Melissa Hershey- Brain and Behavior; Sensation and Perception

The psychological condition of Melissa Hershey

The psychological condition of Melissa Hershey will be examined in this article utilizing the theories of sensation, perception, and brain and behavior that have been previously investigated. It is possible to identify her disorder using the information she has provided as well as that of her mother Amy Hersey, her teacher Wendy Subocz, and her school psychologist Tanya Smith. In interpreting the role, perception, feeling, brain, and behavior all play complementary roles. Through the senses of touch, smell, sound, sight, and taste, sensation discovers the surroundings. Sensation transmits information to the brain, while perception extrapolates the information from the senses to create an understanding of the environment. The brain, which is the main part of the nervous system, produces hormones that communicate messages used in influencing behavior. An individual’s resulting reaction to information is referred to as the behavior.

Brain and behavior

The brain is in control of emotions, motor skills, cognition and sensation. It is responsible for what we do, when we do it, and how we do it. The brain controls behavior, feelings and thoughts. In our scenario, Amy Hershey explains that Melissa had a condition known as Grand Mal Seizures at the age of four. This condition resulted in involuntary muscle movement. Perrine (2011) elucidates that an abnormal electrical activity in the brain is responsible for Grand Mal seizures. The frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for the body’s motor skills. This means that grand mal seizure greatly affects Melissa’s frontal lobe section hence the seizures. It is not clear on whether the condition is as a result of the mother’s indulgence in marijuana during her pregnancy period. Melissa mother also reveals other concerns including her sensitivity to loud noises and bright lights, nightmares and violent behavior. Melissa’s brain is responsible for these emotions and reactions, and may indicate an underlying condition that is either related or unrelated to the grand mal condition.

Melissa’s teacher points out difficulties Melissa is having in her schoolwork

Melissa’s teacher points out difficulties Melissa is having in her schoolwork including disinterest in schoolwork, difficulty with abstract reasoning, and problems with retaining memory. These are symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder. This condition is characterized by a repeated display of inattention that interferes with the normal development of a child. Inattention refers to the straying away from tasks, deficient in persistence and difficulty in retaining attention. It also leads to one forgetting daily activities. It is important to note that the cause of the problems is not defiance (Barkley, 2014). Children with ADD also exhibit a behavior of not understanding consequences (Barkley, 2014). In this case, Melissa thinks that her teacher is treating her unfairly, upholding the theory that she is suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder. Therefore, children with Attention Deficit Disorder are unlikely to learn from previous mistakes since their impulsivity obstructs their ability to apprehend consequences.

Aggression is also a sign of Attention Deficit Disorder

Aggression is also a sign of Attention Deficit Disorder. This is because this condition limits the child’s ability to control emotions and impulses. This is apparent due to Melissa’s aggressive behavior towards her friends. It is also obvious because her impulsive nature leads her to following other children without considering the consequences of her actions. The information, nonetheless, clearly indicates that Melissa’s language processing is fully functional, since there is no information stating issues with her communication. This means that her brain’s right hemisphere is not damaged.

Sensation and perception

The five human senses including hearing, feeling, seeing, smelling and tasting are all crucial in one’s perception. Perception is determined by the signal the senses of our body sends to the brain. The sense influence an individual’s reaction towards the surrounding environment as well as interpreting events revolving an individual (Feldman, 2011). The eyes, which facilitate the sense of sight, identify light bouncing off objects. The sense of hearing is facilitated through mechanoreceptors that transform signals of vibration into electrical nerve pulses. Tastes refers to the ability to identify tastes of foods. Smell refers to the process by which olfactory receptors interact with specific molecular features that define our smell. The sense of touch is facilitated by neural receptors that are in plenty in our skin’s hair follicle (Feldman, 2011). This sense identifies differences in pressures. According to the narrative, Melissa’s senses are perfectly normal for her age. She is able to see, hear, feel, taste and smell without a hitch. She is able to accurately interpret events in her surroundings and respond accordingly.

Conclusion

Melissa Hershey’s case study illustrates that the different theories of psychology work together towards understanding an individual’s issues and disorders. Through these theories, we are able to discern that Melissa’s problems have to do with her brain and behavior. She has a condition known as Attention Deficit Disorder affects that affects her behavior towards schoolwork, her family and her friends. Additionally, Grand Mal Seizures has affected her motor skills. The study also shows that her sensation and perception are working perfectly without interfering with the day-to-day activities. Therefore, the importance of psychological theories cannot be understated.

References

Barkley, R. A. (Ed.). (2014). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment. Guilford Publications.

Feldman, R. S. (2011). Essentials of understanding psychology. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Perrine, K. (2011). Grand Mal Seizure. Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology, 1172-1174.