Cognitive neuropsychology facts for kids
Cognitive neuropsychology is a branch of cognitive psychology that aims to understand how the structure and function of the brain relates to specific psychological processes. Cognitive psychology is the science that looks at how the brain's mental processes are responsible for our cognitive abilities to store and produce new memories, produce language, recognize people and objects, as well as our ability to reason and problem solve.
Cognitive neuropsychology places a particular emphasis on studying the cognitive effects of brain injury or neurological illness.
From studies, researchers infer that different areas of the brain are highly specialized.
History
Cognitive neuropsychology considerably started in the second half of the 19th century. The modern science of cognitive neuropsychology emerged during the 1960s as a reaction to behaviorism. Scientists realized that there were other sources of data and consciousness became a major area of interest.
A particular area of interest for cognitive psychologists was memory. By studying patients with amnesia, which was caused by injuries to the medial temporal cortex, scientists were able to determine the affected areas of the brain. A patient with amnesia will not be able to remember events of the previous day, but they will still remember how to tie their shoes, remember a series of numbers for a few seconds and be able to recall historical events they have learned in school. Many other studies like this have been done in the field of neuropsychology examining lesions and the effect they have on certain areas of the brain and their functions.
Images for kids
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"Front and lateral view of the cranium, representing the direction in which the iron traversed its cavity..."
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Broca's area and Wernicke's area.
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Most of Molaison's hippocampus was removed bilaterally.
See also
In Spanish: Neuropsicología cognitiva para niños
