Introduction to Neuropsychology

The study of how the brain influences behavior and cognition, especially in terms of its role in cognitive impairments and mental health issues.

Neuropsychological examinations assess cognitive abilities, emotional functioning, and behavioral patterns. This helps identify potential brain dysfunction and related issues.

Franz Gall was a pioneer in the field. He believed that the size of specific brain areas determined a person's abilities. This led to his theory of phrenology, which was the first attempt to link brain areas to specific functions.

Phrenology was a flawed system that used skull bumps to diagnose personality traits. It was based on the idea that specific brain regions control specific abilities.

The localization theory of brain function suggests that different parts of the brain are responsible for specific functions. This concept was central to Gall's work and has been influential in the development of neuropsychology.

The process of acquiring new information and knowledge.

The ability to store and retrieve information from past experiences.

A type of memory responsible for storing personal experiences and events, including the context of time and place.

A type of memory responsible for holding information temporarily while you are actively processing it.

A type of memory responsible for storing general knowledge and facts about the world.

A type of memory responsible for storing and retrieving information about skills and procedures.

These are tasks related to basic self-care, like bathing, dressing, eating, and moving around.

These are more complex tasks that support independent living, such as managing finances, cooking meals, and using transportation.

A brief screening tool used to assess cognitive impairment in older adults. It measures domains like orientation, memory, attention, calculation, and language.

A longer screening tool that is particularly sensitive to detecting early stages of mild cognitive disorders. It assesses a wider range of cognitive domains including short-term memory, visuospatial abilities, and executive functions.

A brief cognitive test that measures attention, memory, verbal fluency, language, and visuospatial abilities. It's used for the early detection and monitoring of cognitive decline.

The ability to focus mental resources on a specific piece of information, ignoring distractions.

The influence of attention on other cognitive functions like memory, perception, emotions, and language.

The process of selecting specific stimuli to focus on while ignoring others, like filtering out other conversations at a noisy party.

The ability to split your attention between multiple stimuli at once, such as driving while talking on the phone.

The delay in reaction time when encountering incongruent stimuli, like reading the color word 'red' written in blue ink.