The temporal lobe plays a role in many different aspects of cognitive functioning. The temporal lobe contains one of the most important areas in relation to memory, the hippocampus. The hippocampus is highly associated with formation of memories and learning.
The temporal lobe is not only important regarding memory and learning, but also processing of sensory information, such as hearing or vision. Another key region located in the temporal lobe is called “primary auditory cortex”. The primary auditory cortex takes the information received from our ears, and interprets it into meaningful sounds, such as words. The temporal lobe is also an important region in language comprehension, both spoken and sign-language.
Visual information is also partly processed in the temporal lobe. While the occipital lobe is responsible for interpreting most of the visual signals, the temporal lobe interprets more complex information, such as faces or locations.
