What are the main structures of the brain and what do they do?
The structure and function of the brain: the cerebrum and its four lobes, the cerebellum and brain stem, and the lateralisation of function across the two hemispheres.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Psychology Topic 4, covering the structure and function of the brain (the four lobes, cerebellum and brain stem) and the lateralisation of function across the hemispheres.
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What this dot point is asking
Edexcel wants you to describe the structure and function of the brain: the cerebrum and its four lobes, the cerebellum and brain stem, and the idea of lateralisation (the two hemispheres being specialised for different functions). This underpins the Sperry (1968) core study, so know the lobes and the role of the corpus callosum.
The cerebrum and its four lobes
The four lobes each have a main role.
- Frontal lobe: thinking, planning, decision making, personality, and controlling movement and behaviour.
- Parietal lobe: processing touch and other body senses, and spatial awareness (where things are).
- Temporal lobe: processing hearing, and involved in memory and understanding language.
- Occipital lobe: processing vision at the back of the brain.
The cerebellum and brain stem
So the brain has a rough division of labour: the cerebrum for higher thought and the senses, the cerebellum for coordinated movement, and the brain stem for life-support functions.
Lateralisation of function
Lateralisation means the two hemispheres are specialised for different functions rather than doing identical work. In most people, the left hemisphere is dominant for language (producing and understanding speech), while the right hemisphere is more involved in spatial and visual tasks and recognising faces. Each hemisphere also controls the opposite side of the body (the left hemisphere controls the right hand, and vice versa) and receives information from the opposite visual field. The two hemispheres are connected and share information through a band of fibres called the corpus callosum, which becomes important in split-brain studies (Sperry).
Try this
Q1. Which lobe processes vision? [1 mark]
- Cue. The occipital lobe.
Q2. What does the brain stem control? [2 marks]
- Cue. Vital automatic functions such as breathing and heart rate.
Q3. Explain the role of the corpus callosum. [2 marks]
- Cue. It connects the two hemispheres so they can communicate and share information.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 20184 marksDescribe the function of the four lobes of the cerebrum. (Paper 1)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Describe item rewards each lobe named with its main function; roughly one mark each.
The frontal lobe is involved in thinking, planning, decision making and controlling movement and behaviour. The parietal lobe processes touch and other body senses and helps with spatial awareness. The temporal lobe processes hearing and is involved in memory and understanding language. The occipital lobe processes vision at the back of the brain.
Markers reward each lobe linked to its function: frontal (thinking, planning, movement), parietal (touch and spatial sense), temporal (hearing, memory, language) and occipital (vision).
Edexcel 20213 marksExplain what is meant by the lateralisation of function in the brain. (Paper 1)Show worked answer →
A 3-mark Explain item rewards a clear account of lateralisation with an example.
Lateralisation of function means that the two hemispheres of the brain are specialised for different functions rather than doing exactly the same things. The left hemisphere is usually dominant for language (speech and understanding words) in most people, while the right hemisphere is more involved in spatial and visual tasks and recognising faces. Each hemisphere also controls the opposite side of the body. The hemispheres communicate through the corpus callosum.
Markers reward defining lateralisation (hemispheres specialised for different functions), an example (left for language, right for spatial tasks), and the role of the corpus callosum in linking them.
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Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Psychology (1PS0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2017)