Localisation of Function in the Brain (AQA GCSE Psychology)

The motor & somatasensory areas

• Localisation of function (LOF) is the theory that specific behaviours/skills/functions are controlled by specific regions of the brain e.g. the hippocampus has been strongly implicated in the processing of memory

• LOF assumes that there is a biological basis to behaviour i.e. the brain controls every aspect of what we do

• It can be measured using techniques such as MRI, fMRI and PET scanning

• The brain is divided into two hemispheres, left and right and is covered by a thin layer known as the cerebral cortex

• As each hemisphere is responsible for different functions then each lobe - and the areas it contains - is also responsible for different functions too

Function of the motor area/cortex:

• It is located in the frontal lobe

• It is primarily responsible for movement

• It is hemispheric:

  • damage to the right motor area (in the right hemisphere) would result in impaired movement on the left side of the body (and vice versa)

Function of the somatosensory area/cortex:

• It is located in the parietal lobe

• It receives messages from neurons all over the body containing information about environmental stimuli e.g. heat, cold, pain

• It controls how we feel sensations via touch/contact

• Damage to this area would mean that someone becomes less sensitive to pain or changes in temperature

The visual, auditory & language areas

Function of the visual area/cortex:

• It is located in the occipital lobe

• It is responsible for:

  • sight

    • It decodes visual information sent from the eyes and turns it into forms that can be used to navigate and interpret the environment (the process of sight, in other words)

  • The left visual field sends information to the left hemisphere and vice versa

• Damage to the visual area may cause blindness/sight impairment

Function of the auditory area/cortex:

• It is located in the temporal lobe

• It is responsible for auditory processing e.g. hearing 

• Damage to this area may result in hearing loss/impairment

Function of the language area/cortex:

• It is located in the temporal lobe

• Most language functions (speech and comprehension) are located in the left hemisphere

• Damage to Broca’s area is likely to result in difficulty producing speech

• Damage to Wernicke’s area is likely to result in difficulty understanding language

Research which investigates localisation of function in the brain

• Maguire et al. (2000) found that spatial navigation may be localised to the hippocampus

• Raine et al. (1997) found that executive functioning may be localised to the prefrontal cortex