MCAT Psychology High Yield Content
Questions and Answers
Cerebral cortex - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain, known as the cerebrum; outer covering of the
cerebral hemispheres; contains 4 lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal
Frontal Lobe - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; executive function, impulse control, long-term
planning (prefrontal cortex), motor function (primary motor cortex), and speech production
Broca's area - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; important for speech production, found in the
frontal lobe
Parietal Lobe - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; sensation of touch, pressure, temperature and
pain (somatosensory cortex); spatial processing, orientation, and manipulation
somatosensory cortex - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; found in the parietal lobe, important
for touch, pressure, temperature, and pain sensation
Occipital lobe - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; visual processing
temporal lobe - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; sound processing (auditory complex), speech
perception (Wernicke's area), memory, and emotion (limbic system)
Wernicke's area - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; found in the temporal lobe; important for
speech perception
Basal ganglia - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; coordinates muscle movement from cortex to
the rest of the brain and spinal cord; smooth movements and maintain posture stability
limbic system - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; primarily associated with emotion and memory;
includes the septal nuclei, amygdala, hippocampus
Septal nuclei - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; part of the limbic system; feelings of pleasure,
pleasure-seeking behavior, and addiction
Amygdala - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; part of the limbic system, controls fear and
aggression
Hippocampus - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; part of the limbic system; consolidates
memories and communicates with other parts of the limbic system through the fornix
Thalamus - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; sensory relay station for all incoming senses EXCEPT
smell; sorts, and transmits to proper areas of the cortex
, Hypothalamus - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; active during high-arousal, aggressive behavior,
and sexual behavior; controls endocrine functions and ANS; maintains homeostasis
hypophyseal portal system - CORRECT ANSWERS -connects hypothalamus to anterior pituitary;
maintains coordination of the endocrine system
Hindbrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -"brain stem"; contains the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and
reticular formation
Cerebellum - CORRECT ANSWERS -part of the hindbrain; controls motor movement, and
balance
medulla oblongata - CORRECT ANSWERS -part of the hindbrain; controls breathing, reflex
control, and maintains upright posture
reticular formation - CORRECT ANSWERS -part of the hindbrain; controls normal behavior of
walking, sleeping, waking, and other reflexes; degenerative part of this section is related to
Parkinson's Disease
Midbrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -contains the inferior and superior colliculli
inferior colliculli - CORRECT ANSWERS -important midbrain nucleus that is involved in the
auditory pathway
superior colliculli - CORRECT ANSWERS -important midbrain nucleus that is involved in the
visual pathway, receiving information from the eye
Function of midbrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -reception of sensory and motor information;
generally necessary for survival
Forebrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic
system, and cerebral cortex
Function of hindbrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -controls balance, motor coordination, breathing,
and general arousal (waking and sleeping); generally necessary for survival
Corpus Callosum - CORRECT ANSWERS -bundle of axons that connects the right and left
hemispheres
Optic Chiasm - CORRECT ANSWERS -point in visual nerve system where nasal fibers (carrying
temporal vision) cross and the temporal fibers (carrying nasal vision) pass directly though to the
optic tract
Bitemporal Hemianopsia: Lesion of Optic Chaism would cause would knock out the _____ fibers
and the person would lose the ______ vision - CORRECT ANSWERS -Nasal fibers
Temporal vision
Questions and Answers
Cerebral cortex - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain, known as the cerebrum; outer covering of the
cerebral hemispheres; contains 4 lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal
Frontal Lobe - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; executive function, impulse control, long-term
planning (prefrontal cortex), motor function (primary motor cortex), and speech production
Broca's area - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; important for speech production, found in the
frontal lobe
Parietal Lobe - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; sensation of touch, pressure, temperature and
pain (somatosensory cortex); spatial processing, orientation, and manipulation
somatosensory cortex - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; found in the parietal lobe, important
for touch, pressure, temperature, and pain sensation
Occipital lobe - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; visual processing
temporal lobe - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; sound processing (auditory complex), speech
perception (Wernicke's area), memory, and emotion (limbic system)
Wernicke's area - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; found in the temporal lobe; important for
speech perception
Basal ganglia - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; coordinates muscle movement from cortex to
the rest of the brain and spinal cord; smooth movements and maintain posture stability
limbic system - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; primarily associated with emotion and memory;
includes the septal nuclei, amygdala, hippocampus
Septal nuclei - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; part of the limbic system; feelings of pleasure,
pleasure-seeking behavior, and addiction
Amygdala - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; part of the limbic system, controls fear and
aggression
Hippocampus - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; part of the limbic system; consolidates
memories and communicates with other parts of the limbic system through the fornix
Thalamus - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; sensory relay station for all incoming senses EXCEPT
smell; sorts, and transmits to proper areas of the cortex
, Hypothalamus - CORRECT ANSWERS -Forebrain; active during high-arousal, aggressive behavior,
and sexual behavior; controls endocrine functions and ANS; maintains homeostasis
hypophyseal portal system - CORRECT ANSWERS -connects hypothalamus to anterior pituitary;
maintains coordination of the endocrine system
Hindbrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -"brain stem"; contains the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and
reticular formation
Cerebellum - CORRECT ANSWERS -part of the hindbrain; controls motor movement, and
balance
medulla oblongata - CORRECT ANSWERS -part of the hindbrain; controls breathing, reflex
control, and maintains upright posture
reticular formation - CORRECT ANSWERS -part of the hindbrain; controls normal behavior of
walking, sleeping, waking, and other reflexes; degenerative part of this section is related to
Parkinson's Disease
Midbrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -contains the inferior and superior colliculli
inferior colliculli - CORRECT ANSWERS -important midbrain nucleus that is involved in the
auditory pathway
superior colliculli - CORRECT ANSWERS -important midbrain nucleus that is involved in the
visual pathway, receiving information from the eye
Function of midbrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -reception of sensory and motor information;
generally necessary for survival
Forebrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic
system, and cerebral cortex
Function of hindbrain - CORRECT ANSWERS -controls balance, motor coordination, breathing,
and general arousal (waking and sleeping); generally necessary for survival
Corpus Callosum - CORRECT ANSWERS -bundle of axons that connects the right and left
hemispheres
Optic Chiasm - CORRECT ANSWERS -point in visual nerve system where nasal fibers (carrying
temporal vision) cross and the temporal fibers (carrying nasal vision) pass directly though to the
optic tract
Bitemporal Hemianopsia: Lesion of Optic Chaism would cause would knock out the _____ fibers
and the person would lose the ______ vision - CORRECT ANSWERS -Nasal fibers
Temporal vision
