Methods of researching the brain: There are several methods used to study the brain. One is studying a human's behavior after a part of the brain has been damaged either due to an accident or a lesion (destruction of brain from a disease). Other methods involve brain imaging. First there is the Electroencephalogram or EEG. This monitors the brain's electrical activity through electrodes on the scalp. Next, is the Computerized Axial Tomography or CAT scan. In this test, X-ray cameras are used to create a 3-D image of the brain. The Positron Emission Tomography, or PET scan, shows brain function by observing how it processes an injection of radioactive glucose. Last, is the Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI. MRI's use magnetic fields that react with atoms in the brain in order to produce an image.
Parts of the brain: There are three main parts of the brain, the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. There are four lobes located in the cerebrum (frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal). The limbic system is also located in the cerebrum. The cerebellum is smaller than the cerebrum and is located at the base of the skull. The brain stem connects the brain to the spinal cord and consists of three parts, midbrain, pons, and medulla.
Plasticity: Plasticity is the brain's ability to change throughout its lifetime. It is a physical change and a mental change simultaneously. When the brain learns something new, it changes its neural pathways, and gray matter can actually grow or shrink. Conversely, the brain can change in the respect that it can weaken and lose connections. When pathways are created, information is remembered. When they are broken, information is forgotten. Plasticity is at its peak in infant brains when they are learning everything about the outside world. However, the brain changes continually throughout its lifetime whenever it encounters a new experience. Plasticity is also extremely prevalent after being damaged when it has to re-learn information and, in a sense, repair itself. The older brain tends to have changes in the form of decline, but it is also able to grow too.
The Divided Brain (Functions of each side): There are two sides to the brain, the left and the right. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. The left side is responsible for skills like listening, speaking, reading, and writing, analyzing information in detail, and memory of information that is spoken and written. The right side of the brain is responsible for judging the position of the body and other things around it, memory of things done and seen, and compiling information in order to understand the entire picture. The left is more logical, while the right is more creative.
Nature vs. Nurture: This is one of the oldest debates in Psychology. The nature side of this debate says that a person is born with their character traits. This implies that personalities are present from the time of birth, and are not influenced by environment. Nurture takes the opposite view. This side says that all character traits are learned. This means that personality is developed through experience and completely influenced by a human's environment.
Genes / DNA: Genes are segments of chromosomes that determine the physical traits (eye color, hair color, etc.) of human beings. They are inherited from parents and can be either dominant or recessive. Dominant genes are more prevalent while recessive genes are less common. Genes are made up DNA. DNA is a double-stranded molecule in the form of a double helix that makes up the unique genetic code of each human being.
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