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. 

Part 1 of the Summer Assignment - Due July 20

Welcome to AP Psychology at North-Grand!

Ten Most Revealing Psychology Experiments!

Read all these instructions carefully before beginning!

Go to this link about the Ten Most Revealing Psychology Experiments and read through the summaries of all ten of them. 

Select one of the experiments that you think is interesting. Click on the link in the summary to start your research about that experiment. (the link to #3 is broken, but you can use this link to get started.) Read through the information and seek out other information online. There may be good YouTube videos or other sources you should investigate. You can also look up some of the experiments or the experimenters in your textbook. 

In your comment to THIS BLOG POST please do the following to complete the assignment:

1. Summarize the experiment. Include who did it, when they did it, where they did it, and what they did.
2. Explain the importance of the experiment to our understanding of human behavior. Why do you think the experiment is considered a valuable insight into the way people think and/or act?
3. Give one example of how the experiment can be applied to everyday life. You can use yourself or someone you know in the example, or make up an example that you think the experiment might apply to in normal life.
4. At the end of your post include all sources (full URLs, please) and sign the post with your first name and just the initial letter of your last name (for example: Phillip D.)
5. To send your comment please click the "Name/URL" option and put your first name and last initial in the "Name" box. Don't fill in the URL box.  

I suggest that you write your comment in Word or other program first so you can check your spelling etc. and then just paste it into the comments at the end of this post. 

Your post should be 3 to 5 paragraphs long and should demonstrate some original thinking on your part. Do not cut-and-paste or copy any text directly.

Your comment will not show up on the blog until close to the due-date, as I want everyone to approach the project without being biased by seeing the posted work of others in the class. If you aren't sure if your comment went through you may e-mail me and I'll let you know. Please don't keep re-sending it over and over. 

If you have any questions please e-mail me. I usually reply to e-mails within a day or two. Before sending me an e-mail, please read my "How to email a teacher" post from my biology blog ... really. http://cantorsbiologyblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-send-e-mail-to-teacher-really.html

Keep working on the rest of your summer assignment from the Bernstein Textbook and the Phineas Gage book. 

End of Year Course Evaluation

Please fill out this evaluation to help Mr. Cantor adjust the course and his own teaching. Responses are anonymous.

The survey can be found at this link.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PR0ugpUVlUF2l4PeIfrq7__GoLf6eZAbkvJlPIKfa5U/viewform