 Psychologists
know information on the
brain based off people’s brain injuries
over thousands of years
 Today, electrical, chemical
&/or magnetic
stimulation to parts of brain
(TECHNOLOGY!) allows us to measure &
visually study brain
 1. medulla
oblongata: heartbeat &
breathing (nerve fibers crisscross to
connect brain & body)
 2. pons: brain
 3. reticular
activity during sleep
activating system: runs
length of the brain stem – alerts brain
to stimulation & relays info, sleep,
arousal, & attention
cerebellum: “little
brain” (extends
from rear of brainstem)
• nonverbal learning, memory, balance,
rapid-fire calculations for muscles, etc.
works
w/the basal ganglia
(gray matter) to control
deliberate movement
limbic
system: emotions &
motivations for basic needs, some
memory processing, hormones
• amygdala: fear/aggression
• hypothalamus: maintenance – thirst/hunger,
body temp, sexual behavior, autonomic
nervous system
• hippocampus: process & create memory
 thalamus: hub
or filter for all senses
except smell
 cerebral
cortex: outermost covering of
brain – intricate mass of neural cells held
together by glial cells – info processing
& adaptability
Video: How Does the Brain Work? 
 parietal
: touch/speech (Broca’s area)
 occipital: vision
 temporal: hearing
 frontal: motor
control,
attention, planning
 motor
cortex: (arch-shaped region at
back of frontal lobe running from ear to
ear) when stimulated, opposite side of
body moves  message sender
 sensory
cortex: (just behind motor
cortex) gets info from skin senses &
movement of body parts  message
recipient (SOMATOSENSORY)

VIDEO
Time Permitting  Start Video 5
minutes in