LIFESCI 23L Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Occipital Lobe, Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe
Lecture A: A Memory Reference and Scientific Method
● Dr. Pfleugl: Slichter Hall 2875, DrPfleugl@gmail.com
● Research papers for labs A, D, and G; one week to write; due weeks 2, 5, 8
● (C)MIT = (Computerized) Memory Inference Test
● Neuropsychology: studies relationship between brain and behavior
○ Assumes that different brain areas are involved in different types of behaviors
○ Measuring behaviour could allow one to determine how different brain areas are funcitoning
○ Could be helpful to determine if individual is suffering from cognitive disorder (e.g. memory or
attention) or could help identify a particular medical/neurological condition
○ Will look at ADHD
● Left and right brain functions
○ Left: language, logic, critical thinking, math, science, etc.
○ Right: spatial awareness, creativity, etc.
○ Frontal lobe: functions, thinking, planning, organizing, problem solving, emotions, behavioral
control, personality
○ Motor Cortex: movement
○ Sensory cortex: sensations
○ Parietal lobe: perception, making sense of the world, arithmetic and spelling
○ Occipital lobe: vision
○ Temporal lobe: memory, understanding, language
○ Motor and sensory cortex are contralateral → one side of brain controls opposite side of body
○ Outer areas of brain: higher cortical areas → cognition, language, visual and attention abilities
○ Inner areas: sub-cortical areas → survival needs (thirst, wakefulness, breathing)
● How is cognition measured?
○ Most measures are paper and pencil type tests → painless and involve answering questions
■ Tests are stnadardized w/ published age, education, and gender norms, whic assesss a
range of area of cognitive functioning
■ We still have to obtain more culturally fair tests
○ E.g. Stroop test (color naming)
■ Results:
● word reading=fast; occipital lobe → wernicke’s → broca’s → frontal lobe
● color naming=slower; occipital lobe → other side of brain → wernicke’s → brocas
→ frontal lobe
● color-word interference=slowest; frontal lobe needed to make a decision (Frontal
Lobe inhibition → impulsivitiy)
● MANY neruopsych domains evaluated (memory, motivation, attention, language, skills, etc)
● MIT=memory interference test
○ Orignated from study to explore nature and prevalence of neurocognitive disorders due to HIV
in persons living in different geographical and sociocultural contexts
○ Tech + MIT = CMIT → LOTS of added benefits
● CMIT structure:
○ Complete demographic/lifestyle questionnaire first
○ Presented w. Book 1 filled with pictures to memorize
○ Presented with set of pics, must identify pictures they just saw from book 1
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Lecture a: a memory reference and scientific method. Research papers for labs a, d, and g; one week to write; due weeks 2, 5, 8. Neuropsychology: studies relationship between brain and behavior (c)mit = (computerized) memory inference test. Assumes that different brain areas are involved in different types of behaviors. Measuring behaviour could allow one to determine how different brain areas are funcitoning. Could be helpful to determine if individual is suffering from cognitive disorder (e. g. memory or attention) or could help identify a particular medical/neurological condition. Left: language, logic, critical thinking, math, science, etc. Frontal lobe: functions, thinking, planning, organizing, problem solving, emotions, behavioral control, personality. Parietal lobe: perception, making sense of the world, arithmetic and spelling. Motor and sensory cortex are contralateral one side of brain controls opposite side of body. Outer areas of brain: higher cortical areas cognition, language, visual and attention abilities. Inner areas: sub-cortical areas survival needs (thirst, wakefulness, breathing)
