PSYCH 2NF3 MIDTERM 1 | QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
| 2026 UPDATE | GRADED A+.
Spinal Cord Answer - Conveys information into the brain and sends
information from the brain to the muscles about movement.
Brain stem Answer - Mediates regulatory functions like eating and drinking
Forebrain Answer - Mediates cognitive functioning
Descartes' Mind-Body Problem Answer - 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 Answer - 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? Answer - Damage to the frontal
lobe usually results in motor impairment of movements with the contralateral
(opposite) side of the body. Since damage to the left frontal lobe is associated
with aphasia, it would be associated with motor impairments on the right side
,Wernicke's main contribution Answer - - 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 Answer - - 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 Answer - - Functional neuroimaging
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Managed health care
Why is neuropsychological testing particularly useful in cases of closed-head
injuries? Answer - - 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 Answer - -
Individual variation in cerebral organization can be attributed to a myriad of
factors, such as sex, handedness, age, education, culture, and life experiences
- 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
Answer - - 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. Answer - - 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? Answer - 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 Answer - 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. Answer - - CNS encased in bone
| 2026 UPDATE | GRADED A+.
Spinal Cord Answer - Conveys information into the brain and sends
information from the brain to the muscles about movement.
Brain stem Answer - Mediates regulatory functions like eating and drinking
Forebrain Answer - Mediates cognitive functioning
Descartes' Mind-Body Problem Answer - 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 Answer - 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? Answer - Damage to the frontal
lobe usually results in motor impairment of movements with the contralateral
(opposite) side of the body. Since damage to the left frontal lobe is associated
with aphasia, it would be associated with motor impairments on the right side
,Wernicke's main contribution Answer - - 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 Answer - - 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 Answer - - Functional neuroimaging
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Managed health care
Why is neuropsychological testing particularly useful in cases of closed-head
injuries? Answer - - 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 Answer - -
Individual variation in cerebral organization can be attributed to a myriad of
factors, such as sex, handedness, age, education, culture, and life experiences
- 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
Answer - - 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. Answer - - 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? Answer - 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 Answer - 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. Answer - - CNS encased in bone
