Psychology Learning and Memory

Psychology Learning and Memory

The brain of a human being is more than just tissue mass encased in the skull’s protective shell. It is a major organ that controls all the actions, senses, perceptions, memory, and thoughts. There are millions of neurons in the brain. They are interconnected to allow for rapid movements of signals to all parts of the body. Besides, neurons are responsible for interpretation of information gathered in the surroundings and translating them into actions or thoughts. Indeed, research indicates that the human brain is the most complex and vital part of the body. Therefore, any malfunction or disorder in a particular part of the brain greatly affects the quality of human life, memory, and learning.

Cutting the connection of optic nerves in the brain can lead to the victim becoming blind. Furthermore, if the part of the human brain responsible for ideas, thoughts and long-term memories is greatly hampered, chances are that the person can suffer from brain disorders such as Asperger’s syndrome, complete memory loss, schizophrenia, loss of identity, or autism. Additionally, any mental illness that can alter the emotions and behavioural patterns of an individual has a tendency to influence the way the victim chose to live and interact with friends, family, and other members of the society.

Schizophrenia is one of the most commonly observed and widely recognized psychological disorders that affect the human nervous system. Often, the illness is considered chronic because it can result in a disability. Schizophrenia patients can hardly distinguish between fiction and facts because their brains process images of subjects that do not exist in real life. As a result, it is hard for the victims to acquire or retain information. Furthermore, the imaginary world and constant hallucinations prevent patients from free expressions of themselves (Boyle, 2014).

The brain is a complex neuron system that stores and exchange information at all time. For a normal person, distinct brain parts perform specific and specialized tasks. However, for patients suffering from mental disorders such as schizophrenia, some of the brain parts that can be affected include limbic system, hindbrain, and forebrain. These three parts are responsible for retaining memory and learning. Specifically, the forebrain regulates cognitive processes such as judgement, hunger, perception, information, sleep, and thinking. Therefore, their normal functions are affected by schizophrenia. Studies indicate that a medical condition on the forebrain can lead to symptoms of visual and auditory hallucinations.

The hindbrain controls motor activity. If schizophrenia affects this part of the brain, the patient is likely to exhibit a confused body movement, minimized reaction to environmental stimuli, and rigid posture. On the other hand, a limbic system is the innermost part of the brain and control memory and thought process, sexual behaviour, and emotions. For patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or Asperger’s syndrome, this part of the brain shows minimized interaction in the social circles among the patients. Besides, if the patients are suffering from the disorder, they will become disorganized, hence making it hard for them to engage in learning and memorization.

Aberrant neurodevelopment in the brain of a human being causes schizophrenia. Doctors, friends, and parents of an individual can notice the mental disorder during early adulthood (Boyle, 2014). Like other mental illnesses, schizophrenia results in derangement of orderly central nervous system development, thus prompting a static period of active operation.

Autism

Autism is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain during the early years of the child’s development. According to the study conducted by Autism Society of America, the disorder prevents normal brain development, hence affecting the child’s social interaction and communication skills. In a population of 10, 000 people, up to 15 individuals are affected by autism. The majority of the victims are male, though the disease is not limited to a particular ethnic or racial group. Given that autism is related to brain functioning, scientists are yet to discover the real cause. It is hard for educators to devise a particular learning program for children suffering from autism because the deficits and skills vary greatly among the patients. In fact, autistic people show a distinct and individualized combination of needs and strengths.

PDD (persuasive development disorders) has five syndromes that include autism, but all bear similar characteristics. Often, doctors diagnose PDD as early as 15 months after birth, especially when the child is still developing and growing. Therefore, diagnosis may change according to the behavioural changes of the child. Children with PDD and autism share special needs in behaviour, social interaction, and nonverbal or verbal communication. There is a high possibility that the autistic children will be dependent on a type of learning style as they grow up. For instance, a child could be a visual learner if they are mostly interested in watching television, staring at objects or people, or looking at books. On the other hand, an autistic child that like talking people or listening to music is an auditory learner.

Children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) follow a distinct developmental pattern as compared to normal children. Their brains develop at a different rate, leading to challenges in understanding what the others think or feel. Eventually, autism makes it harder for such children to interact or communicate constructively with their teachers, or other learners. Challenges like these affect how the victims will develop and learn. For example, while an autistic child may start talking 12 months after birth, they can hardly experience language explosion like other typical children. Probably, an autistic child will learn only a handful of words per month while growing up. Another common instance is that autistic children can label their body parts but cannot translate the same to a picture of a human body.

It is not easy for autistic children to tune into the surroundings and people. Autism affects the part of the brain that allows a normal child to respond to their name, smile at caregivers, or make eye contact without necessarily being instructed to. Joint attention refers to the use of gestures and eye contact to share experiences and emotional reactions with others. A child with autism lacks shared or joint attention. For example, while reading with the mother, it is normal for a child to point to an object in the book and look back to the parents to show her. For an autistic child, this is an uphill task because the part of the brain responsible for such an action is dysfunctional. However, they can utilize eye contact and gestures to instruct another person do what they want.

Psychologists argue that joint attention is a fundamental skill required when developing language and communication skills. If it lacks, the child will have a hard time grasping information in class, thus affecting the learning process. Additionally, children that show difficulty with joint attention may not learn important skills such as keeping the conversation topic or interpreting facial expressions. According to the theory of mind, autistic individuals are unaware that people have different beliefs and desires. Because of this, they cannot predict the behaviour of their colleagues or understand how their actions influence the behaviour of their friends.

Furthermore, autistic persons struggle with paying attention, maintaining focus on learning tasks, managing time, memorizing activities, and controlling emotions (Willey, 2014). Abilities such as these enable typical humans to execute their daily chores and to work cooperatively with others, and to prioritize their engagements. In particular, it is difficult for children that lack these abilities to learn because their brain cannot organize their ideas or synchronize all the information to solve a problem. Like other mental illnesses, autism prevents a patient from seeing the bigger picture. Instead, they get lost in the details of a particular object rather than gathering together all the information sources to observe the situation as a whole. It is true that the ability to focus on details can be strength especially for an adult, but for an autistic child, his ability to learn and develop is greatly affected.

Educating People with Mental Illness

People suffering from schizophrenia, autism, and other mental illnesses demand special attention from parents, friends, and caregivers. It is important for the parents to fully support individuals with mental disorders to enable them to control symptoms for their conditions. If the person is diagnosed as an adult, he should be encouraged to seek medical attention to arrest the condition.  Services of a therapist are also critical in supporting the autistic patient through the learning process. Besides, the teacher should make a concerted effort to understand the particular needs of a learner with a mental disorder. Special attention should be provided to guarantee their progress through different phases of learning. However, stigmatization of a victim in a learning environment should be discouraged by highlighting the misconceptions on mental illnesses.

Remedial instructions should be installed to improve the ability and skills of each student. Most importantly, the teachers should utilize various techniques such as extensive explanation, additional practice, repetition of information, and devotion of additional time to guide each student as per their areas of needs. Autistic students need to be taught on basic competency and life skills. Therefore, the educators should consider modification of the educational curriculum to accommodate and prove the needs of each learner. The parent or a guardian should enrol a child to an institution for special education to assist the child in progressing rapidly in their learning. In the developed countries, most special education programs have specified instructions for particular learning difficulties like language and speech impairments, visual and hearing impairments, emotional disturbance, or autism. During admission, the learners are tested and listed in individual categories. Then, they are paired with specialized teachers specifically prepared to teach a given group.

Moreover, a student that requires a special attention should be admitted to a special school to tap into multiple techniques that promote learning. Depending on the disorder, teaching methods in such institutions entail problem-solving assignment, group work, and individualized instructions. Besides, special accommodations are provided when students need to take tests. For example, for autistic learners, oral sessions can be arranged, while for slow learners, the examination time can be lengthened.

In summary, different mental illnesses affect several parts of a human brain. Some of the symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucination and reduced psychomotor activity. On the other hand, autistic learners can hardly retain memory or concentrate on a given task. Considering this, it is important for friends, family and guardians to support such individuals by enrolling them to special learning institutions to meet their needs. Emotional support is also important and necessary.

References

Boyle, M. (2014). Schizophrenia: A scientific Delusion?. London: Routledge.

Willey, L. H. (2014). Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Expanded Edition. New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.