Chapter 2- Study Designs

What does neuropsychology study

The relationship between brain function and behavior

What are lesion and stimulation studies used for

To observe how specific brain areas affect behavior

What are clinical neuropsychological methods based on

Studying real-world cases of brain injury or disease

What are examples of causes of brain damage

TBI stroke dementia tumors toxins oxygen deprivation or developmental disease

What determines the type of memory problems after brain injury

The cause and anatomical location of the damage

What is a neuropsychological group design

A method comparing patients with a control group matched on age intelligence and education

How can a neuropsychological group be defined

By behavioral deficit disease or lesion location

Why are people with brain damage important for research

They help identify brain areas linked to cognitive functions and guide treatment

Why can neuropsychological data be hard to interpret

Because memory problems can be influenced by multiple factors beyond the lesion

Why is generalization difficult in neuropsychology

No two patients or brain injuries are the same

Why can brain damage results change over time

Because brain damage can be progressive and spread beyond the initial site

What question do researchers ask about neuron damage

Can we prevent further neuron damage

Who was patient HM

A man who lost his ability to form new episodic long term memories after hippocampus removal

What did HM’s case show

That episodic long term memory is separate from other cognitive abilities

What did HM demonstrate about the brain

The importance of anatomical location to specific cognitive functions

What did HM reveal about different memory systems

That memory intelligence and explicit and implicit systems are separate

What is a dissociation

When one mental process is impaired but another remains intact showing separate systems

What must support a dissociation before drawing conclusions

Similar cases and coherence with normal memory research

What is a double dissociation

Two opposite patients or groups where one has intact LTM but impaired STM and the other the reverse

Why is double dissociation useful

It helps pinpoint which brain areas are responsible for specific functions

What are challenges of double dissociation

Few patients with complementary lesions and lesions may disrupt connecting fibers

Why are multiple dissociations hard to use

Theories with many processes make triple or quadruple dissociations impractical

What are converging operations

Series of experiments using different groups and methods to answer the same question

Why are converging operations important

They strengthen confidence in brain behavior findings through consistent results

What is the main goal of neuropsychology

To link specific brain structures to behavior and cognitive functions