PSY 378 Cognitive Disabilities
We have an amazing array of mental abilities, distinct from any other living or artificial system. But many of the underlying functions are fragile and can change with time or due to adverse events. This course explores the resultant cognitive disabilities from both a behavioral and neurological perspective. Attention is given to how changes to the brain can result in changes to one's world, as well as to the resiliency of many individuals and the ways in which we can support those with deficits. Core cognitive areas that are considered include attention, space perception, social cognitive, learning and memory, executive function, and language. Related deficits include perceptual deficits (e.g., prosopagnosia or face blindness), executive function and attention deficits (e.g., ADHD), memory deficits including amnesia and dementia, language deficits (e.g., dyslexia), and developmental disorders including autism and changes due to typical and pathological aging.