AP Psychology Biology Vocabulary Hindbrain- controls basic biological functions that keep us alive Medulla- involved in control of blood

pressure, heart rate, breathing Pons- connects hindbrain with midbrain and forebrain, also involved in facial expression control Cerebellum- coordinates habitual muscle movements, like playing an instrument Midbrain- coordinates simple movements with sensory information Reticular formation- netlike collection of cells throughout midbrain that controls general body arousal and ability to focus our attention Forebrain- area involving thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus Thalamus- responsible for receiving the sensory signals coming up the spinal cord and sending them to the appropriate areas in the rest of the forebrain Hypothalamus- controls metabolic functions, including body temperature, libido, hunger, thirst, endocrine system, biological rhythms Amygdala- vital to our experiences of emotion, surrounds thalamus Hippocampus- vital to our memory system, surrounds thalamus Limbic system- thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus grouped together because they all deal with aspects of emotion and memory Cerebral cortex- permanent storage area for memories Corpus callosum- nerve bundle that connects right hemisphere with the left hemisphere Association area- any area of the cerebral cortex that is not associated with receiving sensory information or controlling muscle movements, very active in human thoughts and behaviors, thoughts to be responsible for complex, sophisticated thoughts like judgment and humor **Frontal lobes- large areas of the cerebral cortex located at the top front part of the brain behind the eyes Brocas area- responsible for controlling muscles involved in producing speech Wernickes area- interprets written and spoken speech Motor cortex- sends signals to our muscles, controlling our voluntary movements Occipital lobes- interpret messages from our eyes in our visual cortex Temporal lobes- process sound sensed by our ears