This online neuropsychology course introduces itself by first looking at the wider subject of psychology and the various areas within this, before establishing the aims of neuropsychology. To give the subject context you are provided with its history, how it is applied in everyday settings, and the questions it sets out to answer.
You don’t need an encyclopaedic knowledge of the brain’s anatomy to study the concepts of neuropsychology. However, a good grasp of some terminology and how the various systems of the brain function both independently and together will aid you in understanding the research put forward by neuropsychologists. To ensure you have the information you need, the Neuropsychology Diploma Course guides you through the basics of brain anatomy and biological functions associated with the human brain and nervous system. You’ll explore the major areas of the brain and how different cell types transmit signals to one another.
To expand their knowledge of the how the human brain and nervous systems work, neuropsychologists use various research methods and technologies to collect data, including the use of Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computer Tomography (CT), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). The course covers how each of these methods is used to provide reliable results and the importance of using group, rather than individual, case studies. You’ll also look at the topic of ethics, including the use of animals in research.
A large and consistent question that has been around since the inception of psychology, is that of the relationship between brain and mind or brain and the “soul”. How the physical can produce the experience of consciousness and whether the brain and mind are distinct from one another. The Neuropsychology Course discusses how the brain generates conscious states, including sleep, hypnosis, stupor and coma, and goes even further by looking at how neuropsychology views free will and the possible existence of a human soul.
Our perception of the world comes about by our brain’s ability to receive sensory input from our five main senses. You’ll learn how each of the sense organs works to receive input and how the brain makes sense of this external stimuli to provide us with the experience of sound, taste, smell, etc. In addition to looking at how the brain usually functions you’ll also learn how damage to the brain can disrupt this process, with phantom limb syndrome and synaesthesia covered extensively.
Humans have a uniquely complex capacity for language. You’ll discover how we develop the ability to speak and process language – looking at the stages we go through, from childhood to adulthood, and how some people become bilingual. The Neuropsychology Diploma Course will teach you about disorders of language, such as agraphia and dyslexia, and how brain damage can affect language usage.
The purposes and various types of memory are discussed in the course, including an analysis of which parts of the brain are responsible for the storage and retrieval of memories. You’ll be exposed to the way memory is studied, what happens when particular parts of the brain are damaged, and an explanation of confabulation.
The course addresses mental health problems - looking at what they are and the consensus in Western medicine regarding their causes and treatment. You’ll explore the explanations, risk factors and treatments of the following disorders: depression, anxiety (including phobia), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
Emotions are a fundamental part of human experience. The Neuropsychology Diploma Course discusses emotional processing and expressions, including whether this differs between cultures and whether facial expressions are something that are learned or hardwired from birth. You’ll also explore the areas of the brain that are responsible for emotion production and regulation and how brain damage and dysfunction can cause difficulties in this and in understanding emotion.
