Neuropsychology
| Course Code | BPS306 |
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| Fee Code | S3 |
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| Number of Assignments | 10 |
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| Duration (approx) | 100 hours |
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Our behaviour, personality and thought processes are affected by neurobiological processes and can be altered by any damage to our nervous system. Phineas Gage is a good example of how brain damage can affect our person’s behaviour.
Phineas Gage was a railway worker. An explosion occurred and forced an iron rod into his head in 1848. He survived. However, before the incident, he was a mild-mannered responsible man. After he became violent and impulsive. The rod damaged his frontal Cortex. This provided support for the idea that this is the area of the brain that is responsible for the control of impulsive behaviour. This shows how naturally occurring brain damage can tell us more about brain function.
This course covers this and more -
Course Structure
The course is divided into ten lessons as follows:
- Foundations of Neuropsychology
- Neurophysiology
- Neuroanatomy
- Laterality and Callosal Syndromes
- Cognition, Personality and Emotion
- Perception Disorders
- Motor Disorders
- Language
- Dementia
- Neurodevelopment
Aims
- To describe the relevance of neuropsychology to managing psychological disorders.
- To explain the physiology of the nervous system.
- To describe the anatomy of the nervous system.
- To describe how conditions within the brain affect the way in which a person is physically capable or incapable of performing a variety of different tasks.
- To explain how various aspects of a person’s thought processes may vary according to that person’s neurobiology.
- To describe a variety of perceptual disorders.
- To explain a variety of motor disorders.
- To explain the neuropsychology of language.
- To differentiate between different dementias.
- To explain aspects of development in neuropsychological terms.
Examples: WHAT YOU MAY DO IN THIS COURSE
Learn about the development of Neuropsychology and techniques used in human neuropsychological studies.
Describe the Neuroanatomy of -
-Brainstem
-Cerebellum and cerebral cortex
-Organisation of the cerebral cortex
-Cranial nerves , brain covering, ventricular system, arteries
-Brain malfunction
-Visual system
-Other systems;
- Determine why there is laterality;
- Discuss callosal syndrome;
- Discuss and compare theories of frontal lobe function;
- Contrast normal aspects and abnormal aspects of emotion from a neuropsychological perspective;
- Develop a diagnostic table of perceptual disorders;
- Determine how the brain perceives faces;
- Discuss language formation;
- Describe language disorders;
- Develop a table of kind of dementia;
- Learn how recovery of function is affected across age spans.
Are you interested in how the mind and body work together? Have a look at these courses
Biopsychology I http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Biopsychology-I-312.aspx
Biopsychology II http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Biopsychology-II-348.aspx
Psychopharmacology http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Psychopharmacology-Drugs-Psychology-341.aspx
Certificate in Biopsychology http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Certificate-In-Biopsychology-397.aspx
Or if you are not sure if psychology is for you, why not try our Introduction to Psychology - http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/product.aspx?id=359
If you would like to see our range of psychology books, please visit - http://www.acsbookshop.com/books_productcategory.aspx?id=14
For more information on the range of careers available in psychology, have a look at - http://www.thecareersguide.com/articles.aspx?category=14
We have some interesting articles on psychology and counseling at - http://www.acs.edu.au/psychol/
Cognitive neuropsychology is the area of psychology that studies brain-damaged patients to understand the workings of our brain. The only difficulty with this is that we do not know the person’s behaviour prior to the damage so it is hard to ascertain the difference. Also, often single case studies are used, as this type of damage is relatively rare. So often, findings are based on the findings from only one person and may not be generalisable to the rest of the population.
Our brain is constructed of two hemispheres which are responsible for different facets of human personality and behaviour. Despite some essential differences in some functions, these hemispheres communicate through inter-hemispheric neural connections, most through the corpus callosum. This communication allows the brain to integrate different elements to produce coordinated, apparently seamless action and a unified personality.
Take this course to find out more!
Develop your understanding of the way a person’s psychology is affected by anatomical and physiological characteristics of that person’s neurological system.