NEW ERA UNIVERSITY

Central Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCE

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY (PSY215-18)
2nd Semester, SY 2020-2021

Name: Dela Cruz, Juliane M. Date: Fenruary 17, 2023 Section: 2 PSYCH 3

WORKSHEET 2

1.1. How have views of the nature of the relation between the brain and cognition
changed over time?

Cognitive functions of the brain are the mental processes that allow us to receive, collect,
keep, form, and retrieve information that we've received from external stimuli. This process
allows us to comprehend the world around us accordingly (Zhang, 2019). Researchers in the
field looked deeper and broader in understanding the human brain using various methods far
from being classified with chimpanzees (Heyes, 2012).

1.2. Briefly summarize the main structures and functions of the brain.

The brain has three major parts; the forebrain, midbrain and the hindbrain. The forebrain
located at the top and front part of the brain consists of the cerebral cortex (for thinking, sensing
and voluntary movements), basal ganglia (for motor function), the limbic system (for emotion,
motivation, and memory), the thalamus which relays the sensory information and the
hypothalamus which regulates temperature, eating, sleeping and the endocrine system). The next
part of the brain; mindbrain is mainly responsible for the auditory and visual aspect of the brain.
The hindbrain includes the medulla oblongata responsible for heart activity, breathing,
swallowing and digestion. The pons as a bridging station and the cerebellum also called as the
little brain which controls bodily coordination and balance.

1.3. What are some of the reasons that researchers are interested in finding out the
localization of function in the human brain?

One of the reasons researchers study and continue to study the localization of functions in
the human brain to further assess and understand the correlation between the processes and
structures of the brain and human behavior. Researches including cases of aphasia of Marc Dax,
Paul Broca’s stand that the left hemisphere of the brain is crucial in speech and Carl Wernicke’s
study on the left hemisphere’s contribution to comprehension in language.

2.4. In your opinion, why have the hindbrain, the midbrain, and the forebrain evolved
(across the human species) and developed (across human prenatal development) in
the sequence mentioned in this module? Include the main functions of each in your
comments.

In the sequence elaborated in the module and the readings provided, it made it more
comprehensible for the readers. The hindbrain extending from the spinal chord consists of the
brain stem, pons and medulla oblongata. All these responsible for the most autonomic functions
of life. Followed by the midbrain which connects the hindbrain and forebrain where all sensory
and motor functions transport. The last; forebrain which is the large and complec structure
responsible for various functions.
References

Brain: Developmental Divisions. Physiopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2023, from
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Brain:_Developmental_Divisions

Heyes C. New thinking: the evolution of human cognition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci.
2012 Aug 5;367(1599):2091-6. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0111. PMID: 22734052; PMCID:
PMC3385676.

Jiawei Zhang. Cognitive functions of the Brain: Perception, Attention and Memory.
https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.02863