A neuropsychologist is a psychologist who specializes in studying brain behavior relationships. Neuropsychologists have extensive training in the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the nervous system. Some neuropsychologists specialize in research while other neuropsychologists specialize in evaluating and treating people who are thought to have something wrong with the way in which their nervous system is functioning.
Neuropsychologists study brain behavior relationships under very specific circumstances which are both controlled and standardized. As a general rule, this means using tests which have been validated and which have been shown to have acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity. This means the test can measure the thing it is trying to measure even when the thing it is trying to measure is only present in small amounts and it also means the test can distinguish the thing it is trying to measure from other things.
If we wish to measure a thing "A" then the test has to be able to measure "A" even when very little of "A" is present; this is sensitivity. Specificity means when we measure "A" with our test, we know that the test does not measure "B", "C," or "D."
Clinical neuropsychologists evaluate patients using one of three general methods. The first method is to use an assessment technique in which a fixed battery of tests is given and in which we only want to know what functions are impaired and what functions are not impaired.
The most commonly used representative of this type of test is the Halstead - Reitan Neuropsychological Battery. The second method is to use an assessment technique in which a fixed battery of tests is given but in this method there is a hierarchical each subtest so that if a function is impaired, the level at which it is impaired can be determined. The most common representative of this type of test is the Luria - Nebraska. Common to both of these tests is a long history of research studies examining the ability of the two batteries to measure dysfunction of the brain and to accurately identify why that dysfunction is occurring.
The third method used by neuropsychologists is the flexible battery approach. By definition, the flexible approach is not a battery because when one uses this approach one gives a group of tests allegedly picked for just the particular patient. This means that the particular group of tests is not given to other patients and it is not
...however issues such as reliability, validity and bias occur when studying brain damaged patients therefore is not always a valid way of studying working memory (in Smith, 2007).
Many of the studies involve the participants sitting a neuropsychological test and compared their results. Neuropsychological tests are designed to examine cognitive abilities, such as speed information processing, memory, language attention and executive functions. Neuropsychological testing is important for assessing and treating traumatic brain injury, but also important for testing and examining the effects of medical conditions on brain functioning (Iverson et al., 2004). A Neuropsychological test that is frequently used through out these studies is known as ImPACT.
... to one single neuron, eliminating cats and other animals from brain altering tests (“Alternatives” 2-4).
Among the numerous components in the human body, the brain ranks superior due to its vital role in maintaining a suitable environment for life to continue. Injuries and conditions that affect this system have the ability to cause severe and life-threatening damage, which is why doctors that specialize in this field of medicine are so indispensable to healthcare institutions. According to healthline.com, a neurologist is a physician who has undergone additional training to diagnose and treat disorders of the nervous system. The nervous system includes the brain and the nerves that send signals to allow the body to function properly. However, many neurologists specialize in more specific conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. They can also treat injuries such as concussions or strokes. Additionally, a neurologist can work as a reference for other physicians by advising them about the effects of certain medical conditions like AIDS or substances such as drugs and alcohol on the nervous system. (Hoyle)
The experimental design of the research involves the organization of an experiment to effectively test the study’s hypothesis. In addition, it involves setting up proper manipulations and measurements of an experiment. To test this specific hypothesis, the researcher will need significant resources, such as direct scanners, to test and analyze the variables. The variables in the study will include the plasticity of the human brain during different life stages and the age differences between individuals. The experimental design includes independent and dependent variables, which the researcher will thoroughly test and
Cognitive psychology is the study of the brains internal processes that guide behaviour; to study cognition, psychologists examine case studies of patients with damaged brains that can infer areas, and functions involved in particular processes. Patient studies have provided insights into the processes that take place within our minds, and have enabled psychologists to create models, which can be tested and fractionated. Cognitive neuropsychology has developed from cognitive psychology to become a discipline in its own right; it investigates the function and structures of the brain involved in cognitive processes and should not be confused with cognitive neuroscience, which is primarily concerned with neural structures and their functions.
Sullivan, S. J., Hammond-Tooke, G. D., Schneiders, A. G., Gray, A. R., & McCrory, P. (2012). The diagnostic accuracy of selected neurological tests. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 19. 423-427. doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2011.09.011
Another way of psychologists uses to study the brain by studying the electrical activity created by the firing of its neurons. In this method psychologists used one that can be used on living humans, is electroencephalography (EEG). This can be so useful method because an EEG can show if a person is asleep, awake, or
The recent advances in non-invasive brain imaging, increased computational power, and advances in signal processing methods have heightened the research in this area. As we make progress in interpreting noninvasive brain signals in time we will begin to explore applications that go beyond treatment. But for now these noninvasive methods of estimating brain activity is still something to be cautious about since it only measures the brain’s blood, oxygen consumption, glucose utilization, and more. These measurements may not be accurate enough to figure out one person’s problem. The problem again might be internal and measuring only the obvious would not aid in figuring it all out.
Neuropsychologist A neuropsychologist is a professional in the field of psychology that focuses on the interrelationships between neurological processes and behavior. They work as a team with neurologists, neurosurgeons, and primary care physicians. Neuropsychologists extensively study the anatomy, pathology, and physiology of the nervous system (http://www.tbidoc.com/Appel2.html). Clinical neuropsychologists then apply this knowledge to the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or rehabilitation of patients across the lifespan with medical, neurodevelopmental, neurological and psychiatric conditions, as well as other cognitive and learning disorders (http://nanonline.org/content/text/paio/defneuropsych.shtm).
Neuropsychology is a branch of general psychology that is concerned with how the brain and the rest of the nervous system influence cognition and behavior. Professionals in this branch make it a goal to understand of how the brain influences cognitive functions and behavior. In fact, modern neuropsychology has roots that began in the 19th century. During this time, some of the first neuropsychologists studied animals and humans with brain and nervous system injuries. The significance of neuropsychology is subject to urgent brain trauma, which could cause complete loss of functionality of the body. The study of neuropsychology helps doctors understand how brain malfunctions occur.
Clinical psychology aims to understand, treat and prevent psychological distress and dysfunction thus to encourage good health, good adaptive thinking and a healthy lifestyle. People working in this field research into mental dysfunction suffered by the patients, assess their cognitive state of mind and perform psychotherapy to decrease the psychological symptoms and/ or the underlying causes.
The technologies used by the researchers range from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that measures the changes in the different parts of the brain, to Steady state topography (SST) an...
This normative base was especially important because such factors as age and development are crucial to the interpretation of scores. The scoring of Bender-Gestalt II was designed to assess visual-motor integration functioning. Thus, it is helpful in differentiating the neurological, learning and psychological problems. Basically when interpreting the test scores for the Bender-Gestalt test II of copy and recall phase have been converted to standard scores and percentile scores, the mean is 100 and standard deviation is 15. The classification of scores ranges from 145-160 (extremely advanced or high) to 40-54 (extremely low or moderately delayed) (Brannigan et al.,