Prepare for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) Exam with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question includes insights and explanations to help you excel. Get ready for your certification journey!

Multiple Choice

Hemi-inattention with inability to control movement of the left hand due to parietal lobe or corpus callosum injury describes which condition?

Alien-hand syndrome describes a limb acting with its own will, disconnected from the person’s voluntary control. When the corpus callosum or parietal/frontal networks are damaged, one hand (often the left) can perform purposeful movements that the person cannot inhibit or intend, leading to intermanual conflict where the alien hand appears to act against the other hand or the person’s goals. This fits the description of hemi-inattention paired with a left hand that cannot be controlled, because the hand’s movements are autonomous rather than simply neglected or poorly executed. Hemi-neglect would involve lacking awareness or attention to stimuli on that side, not an involuntary per se motor control issue. Constructional apraxia is difficulty in organizing spatial tasks like drawing or building, and ideomotor apraxia is trouble executing a voluntary gesture despite understanding the task and having the motor ability.

Alien-hand syndrome describes a limb acting with its own will, disconnected from the person’s voluntary control. When the corpus callosum or parietal/frontal networks are damaged, one hand (often the left) can perform purposeful movements that the person cannot inhibit or intend, leading to intermanual conflict where the alien hand appears to act against the other hand or the person’s goals. This fits the description of hemi-inattention paired with a left hand that cannot be controlled, because the hand’s movements are autonomous rather than simply neglected or poorly executed.

Hemi-neglect would involve lacking awareness or attention to stimuli on that side, not an involuntary per se motor control issue. Constructional apraxia is difficulty in organizing spatial tasks like drawing or building, and ideomotor apraxia is trouble executing a voluntary gesture despite understanding the task and having the motor ability.