PSYCH 2NF3 MIDTERM 1 EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026
VERIFIED.
Spinal Cord - ANS Conveys information into the brain and sends information from the
brain to the muscles about movement.
Brain stem - ANS Mediates regulatory functions like eating and drinking
Forebrain - ANS Mediates cognitive functioning
Descartes' Mind-Body Problem - ANS Descartes believed the mind and body were
separate entities. He viewed the nonmaterial mind as controlling the material body through the
pineal body in the brain.
Darwin's Theory - ANS Inspired the study of nervous system functions in different species
for comparison with one another. If all animals, including humans, have a common ancestor,
then there will be similarities across species in brain structure and function.
Why is aphasia following a stroke usually associated with paralysis or difficulty with movement
on the right side of the body? - ANS Damage to the frontal lobe usually results in motor
impairment of movements with the contralateral (opposite) side of the body. Since damage to
1
,the left frontal lobe is associated with aphasia, it would be associated with motor impairments
on the right side
Wernicke's main contribution - ANS - Created first model of how the brain produces
language
- Damage to left temporal lobe results in the inability to understand language, speech
movements from Broca's area remain intact, hearing also preserved
- Introduced idea that independent modules handled different aspects of language processing,
despite working together
John Hughlings-Jackson's Hierarchial Organization - ANS - Suggested the spinal cord,
brainstem, and forebrain had developed successively, in that order, during evolution
- Earlier-evolved animals and animals with injuries at higher levels would have simpler
behaviours
3 factors that have enhanced the rate of change in clinical neuropsychology in the past 15 to 20
years - ANS - Functional neuroimaging
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Managed health care
Why is neuropsychological testing particularly useful in cases of closed-head injuries? -
ANS - It is often the only way to document deficits (cognitive, emotional, or behavioural).
- In many cases no structural deficits revealed via brain imaging
- Most clinical brain imaging only addresses structure, not function
3 difficulties with cutoff scores in neuropsychological test batteries - ANS - Individual
variation in cerebral organization can be attributed to a myriad of factors, such as sex,
handedness, age, education, culture, and life experiences
2
, - Test-taking strategy could lead to different brain regions being recruited to solve these
problems.
- Premorbid intelligence will play a role in problem-solving ability
Challenges to neuropsychological testing that managed health care poses - ANS -
Clinicians often asked to reduce number of tests administered during neuropsychological
evaluation, to save on both cost of the assessments and time
- Neuroimaging obtains faster results
Identify some factors that can make interpretation of neuropsychological tests difficult. -
ANS - Age, ethnicity and cultural background, sex, and handedness, as well as other
demographic variables
- Premorbid intelligence poses a particular challenge because higher intelligence changes
expectations of the examiner
- Neuropsychological assessments have to be more flexible in determining "impairment," but
that flexibility is what could lead to misinterpretation
Why is post injury intelligence testing not necessarily useful? - ANS You cannot ascribe
any low IQ score to brain damage without knowing the premorbid level of functioning. There
are ways to generate estimates based on socioeconomic status and education/occupation, but
this is an informal method.
Describe the problem of effort - ANS Some individuals wish to exaggerate their cognitive
deficits and will not put forth as much effort during the assessment. It poses a problem because
suboptimal effort has been shown to produce a greater impact on performance than does
actual brain damage. Therefore, neuropsychologists have to somehow be able to account for
any malingering in order to know they are assessing a real deficit.
Identify and describe four ways that the brain and spinal cord are protected from injury and
infection. - ANS - CNS encased in bone
3
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026
VERIFIED.
Spinal Cord - ANS Conveys information into the brain and sends information from the
brain to the muscles about movement.
Brain stem - ANS Mediates regulatory functions like eating and drinking
Forebrain - ANS Mediates cognitive functioning
Descartes' Mind-Body Problem - ANS Descartes believed the mind and body were
separate entities. He viewed the nonmaterial mind as controlling the material body through the
pineal body in the brain.
Darwin's Theory - ANS Inspired the study of nervous system functions in different species
for comparison with one another. If all animals, including humans, have a common ancestor,
then there will be similarities across species in brain structure and function.
Why is aphasia following a stroke usually associated with paralysis or difficulty with movement
on the right side of the body? - ANS Damage to the frontal lobe usually results in motor
impairment of movements with the contralateral (opposite) side of the body. Since damage to
1
,the left frontal lobe is associated with aphasia, it would be associated with motor impairments
on the right side
Wernicke's main contribution - ANS - Created first model of how the brain produces
language
- Damage to left temporal lobe results in the inability to understand language, speech
movements from Broca's area remain intact, hearing also preserved
- Introduced idea that independent modules handled different aspects of language processing,
despite working together
John Hughlings-Jackson's Hierarchial Organization - ANS - Suggested the spinal cord,
brainstem, and forebrain had developed successively, in that order, during evolution
- Earlier-evolved animals and animals with injuries at higher levels would have simpler
behaviours
3 factors that have enhanced the rate of change in clinical neuropsychology in the past 15 to 20
years - ANS - Functional neuroimaging
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Managed health care
Why is neuropsychological testing particularly useful in cases of closed-head injuries? -
ANS - It is often the only way to document deficits (cognitive, emotional, or behavioural).
- In many cases no structural deficits revealed via brain imaging
- Most clinical brain imaging only addresses structure, not function
3 difficulties with cutoff scores in neuropsychological test batteries - ANS - Individual
variation in cerebral organization can be attributed to a myriad of factors, such as sex,
handedness, age, education, culture, and life experiences
2
, - Test-taking strategy could lead to different brain regions being recruited to solve these
problems.
- Premorbid intelligence will play a role in problem-solving ability
Challenges to neuropsychological testing that managed health care poses - ANS -
Clinicians often asked to reduce number of tests administered during neuropsychological
evaluation, to save on both cost of the assessments and time
- Neuroimaging obtains faster results
Identify some factors that can make interpretation of neuropsychological tests difficult. -
ANS - Age, ethnicity and cultural background, sex, and handedness, as well as other
demographic variables
- Premorbid intelligence poses a particular challenge because higher intelligence changes
expectations of the examiner
- Neuropsychological assessments have to be more flexible in determining "impairment," but
that flexibility is what could lead to misinterpretation
Why is post injury intelligence testing not necessarily useful? - ANS You cannot ascribe
any low IQ score to brain damage without knowing the premorbid level of functioning. There
are ways to generate estimates based on socioeconomic status and education/occupation, but
this is an informal method.
Describe the problem of effort - ANS Some individuals wish to exaggerate their cognitive
deficits and will not put forth as much effort during the assessment. It poses a problem because
suboptimal effort has been shown to produce a greater impact on performance than does
actual brain damage. Therefore, neuropsychologists have to somehow be able to account for
any malingering in order to know they are assessing a real deficit.
Identify and describe four ways that the brain and spinal cord are protected from injury and
infection. - ANS - CNS encased in bone
3
