Critique of Psychological Approaches to Brain Damage

Abstract

This paper will make an attempt to examine critically the major psychological approaches to the problem of brain damage and to point out why such a vast number of psychological studies of neurological patients have on the whole proved to be disappointing. Up to the present time most of the findings are equivocal, inconsistent, and very often contradictory; no acceptable theory of brain functioning and organization has emerged from them and the diagnostic tests in this field show too high a degree of misclassification to be sensitive enough for clinical use. Finally, an attempt will be made to outline a more fruitful approach to brain damage.