Animations about vision - the retina and visual pathways

Fantastic animations about the eye, visual processing in the retina and the pathways that visual information travels in the brain.

Pay close attention to the "center-surround" aspects of retinal processing it this first video.

This animation shows how the photoreceptors, bipolar and ganglion cells of the retina are organized in "center-surround" arrangements that allow "bottom up" processing of visual information to begin in the retina. 

http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/content/receptivefields.html

If a picture is worth a thousand words, an animation is worth way more. This animation really shows the visual pathway very well. Pay attention to how visual information is split in the Optic Chiasm and how it routs through the LGN of the thalamus as well as other areas specifically related to eye movement and the "biological clock" which controls circadian rhythms.

This excellent animation really explains how the visual information from the left and right visual fields makes its way to the right and left occipital lobes via the LGN of the thalamus. 

http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/content/visualpathways.html

Check out this amazingly comprehensive video that covers the visual system in about 10 minutes. It's on YouTube, so it may be hard to watch at school. Link: http://youtu.be/AuLR0kzfwBU

The Zimbardo "Discovering Psychology" video on Sensation and Perception can be found at this link. 

http://www.learner.org/resources/series138.html?pop=yes&pid=1504

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. 

Blog Assignment #3 - The Shoe/Hair/Height correlation project. Due Sunday 9/22/13 by 11:59pm

Reading Scatter Plots and Understanding Correlations.

Due Sunday 9/22/13 by 11:59pm

In a comment to this post, please discuss each of the graphs below. Be sure to address the questions under each graph. Please don't copy the questions or number your answers, rather, you should write a paragraph or two in complete sentences so your reader knows what you are talking about. Be sure to sign in as "anonymous" but put your first name and last initial in the post so I know to whom to give the credit. If you have any questions please e-mail me. Review the "how to e-mail a teacher" post on my blog before you send your e-mail.(click on the graphs to enlarge)

I strongly suggest you write the comment in Word or another program and then copy and paste it into the comment section below. This way, if the comment doesn't go through or is accidentally deleted you'll have a record of your work. Please also remember that I have to approve all comments, so it may take a while for it to show up on the blog. You don't need to resubmit it over and over. 

Click on graphs to enlarge. 

Correlation Coefficient -0.07

What can we see from the above scatter plot of hair length vs. height? Is there a correlation? How strong is it? If so, is it positive or negative; strong or weak? What information about the students in our class does this graph give you? Are there a few "outliers" or extreme data points that seem unusual? If you throw them out of the data set what does the correlation look like? What other information would be helpful to interpret the data?

Correlation Coefficient +0.47

Above is the data we collected about our shoe sizes vs our heights. Can you see a relationship? Is there a correlation? If so, is it positive or negative? How strong is it?  Does shoe size cause height to change? Does height cause shoe size to change? 

Correlation Coefficient -0.34

Finally, the above graph shows the relationship between shoe size and hair length. Is there a correlation?  If so, is it positive or negative? How strong is it? What third variable which is not shown on the graphs might be causing the relationship between shoe size and hair length? Does correlation imply causation? Why or why not? 

Unit 2 Reading Assignment

Unit 2: Research in Psychology

Reading assignment notes check (10 pts): Due Monday, Sept. 16^th

Flashcards (see below) (20 pts): Due Friday Sept 20th

Quiz on Unit 2 (with some questions from Unit 1) on Monday Sept. 23rd

            Quiz will be multiple choice and have a writing component.

Objectives (think about these as you read) – If you know these you will do well:

            1. What methods do psychologists use to learn about behavior and mental processes?

            2. How is “Critical Thinking” important for psychological research?

            3. What role do theories play in psychological research?

            4. Describe and compare the following research methods: Naturalistic Observation, Case                         Studies, Surveys, Correlational Studies, Experiments.

5. Explain the ethical issues in using human and animal subjects for psych research.

6. What statistics do psych researchers use?

7. What are the ethical guidelines psych researchers must follow?

8. Describe aspects of an experiment including Independent and Dependent Variables,               Control and Experimental Groups, Informed Consent and how Placebos are used.

Bernstein Text Chapter 2 Pp. 27 - 57

Read and take Cornell notes based on your reading instructions. Write down how long it takes you to complete the reading and notes so you can know what to expect in terms of studying for future chapters.

             

Flashcards

1.     Make flashcards for all key terms highlighted in text.

2.     Additional Flashcards: Family Studies, Twin Studies, Adoption Studies, Five important ethical guidelines for psych research,  

Join us for the NAMI Bring Change to Mind (BC2M) Mental Health Walk - Saturday Sept. 21

 The NAMI BC2M Walk Team page – This is where you can sign up to be on our team.

You DON’T need to raise money or pay anything to participate.

http://namiwalks.nami.org/BC2MChicago 

For directions on how to get there from NGHS by the CTA bus and El train click here.

You can also go to www.transitchicago.com to find out how to get there from your house.

The route begins at the southwest corner of Balbo and Congress in Grant Park.

click for larger image 

Info about mental health and treatment

NAMI-GC – The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greater Chicago

http://www.namigc.org/

http://www.namigc.org/education/fact-sheets/

http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=about_mental_illness

C4 Community Counseling Centers of Chicago

http://www.c4chicago.org/

National Center on Domestic Violence & Mental Health

Chicago and Illinois Mental Health Agencies and Organizations

http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/resources/chicago-and-illinois-mental-health-agencies-and-organizations/

Cook County Public Health System Resources page

http://www.cookcountypublichealth.org/other-health-resources

List of Psychological Disorders

http://www.div12.org/PsychologicalTreatments/disorders.html

City of Chicago Mental Health Clinics

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdph/dataset/mental_health_clinics.html

Articles about City of Chicago Closing Half of all Mental Health Clinics

http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/mayor-emanuel-closes-city-mental-health-clinics/Content?oid=9145051

http://www.wbez.org/news/dart-%E2%80%98we%E2%80%99re-criminalizing-mental-health%E2%80%99-102218

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/04/17/chicago-closing-half-its-mental-health-clinics/

History of Psychology 3 min video

This 3 minute video summarizes some of the main ideas and people in the history of psychology starting with the ancient Greek philosophers and bringing us up to the humanists of the 20th century.

It's from YouTube, so you may not be able to watch it at school. The link is http://youtu.be/YzAXM5jR8oA

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.