Unit 4, Chapter 3 - Biological Basis of Behavior and Mental Processes

Everything psychological is biological...

In other words, "Mind is what brain does..."

Unit Quiz on Mon, Oct 23  Wed. Oct. 25

Coloring Packet (10 pts)  on Mon. Oct. 16 Tues. Oct. 17

Notes check (10 pts): Due: Thurs. Oct. 19 Fri. Oct. 20

Flash Cards (10 pts) Due: Fri . Oct 20 Mon. Oct. 23

Superhero assignment due Fri. Oct. 20 Mon. Oct. 23

Objectives (think about these as you read):

1. Describe the general structure, organization and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

2. Describe the structure and function of neurons and other cells in the nervous system.

            3. How and why do neurons communicate with each other?

            4. What are “action potentials,” and how do they work?

5. Compare the somatic and autonomic parts of the peripheral nervous system.

6. Compare the important neurotransmitters.

7. Describe the endocrine system. What does it do?

8. Describe the various parts of the limbic system and what they do.

9. Describe the various parts of the cerebral cortex and what they do.

            10. Be able to explain how damage to a part of the brain may affect the organism.

Flash-Cards

1.     Key Term Flashcards: There are 63 Key Terms highlighted in the textbook. Do at least 45. Do 5 to 7 per day and you’ll be fine.

2.      Pictures/diagrams are important to this unit!

3.     Don’t freak out. I know it’s a lot of flashcards. It will be worth memorizing and understanding the key terms. You will need to review the flashcards before quizzes and exams in class and as you study for the AP exam.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


This site has some very easy to read descriptions of parts of the brain. Use it to help you understand what's between your ears if our book gets too confusing.  http://brainmadesimple.com/index.html

Our friend Hank discusses the chemistry of our brain...

Try this EdPuzzle link which asks you some questions as the video plays to check to see if you are understanding important points. It was developed by AP Psych teacher Mr. Mcentar. 

And Hank discusses the overall structure of the brain... from phrenology to Phineas to the old brain and the new brain.



Here is the EdPuzzle link for this video... try it out! Remember, quizzing yourself and connecting new information to old is the best way to learn new content.

More specifics about neurons and the nervous system... Thanks HANK! 




And... Hank on the Action Potential... You need to know the basics of how action potentials work. This video goes into a bit more detail than you'll need for the AP exam, but it's super solid. 

And the Synapse... where lots of the action happens! Focus on the chemical synapses... the electrical synapses are more specialized and more abundant in embryonic development than in our fully developed nervous system (and the chemical synapse will show up on the AP exam.)

Unit 4 - Ch. 3 Biological Basis of Behavior

Everything psychological is biological...

Mind is what brain does...

Unit Quiz on Mon, Nov 2

Notes check (10 pts): Due: Mon. Oct. 26^th

Coloring Packet (10 pts)  on Wed. Oct. 28^th

Flash Cards (10 pts) Due: Fri. Oct. 30^th

Superhero assignment due Mon. Nov 2

Objectives (think about these as you read):

1. Describe the general structure, organization and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

2. Describe the structure and function of neurons and other cells in the nervous system.

            3. How and why do neurons communicate with each other?

            4. What are “action potentials,” and how do they work?

5. Compare the somatic and autonomic parts of the peripheral nervous system.

6. Compare the important neurotransmitters.

7. Describe the endocrine system. What does it do?

8. Describe the various parts of the limbic system and what they do.

9. Describe the various parts of the cerebral cortex and what they do.

            10. Be able to explain how damage to a part of the brain may affect the organism.

Flash-Cards

1.     Key Term Flashcards: There are 63 Key Terms highlighted in the textbook. Do at least 45. Do 5 to 7 per day and you’ll be fine.

2.      Pictures/diagrams are important to this unit!

3.     Don’t freak out. I know it’s a lot of flashcards. It will be worth memorizing and understanding the key terms. You will need to review the flashcards before quizzes and exams in class and as you study for the AP exam.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


This site has some very easy to read descriptions of parts of the brain. Use it to help you understand what's between your ears if our book gets too confusing.  http://brainmadesimple.com/index.html

Our friend Hank discusses the chemistry of our brain...

Try this EdPuzzle link which asks you some questions as the video plays to check to see if you are understanding important points. It was developed by AP Psych teacher Mr. Mcentar. 

And Hank discusses the overall structure of the brain... from phrenology to Phineas to the old brain and the new brain.



Here is the EdPuzzle link for this video... try it out! Remember, quizzing yourself and connecting new information to old is the best way to learn new content.

Unit 3 - The Biological Basis of Behavior. Everything psychological is also biological.

Unit Quiz on Fri, October 17^th

Notes check (10 pts): Due: Friday. Oct. 10^th

Superhero assignment due on Tuesday. Oct. 14^th

Coloring Packet (10 pts)  and Flash Cards (10 pts) Due: Wed. Oct. 15^th

Objectives (think about these as you read):

1. Describe the general structure, organization and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

2. Describe the structure and function of neurons and other cells in the nervous system.

            3. How and why do neurons communicate with each other?

            4. What are “action potentials,” and how do they work?

5. Compare the somatic and autonomic parts of the peripheral nervous system.

6. Compare the important neurotransmitters.

7. Describe the endocrine system. What does it do?

8. Describe the various parts of the limbic system and what they do.

9. Describe the various parts of the cerebral cortex and what they do.

            10. Be able to explain how damage to a part of the brain may affect the organism.

Flash-Cards

1.     Key Term Flashcards: There are 63 Key Terms highlighted in the textbook. Do at least 45. Do 5 to 7 per day and you’ll be fine.

2.      Pictures/diagrams are important to this unit!

3.     Don’t freak out. I know it’s a lot of flashcards. It will be worth memorizing and understanding the key terms. You will need to review the flashcards before quizzes and exams in class and as you study for the AP exam.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


This site has some very easy to read descriptions of parts of the brain. Use it to help you understand what's between your ears if our book gets too confusing.  http://brainmadesimple.com/index.html

Our friend Hank discusses the chemistry of our brain...

Try this EdPuzzle link which asks you some questions as the video plays to check to see if you are understanding important points. It was developed by AP Psych teacher Mr. Mcentar. 

And Hank discusses the overall structure of the brain... from phrenology to Phineas to the old brain and the new brain.



Here is the EdPuzzle link for this video... try it out! Remember, quizzing yourself and connecting new information to old is the best way to learn new content.

Discovering Psychology Videos - Biological Bases of Behavior

While these videos are slightly dated, they are still a great overview of the biological basis of behavior.

These are the third and fourth videos in the Discovering Psychology series. Short descriptions and links to the videos can be found below. They are from the series website.

Would you let this man handle your brain? 

3. The Behaving Brain  
This program discusses the structure and composition of the brain: how neurons function, how information is collected and transmitted, and how chemical reactions determine every thought, feeling, and action. With Dr. John Gabrieli of Stanford University and Dr. Mieke Verfaellie of Veterans Medical Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Updated. View it here. 

4. The Responsive Brain 
How the brain controls behavior and, conversely, how behavior and environment influence the brain's structure and functioning are the focus of this program. With Dr. Michael Meaney of McGill University and Dr. Russell Fernald of Stanford University. Updated. View it here. 

Your Phineas Gage Review - Summer Assignment Part 2: Due Aug. 20

After you have read Phineas Gage and worked on the Phineas Gage Reading Guide Questions you should post your review of the book in the COMMENTS to THIS blog post.    (use the "comment" link below this post) 

Your comment should be a review of the book. A book review is a critical assessment of the book in which you share your opinions about the book and back up those opinions with examples from the book. Be sure to describe the story and the style of the book. 

Some questions you might want to think about as you write: What did you think of the book? What did you find most interesting? What are some new or surprising things you learned from the book? Why do you think Phineas was "lucky" or "unlucky?" Are there other texts (books, movies, etc.) that relate to the story of Phineas? Why or why would you not recommend it to a friend? 

As with the last blog assignment, I will not show the comments until the deadline so everyone has a chance to work on the assignment without being too influenced by other peoples' work. Do not re-send your post multiple times.

Please note: As always you can e-mail me with questions. If you're having trouble with the blog, just e-mail me your comment so you have evidence you completed it before the deadline. 

Some songs and videos relating to the nervous system

Here are links to some songs you might find helpful as you study the nervous system.


This really slick song about the nervous system was sent in by Marilyn R - This should win the Grammy for best use of autotune in the service of neuropsychological knowledge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRwPMICvbT4


Video of the spinal reflex arc - showing afferent and efferent pathways
http://youtu.be/wLrhYzdbbpE

Good video about the action potential - shows lots of detail about how the action potential works to send the signal down the axon of a neuron. You might want to watch it a couple of times while going over your notes.
http://youtu.be/7EyhsOewnH4


Neuroscience for Kids is a site with lots of great stuff, much of which is at a simpler level than AP, but it can still be fun and help you with some of the basics. The Brain Chemical Song is a pretty good review of neurotransmitters (if you don't mind the "Old McDonald" tune.)
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/songs.html

The Neuron Song- Slim Brady ft. Melody Minaj is a rap that goes into some pretty good detail - you have to deal with some pretty bad recording techniques and some voices that could use autotune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sn9C4G-mJM

You can follow along with the lyrics which were posted on the YouTube page.

Nuron Song by Slim Brady ft. Melody Minaj

CHORUS:
Just gonna stand there and tell you bout Neurons,
So you don't fail the class and become a moron,
Just gonna stand there and tell you bout Dendrites,
Axons, Myelin Sheaths, Synapses and the like,
And all the things alike.
---

I can tell you bout them Dendrites, the branching extensions of a neuron,
The lyrics of this song will tell you bout them and they're dead on,
What do they do? They receive messages from the last one,
Also, they happen to be connected to the Axon!

That's the extension of this whole thing,
I mean, come on, what else could, possibly bring,
The neural impulse, they are so cool, make me wanna sing,
The part that covers it, it is called the Myelin Sheath!

That part's function is to speed things up,
Another interesting things the all or nothing principle,
It basically says when a neuron fires,
It's either on or, there's no in between, I'm not a liar

So what I'm saying is go ahead, try as hard as you want,
Lift up your arm as fast as possible and flaunt,
The fact that when a neuron fires, it's on or off,
Seriously, making a song a bout neurons is tough..

CHORUS

And all the things alike

When you get sick, what do you turn to, is it medicine?
For the neuron the Soma keeps it healthy, and I kid,
You not, it keeps it firing faster than Edison,
The next topic of talk, is the Refractory Period!

Everyone needs breaks, so the neuron does too,
Right after it fires, just a second or maybe two,
Another aspect that just seems really cool,
Is Action Potential, I'll fill you in on the news!

That is what the charge is called, I kid you not,
That even thought the neurons never technically touch,
The signal does not stop, how is this possible you'll ask?
Why simply by the power of all the Synapse-

ses, they just fill in the gaps and,
chillin relaxin, sittin and passin, the charge along,
I really hope this song will let me pass or mom, 
will beat me to a pulp, is that really what you want Demars?

CHORUS

And all the things alike

Your Phineas Gage Review - Summer Assignment Part 2: Due Aug. 20

After you have read Phineas Gage and worked on the Phineas Gage Reading Guide Questions you should post your review of the book in the COMMENTS to THIS blog post.    (use the "comment" link below this post) 

Your comment should be a review of the book. A book review is a critical assessment of the book in which you share your opinions about the book and back up those opinions with examples from the book. Be sure to describe the story and the style of the book. 

Some questions you might want to think about as you write: What did you think of the book? What did you find most interesting? What are some new or surprising things you learned from the book? Why do you think Phineas was "lucky" or "unlucky?" Are there other texts (books, movies, etc.) that relate to the story of Phineas? Why or why would you not recommend it to a friend? 

As with the last blog assignment, I will not show the comments until the deadline so everyone has a chance to work on the assignment without being too influenced by other peoples' work. Do not re-send your post multiple times.

Please note: I will be out of town and mostly away from internet access from Aug.10 to Aug. 20 so I may not be able to answer questions you have during that time. Just do your best to follow the instructions. I will check e-mail as soon as I get back in town. If you're having trouble with the blog, just e-mail me your comment so you have evidence you completed it before the deadline. 

Memory

Unit 7 Memory

Good overview of basic memory concepts.

http://allpsych.com/psychology101/memory.html

Some fun memory games you can do online

http://www.exploratorium.edu/memory/dont_forget/index.html

NOVA: How Memory Works

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/how-memory-works.html 

This is not specifically about memory, but about implicit associations we make about people.

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/ You can take some of the Implicit Association Tests to see what some of your implicit associations about people and groups are. I’m putting it with this unit as an example of implicit vs. explicit thought processes.

Story from National Public Radio (NPR) about H.M., the man who had the bilateral removal of his hippocampus (What is the plural of hippocampus?) and ended up with the nearly complete inability to form new memories. Find out why he had his hippocampus removed and learn about this amazing case study of anterograde amnesia. 

 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7584970 

The movie Memento was the first film by star director Christopher Nolan who went on to direct The Dark Night and Inception. It is a fictional film about a character who, like H.M.,  loses the ability to create any new memories, but still tries to solve a horrible crime.

You can stream it on Netflix or rent it. It is rated R due to some violent content and adult language.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/

OOPS! Revision to Unit 3 Assignment!

"Thank You" to Daisy for letting me know about a cutting and pasting error I made on the Unit 3 Assignment Sheet. I accidentally mixed up some Unit 3 with some Unit 4 work. Please don't do any Unit 4 work until Unit 4.

The correct assignment is:

Bernstein Study Guide Chapter 3 – Starts on P. 57

1.     Review the chapter based on your reading instructions. 

2.     Key Term Flashcards: All 63 Key Terms

3.     Don’t freak out. I know it’s a lot of flashcards. It will be worth memorizing and understanding the key terms. You will need to review the flashcards before quizzes and exams in class and as you study for the AP exam.

4.     Write out the Fill In The Blank Key Terms Writing out the full sentences will help you to learn the material. After you try to answer all of them check your work. If you get one wrong, write the correct answer with a brief explanation of why it’s correct.

5.     Select one of the “Personal Learning Activities” on P. 72. Do the activity and write a paragraph about what was most interesting or surprising about your experience. 

6.     Do Multiple Choice Sample Quiz 1 (p.73) and then check your answers with the key from page 80. Mark your total correct and be sure to review all questions you didn’t get right.

Your Phineas Gage Review - Summer Assignment Part 2: Due Aug. 20

After you have read Phineas Gage and worked on the Phineas Gage Reading Guide Questions you should post your review of the book in the COMMENTS to THIS blog post.    (use the "comment" link below this post)

Your comment should be a review of the book. A book review is a critical assessment of the book in which you share your opinions about the book and back up those opinions with examples from the book. Be sure to describe the story and the style of the book. 

Some questions you might want to think about as you write: What did you think of the book? What did you find most interesting? What are some new or surprising things you learned from the book? Why do you think Phineas was "lucky" or "unlucky?" Are there other texts (books, movies, etc.) that relate to the story of Phineas? Why or why would you not recommend it to a friend? 

As with the last blog assignment, I will not show the comments until close to the deadline so everyone has a chance to work on the assignment without being too influenced by other peoples' work.