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Inferior Parietal Cortex

This region is associated with memory, imagery, and attention. Damage to this area, especially on the dominant (usually left) side of the brain, can result in the loss of an ability to recognize words and letters, spell, or calculate. (Fields, R. Douglas, PhD. The Other Brain. P 4-5. NY:Simon & Schuster, 2009.)

Innate Uniqueness

Each individual has a set point, like that of a thermostat, for each of three basic dimensions or aspects of temperament: gain, deliberation-liberation, and approach-withdraw. Where one is set on each of these dimensions seems to endure within the individual. They are the primitive roots of individuality. (Ornstein, Robert, PhD. The Roots of the Self. P 48. NY: HarperCollins Publishing, 1995.)

Children definitely have “styles” or preferences for thinking and processing information. (Healy, Jane M., PhD. Your Child’s Growing Mind. P 73-74. NY:Doubleday, 1987.)

Individuals differ in cognitive style, defined as a person’s consistent approach to organizing and processing information during thinking. This doesn’t appear related to intelligence; reflects qualitative rather than quantitative differences between individuals. (Riding, Richard J., and Eugene Sadler-Smith. Cognitive Style and Learning Strategies: Some Implications for Training Design.

Sooner or later every kid proclaims what it is he is wired for as well as what he is miswired for. Nobody may be watching or listening. Care providers need to respond positively to these declarations of identity. (Levine, Mel, MD. A Mind at a Time. P 296. NY:Simon & Schuster, 2002.)

Every individual is born with a set of preferred talents and activities. Although at birth, human beings have many innate predispositions, yet they are born unfinished, open to development. Individuals need the world to give them their individuality, yet the world can only develop what has been inherited. (Beck, Martha, PhD. The Joy Diet. P 46-47. NY:Crown Publishers, 2003.)

There are innate differences in the human personality, including four functions: Feeling (evaluating), Thinking, Sensation, and Intuition (labeled by Carl Jung). Each person is born with one of the four functions dominant. (Dossey, Larry. MD. Healing Words. P 125-130. NY:HarperPaperbacks, 1993.)

The world can profoundly effect our development, and this fact allows us to remake ourselves through conscious choice, even in adulthood. Yet we can never abandon our inherent natures, our roots. (Ornstein, Robert, PhD. The Roots of the Self. P 12. NY:HarperCollins Publishing, 1995.)

Research suggests we have inherent tendencies (e.g., getting to the point, knowing bottom line, need context, impatient with details, craving details, making own judgment). There is little evidence that we can actually change such inherent tendencies but we can recognize them in our relationships with others and become more flexible. (Cooper, Robert K., PhD., and Ayman Sawaf. Executive EQ. P 98-99. NY:Grosset/Putnam, 1997.)

Innate Giftedness

Variations in brain organization produce special talents in some individuals and deficits in others. In fact, deficits and talents can be seen in the same person. Fundamental elements of personality (e.g., thought, feeling, action, subtleties of perception and communication) can be understandable in terms of individual differences in cognitive style--encoded in the hemispheric brain systems. (Miller, Lawrence, PhD. Inner Natures. Brain, Self & Personality. P 44-46. NY:Ballantine Books, 1990.)

Some things are easy to learn and to do. Others may be easy to learn and hard to do (e.g., tying shoelaces). Some are hard to learn and hard to do (e.g., golf). Talent is when something is easy to do and you don’t remember learning it. When you mix talent with what you love to do, you are in a state of grace. (Frare, Bob, CSP. The Legacy of William H. Gove. Professional Speaker. P 11. NSA, October 2002.)

Intelligence

There is no relation whatever between brain size and intelligence. One of the smallest was that of the gifted French writer Anatole France (1,100 grams); the largest on record was that of an idiot (2,850 grams). (Montague, Ashley. The Natural Superiority of Women. P 62-63. NY:Collier Books, a division of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1952, 1974.)

General intelligence is closely linked to the amount of gray matter in the frontal lobes, and has more to do with the number of brain cells in the frontal lobes than with the density of fibers connecting them. To some degree, intelligence is plastic and modifiable. (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. P 30-34. PA:Rodale, 2003.)

fMRI studies by Dutch scientists: the most efficiently wired brains tend to belong to the most intelligent people. Their brains don't have more connections, but they have more efficiently placed connections. It’s like taking a direct airplane flight versus one with two or more stop-overs. (Callaway, Ewen. Speeding up brain networks might boost IQ. New Scientist Life, 2009.)

Gray matter, located in a quarter-inch layer at the surface of the brain, is basically responsible for intelligence. Blood flows faster through gray matter than through any other brain tissue. Women and left-handers (male or female) have more gray matter than men who are right-handed. Gray matter processes information locally in the brain. (Stump, Jane Barr, PhD. What’s the Difference? How Men and Women Compare. P 86-87. NY:William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1985.)

Instructions

Refer to Affirmation and the Brain for additional information.

To process a negative instruction (e.g., don’t fall down), the child must access some representation of “falling down.” That internal representation, especially if it is kinesthetic, will usually result in the behavior you are trying to prevent. A positive instruction (e.g., be careful, move slowly) will access a representation that will help the child cope with the situation. (Bandler, Richard, and John Grinder. Frogs into Princes. P 64-65. UT:Real People Press. 1979.)

Intuition

Intuition is as a natural human ability and a key dimension of the creative process, problem solving, and decision making. Highly developed intuition flows. Many scientists, artists, musicians, leaders, entrepreneurs have said they owed their greatest accomplishments to intuition. (Cooper, Robert K., PhD., and Ayman Sawaf. Executive EQ. P 298-214. NY:Grosset/Putnam 1997.)

Intuition tkes place due to interactions between the emotional brain, and the temporal lobes and right hemisphere of the neocortex. (Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transcendence. P 30-32. VT:Park Street Press, 2002.)

Imagination, along with creativity, and intuition, are qualities with emotional dimensions. They can lead to surviving, thriving, and serendipity. (Siebert, Al, PhD. The Survivor Personality. P 54-55. NY:A Perigee Book, 1996.)

Intuition is perception beyond the physical senses. It is closely tied to emotional intelligence and includes aspects of intelligence as well. Intuition services creativity: it is the sense that an idea that has never been tried might work. It unveils hidden possibilities. Intuition also serves inspiration. It is the sudden answer to a question. (Cooper, Robert K., PhD., and Ayman Sawaf. Executive EQ. P 42-43. NY:Grosset/Putnam 1997.)

Intuition works best when data from a gut sense are used to build on other kinds of data (e.g., if business plan looked good on paper but didn’t “feel right,” proceed with caution). (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. P 42-44. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.)

Jokes

Studies: The left hemisphere analyzed the words and structure of the joke; the right hemisphere carried out the intellectual analysis required to "get" the joke. (Brian, Marshall. How Laughter Works.)

Language

For most people, whether they are left- or right-handed, language abilities are sited in the brain’s left hemisphere. People who learn a second language after early childhood tend to process the second language in the right hemisphere. (Restak, Richard, MD. The Secret Life of the Brain. P 48. Washington D.C.:The Dana Press and Joseph Henry Press, 2001.)

Two main language areas—Wernicke’s and Broca’s—have been recognized for more than a century, but brain imaging has shown other areas that are involved such as the insula that lies within the Sylvian fissure that divides the temporal and frontal lobes. Each main area of language cortex is probably split, like the sensory cortices, into many different processing regions and subregions. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 149. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

Study: Language related to conceptual thought is processed in left hemisphere (e.g., sedate the right hemisphere and the person can speak normally but can’t sing). (Storr, Anthony. Music and the Mind. P 34-36. NY:Ballantine Books, 1992.)

While articulation and grammar are seated in Broca’s area on the left side (of the brain), the emotional tone of phrasing and voice derive from the right side of the brain. (Wonder, Jacquelyn, and Priscilla Donovan. Whole Brain Thinking. P 9. NY:Ballantine Books, 1984.)

Generally, linear Western languages appear to be housed in the left hemisphere. Eastern languages and some dialects appear to be housed in the right hemisphere. This means that a brain injury in one side of the brain may interfere with one language while leaving use of the other language intact. (Joy, Donald, PhD. The Innate Differences Between Males & Females (Audio Cassette). CO: Focus on the Family.)

In most people (97%), both Broca's area (spoken speech) and Wernicke's area (heard speech) are found in only the left hemisphere of the brain. (Chulder, Dr. Eric. The Brain and Communication. Think Quest.)

Language, the most obviously lateralized of skills, is atypically organized in about 5% of people. The two hemispheres really do have quite specific skills that are hard-wired to the extent that, in normal circumstances, certain skills will always develop on a particular side. Almost every mental function you can think of is fully or partly lateralized. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 35-38. University of California Press, 1998.)

Lateralization

Lateralization describes the pattern by which specific abilities are distributed between the two hemispheres. (Healy, Jane M., PhD. Your Child’s Growing Mind. P 136-138. NY:Doubleday, 1987, 1989.)

The brain appears to have a lateral specialization of function for many tasks (e. g., speech). (Greenfield, Susan, Con. Ed. Brain Power, Working out the Human Mind. P 153. The Ivy Press Limited, 1999.)

Specific brain areas are important but they participate in functions by way of their synaptic connections with other areas. Chemicals are also important, but mainly because of their work at synapses within functional systems. (LeDoux, Joseph. Synaptic Self, How Our Brains Become Who We Are. P 33-34. NY:Penguin Books, 2002.)

Laughter

Refer to Laughter - Humor and the Brain for additional information.

Human beings have the potential to develop a sense of humor and each is born with the capacity to laugh. (Padus, Emrika, et al. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. P 546-547. PA: Rodale Press, 1992.)

Laughter stimulates both sides of the brain to enhance learning. It eases muscle tension and psychological stress, which keeps the brain alert and allows people to retain more information. (Humor and Laughter: Health Benefits and Online Sources.)

Laughter is the most enjoyable form of human communication. Humans are the only animals able to appreciate all the shadings of humor; it integrates the limbic system with the frontal lobes. (Donahue, Phil. The Human Animal. P 331-334. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1985, 1986.)

Under acute stress, the two hemispheres of the brain become disconnected. Laughter improves creativity and problem-solving, and activates the limbic system in the brain, connecting the right and left sides. It helps you do more whole brain work. (O’Donnell, Sinara Stull. Laugh More at Work To Ease Office Stress. )

Humor processing (getting the joke and laughing) appears to involve parts of the frontal lobes and a component of the pleasure pathway, the anterior cortex of the hypothalamus. (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. P 92-94. PA: Rodale, 2003.)

Various portions of the brain work together to experience humor and laughter. Left hemisphere sets up the joke. Right hemisphere is involved in getting the joke. (Dossey, Larry, MD. Healing Beyond the Body. P 133-149. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 2001.)

The left cerebral hemisphere creates the feeling of amusement and laughs when prompted. The right hemisphere “gets” the joke. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 36-38. CA: University of California Press, 1998.)

EEG Studies of brain activity when subject laughed: Within four-tenths of a second of exposure to something potentially funny, an electrical wave moved through the cerebral cortex. If the wave took a negative charge, laughter resulted. (Brain, Marshall. How Laughter Works.)

Study: Laughter resulted when a small 2 cm by 2 cm area on the subject’s left superior frontal gyrus (part of the left frontal lobe) was stimulated. (What’s so Funny and Why: Laughter and the Brain.)

The left brain creates the feeling of amusement and so is quite happy to laugh at more or less anything when prompted. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 11, 36. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

When using or experiencing positive humor and mirthful laughter, the whole brain is involved, not just one side, and there's more coordination between both sides. (O’Donnell, Sinara Stull. Laugh More at Work To Ease Office Stress.)

Laughter stimulates both sides of the brain to enhance learning. It eases muscle tension and psychological stress, which keeps the brain alert and allows people to retain more information. (Humor and Laughter: Health Benefits and Online Sources.)

fMRI Studies of brain activities activates in two types of humor. High-level visual areas were activated during visual humor and classic language areas were activated during language-dependent humor. (Watson, Karli K., et al. Brain Activation during Sight Gags and Language-Dependent Humor.)

Study using EEG topographical brain mapping of an individual hearing a joke: left hemisphere began to process the words. Then the frontal lobe center of emotionality was activated. 120 milliseconds later the right hemisphere began processing the pattern. A few milliseconds later the occipital lobe showed increased activity. Delta waves increased, the brain got the joke, and laughter erupted. (Dunn, Joseph R., PhD, Ed. New Discoveries in Psychoneuroimmunology. P 6-7.(interview with Dr. Lee S. Berk). Humor & Health Letter, Vol III. No 6, Nov/Dec 1994, MS: Dunn.)

Layers

Three layers of the brain are known for distinct functions (though all functioning areas constantly interact). Brain stem (fight or flight, instinct); Limbic system (emotion is processed); Four lobes at the top of the brain, generally where conscious thinking occurs. (Gurian, Michael, PhD, and Patricia Henley, with Terry Trueman. Boys and Girls Learn Differently! P 18. CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001.)

The fourth brain layer is defined as the prefrontal cortex. It can function, especially the left hemisphere portion, without being influenced unduly by the first two brain layers. (Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transcendence. P 36-38. VT:Park Street Press, 2002.)

Learning

Learning can be Explicit or Implicit. Explicit learning is effortful, conscious memorization. Implicit learning happens without any effort (e.g., child’s ability to master native language). (Wilson, Timothy D. Strangers to Ourselves. P 25-26. England:The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002.)

Learning is not left-brained or right-brained; it is holistic, whole-brained, and highly interactive. There are, however, preferences where more of one hemisphere is activated than another. (Jensen, Eric. Brain-Based Learning (Revised).P 16-17. CA:The Brain Store, 2005.)

Life Style

One’s lifestyle actually changes one’s brain. Think of it as laying down footprints in the brain that correspond to one’s experiences, actions taken, and behaviors exhibited. (Schwartz, Jeffrey M., MD, and Sharon Begley. The Mind & the Brain. P 366-367. NY:Regan Books, 2002.)

Limbic System

The limbic system is a ring of structures on the inner border of the cerebrum. Sometimes called the “emotional brain” because it plays a primary role in a range of emotions (e.g., pain, pleasure, docility, affection, anger), it also is involved in smelling, memory, and aspects of behavior. (Tortora, Gerard J. and Sandra Reynolds Grabowski. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, 10th Edition. P 471-472, G-23. NY:John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2003.)

Love

Study: The caudate nucleus is involved in human romantic love. Individuals in love for longer periods of time (e.g., 2.3 years versus 7 months), also showed activity in the insular cortex (processing of emotions, registering butterflies in the stomach) and in the anterior cingulate gyrus (attention, working memory, and emotions interact). (Fisher, Helen, PhD. Why We Love. P 70-80. NY:Henry Holt and Company, 2004.)

Lying

fMRI scans revealed significant increased activity in the anterior cingulated cortex of the brain when participants were lying. Four areas of brain activation included the prefrontal and frontal, parietal, temporal, and subcortical regions. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Have a clue and Women Always Need More Shoes. P 272-273. NY:Broadway Books, 2004.)

A variety of physiological changes are associated with arousal (e.g., eye pupil dilates, respiratory rate changes, BP and heart rate rise). Changes can be recorded by a polygraph related to arousal anxiety but cannot prove innocence or guilt. (Storr, Anthony. Music and the Mind. P 24-26. NY:Ballantine Books, 1992.)

Polygraph tests measure changes taking place downstream from the brain rather than in the brain itself. fMRI study: “lies” could be detected based on increased blood flow to the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC). (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. P 104-106. PA:Rodale, 2003.)

The polygraph is a stress detector, NOT a lie detector. “Farwell Brain Fingerprinting” is a new technique that uses sensors to establish brain wave patterns (e.g., a specific memory network established in the brain is measurably activated when recalled). It depends on the skill of the operator in presenting visual stimuli that only a guilty person would know. (Howard, Pierce J., PhD. The Owner’s Manual for the Brain. P 373-374. GA:Bard Press, 1994, 2000.)

A lie triggers physiological changes (in nonsociopaths). The accuracy of a new computerized polygraph system is close to 100% (refer to Voice Stress Analysis). (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Have a clue and Women Always Need More Shoes. P 271. NY:Broadway Books, 2004.)

Mammalian Brain

Contains the functions for all forms of relationships, including tools (e.g., emotions) by which relationships are qualitatively evaluated. It provides an awareness of one’s internal world including the past and the present. (Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transcendence. P 24-26. VT:Park Street Press, 2002.)

The human brain has the same organization, the same types of neurons, and the same set of neurotransmitters as other mammalian brains, which is why rats and monkeys are so widely used to test theories about human brain function. (Ratey, John J., MD. A User’s Guide to the Brain. P 22. NY:Vintage Books, 2002.)

Management Styles

Anyone can choose to go into management. The way in which the individual manages, however, will differ based on the person’s innate giftedness (if they are living true to their preference). For examples:

• A brain lead in the frontal left lobe: authoritative, directive, and all business
• A brain lead in the left posterior lobes: traditional, conservative,, and risk avoiding
• A brain lead in the right frontal lobe: holistic, risk-oriented, adventurous, and entrepreneurial
• A brain lead in the right posterior lobes: personable, interactive, and face-to-face

Herrmann analyzed management styles by brain quadrant dominance and by gender. A management styles matrix is included in his book. (Herrmann, Ned. The Whole Brain Business Book. P 98-114. NY:McGraw-Hill, 1996.)

Math

A study of Australian Aboriginal children who do not know “words for numbers:” conclusions were that they did equally well in numeracy when compared to English-speaking children. It appears that the human brain has a built-in ability to do mathematics even if the individual does not possess the language to express it. Source.

Maturation

Brain scan studies have shown that adolescents have diminished brain capacity (compared to adults) due to the fact that their brains are not fully developed, particular in the frontal lobes that are crucial to reasoning skills. (Lynch, Zack, PhD., with Byron Laursen. The Neuro Revolution, p. 44-45. NY:St. Martin’s Press, 2009.)

Meditation

Refer to Meditation - Prayer and the Brain for additional information.

The frontal cortex lights up during meditation (or prayer, which is a form of meditation). Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind. CO: Sounds True, 2000.)

Memory

The hippocampus is especially involved in associating odors, sounds, and sights to construct mental maps. (Katz, Lawrence C., PhD and Manning Rubin. Keep Your Brain Alive. P 60. NY:Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 1999.)

Personal memories are encoded in the hippocampus. In the right hemisphere the hippocampus is responsible for spatial memory. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Exploring Consciousness. P 29, 115. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

The hippocampus and parahippocampal (rhinal) areas constitute the medial temporal lobe memory system and are involved in explicit or declarative memory. Not part of the neocortical temporal lobe, they are not involved in its sensory-processing functions. Needed for memory storage initially (e.g., direct the storage process) the role decreases as time goes by. (LeDoux, Joseph. Synaptic Self, How Our Brains Become Who We Are. P 100-107. NY:Penguin Books, 2002.)

Mental Imagery

The brain creates its own nonverbal imagery (e.g., sees without external visual input) through the "mind's eye.” (Givens, David B. Human Brain. Center for Nonverbal Studies. 1998-2005.)

Metaphoric Analogies

Bisociation is a process of thinking by appearance for multiple meanings, that utilize right hemispheric processes. It includes a mixing of visual physiognomies from two contexts or categories that are normally considered separate for the formation of meaningful and creative metaphoric analogies. Source.

Mismatch

Outcomes from a mismatch between brain function and career choice can include depression and illness. Individuals would be on the road to recovery if only they could see clearly the mismatch of their occupations with their minds. (Mel Levine, Mel, MD. A Mind at a Time. P 48-49. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2002.)

Symptoms of Prolonged Adaption Stress Syndrome (PASS) may include: fatigue, hypervigilance, immune system alterations, memory impairment, altered brain chemistry, diminished frontal lob functions, discouragement and/or depression, and self-esteem problems. (Benziger, I. Katherine, PhD. Thriving in Mind – The art and science of using your whole brain. P 220-235. TX: KBA Publishing, 2000.)

Multidominance

A multidominant person (e.g., tribrainer) may find giving a party difficult because his friends don’t like each other. In fact, they may actively put each other down, as they compete for the person’s approval. (Benziger, I. Katherine, PhD. Thriving in Mind. P 159. TX:KBA Publishing, 2000.)

Music

Study: music is primarily appreciated in the right hemisphere. Singing appears to be a right-hemisphere activity (e.g., if you sedate the left hemisphere the person can sing but not speak). (Storr, Anthony. Music and the Mind. P 34-36. NY:Ballantine Books, 1992.)

Estimates are that 10,000 hours of practice is required to achieve world-class level of mastery, in music as well as any field of endeavor. (Sternberg, Barbara, PhD. Music & the Brain. P 20-21. CA:Institute for natural Resources, Home-Study #2320, 2009).

Nature and Nurture

Most of who we are is a result of the interaction of our genes and our experiences. In some cases, the genes are more important; while in others the environment is more crucial…the issue is not nature versus nurture. It is the balance between nature and nurture. (Ratey, John J., MD. A User’s Guide to the Brain. P 31-34. NY:Vintage Books, 2002.)

Genetic inheritance exerts its influence within an environment. Thus, the environment must be conducive to the development of a particular talent (regardless of how powerful the genetic inheritance). For example, a musical talent is honed among people who appreciate music and help the individual further his/her talents. In another environment the talent might wither. (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. P 26-29. PA:Rodale, 2003.)

Odor

Odor processing does not follow the brain’s typical cross-over pattern. What is taken in through the left nostril is processed in the left hemisphere and vice versa. (Wonder, Jacquelyn and Priscilla Donovan. Whole Brain Thinking. P 45-47. NY:Ballantine Books, 1984.)

Odor

Odor processing does not follow the brain’s typical cross-over pattern. What is taken in through the left nostril is processed in the left hemisphere and vice versa. (Wonder, Jacquelyn and Priscilla Donovan. Whole Brain Thinking. P 45-47. NY:Ballantine Books, 1984.)

Organizing

In order to be successful in managing your environment long-term, it is important to implement strategies that match what your brain does easily—innately—with minimal energy expenditure. (Nakone, Lanna, MA. Organizing for Your Brain Type. P 1-190. NY:St. Martin’s Griffin, 2004.)

Pain

Pain comes from activation of areas associated with emotion and attention. The anterior cingulate cortex is particularly active when pain is registered. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P33, 100. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

The Periaqueductal gray, a structure located in the limbic system (or emotional brain), contains many opiate receptors and is involved in the perception of pain. (Candace Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. Audio Cassettes. NY:Sound Ideas, 1997.)

The Periaqueductal is the pain center. It contains the same peptide receptors that are present elsewhere in the brain. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind. Audio Cassettes. CO: Sounds True, 2000.)

What seems to be going on in pain alteration (e.g., yogis who through breath training alter perceptions of physical pain, mothers with Lamaze breathing techniques) is that these people are able to plug into their periaqueductal gray, gaining access to it with their conscious intention, and then, I believe, are able to reset their pain thresholds. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. P 186. NY:Scribner, 1997.)

Parenting

Parents are better off getting to know their own children than trying to mold them into some ideal created out of thin air. Children are to be discovered as well as shaped; they should be allowed and encouraged to develop to their own potential. People are unique from the moment of conception. (Hamer, Dean and Peter Copeland. Our Genes — Why They Matter More than you Think. P 25. NY:Doubleday, 1998.)

Parietal Lobe

Located just behind the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe processes every sensation except smell, which connects directly to the limbic system. The parietal lobe is a sensory integrator responsible for your sense of bodily position. It is separated from the frontal lobe by the narrow motor cortex, home of neurons that direct the body’s motor nerves and thus bodily motion. (Restak, Richard. Mysteries of the Mind. P 20. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2000.)

Practice – Rehearsal – Preparation

Rehearsing a new alternative with emotional intensity creates a new highway in the brain. (Robbins, Anthony. Awaken the Giant Within. P 136-140. NY:Fireside, 1991.)

We have to work harder and longer to change a habit than when we learned it in the first place. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. P 104-105. Boston:Harvard Business School Press, 2002.)

The more higher skills (e.g., bike riding, cognition) are practiced the more automatic they become. Initially these routines require mental strain and stretching—the formation of new synapses—but mastered, the mental processing becomes easier. Neurons initially recruited for the learning process are freed to go to other assignments, the fundamental nature of learning in the brain. (Ratey, John J., MD. A User’s Guide to the Brain. P 34-35. NY:Vintage Books, 2002.)

Estimates are that 10,000 hours of practice is required to achieve world-class level of mastery, in music as well as any field of endeavor. (Sternberg, Barbara, PhD. Music & the Brain. P 20-21. CA:Institute for natural Resources, Home-Study #2320, 2009).

According to Ericsson, the highest levels of performance and achievement appear to require at least 10 years of intense prior preparation—sometimes referred to as the Ten-Year Rule. (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. P 23. PA:Rodale, 2003.)

Preference / Dominance / Brain Lead

A person's strong preferences often represent work activities that "turn them on." Their non-preferences almost always represent work activities that "turn them off." When people are turned off they drop out of the game. They become selectively blind and deaf to the discussions and activities that take place in their areas of avoidance. When a large percentage of a person's work falls into a quadrant of avoidance, the likelihood of job success is enormously reduced. (Herrmann, Ned. The Whole Brain Business Book. P 40-46. NY:McGraw-Hill, 1996.)

The terms Brain Lead or Dominance refer to an innate biochemical preference for processing information in an energy-efficient manner. Your preference (or dominance) is your predisposition for one type of thinking based on its superior natural efficiency that makes using it fun and effortless. You are born with this preference. It is a key part of who you are and it never changes. (Benziger, I. Katherine, PhD. Thriving in Mind. P 8-33, 88-103. TX: KBA Publishing 2000.)

A preference or predisposition essentially opens up “the path of least resistance.” It takes special energy, conditions, and environment to over-ride or alter systems. (Blum, Deborah. Sex on the Brain. P 17-20. NY:Penguin Books, 1997.)

Each person’s brain is unique and operates most efficiently when involved in activities it does best. (Restak, Richard, MD. Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot. P 214-216. NY:Harmony Books, 2001.)

Individuals, although a coalition of four different selves (e.g., four cerebral quadrants), prefer to use one or more of those selves compared to the others. All profiles are composed of most preferred and least preferred thinking modes. These combinations of preferences are sometimes extreme. Over time the chances are good that we will do the things we prefer as a result of our thinking style, and we will not do the things that we prefer not to do. (Herrmann, Ned. The Whole Brain Business Book. P 38-41. NY:McGraw-Hill, 1996.)

There are innate differences in the human personality, including four functions: Feeling (evaluating), Thinking, Sensation, and Intuition (labeled by Carl Jung). Each person is born with one of the four functions dominant. (Dossey, Larry. MD. Healing Words. P 125-130. NY:HarperPaperbacks, 1993.)

There is a lesson to be learned from studying brain dominance in families and schools: context is all-important. In order to determine what someone might be experiencing, we need to look at their preference and introversion or extraversion, the preferences and E-I of those around them, and finally what activities they are being asked to do. When a person is not thriving, there is a good chance the context in which that person is living, studying, or working is not validating for their brain. (Benziger, Katherine, PhD. Thriving in Mind: The Art and Science of Using Your Whole Brain. P 250-263. IL:KBA, 2009.)

Present Tense

The hind brain (e.g., brain stem, cerebellum), that functions in a habitual manner, registers present tense only. (Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transcendence. P 24-25. VT:Park Street Press, 2002.)

Procrastination

Much of the energy influencing your decision to put off doing certain tasks comes from your natural dominance and your own internal desire to do the things that uplift and energize you, even if you have not known that they did this because: they use your preference, or they match your natural extraversion or introversion, or they do both. (Thriving in Mind. Benziger, I. Katherine, PhD. P 133. TX:KBA Publishing, 2000.)

Prolonged Adaption Stress Syndrome

The symptoms of Prolonged Adaption Stress Syndrome (PASS) that can occur after years of adaption (falsifying type) include: fatigue, hypervigilance, immune system alterations, memory impairment, altered brain chemistry, diminished frontal lob functions, discouragement and/or depression, and self-esteem problems. (Benziger, Katherine, PhD. Thriving in Mind: The Art and Science of Using Your Whole Brain. P 266-272. IL:KBA, 2009.)

Reading

Both left and right hemispheres and the prefrontal systems are used in the brains of good readers. (Healy, Jane M., PhD. Endangered Minds. P 215-218. NY:Simon & Schuster, 1990.)

The brain processing for reading is different from listening (e.g., listening to an audiobook creates a different set of memories compared to reading a book). The right hemisphere is not as active in reading. Listening triggered increased activity in the left part triangularis (a component of Broca’s area). (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. 181-182. PA:Rodale, 2003.)

Reptilian Brain

The hind brain that functions in a habitual manner, can’t alter learned patterns of behavior on its own. It can take over the physicial functions of learned skills (e.g., typing, bike riding, driving a car). It registers present tense only. (Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transcendence. P 24-25. VT:Park Street Press, 2002.)

Reticular Activating System (RAS)

The RAS collects sensory input from the body, collates it, and routes it to appropriate decoding centers in other parts of the brain (e.g., the cerebrum). (Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transcendence. P 110. VT:Park Street Press, 2002.)

Activity in the Reticular Formation stimulates the cortex into action—without which there is no consciousness. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Exploring Consciousness. P 29, 115. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

The RAS originates in brainstem and handles functions essential to the alert conscious state. (Guiffre, Kenneth, MD. The Care and Feeding of Your Brain. P 22-23. NJ:Career Press, 1999.)

Risk

fMRI studies at USC Brain and Creativity Institute with a task that measures risk tolerance have identified distinct brain regions in the prefrontal with competing responses. Activity in one region identified risk-averse volunteers, while activity in a different region was greater in those with an appetite for risk. (Brain Mysteries. Risk and reward compete in brain. 2008.)

Set Point

Each individual has a set point, like that of a thermostat, for each of three basic dimensions or aspects of temperament: gain, deliberation-liberation, and approach-withdraw. Where one is set on each of these dimensions seems to endure within the individual. They are the primitive roots of individuality. (Ornstein, Robert, PhD. The Roots of the Self. P 48. NY:HarperCollins Publishing, 1995.)

Sex Center

Refer to Sexuality and the Brain for additional information

The hypothalamus is the sex center. Less than an ounce in weight and about the size of a cherry, it is larger in the male brain than in the female brain or in the brains of homosexuals and transsexuals. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps. P 183-200. NY:Broadway Books, 1998.)

Sexual drive centers on the hypothalamus, but like other urges, it radiates out to encompass a wide range of other brain areas in both the limbic area and the cortex. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 72. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

Shifting

Shifting enables you to use more of your brainpower by consciously selecting the appropriate brain style. This can increase energy levels and release creative abilities. For example: Shift phone to left ear (controlled by right brain) for empathetic listening. Shift phone of right ear (controlled by left hemisphere) for analytic listening. (Wonder, Jacquelyn and Priscilla Donovan. Whole Brain Thinking. P 52-56. NY:Ballantine Books, 1984.)

Sign Language

The use of sign language can stimulate and educate the right brain, thereby cultivating student creativity. Sign language's benefits are that it forces the hearing person to think differently, can add clarity to oral communication, and could be applied to help children with learning disabilities. (ERIC: EJ405300 - Using Sign Language to Access Right Brain Communication: A Tool for Teachers)

Speaking and Writing

Speaking and drawing utilize different areas in the brain. Speaking and writing, however, share some of the same brain circuitry. (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. P 60-62. PA:Rodale, 2003.)

Speaking effectively requires a fine balance between the left and right hemispheres. Speakers who hold your attention usually shift from side to side, alternating between precise, logical speech in rapid crisp style, and some personal comment, a joke, or a dramatic experience in an animated expressive style. (Wonder, Jacquelyn, and Priscilla Donovan. Whole Brain Thinking. P 166. NY:Ballantine Books, 1984.)

Specialization

Differing areas of the brain are specialized for different functions. (Restak, Richard, MD. Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot. P 86-88. NY: Harmony Books, 2001.)

Brains are like fingerprints. Each brain possesses a unique neurological topography. (Johnson, Steven. Mind Wide Open. P 4. NY:Scribner, 2004.)

Each mind has its specialties and frailties. No one can be good at everything. However, society / school expects children to shine in all classes, athletics, and in following verbal directions. (Levine, Mel, MD. A Mind at a Time. P 60-62. NY:Simon & Schuster, 2002.)

Spirituality

Refer to Spirituality and the Brain for additional information.

There is an area in the temporal lobe of the right hemisphere that appears to be able to produce intense feelings of spiritual transcendence, combined with a sense of some mystical presence. Such feelings have been elicited in otherwise unreligious people by stimulating this area. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 20. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

Spirituality, although difficult to describe, relates to functions of the right hemisphere, as compared with “proclamation” that involves left-hemisphere functions. (Benson, Herbert, MD, with William Proctor. Your Maximum Mind. P 195-198. NY:Avon Books, 1987.)

Split-Brain Research

In 1981, Roger Sperry won the Nobel Prize for his proof of the split-brain theory, which says that one’s problem-solving skills, physical and mental abilities, and even personality traits are strongly influenced by the use of one side of the brain more than the other. Brain bias explains why one person is a math whiz while “creative types” often flounder when trying to balance their checking accounts. Not only individuals, but also organizations have brain bias. (Wonder, Jacquelyn, and Priscilla Donovan. Whole Brain Thinking. P X. NY:Ballantine Books, 1984.)

The most important aspect of split-brain research is not that specific areas in the brain perform specific tasks but that in undertaking most physical and mental activities, the intricate integration of both hemispheres is fundamental. Smaller communicating commissures in the brainstem (e.g., left and right superior colliculi) are not cut in split-brain operations. (Dauphin, Bridget. Understanding Brain Specialization Through Split-Brain Research.)

Stereotyping

The tendency to categorize and stereotype other people is an example of automatic thinking, which is likely innate. The brain is prewired to fit people into categories. The content of one’s stereotypes is not innate, however. (Wilson, Timothy D. Strangers to Ourselves. P 52-53. England:The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002.)

Stress

Refer to Stress and the Brain for additional information.

Under acute stress, the two hemispheres of the brain become disconnected. Laughter improves creativity and problem-solving, and activates the limbic system in the brain, connecting the right and left sides. It helps you do more whole brain work. (O’Donnell, Sinara Stull. Laugh More at Work To Ease Office Stress.)

Subconscious

Studies by Emmanuael Donchin, Director of the Laboratory for cognitive Psycholophysiology at the University of Illinois: as much as 99% of cognitive activity may be nonconscious. (Lipton, Bruce, PhD, and Robert M. Williams, MA. Mind or Genes: What Controls Your Life?)

Suspenders

You might want to suspend left brain function in order to use the right hemisphere to:

Change your perspective and solve a problem
Relax and enjoy your playful side

(Wonder, Jacquelyn and Priscilla Donovan. Whole Brain Thinking. P 109-112. NY:Ballantine Books, 1984.)

Left-hemisphere suspenders include:

Narcotics, jogging, swimming, dancing, running
Deprivation of food, sleep, and/or sensory stimulation
Overload of words/arguments or demands for concentration
Music, marching, flashing lights, chanting, undulating movements, repetitious sounds

(Wonder, Jacquelyn and Priscilla Donovan. Whole Brain Thinking. P 118-119. NY:Ballantine Books, 1984.)

Synchronicity

All layers of the brain (e.g., brain stem, limbic system, cortex) must be synchronized for the creative and artistic functioning of the human brain. Source.

Synchronicity can be defined as the experience of two or more events, that are apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance, that are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner. The concept of synchronicity was first described by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung in the 1920s.

Jung reportedly coined the word synchronicity to describe what he called temporally coincident occurrences of acausal events. His theory of synchronicity may equal intellectual intuition. (Bishop, Paul (2000). Synchronicity and Intellectual Intuition in Kant, Swedenborg, and Jung. P 17-20, 59–62. The Edwin Mellen Press.)

Systems

The brain has both specialized and generalized systems. Specialized systems: verbal systems (e.g., speech comprehension), nonverbal systems (e.g., senses). General-purpose system: can hold on to and interrelate information from different types of specialized systems (e.g., the way something looks, sounds, and smells can be associated with its location in the external space with its name). (LeDoux, Joseph. Synaptic Self, How Our Brains Become Who We Are. P 176-178. NY:Penguin Books, 2002.)

Temporal Lobes

The temporal lobe in each hemisphere contains areas involved in hearing and understanding speech. It also contains connections to the hippocampus and amygdala, which are important in learning, memory, and emotion. The temporal lobe helps integrate inner experiences and provides a sense of identity. (Restak, Richard. Mysteries of the Mind. P 20. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2000.)

The temporal lobes store personal memories and processes sound and speech. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Exploring Consciousness. P 29, 115. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

Temperament

There is considerable evidence that much of our basic temperament is inherent to us, whether it is directly inherited or not. For example, people with differing temperaments have different requirements for sedatives. (Ornstein, Robert, PhD. The Roots of the Self. P 44. NY:HarperCollins Publishing, 1995.)

Temperament refers to neurological processes that are inherited and observable as behaviors from infancy, and/or in the womb. Examples include:

• Activity
• Adaptability
• Approach/withdrawal
• Attentiveness/persistence
• Rhythmicity
• Sensory sensitivity

(Howard, Pierce J., PhD. The Owner’s Manual for The Brain. P 67. GA:Bard Press, 1994, 2000.)

Heredity exerts a direct effect on temperament, determining the basic style of any individual’s behavior (the content, quality and outcome showing wide variation that reflects the differing ways underlying temperament can be expressed). (Claridge, Gordon. Origins of Mental Illness. P 68-70. MA: Malor Book, 1995.)

Temperament: a person’s predisposition to respond to specific events in a specific way. Refers to style rather than content of behavior (the how, not the what). It is more basic than the whole complex personality (e.g., does things slowly or quickly, seeks excitement or sits alone, is highly expressive or inhibited). (Ornstein, Robert, PhD. The Roots of the Self. P 40-47. NY:HarperCollins Publishing, 1995.)

Temperament: a subset of personality, refers to children’s basic orientation to emotion and arousal (e.g. sensitivity to stimulation). It appears early in life and is greatly influenced by environmental experiences even before birth. (Karr-Morse, Robin, and Meredith S. Wiley. Ghosts from the Nursery. P 129-130. NY:The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997.)

Temperament refers to neurological processes that are inherited and observable as behaviors from infancy. While temperament is inherited, adult personality is based on inheritance plus what is learned from the environment—formed around the core of inherited neurological processes. A variety of models describe personality traits or temperament, typically outlining four temperaments. For example:

• Greece - Phlegmatic, Melancholic, Sanguine, Choleric)
• Jung - Thinker, Intuitor, Sensor, Feeler
• Kolbe - follow through, quick start, implementor, fact finder. (Howard, Pierce J., PhD. The Owner’s Manual for the Brain. P 67, 418-440. GA:Bard Press, 1994, 2000.)

Thalamus

The thalamus is a sort of relay station, directing incoming information to the appropriate part of the brain for further processing. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 11. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

A way station for nerve impulses on their way from the periphery to the cerebral cortex and other parts of the brain. Taken from the Greek word for “inner room,” the thalamus is located just outside the main entrance to the cerebral hemispheres. (Restak, Richard. Mysteries of the Mind. P 21. Washington, DC:National Geographic, 2000.)

The thalamus directs the flow of sensory data between the sense organs and decoding centers in the cerebrum. (Wolfe, Patricia, PhD. Brain Matters. P 24-26. Virginia:ASCD, 2001.)

Most sensory information from the outside world enters the lower brain stem. The thalamus then classifies the information (e.g., visual, auditory) and relays it to the appropriate part of the cortex. The thalamus can also amplify or reduce incoming information. (Ornstein, Robert, PhD. The Roots of the Self. P 52-53. NY:HarperCollins Publishing, 1995.)

The Thalamus regulates emotional life and physical safety; processes incoming sensory information; tells us what’s going on outside body. It processes data faster in females, especially at certain times in the menstrual cycle. (Gurian, Michael, PhD, and Patricia Henley, with Terry Trueman. Boys and Girls Learn Differently! P 26. A:Jossey-Bass, 2001.)

The Thalamus functions as the brain’s switchboard that filters sensory data to be sent to the cortex. (Brynie, Faith Hickman. 101 Questions Your Brain Has Asked About Itself But Couldn’t Answer, Until Now. P 146. CT:Millbrook Press, 1998.)

The thalamus directs attention and switches sensory input on and off. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Exploring Consciousness. P 29, 115. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

Verbalizers or Visualizers

Study of children ages 2 and a half to five: they already showed clear indications to be either verbalizers (left hemisphere) or visualizers (right hemisphere). (Healy, Jane M., PhD. Your Child’s Growing Mind. P 335-336. NY:Doubleday, 1987, 1989.)

Visualizing

Refer to Visualizing and the Brain for additional information.

To process a negative instruction (e.g., don’t fall down), the child must access some representation of “falling down.” That internal representation, especially if it is kinesthetic, will usually result in the behavior you are trying to prevent. A positive instruction (e.g., be careful, move slowly) will access a representation that will help the child cope with the situation. (Bandler, Richard, and John Grinder. Frogs into Princes. P 64-65. UT:Real People Press. 1979.)

Vision

Only the occipital lobe is dedicated to straightforward processing of a single sensation, vision. The other three each dedicate a small portion (about 25%) to simple sensory or motor civilities. The remaining 75% makes up the association cortex, a vast network of communicating fibers that unifies diverse perceptual and behavioral experiences. (Restak, Richard. Mysteries of the Mind. P 20. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2000.)

Located at the back of the hemisphere, the occipital lobe contains regions important in visual perception and processing. (Restak, Richard. Mysteries of the Mind. P 20. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2000.)

Whole Brain Model

The Whole Brain Model is the product of numerous studies (knowledge of the brain doubles every ten years). It identifies characteristics using examples of CEOs, number crunchers, characters in movie scripts, sports figures, business managers, etc. (Herrmann, Ned. The Whole Brain Business Book. P 16-18, 58-78. NY:McGraw-Hill, 1996.)

Work Success

A person's strong preferences often represent work activities that "turn them on." Their non-preferences almost always represent work activities that "turn them off." When people are turned off they drop out of the game. They become selectively blind and deaf to the discussions and activities that take place in their areas of avoidance. When a large percentage of a person's work falls into a quadrant of avoidance, the likelihood of job success is enormously reduced. (Herrmann, Ned. The Whole Brain Business Book. P 40-46. NY:McGraw-Hill, 1996.)

Will

The region of brain in which the self-will area was found is the prefrontal cortex, a region of the frontal cortex that lies mainly behind the forehead. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 25. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

Paul MacLean, NIHM researcher, believed that willpower resided only in the frontal cortex. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. P 125. NY:Scribner, 1997.)

Willpower can change the brain by activating adaptive circuitry (OCD, stroke, Tourette’s depression). “Volitional effort is effort of attention, thus the essential phenomenon of will.” (Schwartz, Jeffrey M., MD, and Sharon Begley. The Mind & the Brain. P 250, 316-317. NY:Regan Books, 2002.)

Word Meaning

Analysis of word meaning is carried out either in or very close to Wernicke’s area, a patch of cortex that is splayed over the tope and back of the temporal lobe, edging up to the parietal lobe. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. P 151. CA:University of California Press, 1998.)

Writers