Cognitive Science

Cognitive Science is the field of psychology that combines a number of fields (psychology, anatomy, medicine, neurology, and technology) to determine how people think.  Psychological assessment has used computers for years.  More and more types of psychological tests are being created for computer use.  As professionals become concerned about the way individual people function following discovery of disease, brain injuries or the determination of problems with learning, it becomes important to determine how a specific person thinks and interacts in their environment.  That allows for the best applications of structured rehabilitation plans, assessment protocols, and strategic interventions within the environment to help the individual gain the most optimal functional abilities and to maintain those gains in every day life. 

I've had a couple of head injuries.  Both were considered mild.  One was in 1985 the other was in 1997.  I was a psychologist at the time of both injuries.  I became a neuropsychologist after the first injury.  Following the second injury, I realized that some of the research in the field of neuropsychology was lacking some information.  In the past 12 years the field of neuropsychology has expanded exponentially.  As neuropsychologists we now recognize that there are hundreds of thousands of people impacted by head injury on an annual basis.  The impact of multiple concussive injuries is starting to be understood and the data base is moving from male professional athletes to the general population as a whole.  Data on the elderly and head injury including people considered old-old (over age 80) is substantially increasing.  The impact of medical conditions and head injury is starting to be understood.  As medical conditions, medications, and brain function becomes better understood we gain greater insight into how medications interact with neural functioning, and the field of psycho-neuro-immunology (the impact of thinking) on immunology is expanding.  The body is an integrated machine.  The heart, brain, and kidneys all function as a system to circulate blood and nutrients to keep the body able to function and the brain able to think.  Changes in blood flow and kidney function change how the brain works.  That system is being increasingly understood.  Our returning veterans having sustained multiple concussive injuries from rocket-propelled grenade blasts and improvised explosive devices will provide even greater information on the impact of multiple mild head injuries.  The numbers of people impacted by head injury will prompt greater advances in rehabilitation, protections for further injury and rehabilitation efforts.

Computers have the ability to speak to people, read for them, and provide information on visual tracking and perception.  As we integrate computers more and more into our daily lives we can harness their ability to make sense of the information we process to assist with diagnosis, treatment efficacy, and functional ways to interact with people.  

http://www.echalk.co.uk/amusements/OpticalIllusions/illusions.aspx  We have a better understanding of how the brain perceives things.  As our use of technology improves we will be able to have more psychological services available remotely, more automated and self-serve delivery systems, and greater ability to provide services both just-in-time and on-demand.

It's an exciting time in the field.