Submitted for course SSC 130
Essentials of Psychology
February 20, 2013
Assignment number 05020600
THE CASE STUDY OF:
THE FALLEN ATHLETE (P.79)
1. In the story,” The right side of Tim’s body was paralyzed and he was having great difficulty trying to talk”. Thus, it suggests that the left hemisphere of Tim’s brain suffered during his stroke, because language processing occur more in the left side if the brain. In general, the left hemisphere concentrates more on tasks that require verbal competence, such as speaking, reading, thinking, and reasoning.
2. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology would be best reveal the location and extent of damage to Tim’s brain produced by his stroke. Because fMRI scans provide a detailed, three-dimensional computer-generated image of brain structures and activity by aiming a powerful magnetic field at the body. With fMRI scanning, it is possible to produce vivid, detailed images of the functioning of the brain.
3. The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. Thus losing a sensation on the left side of his body: the damage might be in the right thalamus, because it acts primarily as a relay station for information about the senses. Another damage of losing sensation and vision might be in the sensory area of the cortex, it includes three regions: one that corresponds primarily to body sensations, one is relating to sight and a third relating to sound.
A sudden change of behavior might be due to damage in the region of the cerebral cortex known as the association areas, which generally are considered to be the site of higher mental processes. When parts of the association areas are damaged, people undergo personality changes that affect their ability to make moral judgments and process emotions.
4. In keeping Tim’s body performing optimally whether he was exercising or relaxing, the endocrine system, which is a chemical communication, played a role