimulation necessary to detect a stimulus 50% of the time • candle flame from 30 mi• watch ticking from 20 ft• wing of a bee falling on check from height of ½

inch• single drop of perfume in three-room apartment• one teaspoon of sugar in two gallons of water

SIGNAL DETECTION THEORY

• absolute thresholds vary depending on experience, motivation, expectation, alertness (sister hearing baby cry)

SUBLIMINAL

• any signal below threshold (by definition you will detect it some % of time)

DIFFERENCE THRESHOLD

• the minimum difference that a person can detect between two stimuli

WEBER’S LAW

• to perceive a difference, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)