Localisation of Function (DP IB Psychology)

Localisation of brain function (LOF) is the concept that specific behaviours and functions, such as memory and executive control, are associated with specific regions of the brain.

False.

Localisation of brain function assumes that there is a biological basis to behaviour and that thoughts, actions, and other behaviours are linked to a biological function.

Some examples of localisation of brain function include:

• language production in Broca’s area

• declarative memory and spatial navigation in the hippocampus

• executive control in the prefrontal cortex

Studies that support the concept of localisation of brain function:

• Corkin (1997)

• Maguire (2000)

• Raine et al. (1997)

False.

Corkin (1997) used MRI scans to measure the brain of HM.

False.

Raine et al. (1997) used PET scans to demonstrate the lack of activity in the PFC of impulsive murderers.

It is a limitation of the Corkin (1997) study that it is based on a case study (of one participant), meaning the results are not easily generalisable.

It is a limitation of the Raine et al. (1997) study that the findings are deterministic, suggesting that individuals are destined to be violent criminals due to abnormalities in pre-frontal cortex (PFC) functioning.

The aim of Maguire's (2000) study is to investigate the localisation of function linked to spatial navigation experience in London black cab taxi drivers.

Maguire (2000) measured grey matter in the hippocampus of taxi drivers by using a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) which focuses on the density of grey matter and pixel counting.