I almost forgot to post this.... Memory

Mnemosyne, the personification of memory

 Hopefully you enjoyed the in-class memory demonstrations and can now appreciate that our memories are even more subjective than our sensations and perceptions, what's a homo sapien to do?

To start with, take a look at this very short overview of the basics of memory . Then take a look at a longer, more detailed review. (by the way "rote" rehearsal = maintenance rehearsal).

Some of you seem to be really interested in the idea of suggestibility, the reliability of eye-witness testimony and false memories, the following will give you a deeper look:

the video we watched in class
false memories with Photo Shop
problems with eye-witness testimony
false memories with the queen of false memories, Elizabeth Loftus

If you've got some extra time on your hands, you may want to read "How our Brain Makes Memories", a great article from the Smithsonian about traumatic memories and PTSD

Perception.... or "Think that You Might be Wrong"

What is the nature of perception? I think at this point we can all agree that no matter our definition, the word SUBJECTIVE must be part of it. The resources below should help as a review.

From the man who brought us "Hypo the Llamas" and "Wig Dala", a great little video that covers some of the basics and interesting tid-bits of Gestalt principles. If you're having difficulty visualizing all the different Gestalt laws take a look at any of the three following pages, which examine the principles from different....er... perspectives:

• Gestalt laws in web design
• Gestalt in Graphic Design
• Gestalt basic examples
• Gestalt theorists/principles in encyclopedic format

For those of you that were lovin' the illusions, here's the page that we were working with in class. There are over 92 illusions, categorized and explained. Enjoy!

And last, but not least, the assignment. Go to the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes "Seeing, Hearing and Smelling the World". The site does a truly fantastic job in exploring some new areas of research involving sensation and perception. You should prepare your response according to the these guidelines for class on Tuesday.

If a Tree Falls......Sensations and their "Sheisty"* Subjectivity

So, we find ourselves at the end of Sensation and Perception, enlightened perhaps, about what we think of as “real", questioning what we believe we “see”, “hear”, or “feel”… 

I’m hoping that you choose to take advantage of some of the resources I’ve put together to both help you review, explore further and perhaps amuse yourself. Because there are so many links, I've decided to break the posts into two pieces (gestalts???), check again tomorrow for an overview of pereception.

It seemed the hardest thing to wrap our minds around was the idea that our brain has no real access to the outside world. The idea that color itself is merely a sensation and that our photoreceptors are only sensitive to a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum tripped a lot of ya'll out, but doing a little animal comparison seems to drive home the subjectivity of all sensations. 

If you recall the auditory threshold demos we did in class, the fact that I am too "old" to hear certain frequencies that are obvious to you, should also help cement the idea that sensations are not absolute, objective or stable.

If you're interested in exploring diverse topics concerning smell and taste I highly recommend that you check out these really awesome olfaction and gustation pages.

Last but not least, the experience of pain. If you have any confusion about the Gate-Control Theory, this short paper does an excellent job of clearly explaining the idea in a way that you can apply personally to pain management. You may also want to check out this interview with psychologist Tom Rutledge (UCSD Psychiatry) in which he discusses the way physicians apply Gate-Control in patient treatment.

*Please see Ayanna Jones for an accurate definition of "sheisty"

Brain Anatomy Review

I'll be completely offline until Sunday evening.  Make sure you spend your review time wisely!

Brain Mnemonics Part 1 and Part 2
Brain Atlas and Interactive Explorer
Occiptal Lobe snack about the Limbic System
Get to know your cerebral cortex jus' a lil bit better

Neuroscience Blow Out!

Think that you've got a handle on all things neural? Think again! Take a look at all of the following resources to deepen your understanding and broaden your mind (or perhaps more accurately, stretch your dendrites???).

First, make sure that you understand the basics of neural transmission. Watch this short animation, then take a look at both "Synapses Change" and "The Synapse", both of which are narrated in a slightly childish tone, but do an excellent job of providing an overview of what happens when neurons "communicate". Reward yourself after wards with the "Synaptic Cleft Rap".  This collection of animations can be reviewed as one entry on your summary work due Tuesday.

Next, take a listen to an NPR interview with one of the authors of a new neuroscience book "Welcome to Your Child's Brain". The interview is 16 minutes long. Please take notes while listening so that your summary is detailed and intelligent.


Finally, you may choose between one of the two following options. Option 1 is a National Geographic article, "Beautiful Brains", a really interesting article about the teen brain. If you choose this option, please read the entire article and compose a thoughtful response.
Option 2 consists of two fascinating videos from one of the most well respected neuroscience researchers, V.S. Ramachandran. I won't pretend that the concepts are not difficult, but if you're up for a challenge (again keep in mind that your dendrites will benefit :)) I applaud you. If you choose this option, I recommend a separate review for "The Neurons that Shaped Civilization" and "The Uniqueness of Human Consciousness".


Good Luck, happy learning and I have the utmost confidence in all of you, but particularly those among you who, like Thomas Jefferson, are "great believers in luck" :).

Artificial Selection of... RATS!!!!!

As we saw in class, artificial selection is a powerful tool and perhaps gives us a view on how natural selection works if we had the perspective of millions of years as opposed to decades. Through our simulation we saw how humans have "selected" physical and behavioral characteristics for dogs. Check out this article summarizing an experiment in which researchers selectively bred for aggression in rats. Please respond to this thread with your comments.

Celebrate Labor Day with.... Research Methods and Statistics!

Hopefully all the work you've already done has led you to a greater understanding of Methodologies and Statistics. If not, there's still hope for you!

The 2008 Free Response question will give you the chance to either put everything you know into words, or it will give you the opportunity to figure it all out for the first time. Before you begin, you'll need to give yourself some background on the experiment referenced in the question. Solomon Asch originally conducted this experiment in the 1950s. You should read "The Asch Effect" on pages 571-2 to familiarize yourself with his method and then watch a version of the experiment from the 70's.  The question asks you to think about participant responses in Asch's experiments might be related to the idea of cognitive dissonance (pgs 587-8) and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (p.322). Familiarize yourself with these concepts before you begin your response.

The symbols, formulas and graphs for interpreting statistics that we viewed in class, should assist in calculating the Standard Deviation for 3rd period test scores.