3- Intro to neuropsychology Flashcards

Question

Perspectives on the brain and behaviour, there are three theories: 1. MENTALISM

Answer 1

Mentalism- a person's mind or "psyche" is responsible for behaviours. ARISTOTLE He proposed that a nonmaterial psyche was responsible for human thoughts, perceptions, emotions, desire, pain etc. The psyche is independent of the body, but in Aristotle's view, works through the heart.

Answer 2

Descartes- Dualism The mind and the body are separate entities. Whilst the body is material with spatial extent, the mind is nonmaterial without spatial extent. Descartes believed the mind influences the body through the pineal body (a small structure high in the brainstem) Based on idea was that the mind, working through the pineal body, controlled valves that allowed CSF to flow from the ventricles through nerves to muscles, filling them and making them move.

Answer 3

Contemporary perspective MATERIALISM= the idea that rational behaviour can be fully explained by the workings of the nervous system. No need to refer to a non-material mind.

Answer 4

The nervous systems potential for physical and chemical change- enhances adaptability to environmental change and ability to compensate for injury.

Answer 5

Suggests different brain regions are specialised for particular functions. Franz Josef Gall believed skull bumps indicated well-developed brain areas responsible for specific traits. Gall's theory of phrenology proved inaccurate, laid groundwork for idea that different brain parts have distinct roles

Answer 6

Principle that certain functions are primarily controlled by one side of the brain. The discovery that language is largely localized in the left hemisphere, with Broca's area involved in speech production and Wernicke's area in language comprehension.

Answer 7

This concept posits that even though different brain regions have specific functions, they need to communicate effectively to produce complex behaviours. Damage to connections between brain areas, rather than damage to the areas themselves, can disrupt these interactions, leading to impairments. For instance, conduction aphasia, where individuals struggle to repeat heard words, results from damage to the connection between Broca's and Wernicke's areas

Answer 8

The brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways. This neuroplasticity is the nervous system’s potential for change that enhances its adaptability to environmental change and its ability to compensate for injury. Although all function may not be recovered after injury, the brain is capable of adapting its structure and function. Studies in animals where large portions of the cortex were removed demonstrated that the remaining brain could compensate for lost functions, highlighting the brain's remarkable plasticity and its potential for recovery

Answer 9

This concept suggests that the brain processes information in a hierarchical manner, with simpler functions handled by lower levels and increasingly complex functions handled by higher levels. The brainstem and spinal cord can take over some basic functions when the cortex is damaged, supporting the hierarchical view of brain organization

3- Intro to neuropsychology Flashcards

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