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recuperative theory

a traditional but contested theory that the function of sleep is to allow recovery from mental or physical fatigue, to regather resources, or to reestablish internal homeostasis.

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Psychology term of the day

November 23rd 2024

occipital lobe

occipital lobe

the most posterior (rearward) subdivision of each cerebral hemisphere, roughly shaped like a pyramid and lying under the skull’s occipital bone. It contains several visual areas that receive and process visual stimuli, and it is involved in basic visual functions (e.g., visual acuity; contrast sensitivity; perception of color, form, and motion) as well as higher level ones (e.g., figure-ground segregation based on textural cues). A region of it, the occipital face area (OFA), has been identified as crucial to face recognition. See also fusiform gyrus.