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Summary Biopsychology Essay Plans
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These are my notes from A Level Psychology, including each of the 6 essay plans. Each essay has a description and multiple evaluation points.
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1. Describe and evaluate Localisation of Function in the Brain.Description: Localisation of function is the theory that specific functions have specific locations
in the brain. The brain is divided into hemispheres (2 symmetrical halves). Some physical and
psychological functions are controlled/ dominated by a particular hemisphere (lateralisation). Activity
on the left pf the body is controlled by the right hemisphere and activity on the right of the body is
controlled by the left hemisphere. Motor cortex – responsible for generating voluntary motor
movements and is located at the back of the frontal lobe in both hemispheres. Each hemisphere
controls movement in the opposite side of the body. Damage to the area may result in a loss of
control over fine movements. Somatosensory centre – responsible for detecting sensory information
from the skin and localises it to specific body regions. It is located at the front of the parietal lobe in
both hemispheres. The cortex on one side of the brain receives sensory information from the opposite
side of the body. Visual centre – responsible for processing visual information that is received by the
retina and transmitted via the optic nerve to the brain. It is located in the occipital lobe in the back of
the brain. Each eye sends info from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and vice vera.
Damage to the left hemisphere can produce blindness on the right visual field of both eyes. Auditory
centre – responsible for processing auditory info received by the cochlea and transmitted via the
auditory nerve to the brain. It is located in the temporal lobe on wither side of the brain. Damage to the
area may produce some hearing loss. The worse the damage is, the worse the loss is. Language
centres are restricted to the left hemisphere of the brain. Broca’s area – language centre responsible
for speech production and is located in a small area in the left frontal lobe. Damage to this may lead to
difficulty producing speech. Wernicke’s area – responsible for understanding language and is located
in a small area in the left temporal lobe. Damage to this may lead to difficulty understanding language
and producing language that makes sense.
Evaluation: P – many argue brain functioning is
more complex than localisation
P – support comes from case
P – evidence supporting localisation suggests
studies of brain damaged patients
of function comes from brain scan E – some research has suggested that
E – many of Broca’s patients
research. the way the brain areas communicate
suffered damage to Broca’s area
E – Paterson et al used brain scans to with each other might be more
demonstrate how Wernicke’s area and developed Broca’s aphasia important than which specific brain
was active during a listening task and where they had difficulty areas control a particular process
Broca’s area was active during a producing speech like ‘tan’ as that E – Dejerine studied one brain damaged
reading task was the only word he could say patient who had lost the ability to read
E – Tulving also showed that E – many of Wernicke’s patients
episodic and semantic memories
who had suffered damage to the
suffered damage to Wernicke’s
recalled from different sides of the connection between the visual cortex
area and developed Wernicke’s
prefrontal cortex, but procedural and Wernicke’s
aphasia, characterised by no
memory is associated with the area
problems producing language but
cerebellum L – this is an issue as it shows that the
difficulty understanding it
L – This is positive as there is lots of complex communication between brain
evidence to support the idea that L – supports idea that specific areas required to carry out a particular4
different areas of the brain have functions are localised in specific task makes brain functioning a very
different functions brain areas complex process and damage to the
connection between two areas can
produce impairments that resemble
damage to a specific localised area but
P – evidence against localisation comes from is actually a more complex problem
animal research
P – recent evidence against localisation comes from research into
E – Lashley removed between 10-50% of the
brain plasticity
cortex in rats there were learning a maze and E – Lashley found that when the brain has become damaged
found that no area was more important than any through accident or illness, and a particular function has been
other in terms of their ability to lead the maze compromised or lost, the rest of the brain is able to recognise
L – this is an issue as it suggests learning is too itself in an attempt to recover the lost function
complex to be localised and requires the E – there are cases of several stroke victims being able to recover
involvement of the whole brain abilities that were lost as a result of their illness
L – this is an issue as it suggests the localisation theory may be
too simplistic and the brain is able to be more adaptive and
operate in a more holistic way
, 2. Describe & evaluate Hemispheric Lateralisation and Split-Brain.
Description: hemispheric lateralisation – the idea that the two halves of
the brain are functionally different and that certain mental processes and
behaviours are mainly controlled by one hemisphere rather than the
other. E.g our ability to produce and understand language which for most
people is controlled by the left hemisphere. The question of whether
other neural processes may be lateralised has been investigated using
split-brain research. Split-brain research – Sperry’s studies used a
unique group of participants w2ho had undergone the same surgical
treatment for their severe epilepsy which involved surgeons cutting the
corpus collosum and other tissues which connect the two hemispheres
to separate them in order to control their severe epileptic seizures. The
procedure involved asking the patients to focus on a dot in the centre of
the screen whilst projecting an image or word to each patient’s right
visual field or left visual field.
Evaluation: P – case studies show language
P – split-brain research used to support P – split-brain research evidence for may not be restricted to the left
the idea of lateralisation was well
lateralisation was flawed hemisphere
controlled E – Gazzaniga reported on the
E – the methodology used can be
E – the findings came from an
unusual and limited sample of people case of JW who developed the
praised for using highly standardised ability to speak out of the right
procedures conducted in a controlled who were not well matched to a
control group hemisphere and he can now speak
environment to control extraneous
E – only 11 split brain participants about information presented to
variables
E – one eye was blindfolded to ensure too part in all variations of the basic either the left or right brain
only one visual field was visible at a procedures L – this is a problem as it
time and images were flashed up for L – problematic as it brings the disconfirms the conclusion that the
one-tenth of a second to ensure there conclusions of the research and right hemisphere cannot handle
was not time to spread the information support for lateralisation into doubt language
across both sides of the visual field and
both sides of the brain
L – this is positive as it ensured the
research measured what it intended to
measure, giving it high internal validity
P – a problem is that lateralisation may be further P – differences in function may be overstated
complicated by age E – split-brain research has given rise to the belief
E – research has shown lateralisation of function that there area clear-cut distinctions between the left
may change throughout an individual’s lifetime and right hemispheres of the brain
E – evidence comes from Szflarski who found that E – modern neuroscientists would argue the
language became more lateralised to the left distinction is actually much messier than this because
hemisphere as children developed into adolescents, the 2 sides of the brain are in constant communication
but after the age of 25, lateralisation decreased with with one another
each decade of life L – this again suggests lateralisation of function is a
L – this is an issue as it suggests it is a much more much more complex process than many realise with
complex process than many realise with many much more research needed to fully understand it
questions as to why this happens
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