Cognition

For the topic of this paper, you will want to find a cognitive impairment for which research has been conducted that has ultimately led to a theory of typical cognitive functioning. To use the example in the syllabus, you would describe prosopagnosia and then discuss how research into which parts of the brain are involved in this condition led to theories of typical facial recognition. Other conditions you might consider could be traumatic brain injury, dementia, depression, stroke, epilepsy, etc. By researching individuals with conditions such as these psychologists have been able to learn more about how typical brain functions work (i.e., if someone with epilepsy loses the ability to speak, researchers might be able to learn more about which parts of the brain are involved in speech production).

Here is a sample outline for how you might set up your final paper. Do not plug information into this outline and submit it. You need to write your paper using APA style formatting (see this website for information on how to do so: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html). This outline is meant to help you plan and organize your paper before you start to write it.

1. Introduction

a. Briefly describe the cognitive impairment you chose and the typical process for which research on this impairment has provided evidence.

2. Section 1 – Discuss the cognitive impairment

a. Provide a detailed description of the impairment

3. Section 2 – Describe the typical cognitive process that was better understood based off of research on the cognitive impairment you described in section 1

a. Describe the typical cognitive process and the theory that was developed

b. Describe the research on both clinical and non-clinical populations that was used to develop the theory

4. Section 3 – Limitations/Areas for Future Research

a. What do you think of this theory?

b. What limitations are there to the research that has been conducted?

c. What are some questions for future research?

5. Conclusion

a. Provide a brief summary of your paper and offer some concluding thoughts

Other things to remember:

Research your topic using the UMGC library .

Choose at least five (5) peer-reviewed resources to support your research.