Clinical Psych Exam #3- Neuropsychology

What is neuropsychology

Field of study that seeks to understand how brain processes make human behavior and psychological functions possible

Study a wide range of abilities, including

cognitive functioning, motor functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning

What is the primary activity of clinical neuropsychologists

assessment

What settings do neuropsychologists work in

hospital, rehabilitation, clinic settings, private practice

role of neuropsychological assessment

Test to determine whether or not the person shows patterns of impairment suggestive of brain damage, and if so, to what brain regions.

Localization of function (Gall & Spurzheim)

different psychological functions are controlled by different brain areas

What is neuropsychology based on

theories from the 19th century

Development of assessment(1935): Ward Halstead

founded a neuropsychology lab at University of Chicago, observed people with brain damage, identified 10 measures that could discriminate patients from controls

Split Brain Research: Roger Sperry

Studied the psychological effects of cutting the corpus callosum in the 1960s.

What have researchers documented by comparing the accuracy of the 2 visual fields

unique hemispheric superiorities for a range of cognitive and perceptual tasks.

Lateralization of Function

Each hemisphere is associated with somewhat different functions (left v right brain)

Lateralization of function: then v now

Originally discussed as one hemisphere being dominant and the other non dominant, now we know both have involvment

Goals of Neuropsychological Assessment

establish the nature and severity of patient’s deficits, make an educated guess as to what area of the brain is associated with the issue, identify the particular disease or damage responsible for the pattern of deficits, make recommendations for intervention

Neuropsychological Deficit

Unusually poor performance in comparison to the norms of typical people or in comparison to that patient prior performance.

Process of Neuropsychological Assessment

Informed consent, intake interview, review of available documents (medical records), testing, education/feedback/delivery of assessment report

Assessment approach: Use a pre-determined, standardized battery of tests with all patients

very comprehensive, since you use the same test with everyone, can be conducted by paraprofessionals.

Limits of pre-determined neuropsychological assessment

may be wasting time/money because it assesses things that may be unnecessary.

Assessment approach 2- individualized method

Opening round of tests are used with everyone, but then specific tests are selected based on initial results, tailored to specific referral questions

Guidelines of training clinical neuropsychologists

Specialized training in brain-behavior relationships and the practice of clinical neuropsychology

What are the three core attributions of clinical neuropsychology

validity, application, value

How does validity contribute to the expansion of neuropsychology

ensures we measure what we intend to, in this instance, the connection btwn brain-behavior

How does application contribute to the expansion of neuropsychology

being able to apply findings to new disorders

How does value contribute to the expansion of neuropsychology

ensuring what we are identifying is of value and importance to the patient and other providers