Intriguing Discoveries and Interviews

Last week, after my second Research Assessment, I realized that I was more interested in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience rather than the cellular mechanisms behind brain function, and that I was more motivated by my personal experiences with mental illness than my interest in biological research, which pushed me to explore a subfield of neuroscience instead - neuropsychology. I felt as though combining the scientific components behind neuroscience and the behavioral and emotional concepts of psychology would merge together to create a field that would divulge both my interests in the sciences and humanities. Through my third Research Assessment, I realized that I enjoyed neuropsychology far more than I did neuroscience and it placed less emphasis on understanding complex medical terminology and cellular linkages, but rather test subjects' behavioral comparisons through cognitive tests and sociology concepts. One of the most fascinating things I learned from Research Assessment #2 was ecological validity, which was the concept that questioned if behavioral responses from test subjects in enclosed experiments were actually valid in a real-world setting where individuals would interact with uncontrolled and spontaneous conditions. In addition to gaining new knowledge from my research assessment, I was successful in contacting professionals for interviews. I have an interview with Human Brain Project Student Ambassador and Neuroscience PhD student, Ziv Ben-Zion, at 9 am on Wednesday, September 23rd which I am looking forward to, and have yet to confirm an interview date and time with Dr. Christian LoBue, Professor of Neuropsychology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Dr. Renjan Mathew of DFW Neuropsychology Consultants, LLC. This week, I hope to continue my success in securing interviews with professionals and further explore the intricacies of neuropsychology, anxiety, and depression as I continue my research.