Chapter Two - TEST BANK 360testbank360.eu/sample/solution-manual-what-is-psycholo… · Web viewAlzheimer’s Disease. from The Mind Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition, # 19 (2000) Worth

Chapter TwoHow Does Biology Influence Our Behavior?

Outline of Resources

I. Learning Objective and Learning Grid

II. Lecture Outline

III. How Does the Brain Communicate?Class Activity: Creating a NeuronClass Activity: What Does Mylination Do?Student Project: Eating Away Your Myelin Sheath: What Is Adrenoleukodystrophy?Student Project: Labeling Neurons (Handout 2.1) Student Project: CengageNOW 2.2: Neural Transmission Lecture Topic: Do Neurons Fire at the Speed of Light?Lecture Topic: Periods of Neuronal InactivityJournal Prompt: Doubting Your MessagesJournal Prompt: Voltage

IV. How Do Neurotransmitters, The Brain's Chemical Messengers, Work?Class Activity: The Amazing BrainClass Activity: Guest Speaker: Substance Abuse CounselorStudent Project: Effects of Cocaine, Alcohol, Opiates, and Ecstasy (Handout 2.2)Student Project: CengageNOW 2.2: Synaptic Transmission Lecture Topic: Acetylcholine & NicotineLecture Topic: Human versus MachineJournal Prompt: Behavior & DrugsJournal Prompt: Food for Thought

V. Is the Nervous System a Single System?Student Project: The Three Components of the Autonomic Nervous SystemLecture Prompt: How They Work Together: Spinal ReflexJournal Prompt: The Alarm Response

VI. How Is the Brain Organized?Class Activity: Primary Motor CortexClass Activity: Mad Scientists and the Media (Handout 2.3)Student Project: Research Phineas Gage and Other Head Injuries

How Does Biology Influence Our Behavior?

Student Project: CengageNOW 2.5: Split-BrainLecture Topic: Parietal Lobe: Beyond SensationLecture Topic: How to Assist Stroke Victims Journal Prompt: Brain InjuryJournal Prompt: Brain Damage Journal Prompt/Diversity: Societal Impact

VII. How Do We Study the Brain?Class Activity: Can You Label the Brain? (Handout 2.4)Class Activity: What's in the Box?Student Project: Cognitive NeuroscienceStudent Project: The Origins of Computerized Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)Lecture Topic: Bring in the Experts!Lecture Topic: Imaging Techniques: Why Are There so Many?Journal Prompt: Do We Want to Know Everything about the Mind?Journal Prompt: What Is Next?

VIII. How Does the Endocrine System Influence Our Behavior?Class Activity: Testing Their KnowledgeStudent Project: Understanding SteroidsLecture Topic: StressLecture Topic: Psychological Well-Being & GrowthJournal Prompt: Hormones in Action

IX. What Makes Us Who We Are: Our Biology or the Environment?Class Activity: Nature versus NurtureClass activity: What Type of Organization Is This?Student Project: Family Tree (Handout 2.5)Student Project: Tracking RoyaltyLecture Topic: Phenotype & GenotypeLecture Topic: Interaction of Genetics and the EnvironmentJournal Prompt: My Own Personal Geneticist Journal Prompt: Free Will

X. Other ResourcesWeb LinksMovies & FilmsCritical Thinking Answers from the TextTips

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Full file at http://testbank360.eu/solution-manual-what-is-psychology-international-edition-3rd-edition-pastorin

I. Learning Objectives & Learning Grid

A. Learning Objectives1. Describe the basic structure of a neuron, including the axon, dendrites, and synapse.

2. Explain what an action potential is, and describe how it moves down the axon and across the synapse.

3. Explain what excitation and inhibition are, and how they occur at the synapse.

4. List the major neurotransmitter, and describe the functions it may influence.

5. Describe the major parts of the nervous system and what types of information they process.

6. Be able to locate the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain, list their parts, and explain what they do.

7. Describe brain-imaging techniques and other ways we can study the brain, and explain their advantages and limitations.

8. Explain how the endocrine system works and list the endocrine glands.

9. Give an overview of the nature versus nurture debate, and describe genetic and environmental factors in human development.

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10. Give an overview of the theory of evolution, and explain how the human nervous system may have developed through natural selection.

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B. Learning Grid

APA Undergraduate Learning Goals and Outcomes

Text Learning Objectives Instructor’s Resource Manual Assessments & Activities

Goal 1: Knowledge Base of Psychology

LO 1-10 Class Activity: Creating a NeuronClass Activity: What Does Mylination Do?Student Project: Labeling Neurons (Handout 2.1)Class Activity: Primary Motor CortexClass Activity: What Type of Organization Is This?Student Project: Cognitive NeuroscienceStudent Project: Understanding Steroids

Goal 2: Research Methods in Psychology

Student Project: CengageNOW 2.5: Split-Brain

Goal 3: Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology

LO 10 Student Project: CengageNOW 2.2: Neural Transmission Class Activity: The Amazing BrainStudent Project: CengageNOW 2.2: Synaptic TransmissionClass Activity: Can You Label the Brain? (Handout 2.4)Class Activity: Testing Their KnowledgeClass Activity: What's in the Box?

Goal 4: Application of Psychology

LO 7 Class Activity: Guest Speaker: Substance Abuse Counselor Student Project: Family Tree (Handout 2.5)

Goal 5: Values in Psychology

Class Activity: Mad Scientists and the Media (Handout 2.3)

Goal 6: Information and Technological Literacy

Student Project: Eating Away Your Myelin Sheath: What Is Adrenoleukodystrophy?Student Project: Effects of Cocaine, Alcohol, Opiates, and Ecstasy (Handout 2.2)Student Project: The Three Components of the Autonomic Nervous SystemStudent Project: Research Phineas Gage and Other Head InjuriesStudent Project: The Origins of Computerized Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Goal 7: Communication Skills

All class activities, journal prompts, & student projects

Goal 8: Sociocultural and Journal Prompt/Diversity:

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International Awareness Societal ImpactClass Activity: Nature versus NurtureStudent Project: Tracking Royalty

Goal 9: Personal Development

Journal Prompts

Goal 10: Career Planning

II. Lecture Outline

A. How Does the Brain Communicate?1. Neurons: Specialized Cells that Convey Information Throughout

the Bodya. Adult male brain contains approximately 86 billion

neurons2. Glia Cells Provide Support Functions for the Neurons

a. Latin word for “glue”b. May influence neural communication between neuronsc. Produce a white fatty substance called myelin, which increases the speed of neuronal communication d. Multiple sclerosis is a disease that attacks myelin insulation

3. The What Does a Neuron Look Like?a. Cell body: contains the nucleus, which in turn houses DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and directs the development of the neuronb. Dendrites: (Greek word for tree branch) branch-like structures extending out from the cell body; receive signals from other neuronsc. Axon: long tail-like structure protruding from the other side of the cell body; carries signals away from the cell bodyd. Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers that carry messages to neighboring neurons; created in the axon bulbs located at the end of each axone. Synapse: the junction between two neurons when the axon bulb of one neuron is near the receptor cites located on the dendrites of the adjacent neuron

4. How Do Neurons Send Signals?a. Charged particles

i. Sodium (Na+): ions outside of the neuronsii. Potassium (K+): ions inside of the neuronsiii. Chlorine (Cl-): ions inside of the neurons

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iv. Anions: negatively charged proteins b. Resting potential

i. NA+ outside the neuron and a lot of negative anions and K+ inside the cell; causes the cell to be polarizedii. This polarization causes the cell, when at rest, to be about –70 millivolts

c. The action potential and the threshold of excitation i. Threshold of excitation: when incoming messages make the cell more positive (about –55 mv in mammals), the threshold is reached and the axon will open and allow Na+ ions to enter the cellii. Action potentials: the process of a neuron creating an electrical impulse via sodium, potassium, and chlorine

1. Action potentials are all-or-none, meaning that once they reach the threshold of excitation, they will fire

d. Refractory period: the period of time immediately following an action potential when it cannot create another action potential; first must restore its resting potential before it can fire again

5. How Do Signals Jump the Synapse?a. When the action potentials reach the axon bulbs the cause the vesicles in the bulbs to open up and dump neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft; each neurotransmitter has a specific shape and will only attach, or bind, to specific dendritic receptor sites on the adjacent neuronsb. Excitation: sometimes the neurotransmitter causes excitation in the cell, thus making the cell more likely to firec. Inhibition: sometimes the neurotransmitter makes the cell less likely to fire an action potentiald. How do excitation and inhibition interact?

i. When multiple signals converge on the dendrite, it “adds” the excitatory (+) and inhibitory (-) signals and only fires when it threshold has been reached

6. Cleaning up the Synapse: Reuptakea. When the vesicles in an axon bulb release neurotransmitters into the synapse, not all of them attach to receptor sitesb. Reuptake: the process of recycling neurotransmitters back into the axon bulb that released them

i. Process resupplies the axon bulb with neurotransmitters

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ii. Cleans up the synapse to insure the appropriate amount of neurotransmitters is present

B. How Do Neurotransmitters, The Brain's Chemical Messengers, Work?

1. The First Neurotransmitter: Acetylcholine (Ach)a. Involved with awareness and memoryb. Alzheimer's patients have lower levels of Ach

2. Parkinson’s Disease and Schizophrenia: Dopaminea. Involved with movement, learning, and attentionb. Low amounts of dopamine are associated with

Parkinson's disease and high amounts are associated with schizophrenia.

3. Playing a Part in Depression: Serotonin and Norepinephrinea. Both are known for their influence on mood, sleep, and arousal; Prozac (antidepressant) inhibits the reuptake of serotonin whereas Cymbalta inhibits reuptake of both neurotransmitters

4. Inhibiting and Exciting the Brain: GABA and Glutamatea. Influence our general level of arousalb. Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) is involved with inhibiting neurons and reducing stressc. Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter

5. Pain in the Brain: Endorphins and Substance Pa. Endorphins block the functioning of Substance P (pain messenger)

C. Is the Nervous System a Single System?

1. The nervous system is divided into two sections, the central nervous system (CNS, brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS, everything else)2. Messages from the Body: Peripheral Nervous System

a. Sensory (afferent) neurons send information to the CNSb. Motor (efferent) neurons carry signals from the CNS to our muscles

3. Reaching Out: The Somatic Nervous Systema. Concerned with voluntary actions of our bodies

4. Looking Inside: Organ Function and the Autonomic Nervous System

a. Controls the smooth muscles of internal organsi. Sympathetic: prepares the body for action during periods of stress (fight or flight)

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ii. Parasympathetic: operates when we are calm and relaxed

D. How Is the Brain Organized?

1. The Hindbraina. Consists of medulla (heart & lungs), pons (consciousness & hemispheric communication), cerebellum (motor coordination)

2. The Midbraina. Primary structure of interest is the reticular activating system (RAS)

i. Regulates arousal level3. The Forebrain

a. Duplicated in both hemispheres b. Consists of

i. Limbic system1. Amygdala: emotions of fear & aggression2. Septum: pleasure center3. Hippocampus: formation of new memories

(size is impacted by specific memory use and stress)

ii. The thalamus and hypothalamus1. Thalamus: sensory relay station2. Hypothalamus: maintains internal homeostasis of the body (temperature, hunger, etc…)

4. The Cortexa. Lateralization and the lobes of the cortex

i. Divided into four distinct lobesii. Structurally similar in both hemispheres, but functions somewhat differentiii. Wired contralaterally, right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body

b. The left and right hemispheresi. Wernike’s area, located in the left temporal lobe, is concerned with comprehending spoken languageii. Broca’s area, located in the left frontal lobe, focuses on producing spoken languageiii. Right hemisphere plays a role in spatial abilities (memory for location) and detecting subtleties of language (e.g., tone and novel word use)

c. Corpus callosum: band of axons connecting to the two hemispheres

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d. Sex differences in the corpus callosum and brain lateralization

i. Female hemispheres seem to be more connected than males

e. The split-braini. Occurs when the corpus callosum is severed for people suffering from severe cases of epilepsyii. This procedure allowed researchers to study the hemispheres of the brain

5. The Specialization of Function in the Lobes of the Cortexa. Association cortex are the areas primarily dedicated to thinking, planning, and cognitionb. Frontal lobe: higher-order cognitions, social skills, andplanning

i. Motor cortex: execution of muscle movementsc. Parietal lobe: spatial skills, reading ability

i. Somatosensory cortex: involved with perception of touch, pressure, & pain

d. Occipital lobe: primary vision centere. Temporal lobe: audition and memory

E. How Do We Study the Brain?

1. Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) Scansa. X-rays passed through the brainb. Computer then analyzes X-raysc. Greater brain density results in fewer rays passing

through2. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

a. Reveals detail down to 1 to 2 millimeters3. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

a. MRI technology that reveals diffusion of water in the brain; provides detail images of neural networks

4. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scans and Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) Scans

a. Images of the brain in action; measures amount of injected radioactive substance in blood

5. Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT)a. Radioactive isotopes are injected and tracked

throughout the system6. Functional MRI (fMRI)

a. Provides great detail as from an MRI and ongoing activity like a PET scan

7. Angiogramsa. Injected dye is X-rayed; useful for diagnosing blood-

flow problems

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6. Electroencephalogram (EEG)a. View gross patterns of neural activity

7. Evoked Response Potentials (ERPs)a. Similar to EEG

8. Brain Lesionsa. Brain tissue surgically destroyed for therapeutic value;

able to examine what cognitive abilities have been harmed9. Brain Stimulation

a. Inserting fine electrode to stimulate a brain region10. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

a. Magnetic fields can target specific locations in the brain and evoke action potentials; noninvasive way to study the functioning of the brain. 11. Single Cell Recording

a. Typically performed on animals

F. How Does the Endocrine System Influence Our Behavior?

1. The Glands of the Endocrine Systema. Pituitary gland: responsible for regulating all other endocrine glandsb. Ovaries and testes: sexual reproductionc. Adrenal gland: regulate arousal and sexual behavior

i. Adrenal medulla: releases adrenaline into the bloodstream during stress

ii. Adrenal cortex: controls aspects of our sex characteristics

d. Thyroid gland: responsible for several aspects of our metabolism

G. What Makes Us Who We Are: Our Biology or the Environment?

1. Nature vs. Nurture and Interactionisma. Nature: genes account for our abilitiesb. Nurture: environment accounts for our abilitiesc. Interactionism: heredity and the environment both account for our behavior

2. The Genetic Blueprints for Traitsa. Genes: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) direct the development of our body

i. Genotype: actual genetic codeii. Phenotype: characteristics we actually develop

3. The Evolution of Species: Natural Selectiona. Random genetic mutations occur and they are either

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i. Maladaptive: mutation prevents an organism from procreatingii. Adaptive: assists the organism in procreating

III. How Does the Brain Communicate?

Alignment of Objectives

This section includes resources developed around the following objectives:

APA Goal 3: Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology APA Goal 4: Application of Psychology Learning Objective 1: Learning the basic structure

of a neuron, including the axon, dendrites, and synapse.

Learning Objective 2: Explain what an action potential is, and describe how it moves down the axon and across the synapse.

Class Activity: Creating a Neuron

Students usually have a hard time understanding how the neuron functions. Therefore, assign a task of creating a neuron from string, Styrofoam cups, ping-pong balls, etc. This activity helps you as an instructor visualize the students’ understanding and also helps those who are visual/kinesthetic learners as well.

Class Activity: What Does Mylination Do?

To help the students better comprehend the benefits of axons having mylination, let them try this activity. Get two tennis balls and split the class into two groups, with one group having twice as many members as the other. For the larger of the two groups, have them stand side by side in a straight line (this group mimics a neuron without a myelin sheath). For the smaller group, have them stand spread out in a straight line as well (this group mimics a neuron with a myelin sheath). Be sure the two group lines are side by side and cover the same distance. The object of the game is to get the ball from one end to the other with each individual in the line touching the ball and no one changing their position. The larger of the two groups has to pass the ball by hand to each member whereas the smaller group can toss the ball to each person. Obviously the smaller of the two groups will finish quicker

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and the speeded process of tossing the ball is essentially what happens underneath mylinated axons.

Student Project: Eating Away Your Myelin Sheath: What Is Adrenoleukodystrophy?

Have the students go to the "National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke" webpage and search for information pertaining to Adrenoleukodystrophy. Have them write down three different aspects they found interesting about the disorder. This is also a good opening discussion about the myelin sheath and its purpose.

Student Project: Labeling Neurons (Handout 2.1)

To help students understand the relationship between the many components of the neuron, have them label Handout 2.1. Student Project: CengageNOW 2.2: Neural Transmission

This learning module provides a very clear illustration of an action potential. It also allows students to interact with and identify the various steps involved in creating an action potential. As always, please encourage them to take the brief self-test at the end of the module. You may also add an additional thought question discussing what might happen if one of these structures was not functioning and the implications of this malfunction (this could serve as a nice segue to discuss neurological disorders).

Lecture Topic: Do Neurons Fire at the Speed of Light?

When asked this question, your typical introductory student would answer yes, and is subsequently surprised to find out neurons only relay messages around 100-150 mph as opposed to 186,000 mph. The speed of a nerve impulse was originally discovered by Herman Von Helmholtz, a German physiologist and physicist, in 1848. To measure speed, one has to know the distance traveled and the time required to travel that distance. To accomplish this, Helmholtz used a frog leg and a stopwatch. He measured the time the leg would kick after a nerve of the frog leg had been stimulated. Then, he would alternate between two different locations and measure the differences in response time. From this, he was able to ascertain the speed of a neural impulse.

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Lecture Topic: Periods of Neuronal Inactivity

According to the text, absolute refractory periods occur right after an action potential has fired. During an action potential, segments of the neuron depolarize and alter the chemical makeup of the axon. It is in this altered state that a neuron is unable to activate until it has replenished the necessary chemicals. However, there is an exception to this rule. The relative refractory period is the period of time while the neuron is replenishing its chemical makeup. While in this state, a neuron can actually fire on special occasions if it receives an especially strong excitatory signal.

Journal Prompt: Doubting Your Messages

What would life be like if you were unsure if a signal from your brain was going to reach its destination? Or, what if the reverse were true, incoming sensations would not always make it to the brain.

Journal Prompt: Voltage

Think about the fact that when a neuron "fires," it produces a measly 55 mv. However, since we have approximately 90 billion, let's imagine that 10% were active at any given time. How much voltage is produced? Can you think of anything that is equivalent to?

Objectives Assessment

The following activities are designed to assess student mastery of the learning objectives and goals listed above:

1. Discussing the impact on a neuron when certain components are removed or malfunctioning.(APA Goal 3; Learning Objective 1)

2. Based on the information students know up until this point, how could this information about a neuron be useful to the medical field?(APA Goal 4; Learning Objective 2)

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IV. How Do Neurotransmitters, the Brain's Chemical Messengers, Work?



APA Goal 2: Research Methods in Psychology APA Goal 6: Information and Technological Literacy APA Goal 7: Communication Skills APA Goal 8: Sociocultural and International

Awareness Learning Objective 4: List the major

neurotransmitters, and describe the functions they may influence.

Class Activity: The Amazing Brain

Discuss with the class the complexity of the brain. For instance, how can 100 billion neurons provide us with our senses, our ability to interact with the world around us, and most amazingly, our consciousness? Ask the class how they would create our senses, our ability to move, and most difficult of all, consciousness.

Class Activity: Guest Speaker: Substance Abuse Counselor

Bring in your school’s counselor and have him or her discuss the influence of illegal substances on the body and the brain. The counselor could focus on the effects of alcohol, ecstasy, and marijuana to name a few.

Student Project: Effects of Cocaine, Alcohol, Opiates, and Ecstasy (Handout 2.2)

Go to the following webpages: "WebMD" and "PBS Online" (specifically search for "Animations: How drugs work"). Read over each of the websites’ discussion of the effects of cocaine, alcohol, and opiates, and then answer the questions on Handout 2.2.

Student Project: CengageNOW 2.2: Synaptic Transmission

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This activity clearly identifies the process of how two neurons can communicate with each other. This module can be used as a spring board to discuss how various drugs impact the human nervous system.

Lecture Topic: Acetylcholine & Nicotine

The advanced lecture topic will build upon what the text says regarding the role of this neurotransmitter. Acetylcholine is involved with muscle movement, learning, memory, sleeping, and dreaming. The special feature about neurotransmitters is their specific “shape” and how that shape is able to excite or inhibit certain neurons. It is this unique shape that medications rely upon for their effectiveness. Nicotine, a chemical substance found within tobacco, happens to have the same “shape” as acetylcholine and therefore influences the same regions. When people smoke tobacco, they experience increased blood flow to their muscles and may have heightened attention and problem-solving skills. But recent studies have found that these improved mental abilities may only be experienced by regular smokers and not those who smoke occasionally.

Source: Gazzaniga, M.S., & Heatherton, T.F. (2003). Psychological Science: Mind, Brain, and Behavior. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Lecture Topic: Human versus Machine

Students should now start to realize that neurons partially work via electricity and they either fire or they do not. Make the analogy that humans are machines and then defend this position against student rebuttal. Be sure to incorporate the concept of operational definitions from the first chapter and have them define thought or thinking.

Journal Prompt: Behavior & Drugs

Have you known someone who is/was addicted to a drug? How did the substance change their behavior? How quickly did the change take place? If they sought treatment, what did they do?

Journal Prompt: Food for Thought

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Why does caffeine make us excited? Why does aspirin help with our headaches? What do think the relationship is between the foods that we eat and how we think and feel?



1. Have the students design a research protocol to develop a new medication to address a common ailment and then develop a presentation for the class.(APA Goals 2, 6, & 7; Learning Objective 4)

2. Have students research how the role of the medical field differs by culture. They may present their findings in an essay or class presentation.(APA Goal 8)

V. Is the Nervous System Single System?



APA Goal 4: Application of Psychology APA Goal 6: Information and Technological Literacy Learning Objective 5: Describe the major parts of

the nervous system and what types of information they process.

Student Project: The Three Components of the Autonomic Nervous System

Have the students access "Neuroscience for kids" on the Internet and look up information on the autonomic nervous system. They should print out the text from this page and then write what they have learned about the three subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system. Encourage them to research the less well-known enteric nervous system.

Lecture Topic: How They Work Together: Spinal Reflex

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Did you know that not all of our physical behaviors originate from the brain? The spinal cord is not only responsible for trafficking neural messages to and from the brain, but it also is the cause for some of our behaviors. A spinal reflex is responsible for our stretching behavior. Also, all vertebrates (and this includes humans) have what is called a central pattern generator. There is a series of coordinated muscle movements required to perform some common tasks. For instance, fish with detached spinal cords can still perform the swimming motion independent of the brain. In humans, this would probably be analogous to walking. Of course, in both instances, the brain is the structure responsible for starting the process.

Journal Prompt: The Alarm Response

Recall a traumatic event in your life and how you physically responded to it. What was the event, and how did your body respond to the event (i.e., sympathetic nervous system)? How long did it take you to calm down (i.e., parasympathetic nervous system)?


The following activity is designed to assess student mastery of the learning objectives and goals listed above:

1. Provide students with a list of scenarios that involve some form of physical action, either immediate or delayed, and have them determine which part of the nervous system would be most beneficial. (APA Goal 4)

VI. How Is the Brain Organized?



APA Goal 3: Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology APA Goal 6: Information and Technological Literacy APA Goal 7: Communication Skills APA Goal 8: Sociocultural and International

Awareness

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Learning Objective 6: Be able to locate the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain, list their parts, and explain what they do.

Class Activity: Primary Motor Cortex

Use the following website provided by PBS, "A Science Odyssey - Probe the Brain" to further illustrate the body mapping of the primary motor cortex. Click on various location of the motor cortex and watch as the opposite side of the body reacts to the stimulation.

Class Activity: Mad Scientists and the Media (Handout 2.3)

After having discussed how the brain is specialized, ask the students to think of some science fiction films that involve controlling peoples’ minds (e.g., The Matrix, The Stepford Wives, etc.). How could they apply what they have learned about the brain to the movies? Use Handout 2.3 to help organize the discussion.

Student Project: Research Phineas Gage and Other Head Injuries

This project enables students to further appreciate the life of Phineas Gage. Have students find the webpage at Deakin University entitled "The Phineas Gage Information Page" and have them write out two interesting facts about Mr. Gage. Then have them go to the Brain Injury Resource Center webpage, select three types of head injuries, and describe the symptoms that accompany the injury.

Student Project: CengageNOW 2.5: Split-Brain

To provide some excellent audio and visual aids for helping students understand split-brain research and epilepsy, have them take the self-test at the end of the activity to assess their understanding of the phenomenon. To go outside of this learning module, it would be interesting to have students report what they learned in addition to the text and lecture materials. And, as an additional thought experiment, they could be asked if this procedure could be performed successfully in other regions of the brain.

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Lecture Topic: Parietal Lobe: Beyond Sensation

In addition to housing the somatosensory cortex, the parietal lobe also is highly involved with our ability for perceiving the spatial layout of our environment. Studies involving stroke patients with damage to their right hemispheres commonly experience hemineglect, the inability to notice any objects on their left side. This phenomenon rarely occurs in the left hemisphere. However, researchers have studied these occurrences and have discovered that when patients’ left hemisphere is damaged, they still have spatial maps of both the left and the right visual areas. When damage occurs to the right hemisphere, patients have a complete inability to navigate the left visual field.

Source: Gazzaniga, M.S., & Heatherton, T.F. (2003). Psychological Science: Mind, Brain, and Behavior. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Lecture Topic: How to Assist Stroke Victims

Victims of strokes can have several, if not all, of their senses altered as a result of the brain trauma. One of the least likely areas to be effected is their sense of hearing. Our sense of vision can change in a variety of different ways. Victims can lose their ability to see in the opposite field of vision from their traumatized hemisphere. Their sense of depth perception may also be altered.

Stroke victims’ ability to speak is commonly disrupted. Aphasia is a difficulty either to talk and listen or read and write. Another communication deficit, dysarthria, occurs when the muscles involved in talking are weakened.

After the attack, they may not feel temperature, touch, pain, or degrees of sharpness on the affected side.

Source: http://caregiver-information.com/Stroke/perception.htm

Journal Prompt: Brain Injury

If you had to lose a section of your brain, what would it be? What would be the most important area and why?

Journal Prompt: Brain Damage

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http://caregiver-information.com/Stroke/perception.htm


Have you ever met someone who was brain damaged? What caused the damage, and what loss of abilities occurred as a result of it?

Journal Prompt/Diversity: Societal Impact

Cognitive deficits resulting from disease or traumatic head injuries not only have an impact on the individual but also on those around the person. Identify some of the ways people are discriminated because of their cognitive deficits.



1. To help understand student’s level of comprehension, have them develop an analogy (i.e., analogous to a car) of the central nervous system and describe how the parts are interrelated. They could present their ideas either in paper or oral presentation format.(APA Goals 3 & 7; Learning Objective 6)

VII. How Do We Study the Brain?



APA Goal 4: Application of Psychology Learning Objective 7: Describe the brain-imaging

techniques and other ways we can study the brain, and explain their advantages and limitations.

Class Activity: Can You Label the Brain? (Handout 2.4)

This activity works best if the students can have access to the handout via the Internet or email. Utilizing the Internet, students will be required to find various examples of neuroimaging techniques and then see how well they can label the anatomical structures in each. This is a nice primer to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various imaging techniques.

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Class Activity: What's in the Box?

To help provide students with a more hands-on understanding of neuroimaging techniques, bring in a shoebox with an object inside of it. Tape the box shut and then give it to your class and have them determine what is inside of it without opening it. This process is much like children trying to figure out what is inside a wrapped present, but this is in essence what scientists do in the attempt to determine what happens inside the human brain.

Student Project: Cognitive Neuroscience

For this project, require the students to research some prominent researchers in the area of cognitive neuroscience and have them briefly describe their contributions to the scientific community (for example, Michael Gazzaniga or Antonio Damasio).

Student Project: The Origins of Computerized Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Have the students go to the following PBS website "A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries" and read the brief document (CT scan and MRI introduced 1972-1985) describing the origins of some of the first imaging techniques. Have them identify the founders and advantages of each of the techniques discussed in the article.

Lecture Topic: Bring in the Experts!

Students often enjoy either having a field trip or you bringing in an expert from a local imaging center. The odds are that you will not find an expert in all of these areas, but one or two would adequately suffice.

Lecture Topic: Imaging Techniques: Why Are There so Many?

The following is a wonderful list from the American Psychological Association describing the various imaging techniques and their strengths and weaknesses.

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Positron Emission Tomography (PET): Measures: Blood flow, metabolic reaction rate, and biochemical synthesis. Using: A positron emission tomograph that tracks positively charged electrons, or positrons, detected via a radioactive dye. After the dye is injected, a person lies flat and enters the tomograph head first. Pluses: High-end spatial resolution. Minuses: Limited temporal resolution.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI): Measures: Brain blood flow. Using: A giant magnet that detects signals from protons in the brain while people lie still inside it. The signals indicate changes in blood oxygenation due to brain activity. Pluses: Excellent spatial resolution over the entire brain. Minuses: Limited temporal resolution, sensitive to movement.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI): Measures: The brain’s processing of specific chemicals during metabolism. Using: A modified MRI scanner. Pluses: Moderates spatial resolution, tracks chemicals used in specific types of learning tasks. Minuses: Poor temporal resolution.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG): Measures: Changes in weak magnetic fields tied to the brain’s electrical currents. Using: A helmet connected to Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices. Pluses: Excellent, up to the millisecond temporal resolution over the whole brain. Minuses: Limited spatial resolution, sensitive to noise.

Near-Infrared Imaging (nIR): Measures: Brain blood flow. Using: A sensor that monitors how infrared light interacts with oxygenated hemoglobin. The sensor is bound to a person’s head and attached to a computer. Pluses: Good temporal resolution, portable, relatively inexpensive, noninvasive. Doesn’t require that people sit still. Minuses: Poor spatial resolution, can image only one brain part at a time.

Event-Related Optical Signal (EROS): Measures: Movement of photons through brain tissue. Using: Near-infrared light and a helmet connected to a small, box-like computer. Pluses: Noninvasive, relatively inexpensive, portable. Decent spatial and temporal resolution. Minuses: Still in experimental phases, spatial resolution not as good as with fMRI. Looks only at localized brain areas.

Source: Adapted from the American Psychological Association website entitled "Watching the Brain at Work."

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Journal Prompt: Do We Want to Know Everything About the Mind?

What implications are there if we eventually completely map out the brain? For instance, if we know where exactly emotions come from, memory, spirituality, etc., what would the impact be on society be?

Journal Prompt: What Is next?

After having read brief summaries of the various technologies that we use to measure neural activity, what type of new imaging techniques do you think we will be using in the future?



1. When are the different imaging techniques appropriate? After having read this section students should be knowledgeable about the various techniques, but can they actually apply them? Create a list of various scenarios that range from research questions in the lab to head injuries and test to see if students can accurately apply the different types. Or, to save yourself some time, have the students generate their own applications that are different from the text examples.(APA Goal 4)

VIII. How Does the Endocrine System Influence Our Behavior?



APA Goal 4: Application of Psychology APA Goal 6: Information and Technological Literacy Learning Objective 8: Explain how the endocrine

system works, and list the endocrine glands.

Class Activity: Testing Their Knowledge

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Ask the students the following question, “Neurons are faster than hormones, so why have them in the first place?” See if the students can identify the pros and cons of each of these communication systems. You probably will need to guide them a little, so you could tell them that hormones are involved with body energy levels, reproduction, growth and development, internal balance of body systems (called homeostasis), and responses to surroundings (stress, and injury).

Student Project: Understanding Steroids

Have your students go to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s website and research the topic of steroids. Have them read over the information and come back to class with information that they learned.

Lecture Topic: Stress

During the week, it is not uncommon for us to experience times when we are stressed. It might stem from work or home, but it is almost impossible to escape it. When we are stressed, the hippocampus secretes the hormone CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor), which then causes the pituitary gland to produce ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). ACTH then floods the bloodstream and causes the adrenal glands to produce glucocorticoids. Within moments, the body is pumping more blood and shutting down unnecessary bodily functions. The problem is, though, in this day and age, there are too many stressors in our lives and therefore our stress response is continually engaged. This has the potential to cause heart disease, impotence, compromised immunity, or ulcers. To help students to further understand their own stress response, have them complete Handout 2.4: How do you handle stress? From this, you could have them expound on their good, and not so good, approaches to handling stress.

Lecture Topic: Psychological Well-Being & Growth

If a child experiences both emotional and social deprivation during their early development, their physical growth can actually become significantly stunted. This syndrome has been referred to as psychosocial dwarfism and is primarily caused by psychological factors inhibiting the normal functioning of the endocrine system. The endocrine system produces several hormones responsible for growth, three of which are growth hormone (somatotropin which

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promotes growth), somatomedin (promotes growth), and cortisol (inhibits growth). Cortisol is released when we become stressed. When children are exposed to prolonged stress, this hormone is released into their system and hence prohibits their growth. Fortunately, if intervention occurs early enough and the child is placed in a warm and supportive environment, his or her growth rates are dramatically accelerated.

Journal Prompt: Hormones in Action

Can you recall a time when you experienced a prolonged period of elation or sadness but did not know the source? Describe this emotion and attempt to label the cause. Could the emotion have stemmed from the environment, or was it internally driven by hormones?


1. Why do medications wear off so quickly, whereas hormones tend to have a considerably longer impact on a person? Have the students develop reports (e.g., oral or written) on how hormone imbalances, and those who abuse hormones, adversely impact an individual. (APA Goal 4 & 6)

IX. What Makes Us Who We Are: Our Biology or the Environment



APA Goal 2: Research Methods in Psychology APA Goal 5: Values in Psychology APA Goal 8: Sociocultural and International

Awareness APA Goal 9: Personal Development Learning Objective 9: Give an overview of the nature

versus nurture debate, and describe genetic and environmental factors in human development.

Learning Objective 10: Give an overview of the theory of evolution, and explain how the human

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nervous system may have developed through natural selection.

Class Activity: Nature versus Nurture

Provide students with a scenario about an adult suffering from a disorder. Also provide a history about the person’s childhood. Now place the students in groups and have them discuss why the person is the way that he or she is. Possibly create questions to slant them toward either the nature or nurture perspectives.

Class Activity: What Type of Organization Is This?

Now that the class has learned how the genes, nervous system, and endocrine system work, have them create a metaphor to describe how these systems work together. Is it driven by just one of the three systems or all three?

Student Project: Family Tree (Handout 2.5)

Have students use Handout 2.4 to look for commonalities between themselves and their grandparents, parents, and siblings. Focus on the physical features (and/or personalities).

Student Project: Tracking Royalty

For this project, have student’s research royal family lines in Europe. Have them specifically look for “disorders” that are either physical or mental in nature. From their findings, you can easily discuss the impacts of genetics on a variety of dimensions. The following is a book that provides excellent examples of such genetic disorders.

Shaw, K. (2001). Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty. New York, NY: Broadway Books.

Lecture Topic: Phenotype & Genotype

Even though genes transfer many characteristics to a child, not all of them are visible. Genotype is the genetic constitution of an organism, the actual genetic makeup determined at the moment of conception. Phenotype is the observable physical characteristics of an organism that result from both genetic and environmental influences.

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Lecture Topic: Interaction of Genetics and the Environment

Some children are born with a disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU). As a result of this disorder, the child is unable to digest (break down) an enzyme (phenylalanine) contained in dairy and other food products. If a child is given large doses of this enzyme, he or she can experience severe brain damage. However, if the child’s diet reduces the intake of this enzyme until after critical developmental periods, the likelihood of brain damage is greatly reduced. This is an example of the phenotype being modified by the environment.

Journal Prompt: My Own Personal Geneticist

Imagine that you could go back in time and “modify” your DNA strand to give yourself different qualities. What qualities from your parents and grandparents would you like to have? Which ones would you like to remove?

Journal Prompt: Free Will

After having read through the chapter, what are your thoughts concerning "free will?" The chapter indicates several physical factors that seem to influence our behavior, so where does this leave our ability to make our own choices?



1. Before implementing the following assessment, please take into account your class’s perspective on the issue of evolution. Have the students generate two different explanations, one evolution based and one different from evolution, for why people are the way that they are. In addition to generating the two approaches, have them also discuss which, if any, of these approaches lends itself best to research.(APA Goals 2, 5, 8, & 9; Learning Objective 10)

X. Other Resources

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A. Web Links

The Phineas Gage Information webpage (Maintained at Deakin University) is an excellent source for detailed information on his life and condition.

The Brain Injury Resource Center has an overview of several head injuries and corresponding symptoms.The University of Washington’s Eric Chudler Neuroscience for Kids website contains great brain and consciousness information and activities. While it is geared for K-12, some activities can be used for college students.

The PBS online webpage "Animations: How Drugs Work" provides a wonderful animation of drugs and their effects on neurotransmitters.

The WebMD search engine can be used to investigate a wide variety of controlled/illegal substances.

PBS’s A Science Odyssey has a discussion about the origins of some of the brain-imaging techniques used in the present day.

PBS’s A Science Odyssey has a visual demonstration of the motor cortex and how it controls the opposite side of the body.

The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke discusses several different disorders and current research findings.

American Psychological Association describes a multitude of brain-imaging techniques and their strength and weakness.

Major National Resources for the Study of Brain Anatomy has a massive collection of brain images from a variety of species.

B. Movies & Films

1. Communication in the Brain

Brain and Nervous System: Your Information Superhighway. (2000)

Films for the Humanities and Sciences (25 minutes)This program explores the brain and nervous system, using the

analogy of computers and the Internet. Topics discussed include electrical impulses and how nerve messages travel; parts of the brain

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and their functions; how the brain and spinal cord are protected; the senses; and diseases, drugs, and their effect on the brain and nervous system.

2. Chemical Messengers in the Brain

The Behaving Brain. Discovering Psychology Series (1990) Annenberg/CPB (30 minutes)

The Behaving Brain is part of the Discovering Psychology Series hosted by Dr. Phillip Zimbardo. This video provides an excellent review of basic brain structure including the functioning of the neurons, subcortical structures, and neurotransmitters. Application highlights include a description of several methods for assessing brain activity, the effects of neurotransmitters on memory and learning, and a discussion of the possible use of brain transplants for curing Parkinson’s disease.

The Biology of Behavior. (1990) from Psychology: The Study of Human Behavior Series, Coast Community College District (30 minutes)

This video focuses on the human nervous systems and neurotransmission.

Brain Mechanisms of Pleasure and Addiction. (2000) from The Mind Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition #6, Worth (6:51)

This video focuses on biological motivation and addictive behavior. These studies provide an excellent backdrop for class discussion about the application of animal research to the human situation and the ethical implication of human brain stimulation.

Dopamine Seduction: The Limbic System. (2000) Films for the Humanities and Sciences (25 minutes)

This program illustrates the function of the limbic system in a subject named Greg, following the activity of his brain as he staves off danger and hunger. Extraordinary 3D computer animation such as the release of hormones into the bloodstream and brain cells transmitting nerve impulses.

Endorphins: The Brain’s Natural Morphine. from The Mind Series Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition #5, Annenberg/CPB (3:57)

This video describes and illustrates the way in which endorphins prevent pain in the body through animation. The purpose is to help visual learners in particular grasp the “lock and key” concept for neurotransmitters.

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Awakenings (Robin Williams). This movie is about a neurologist who works in a ward at a hospital

who is very distraught at the sight of his patients. All of the patients had encephalitis enthartica as children and were left with no ability to speak, comprehend, or even live. The doctor sees a seminar on L-Dopa and chooses one patient to administer the drug to in an experimental run to see if it would help. After a few doses, the patient wakes up and becomes “normal.” He starts giving everyone on the ward the medication after seeing this progress, and they all have the same results. But after a while, the initial patient’s progress starts to deteriorate until he is eventually back into his previous state, along with the rest of the patients.1. When the people regressed into “statues” again, did they feel all

the pain was worth the short-lived improvement? What about the doctors?

2. How does encephalitis affect the brain?3. If you were in the same situation as the patients, would you want

to undergo a treatment like that if you knew the improvements would only be short term? Why or why not?

3. The Structure of the Nervous System

The Nervous System. (1981) Encyclopedia Britannica Educational Corporation (17 minutes)

One of the few quality films designed to introduce students to the workings of the peripheral nervous system.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Kevin Spacey, John Cusack)

Mr. Kelso writes for Town and Country magazine; he has flown to Savannah, Georgia, to do a short article for publication about Jim Williams’s famous Christmas party. Williams introduces Kelso to Minerva, a voodoo priestess. Williams professes not to believe in some of the rituals; however, he does believe in the spiritual forces behind the movement. Communicating with the dead, bestowing curses on others, spirits taking revenge on the living, all are part of an elaborate system of beliefs and rituals in voodoo. Minerva is skilled in these and others aspects of voodoo. The Christmas party takes place and is a grand event. Later that night, Williams shoots one of the hired help for his mansion, Billy Hansen, and is charged with first-degree murder. Kelso decides to stay and write a book about the trial. During the trial, it is revealed that Williams and Hansen had an intimate relationship. As Kelso becomes acquainted with voodoo through Minerva, she says that Hansen is still “working” Williams. In other words, his spirit will not rest in his grave until he gets revenge. Because of mishandling of evidence by the police and a skilled

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performance by his lawyer, Williams is found not guilty, even though he confessed to Kelso that he did kill Hansen, partially in self-defense and partially in anger at his demanding and destructive behaviors. The movie ends with Kelso preparing to leave Savannah.

Questions/Discussion:1. In the last scene, what do you think happened to Williams? Have

students offer their opinions of what killed him.2. Do you think it is possible that Williams’s belief in voodoo had

something to do with his death? Have students give their views.3. For the sake of argument, let’s say that it did. How would you

explain voodoo’s possible effect using information on how the autonomic system functions?

4. The Central Nervous System

Alzheimer’s Disease. from The Mind Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition, # 19 (2000) Worth (7:06)

This movie offers a case study of Eleanor who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Anatomy of the Human Brain. (2000) Films for the Humanities & Sciences (35 minutes)

Neuropathologist Dr. Marco Rossi dissects and examines a normal human brain. Using three methods of dissection—coronal plane, CT-MRI plane, and sagittal plane—Rossi separates the hindbrain from the midbrain, and removes a portion of the brain containing the substantia nigra. The anterior and posterior of the forebrain are dissected, and each section is examined, along with the left occipital lobe. After separating the brain stem from the cerebellum, both are sectioned and examined.

Brain Organization, Structure, and Function. (2008). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning (5:52)

This movie provides a nice introductory discussion of how the brain is organized.

The Brain-Mind Connection. (1990) Insight Media (30 minutes)This video examines how the brain influences and is influenced

by thought and the environment. It explores hemispheric lateralization and the effects of enriched environments.

The Divided Brain. from The Brain Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition #5 Annenberg/CPB (6:46)

This module demonstrates to students the effects of having a split-brain on behavior and mental processes. It should help clear up

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any confusion about the role of the corpus callosum in brain functioning.

Language and Speech: Broca’s and Wernicke’s Areas. (1998) from The Brain Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition #6, Annenberg/CPB (7:44)

Both Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area are presented in terms of their importance in language comprehension.

5. Techniques for Studying the Brain

Language Processing in the Brain. (2000) from The Mind Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition #8, Worth (6:19)

This video shows the versatility of the PET scan as a research tool.

Unraveling the Mysteries of the Mind. from The Mind Series Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition Worth (10:45)

This video offers a look at cognitive psychology and its methods, showing how neuroscience is opening up areas of the brain to help us understand the mind.

Visual Mind Reading. (2008). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning (5:12)This video illustrates several different forms of neuroimaging

techniques

Raging Bull (Robert DeNiro) This movie portrays the life of prizefighter Ray LaMotta, a man

who needs to find purpose and meaning in life outside of the ring. He has all kinds of problems in his life, and it gets really bad when he has to remove the jewels from his World Middleweight Championship belt and sell them. He suffers from an incredibly impaired judgment and has other problems associated with concussions.

1. What actually happens to the brain of a fighter when he is “knocked out?”

2. Is the protective headgear worn by amateur boxers effective in protecting against head injury?

3. The American Academy of Neurology has supported a ban on professional boxing since 1983. Do you agree with that position? Why or why not?

The Frontal Lobes and Behavior; The Story of Phineas Gage. (1998) from The Brain Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition #25 Annenberg/CPB (12:03)

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This program is a reenactment of the tragic accident that destroyed Phineas Gage’s capacity to function normally.

6. The Endocrine System

The Responsive Brain. (1990) Discovering Psychology Series, Annenberg/CPB (30 minutes)

Another in the series hosted by Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, this video shows how the brain responds to internal and external stimulation (i.e. hormones and experience). It shows how the brain changes as well as how it responds to these stimulations in relation to directing behavior. Together, The Behaving Brain and The Responsive Brain can be used to show students the balance between nature and nurture in determining behavior and mental processes.

7. Genetics and Biology

Birth of a Brain. (1983) McGraw-Hill/CRM (33 minutes)This film illustrates the genetic origins of the brain, the

importance of the environment in its development, and the corre-sponding behavioral manifestations. Dramatic visuals include microphotography, computer graphics, and a live birth sequence.

Brain Anomaly and Plasticity: Hydrocephalus. (1998) from The Brain Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition #7, Annenberg/CPB (7:02)

The emphasis here is on plasticity. This video emphasizes two points. First, brain injury that occurs early in life is different from brain injury experienced after maturity. Second, hydrocephalus’ individuals, although their brains are distorted, have a cortex that is essential to normal human brain function.

Brain Transplants in Parkinson’s Patients. (2000) from The Mind Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition, #31, Worth (11:09)

This video describes the surgical procedure of implanting human fetal brain tissues into the basal ganglia of Parkinson’s patients. The results of the operation are dramatic.

Gattaca (Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman)Genetic engineering is the main topic of the film.

1. Do you believe that sometime in the near future that you will be able to “order” what your child will be like by altering the genetic code of the developing embryo, like the people in Gattaca?

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2. What type of problems do you see being alleviated and what type of problems do you see being created by altering the genetic makeup of individuals?3. If given the opportunity to correct all possible genetic problems before they actually start in a developing embryo and you are able to make the child be exactly what you want him or her to be like, would you do so? Why or why not?

The Birth of a Brain. (1983) CRM/McGraw-Hill, (33 minutes) Through the use of microphotography, computer graphics, and

an actual birth sequence, this film illustrates the effects of heredity and environment on the development of the brain and the resulting behavior of the individual. Because of the live birth sequence, you may want to screen the film before showing it to your students. Color.

The Responsive Brain. (1990) Annenberg/CPB, (30 minutes)This segment of the Discovering Psychology series, which is

hosted by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University, examines how the brain analyzes environmental information and controls behavior. It explores the relationship between the organ’s structure and its function. Several results from human, maternal, and touch studies are provided that support current theories of active physical and psychological growth in infants. Animal-enrichment studies are also used to support the idea that the environment has a powerful influence on development of the brain. There is good use of comparative data to support the contention that environment influences brain development.

Neurorehabilitation. (1998) from The Brain Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition #32, Annenberg/CPB (11:54)

The important message of this program is that people can recover significantly from brain damage. For rehabilitation to be most effective, remediation should be combined with teaching compensatory strategies.

C. Critical Thinking Answers from the Text

1. Jean-Dominique Bauby was still able to think, feel, and remember the events of his life after his stroke left him in a permanent state of locked-in syndrome. Now that you know something about the brain, can you explain why he retained these abilities?

The brain is specialized, therefore regions involved in speech (left hemisphere) along with regions involved with muscle coordination

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(motor cortex) may have been damaged but the other regions were unharmed.

2. If a person were injected with a drug that blocked the action of acetylcholine in the brain, what would you expect to happen?

He or she would most likely have memory issues along with attention span difficulties.

3. Your best friend is interested in what you are learning in your psychology class. He asks you to explain how the endocrine system differs from the nervous system. What would you tell him?

Compared to the endocrine system, the nervous system works exceptionally fast but has very short-term effects, whereas the endocrine system works considerably slower and has a longer-lasting impact.

4. Applying Psychology: Your best friend’s grandmother has just suffered a stroke that has left her with an inability to speak, but she can still understand what others say to her. She also has paralysis on the right side of her body. Your friend wants to know what part of her grandmother’s brain was likely damaged by the stroke. Based on your understanding of the brain, what would you tell your friend?

The left hemisphere has been damaged and thus the grandmother cannot move the right side of her body. Also, the majority of our ability to communicate is housed in the left hemisphere, and as a result of the damage, she can no longer speak.

D. Tips 1. Discussion Tips

a. Have students discuss the importance of a book such as the Diving Bell and the Butterfly.b. Ask students if they have seen the movie Lorenzo’s Oil, and discuss the parents’ struggle to find a dietary supplement that enables their son, who suffers from adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), to produce myelin. If they are not familiar with the movie, ask them to think about the ramifications of having no myelin and refer them to the following website (The Myelin Project), which contains information on Lorenzo, myelin, and ALD.c. Ask the class to think about the adaptiveness of a body that is designed to inform the brain only after you have reflexively jerked your hand away from a hot surface. Ask students to give other examples of spinal reflexes and discuss their importance.d. Ask students to discuss why inhibition is necessary in the brain. Have them address what life would be like with only excitation.

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e. Ask students to think about how stress, sympathetic nervous system response, and health are related. Ask them to explain why stress is bad for our health in light of what they’ve read about the sympathetic nervous system and its function.f. Have students discuss what might happen to a person as he or she becomes extremely intoxicated and alcohol suppresses hindbrain structures such as the medulla, reticular formation, and pons.g. Discuss the ethics of the surgery performed on H.M. to alleviate his epilepsy. Do your students think this procedure was ethical or not? Why?h. Show some of the slides from the Comparative Mammalian Brain Collection. Discuss the cognitive abilities of the different species and how these abilities correlate with the development of the species’ cortex. Do more intelligent species have more evolved cortical regions?i. Ask students to think about why psychologists might want to study sex differences in the brain. In other words, why would knowing this information be valuable? It may also be interesting to discuss the politics of studying sex differences.j. Discuss the limited generalizability of the case study of Phineas Gage in helping us to understand the function of the average person’s brain. This is an opportunity to encourage students to recall what they learned in Chapter 1!k. Discuss with students how it is possible for surgeons to stimulate a conscious person’s brain during surgery because the brain itself is not equipped with pain receptors. Don’t forget to explain how this technique allows doctors to localize certain functions in the brain. It often surprises students to hear that it is in one’s best interest to be awake during brain surgery!l. Ask students to share stories of times when they were angry or afraid, and have them describe their physiological sensations during these events. Then explain their experiences in terms of the functioning of the endocrine and sympathetic nervous systems.m. Ask students to share stories of times when they were nervous or afraid, such as before giving a speech or on a first date. Then have them describe how they felt after these events. Did they experience fatigue or relaxation as their parasympathetic system rebounded?n. If you have twins in class, ask them to share with the rest of the class some of the ways in which they are similar and dissimilar.o. Using the example of a specific phenotypic trait (e.g., hair color), ask the class to give examples of some of the environmental influences that might affect this trait (e.g., sun exposure, hair dye).

2. Technology Tips

a. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke site has information on neurological disorders and their treatment.b. The Brain Explorer site has interactive information on the brain and its function.c. The Medscape site is a database of articles that deal with all aspects of medicine. This is a great source for cutting-edge medical research and case studies. The site requires a free registration.d. The Comparative Mammalian Brain Collections site has pictures of brains from a vast

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number of mammals.e. The Whole Brain Atlas site has MRI and CAT scan images of both healthy and diseased brains.f. The University of California at Berkeley’s Museum of Paleontology site has a wealth of information on Darwin’s theory of evolution.

3. Teaching Tips

a. Have students draw and label a schematic picture of the neuron to help ensure they remember its anatomy.b. When encountering the complex topic of the action potential for the first time, students often don’t know which questions to ask. To help clarify what they do not understand, ask them to pair up and try explaining the process to a classmate. They will immediately become aware of what they do and do not understand. Then they can ask for clarification.c. Have students write a paper in which they research a particular drug and the effects that it has on neural functioning.d. Bring in a doctor to discuss relevant neurological and psychological disorders and their treatments.e. Bring in a physical education teacher to talk about the importance of exercise and developing a personal fitness program—for both physical and mental health.f. Reproduce Figure 2.12 from the book as an overhead, but first block out the labels. Then play a game in which students come to the screen and identify specific brain structures. This can be done for fun, extra credit points, or course points.g. Have students pair up and discuss “Use It or Lose It: Applying Psychology” question 1, in which they have to explain why Bauby retained his cognitive abilities but was unable to move after his stroke.h. Have students discuss the scientific limitations of the human-participants research presented in the text that examines the function of the amygdala. i. When lecturing on Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas, use cartoon character Charlie Brown’s teacher (“Wha Wha Wha!”) as an example of what someone whose Broca’s area was damaged would sound like. You can tell students that if their Wernicke’s area were to malfunction, everyone would sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher to them.j. As a test of students’ understanding of split-brain research, ask them to explain why people with split-brains are still able to function fairly well in their everyday lives. If students have trouble, refer them to Figure 2.16, and discuss how the visual pathways in the brain help people with split-brains keep both hemispheres informed of what they are experiencing.k. Bring a plastic model of the brain to class (your biology department likely has one if you do not), and have students take turns identifying the lobes and the primary motor sensory areas.l. Divide the class into two teams and have them generate scenarios of brain damage and the symptoms that would accompany such damage. The next day in class, have the teams take turns trying to stump each other in a contest. You can do this for points or just for fun.m. Have a local physician guest lecture in your class. He or she can explain how doctors use modern technology to diagnose both brain function and malfunction. Perhaps he or

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she can even bring in real-life examples of MRIs, PET scans, and so on.n. If you have access to portable EEG equipment, use a student volunteer to measure waking-state EEG patterns in class. Alternately, if you live near sleep lab facilities, arrange for a tour or a guest lecture to explain to students how EEGs are used in sleep research.o. Have students do “Critical Thinking for Integration” question 3, in which they must discuss the ethics of using invasive techniques to study the brains of animals. Then if you are brave, bring in an animal rights advocate and an invasive animal researcher to debate the issue of using animals as subjects in brain research. A word of caution—debates of this nature can become extremely emotional for the debaters and for students.p. Place students into groups of four and ask them to address “Critical Thinking for Integration” question 4: What questions would a developmental psychologist be most interested in asking about the nervous system? q. Assign “Use It or Lose It: Applying Psychology” question 3—What human traits do you believe to be adaptive at this point in our evolutionary history? If we assume that natural selection is still occurring, in a million years what would you expect humans to be like?—as a written assignment. If you wish, you can read some of the essays out loud to spark classroom discussion.

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Handout 2.1Labeling the Neuron

Instructions: Identify the many components of a neuron in the diagram below.

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Handout 2.2Drugs & Neurotransmitters

For each of these drugs, answer how each influences the functioning of the neuron. Specifically, what neurotransmitters do they influence and how do they affect the normal process of neural communication. Be sure to identify how the drug affects behavior.

Cocaine

Neurotransmitters involved:

Behavioral effects:

Alcohol


Behavioral effects:

Opiates


Behavioral effects:

Ecstasy


Behavioral effects:

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Handout 2.3Mad Scientists and the Media

For this class activity, identify two different science fiction films/books by name where the characters had “unusual” abilities. Then describe what those “unusual” abilities were and describe which specific structures of the brain would have been impacted or altered.

#1

a. Film/Book Name: ____________________

b. Which behaviors were unusual?

c. Part of the brain that is impacted:

#2

a. Film/Book Name: ____________________

b. Which behaviors were unusual?

c. Part of the brain that is impacted:

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Handout 2.4Can You Label the Brain?

For this activity, you will need to search the Internet and find images that correspond to the type of imaging technique that is listed. For each image that you find, copy and paste it next to the appropriate name and then circle and correctly label a minimum of two structures in each picture.

PET Image:

MRI Image:

nIR Image

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Handout 2.5Family Tree

Relative Height

Weight Build Hair color

Eye color

Skin tone

Handedness

Grandmother(mother’s side)

Grandfather(mother’s side)

Mother

Grandmother(father’s side)

Grandfather(father’s side)

Father

Sibling #1

Sibling #2

Sibling #3

1. Any other physical trends?

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Documents

Chapter Two - TEST BANK 360testbank360.eu/sample/solution-manual-what-is-psycholo… · Web viewAlzheimer’s Disease. from The Mind Teaching Modules, 2nd Edition, # 19 (2000) Worth