Toby, a 19-year-old elite diver, is discussing his rehabilitation with his coach, Zoe, following a head injury from a training accident. Toby is frustrated because while he can fully understand everything Zoe says, he struggles to produce speech and speak in fluent sentences.
Zoe tries to reassure him, saying, "I trained a diver years ago who had the exact same speech struggle after a brain injury. Over time, and with intensive daily speech therapy, other parts of her brain on the opposite side adapted and took over that function."
Toby replies, "I am young, and because of my years of elite athletic training, my brain is highly developed. I'm sure it will just repair itself naturally without me having to do all these exhausting therapy exercises."
Discuss research into plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma. Refer to the conversation between Toby and Zoe in your answer.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Localisation, lateralisation and plasticity (A-level only) with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 16 questions, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
