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Effect Of Brain Injuries On Cognitive Functioning Thesis

Applied Behavioral Analysis on How Brain Injuries Impact One's Cognitive Ability Levels How Brain Injuries Impact One's Cognitive Ability Levels

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) has considerable impacts on the normal functioning or operation of the brain. In most cases, brain injuries damage nerve cells to an extent that these cells no longer transmit information to each other in the ordinary manner. Brain injuries are usually divided into three major categories i.e. mild, moderate and severe depending on the extent of neurological damage that takes place. Given their impact on neurological functioning, brain injuries have impact on one's cognitive ability levels. Some of these impacts include cognitive disabilities, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and effect on life roles at different development stages and ages. Therefore, the extent with which brain injuries affect a person's cognitive ability levels is an important topic of study. Is there a direct link between brain injuries and how cognitive ability is impacted? How does the cognitive ability level decrease or is maintained due to the brain injury?

The purpose of this research is to examine the ability of an individual to gain, maintain or lose his/her cognitive ability levels depending on the severity of neurological damage from brain injury. This is an important issue to study in order to understand how different categories of brain injury affect cognitive ability levels of an individual. As a result, this study will provide insights on the impact of brain injuries on cognitive ability levels. In this case, the ability for an individual to carry out a cognitive function or assessment is examined against brain injuries like depression and post-traumatic stress (Massy, Meares, Batchelor & Byrant, 2015). The research strategy for this issue is an applied behavioral analysis that will focus on examining the level of individuals' cognitive abilities in the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury. For this study, the researcher will rely on the principle of learning theory...

This considerable attention has resulted in numerous studies that have been carried out to examine different aspects relating to this issue. Existing literature and studies on the impact of brain injury on levels of cognitive abilities and function have focused on various issues including cognitive disabilities, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and life's roles at different ages. The focus on these issues when examining the research topic is influenced by the fact that they are strongly related or directly linked to normal cognitive functioning.
Meyers, Chapman, Gunthert & Weissbrod (2016) conducted a study in which they examined the impact of masculinity on community reintegration after a traumatic brain injury among military veterans (p.14). The focus of these researchers was determining how TBI worsens the already difficult process of reintegration into the community by military veterans after deployment. They state that military veterans (who are mostly male) suffer unique cognitive and social deficits as a result of a traumatic brain injury. They carried out their study on the premise that military veterans have increasingly experienced difficulties with reintegrating into the community after deployment. Their study found that a traumatic brain injury generates cognitive and social deficits that make it difficult for these individuals to reintegrate into the community effectively.

Based on this study, depression, pain, and post-traumatic stress were the most frequently observed effects of brain injury on the levels of cognitive abilities (Meyers, Chapman, Gunthert & Weissbrod, 2016, p.22). Individuals who were observed in this study with regards to…

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Juengst, S.B., Adams, L. M., Bogner, J.A., Arenth, P.M., O'Neil-Pirozzi, T.M., Dreer, L.E., & Wagner, A.K. (2015, November). Trajectories of Life Satisfaction after Traumatic Brain Injury: Influence of Life Roles, Age, Cognitive Disability, and Depressive Symptoms. Rehabilitation Psychology, 60(4), 353-364. Doi: 10.1037/rep0000056

Massy. J. S., Meares, S., Batchelor, J., & Bryant, R.A. (2015, July). An Exploratory Study of the Association of Acute Posttraumatic Stress, Depression and Pain to Cognitive Functioning in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Neuropsychology, 29(4), 530-542. Doi: 10.1037/meu000192

McDonald, S., Gowland, A., Randall, R., Fisher, A., Osborne-Crowley, K., & Honan, C. (2014, September). Cognitive Factors Underpinning Poor Expressive Communication Skills after Traumatic Brain Injury: Theory of Mind or Execution Function? Neuropsychology, 28(5), 801-811. Doi: 10.1037/neu0000089

Meyers. N. M., Chapman, J.C., Gunthert, K.C., & Weissbrod, C.S. (2016, January). The Effect of Masculinity on Community Reintegration Following TBI in Military Veterans. Military Psychology, 28(1), 14-24. Doi:10.1037/mil0000097
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