Homework assignment #3
Homework assignment #4
Homework assignment #3
Homework assignment #4
This assignment is based on an article by Oliver
Sacks, called ìThe Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hatî that
is on reserve at the library. Please give brief (1 or 2 sentences) answers
to the following questions. Your answers must be typed, double-spaced,
and in your own words. If they are copied directly from the article,
you will not receive credit.
1. Briefly describe the most important deficits shown by Dr. P.
2. What are some of the things that Dr. P. was still able to do?
3. Based on the information given, approximately where in the brain do you think the damage was (left or right, anterior or posterior?). Which symptoms lead you to this conclusion?
4. Why do you think Dr. P. was able to recognize a dodecahedron but not a rose?
Due: Oct. 3
This assignment is based on an article Carlo
Semenza, called ìHow Names are Special: Neuropsychological
Evidence for Dissociable Impairment and Sparing
of Proper Name Knowledge in Productionî that is on reserve at the
library. Please give brief (1 or 2 sentences) answers to the following
questions. Your answers must be typed, double-spaced, and in your
own words. If they are copied directly from the article, you will
not receive credit.
1. Briefly describe the most important deficits shown by P.C. and L. S.
2. What are some of the things that P.C. and L. S. were still able to do?
3. What could R. I. do and not do?
4. Briefly describe Semenzaís explanation for how proper names differ from other nouns. Can you think of any other way they differ that might account for why a person could be impaired for one but not the other?
5. Why was it important to demonstrate a double-dissociation? What alternative explanation for P.C. and L. S.í problems does this rule out?
Due: Oct. 24
This assignment is based on an two articles by Bechara et al. that
are on reserve at the library. One is from the journal Cognition, titled,
"Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal
cortex", and the other from Science and is titled "Deciding advantageously
before knowing the advantageous strategy". Please give brief (1 or 2 sentences)
answers to the following questions. Your answers must be typed, double-spaced,
and in your own words. If they are copied directly from the article, you
will not receive credit.
1. Briefly describe the pattern of choice performance made by the patients with ventromedial frontal lobe lesions that lead the authors to their conclusions in the Cognition article.
2. Briefly describe the further evidence obtained in the Science article using GSRs and verbal reports.
3. Why would it be incorrect to simply say that these patients are insensitive to the effects of punishment?
4. Do the patients' errors appear to be due to impaired reasoning or to impaired emotional response? What is the evidence?
5. How do you think the results obtained in the gambling task might be related to the patients' (or other peoples') everyday behavior outside of the lab?
Due: Nov. 7
This assignment is based on an article by Nudo
et al. called "Neural substrates for the effects of rehabilitative training
on motor recovery after ischemic infarct" that is on reserve at the library.
Please give brief (1 or 2 sentences) answers to the following questions.
Your answers must be typed, double-spaced, and in your own words. If they
are copied directly from the article, you will not receive credit.
2. In a previous study the authors had found different results. What had they found, and to what did they attribute the difference between the two studies?
3. What implications might this have for people who
have become paralyzed as a result of a stroke?
Due: Nov. 16