Brain regions have different functions
| English | 中文 | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| cerebral cortex/ˈserɪbrəl ˈkɔːteks/ | 大脑皮层 | dà nǎo pí céng |
| cerebellum/ˌserɪˈbeləm/ | 小脑 | xiǎo nǎo |
What would explain this observation?
- Different brain regions contribute to different tasks, yet they work through interconnected neurones. A labelled location is useful only when its function is also explained.
- Start with a prediction. State the quantities or features you would compare, then decide what evidence could distinguish two explanations.
Build the model
- The brain controls complex behaviour and contains billions of interconnected neurones. The cerebral cortex 大脑皮层 supports functions including consciousness, intelligence, memory and language. The cerebellum 小脑 coordinates muscle movement and balance. The medulla controls unconscious functions such as breathing and heart rate.
- cerebral cortex: The outer cerebral region associated with consciousness, intelligence, memory and language; cerebellum: A brain region coordinating muscle movement and balance.
Which named region is associated with coordinating movement and balance?
Use a diagram’s orientation to locate a region rather than assuming every picture has the same left/right view. The large outer cerebral region, the smaller cerebellum towards the back and the medulla linking to the spinal cord are distinct. A function can involve connections between regions; naming a region does not imply that it acts in isolation.
Match each technical term to its precise meaning.
Use the definitions to distinguish related quantities and processes.
Choose evidence that can test it
- Use a diagram’s orientation to locate a region rather than assuming every picture has the same left/right view. The large outer cerebral region, the smaller cerebellum towards the back and the medulla linking to the spinal cord are distinct. A function can involve connections between regions; naming a region does not imply that it acts in isolation.
- Identify these three regions on teacher-provided side-view diagrams and connect each label to an example function. Compare a deliberate spoken answer, coordinated movement and automatic breathing. This is an observation/model task; school learners should not attempt electrical stimulation, injury-based experiments or tests of neurological disease.
Which two habits make the investigation or model in this case more defensible?
Identify these three regions on teacher-provided side-view diagrams and connect each label to an example function. Compare a deliberate spoken answer, coordinated movement and automatic breathing. This is an observation/model task; school learners should not attempt electrical stimulation, injury-based experiments or tests of neurological disease.
Work from known quantities
- State the known values and their units. Choose the relation because its assumptions fit this case, then rearrange before substitution.
- Known: a supplied learning model groups 36 function cards equally among the three named regions. Each group has 12 cards. This is only an organizational classroom calculation, not a measure of brain size, neurone number or the proportion of behaviour controlled by a region. The actual region–function links need biological reasoning.
A classroom model shares 45 cards equally among three region labels. How many cards are in each group? Use the same sequence: known quantities → model → relation → substitution → unit and interpretation.
A classroom model shares 45 cards equally among three region labels. How many cards are in each group?
The result is 15 cards. Known: a supplied learning model groups 36 function cards equally among the three named regions. Each group has 12 cards. This is only an organizational classroom calculation, not a measure of brain size, neurone number or the proportion of behaviour controlled by a region. The actual region–function links need biological reasoning.
Check the conclusion and its limits
- The medulla and cerebellum are not alternate names for the cerebral cortex. A brain schematic is not to scale and cannot diagnose damage. The separate Higher Tier lesson discusses the evidence and difficulty of mapping brain function; its procedures are not classroom experiments.
- Return to the original observation. Explain what the result supports, which conditions it assumes, and one way to test a competing explanation.
The medulla and cerebral cortex are the same region. This claim is false: The medulla and cerebellum are not alternate names for the cerebral cortex. A brain schematic is not to scale and cannot diagnose damage. The separate Higher Tier lesson discusses the evidence and difficulty of mapping brain function; its procedures are not classroom experiments.
Brain regions have different functions: Use a diagram’s orientation to locate a region rather than assuming every picture has the same left/right view. The large outer cerebral region, the smaller cerebellum towards the back and the medulla linking to the spinal cord are distinct. A function can involve connections between regions; naming a region does not imply that it acts in isolation.
The medulla and cerebral cortex are the same region.
The medulla and cerebellum are not alternate names for the cerebral cortex. A brain schematic is not to scale and cannot diagnose damage. The separate Higher Tier lesson discusses the evidence and difficulty of mapping brain function; its procedures are not classroom experiments.
The outer cerebral region associated with consciousness, intelligence, memory and language: write the technical term.
cerebral cortex means The outer cerebral region associated with consciousness, intelligence, memory and language.