The module is co-ordinated by Prof Chris Barry, to whom queries should be addressed.

This module will provide an introduction to one of the major areas of research activity in the Department of Psychology at Essex. It will investigate ways in which our ability to read words, or to recognise and name objects and faces, can break down as a consequence of brain injury (stroke, closed head injury, dementia, etc.). For example, we will examine the reading performance of patients with acquired dyslexia who have impaired reading following brain injury, and patients with prosopagnosia who are unable to recognize familiar faces following brain injury. We will also look at Capgras delusion where a patient believes that a loved-one has been replaced by an imposter. The emphasis will be on the functional nature of the cognitive impairments. Consequently, we will try to understand the pattern of impaired performance in terms of models taken from Cognitive Psychology.

Cognitive Neuropsychology (PS481) aims to:
a) Examine a variety of different types of impairment to the cognitive processes involved in processing words, objects and faces from a functional perspective.
b) Investigate the contrasts between different types of neuropsychological disorder.
c) Explain the impairments in terms of models of cognitive processing.

At the end of the module, students should be able to:
a) Describe a broad range of impairments to the processes involved in reading, spelling, and repeating words.
b) Describe a broad range of impairments to the processes involved in recognising and naming objects and identifying faces.
c) Compare and contrast different forms of neuropsychological disorder.
d) Discuss interpretations of these disorders in terms of current models of cognitive processing.