Hemispherical Specialisation Essay

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The aim of this essay is to show how the hemispheres of the brain specialize in doing certain functions, as well as to give psychological evidences to support the specializations. The essay will be divided into three parts. The first part of the essay will define key terms; the hemisphere and specialization or lateralization. The second part will look at various parts of the brain and the last part; will look at how the hemispheres of the brain specialize in doing various functions and the psychological evidences to support the hemispheric specializations. A conclusion will then be drawn based on the discussion. The brain is an essential organ of the body. It is the control center for all the body’s activities, such as walking, talking, swallowing, breathing taste, smell and heart beat. The brain also controls our thinking functions, our intellectual activities as well as our emotions. Hemispheric specialization refers to the dominance of one hemisphere of the brain in specific functions, such as language, emotions, motor control and so on ( Feldman, 2009). The brain is a part of the central nervous system which is the subdivision of the nervous system. Its main role is to process sensory information from various parts of the body to make them meaningful. The brain receives sensory information from all parts of the body through the spinal cord (Passer & Smith, 2009). Basically, the brain is divided into three parts. It consists of the hind brain which is located at the back of the head. The hind brain is the oldest part of the brain. The brain also consists of the mid brain which lies just between the hind brain and the other part of the brain, the fore brain. The hind brain also has certain parts in it. It has the cerebellum, the pons and the medulla oblongata. The fore brain as well, has various parts; the hypothalamus, the limbic system, the thalamus and the
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