Unit 2 Biological Bases of Behavior
Chapter 3 and 4: The Biological Bases of Behavior & Sensation and Perception
Quick Agenda:Mon - Finish Brain Rules, Discuss Article
Tue - The Neuron, Brain & CNS, Multiple Sclerosis
Wed/Thu - Intro to Sensation & Perception, Article study
Fri - Discuss Article
The take home test for Biological Bases of Behavior is due on the 24th. The Brain Unit Project is also due on the same date.
Quote of the Day: "Their memory abides and grows. It is for you to try to be like them. Make up your minds that happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous." -Pericles, leader of Athens, "Funeral Oration: In Defense of Democracy"
Learning Targets: (Link to CH. 3 Targets)
*How does the human brain develop and at what rate?
*Explain the different methods for peering into the human brain and analyze how that can help us understand what the various areas of the brain control
Essential Questions:
How does the human brain develop and at what rate?
How is the teen brain different from that of the adult?
Agenda:
DO NOW: Have the Teen Ticks article finished for discussion later in the period.
1. Finish Brain Rules #12 - "Exploration"
2. Discuss Brain Rules #1-#12 and as a whole. Which brain rule that Medina explains was the most important to you? What surprised you about them?
3. Discuss Teen Ticks article in small Socratic tables. At the end each group will share back out what they discussed.
Quote of the Day: It is said that on the eve of battle, he was told by a native of that the Persian archers were so numerous that, when they fired their volleys, the mass of arrows blocked out the sun. Dienekes, however, quite undaunted by this prospect, remarked with a laugh,
'Good. Then we'll have our battle in the shade.'
—Herodotus, The Histories
Learning Targets:
'Good. Then we'll have our battle in the shade.'
—Herodotus, The Histories
Learning Targets:
* Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disorder that turns the body's immune system against itself. It is a chronic, typically progressive disease involving damage to the sheaths of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, whose symptoms may include numbness, impairment of speech and of muscular coordination, blurred vision, and severe fatigue
Questions to Master:
Questions to Master:
* How do neurons deliver signals?
* How can damage to the central nervous system and the brain impact a person's life and psychological functions (see MS)?
Agenda:
1. DO NOW QUESTION: Draw the diagram of a neuron (on board) - list the parts to the side. Which part goes where? What is the function of each?
2. Use the PsykTrek3 CD to explain how neurons function.
3. We will discuss the causes of Multiple Sclerosis, because it is a great example of how neurons not functioning properly can have an adverse impact on the human condition.
2. Video - if time we will compare what we have learned and discuss along with viewing these video examples (great to watch if you were absent from class):
2. Use the PsykTrek3 CD to explain how neurons function.
3. We will discuss the causes of Multiple Sclerosis, because it is a great example of how neurons not functioning properly can have an adverse impact on the human condition.
2. Video - if time we will compare what we have learned and discuss along with viewing these video examples (great to watch if you were absent from class):
The Human Body: Nervous SystemWhat is Multiple SclerosisWhat is Myelin?Meet Sallie - Everyday Matters Video from the National MS Foundation
Quote of the Day: "SPQR" - Senātus Populusque Rōmānus "The Senate and People of Rome"
Learning Targets: (Link to CH 4 Targets)
Psycho-physics: Basic Concepts and Issues in Measuring Perception
One key to understanding perception is the accurate measurement of the processes of perception. Psychologists have worked hard to develop strategies for measuring perception. The concepts are not nearly as clear as other concepts in psychology, but let’s address some of these measurement techniques.1. Perception is the interpretation of sensory information; it relies on experience.
2. The difference between sensation and perception
Essential Questions:
How is stimulus intensity related to absolute thresholds?
How does Just Noticeable Difference JND fit with Weber/Fechner's Laws?
Central Idea of signal-detection?
Agenda:
DO NOW Question: Are you influenced by advertisements? If so, in what ways?
1. Notes, Video, Discussion: Introduction to Sensation & Perception.
2. Lab: Weber's Law. Students will work together to understand the "Just Noticeable Difference" in perception. The law states that the change in a stimulus that will be just noticeable is a constant ratio of the original stimulus. It has been shown not to hold for extremes of stimulation. We will use envelopes with coins, shoes, & books.
3. Lab: Subliminal Stimulation. Students will look at advertisements from various corporate logos to compete to see who can see the subliminal message contained within.
4. Video: Mind Control with Derren Brown. Students will see how easily the advertisers can be tricked by subliminal messages as well as consumers.
Friday, Sept. 21, 2012
Quote of the Day: "The empires of the future are the empires of the mind." - Winston Churchill, speech at Harvard University, Sept. 6, 1943
Learning Targets: (link to CH 4 Targets)
* Define the Mind/Body Problem. The mind is about mental processes, thought and consciousness. The body is about the physical aspects of the brain-neurons and how the brain is structured. The mind-body problem is about how these two interact.
Essential Questions:
*What is the mind/body question?
*Which is more important in psychology - the mind or the body?
1. Discuss article, "The Yogurt Made Me Do It." Students will discuss the article in Socratic groups, then report back to the full class.
