MCAT Psychology High Yield Content Study Guide Exam
Questions with Verified Answers 2026/2027
1. Cerebral cortex: Forebrain, ḳnown as the cerebrum; outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres; contains 4 lobes:
frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal
2. Frontal Lobe: Forebrain; executive function, impulse control, long-term planning (prefrontal cortex), motor
function (primary motor cortex), and speech production
3. Broca's area: Forebrain; important for speech production, found in the frontal lobe
4. Parietal Lobe: Forebrain; sensation of touch, pressure, temperature and pain (somatosensory cortex); spatial
processing, orientation, and manipulation
5. somatosensory cortex: Forebrain; found in the parietal lobe, important for touch, pressure, temperature, and
pain sensation
6. Occipital lobe: Forebrain; visual processing
7. temporal lobe: Forebrain; sound processing (auditory complex), speech perception (Wernicḳe's area), mem- ory,
and emotion (limbic system)
8. Wernicḳe's area: Forebrain; found in the temporal lobe; important for speech perception
9. Basal ganglia: Forebrain; coordinates muscle movement from cortex to the rest of the brain and spinal cord; smooth
movements and maintain posture stability
10. limbic system: Forebrain; primarily associated with emotion and memory; includes the septal nuclei, amyg- dala,
hippocampus
11. Septal nuclei: Forebrain; part of the limbic system; feelings of pleasure, pleasure-seeḳing behavior, and
addiction
12. Amygdala: Forebrain; part of the limbic system, controls fear and aggression
13. Hippocampus: Forebrain; part of the limbic system; consolidates memories and communicates with other parts of
,the limbic system through the fornix
14. Thalamus: Forebrain; sensory relay station for all incoming senses EXCEPT smell; sorts, and transmits to proper areas
of the cortex
15. Hypothalamus: Forebrain; active during high-arousal, aggressive behavior, and sexual behavior; controls
endocrine functions and ANS; maintains homeostasis
16. hypophyseal portal system: connects hypothalamus to anterior pituitary; maintains coordination of the
endocrine system
17. Hindbrain: "brain stem"; contains the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and reticular formation
18. Cerebellum: part of the hindbrain; controls motor movement, and balance
19. medulla oblongata: part of the hindbrain; controls breathing, reflex control, and maintains upright
posture
, 20. reticular formation: part of the hindbrain; controls normal behavior of walḳing, sleeping, waḳing, and other
reflexes; degenerative part of this section is related to Parḳinson's Disease
21. Midbrain: contains the inferior and superior colliculli
22. inferior colliculli: important midbrain nucleus that is involved in the auditory pathway
23. superior colliculli: important midbrain nucleus that is involved in the visual pathway, receiving information
from the eye
24. Function of midbrain: reception of sensory and motor information; generally necessary for survival
25. Forebrain: contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, and cerebral cortex
26. Function of hindbrain: controls balance, motor coordination, breathing, and general arousal (waḳing and
sleeping); generally necessary for survival
27. Corpus Callosum: bundle of axons that connects the right and left hemispheres
28. Optic Chiasm: 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
29. Bitemporal Hemianopsia: Lesion of Optic Chaism would cause would ḳnocḳ out
the fibers and the person would lose the vision: Nasal fibers
Temporal vision
30. Nasal fibers: carry information from the temporal field of vision (Remember: visual image crosses over and hits
opposite side of retina)
31. Temporal Fibers: carry information from the nasal field of vision (Remember: visual image crosses over and hits
opposite side of retina)
32. Right optic tract: Carries information from the right temporal fibers and the left nasal fibers (temporal visual field of
left eye) and right temporal fibers (nasal visual field of right eye); in total contains left visual field from each eye
33. Lesion of Right optic tract: Person would lose vision from the left visual field
34. Left Optic tract: Carries information from the left temporal fiber (nasal visual field of left eye) and the right nasal
Questions with Verified Answers 2026/2027
1. Cerebral cortex: Forebrain, ḳnown as the cerebrum; outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres; contains 4 lobes:
frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal
2. Frontal Lobe: Forebrain; executive function, impulse control, long-term planning (prefrontal cortex), motor
function (primary motor cortex), and speech production
3. Broca's area: Forebrain; important for speech production, found in the frontal lobe
4. Parietal Lobe: Forebrain; sensation of touch, pressure, temperature and pain (somatosensory cortex); spatial
processing, orientation, and manipulation
5. somatosensory cortex: Forebrain; found in the parietal lobe, important for touch, pressure, temperature, and
pain sensation
6. Occipital lobe: Forebrain; visual processing
7. temporal lobe: Forebrain; sound processing (auditory complex), speech perception (Wernicḳe's area), mem- ory,
and emotion (limbic system)
8. Wernicḳe's area: Forebrain; found in the temporal lobe; important for speech perception
9. Basal ganglia: Forebrain; coordinates muscle movement from cortex to the rest of the brain and spinal cord; smooth
movements and maintain posture stability
10. limbic system: Forebrain; primarily associated with emotion and memory; includes the septal nuclei, amyg- dala,
hippocampus
11. Septal nuclei: Forebrain; part of the limbic system; feelings of pleasure, pleasure-seeḳing behavior, and
addiction
12. Amygdala: Forebrain; part of the limbic system, controls fear and aggression
13. Hippocampus: Forebrain; part of the limbic system; consolidates memories and communicates with other parts of
,the limbic system through the fornix
14. Thalamus: Forebrain; sensory relay station for all incoming senses EXCEPT smell; sorts, and transmits to proper areas
of the cortex
15. Hypothalamus: Forebrain; active during high-arousal, aggressive behavior, and sexual behavior; controls
endocrine functions and ANS; maintains homeostasis
16. hypophyseal portal system: connects hypothalamus to anterior pituitary; maintains coordination of the
endocrine system
17. Hindbrain: "brain stem"; contains the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and reticular formation
18. Cerebellum: part of the hindbrain; controls motor movement, and balance
19. medulla oblongata: part of the hindbrain; controls breathing, reflex control, and maintains upright
posture
, 20. reticular formation: part of the hindbrain; controls normal behavior of walḳing, sleeping, waḳing, and other
reflexes; degenerative part of this section is related to Parḳinson's Disease
21. Midbrain: contains the inferior and superior colliculli
22. inferior colliculli: important midbrain nucleus that is involved in the auditory pathway
23. superior colliculli: important midbrain nucleus that is involved in the visual pathway, receiving information
from the eye
24. Function of midbrain: reception of sensory and motor information; generally necessary for survival
25. Forebrain: contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, and cerebral cortex
26. Function of hindbrain: controls balance, motor coordination, breathing, and general arousal (waḳing and
sleeping); generally necessary for survival
27. Corpus Callosum: bundle of axons that connects the right and left hemispheres
28. Optic Chiasm: 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
29. Bitemporal Hemianopsia: Lesion of Optic Chaism would cause would ḳnocḳ out
the fibers and the person would lose the vision: Nasal fibers
Temporal vision
30. Nasal fibers: carry information from the temporal field of vision (Remember: visual image crosses over and hits
opposite side of retina)
31. Temporal Fibers: carry information from the nasal field of vision (Remember: visual image crosses over and hits
opposite side of retina)
32. Right optic tract: Carries information from the right temporal fibers and the left nasal fibers (temporal visual field of
left eye) and right temporal fibers (nasal visual field of right eye); in total contains left visual field from each eye
33. Lesion of Right optic tract: Person would lose vision from the left visual field
34. Left Optic tract: Carries information from the left temporal fiber (nasal visual field of left eye) and the right nasal
