Localization
of function is the theory that certain parts of the brain correspond to certain functions
and reflects the idea that behaviour, emotion, and/ or thoughts originate in specific regions of the
brain.
TASKS:
1. Read the following case study.
2. What are the main contributions of this study to the understanding of localization of
function?
3. In which brain lobe is Broca’s area localized?
4. What is the name of the condition where someone damages the Broca’s area and can’t
produce speech (speak)?
5. Which psychological function is associated with Broca’s area?
6. What was the research method used? What was the technique used? What are the
strengths and limitations of the research method and the technique used?
Broca’s finding was inspiring. It suggested that other functions could also be mapped onto specific brain
areas.
Wernicke’s area was discovered by Carl Wernicke in 1874. It is an area located in the temporal lobe.
Wernicke’s area is responsible for the comprehension of written and spoken language. People with
Wernicke’s aphasia have a general impairment of language comprehension, while at the same time
speech production is intact. As a result, when they speak they sound really fluent and natural, but what
they say is in fact largely meaningless.
See the following images indicating where Broca and Wernicke’s areas are located.
7. How relevant do you think were the results of both Broca and Wernicke and how they contribute
to the understanding of localization of brain function.
Other studies that support the idea of localization of function are:
- The case of Phineas Gage
- The case of Janet
- The case of HM
8. We saw the case of Janet in class.
How does the case of Janet support localization of function?
9. Watch ‘’Roger Sperry experiments video’’: https://youtu.be/8cOBt5fxS3Y
In case you can’t watch it here it is a summary:
Sperry and Gazzaniga’s experiments with split-brain patients supported the idea that localization of
language is not as strict as Broca and Wernicke stated. According to these authors, both language
production and comprehension are mostly localized in the left hemisphere (as Broca and Wernicke
discovered), but the right hemisphere can also perform simple tasks.
9a. After reading the summary or watching the video, select the most accurate statement:
a- Sperry and Gazzaniga’s research suggests that localization of function is strict
b- Sperry and Gazzaniga’s research suggests that brain functions are widely localized in the brain
c- Sperry and Gazzaniga’s research suggests that localization of function is relative, where some
functions are indeed strictly localized, but localization is not static. One area is dominant for one
function, but several areas can also be responsible for the same function.
Check your answer! If you selected option ‘’c’’, you are correct! Their research suggested that
localization is not static, that brain areas can actually respecialized, due to a process called:
Neuroplasticity
10. Short-answer question: Explain localization of function.
