The Brain and Neuropsychology

What The Brain and Neuropsychology covers

The Brain and Neuropsychology is examined in Paper 1, every student. It covers lobes of the brain and the effects of damage, lateralisation and Sperry's split-brain study, neurons, synapses and the central nervous system and Phineas Gage and how brain research has changed.

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Lobes of the brain and the effects of damageThe frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes and the cerebellum, Broca's area, visual agnosia, prosopagnosia, and the effects of damage to the pre-frontal cortex.Open →
• Lateralisation and Sperry's split-brain studyLateralisation and asymmetrical function, the left and right hemispheres and the corpus callosum, sex differences, and Sperry's split-brain research.Open →
• Neurons, synapses and the central nervous systemDendrites and axons, synaptic transmission and neurotransmitters, excitatory and inhibitory effects, and the brain and spinal cord as the central nervous system.Open →
• Phineas Gage and how brain research has changedPhineas Gage's injury and personality change, Damasio's reconstruction of the damage, phrenology, split-brain research, lobotomies and brain scanning.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take The Brain and Neuropsychology further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Frontal lobe vs Parietal lobe

  Frontal lobe: the region of the cortex behind the forehead that controls planning and voluntary movement. Parietal lobe: the top region of the cortex that processes touch and spatial awareness.

• Temporal lobe vs Occipital lobe

  Temporal lobe: the side region of the cortex that processes hearing and memory. Occipital lobe: the rear region of the cortex that processes vision.

• Left hemisphere vs Right hemisphere

  Left hemisphere: the half of the cortex that controls speech in most people. Right hemisphere: the half of the cortex that specialises in spatial skills and faces.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is the cerebral cortex?

   Model answer

   The cerebral cortex is the folded outer layer of the brain. The cortex of each hemisphere is divided into four lobes.

2. 2

   Where is the frontal lobe and what does it do?

   Model answer

   The frontal lobe is at the front of the brain, behind the forehead. The frontal lobe controls planning, decision-making, personality and voluntary movement.

3. 3

   Which area of the frontal lobe is responsible for producing speech?

   Model answer

   Broca's area in the left frontal lobe controls the production of speech.

4. 4

   Where is the parietal lobe and what does it do?

   Model answer

   The parietal lobe sits at the top of the brain behind the frontal lobe. The parietal lobe processes body sensations such as touch and pain. The parietal lobe also handles spatial awareness.

5. 5

   Where are the temporal lobes and what do they do?

   Model answer

   The temporal lobes are at the sides of the brain, level with the ears. The temporal lobes process hearing, language comprehension and memory.

6. 6

   Where is the occipital lobe and what does it do?

   Model answer

   The occipital lobe is at the back of the brain. The occipital lobe processes visual information from the eyes.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

The Brain and Neuropsychology revision questions

What does The Brain and Neuropsychology cover in Edexcel GCSE Psychology?

4 subtopics: lobes of the brain and the effects of damage, lateralisation and sperry's split-brain study, neurons, synapses and the central nervous system and phineas gage and how brain research has changed. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is The Brain and Neuropsychology organised?

By the Edexcel 1PS0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.