The brain is divided into two halves, called hemispheres. Clinically, they are described as the “dominant” and “non-dominant” hemispheres. The dominant hemisphere is generally the half in which language abilities are housed, which for most people is the left (about 99% of right-handed people and 85% of left-handed people). While all aspects of thinking use both the left and right halves of your brain, certain functions are thought to be lateralized, or more strongly associated, with specific hemispheres.

Each hemisphere can be divided into specific areas called lobes (frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital), as well as lower brain structures, the cerebellum and the brain stem. Each of these areas are generally associated with specific brain functions.

FRONTAL LOBES •Higher-order thinking •Problem-solving •Abstract reasoning •Emotional control •Decision-making •Planning and organization •Behavioral regulation •Motor skills •Speech production •Memory retrieval	TEMPORAL LOBES •Learning and memory •Language comprehension •Auditory perception	PARIETAL LOBES •Spatial perception •Object recognition •Writing •Drawing •Reading •Math •Attention
OCCIPITAL LOBES • Vision	CEREBELLUM •Balance •Coordination •May be associated with higher-order thinking abilities	BRAIN STEM (AND MIDBRAIN) •Orientation and arousal •Regulation of bodily functions (i.e. breathing, sleep, blood pressure) •Movement and sensation