A01

• The two main schools of thought regarding brain functioning are holistic theory (all parts of the brain are involved in processing thoughts/actions) and localisation of function theory (different brain parts perform different functions).

  The brain has two symmetrical halves (hemispheres), which control some of our physical and psychological functioning, such as language being linked primarily to the left hemisphere.
• Our cerebral cortex can be further divided into four lobes across the two hemispheres, which are associated with a different function. The frontal lobe contains the motor cortex, responsible for voluntary movements. The parietal lobes contain the somatosensory cortex, which receives sensory information from the skin. The occipital lobe has the visual cortex, processing any visual information. The temporal lobe holds the auditory cortex, which analyses speech-based information.
• In the left frontal lobe, Broca’s area is responsible for speech production and damage to this area causes Broca’s aphasia leading to speech that is slow and lacks fluency. In the left temporal lobe is Wernicke’s area, responsible for language comprehension, and damage to this area causes Wernicke’s aphasia where people will produce nonsense words.