Website on Teen Health

Check out this website--it includes a lot of great info on teen health:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/index.jsp?tracking=T_Home

Process of Audition

Congratulations to the students who created these two posters.  Both groups demonstrated innovation in their ideas and have given everyone a new, interesting way to frame his/her understanding of the process of audition.  Extra credit has been awarded to: Oscar, Danny, Roberto, Nancy, Jennyfer, Bianca, and Taylor.

Study Questions (from Wednesday's class)

Here are the questions you worked on answering in class on Wednesday:


1. What do Gestalt psychologists believe?
2. Draw representations of the Laws of Perceptual Grouping:
-proximity
-similarity
-continuity
-connectedness/common fate
-closure
3. How does the visual cliff experiment relate to perception?
4. How do we adapt our perception
5. What is the difference between bottom-up processing and top-down processing?

Expectations and Perception (and some thoughts on Gestalt Psychology)

         Arocdnicg to rsceearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pcale. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit pobelrm. Tihs is buseace the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe

Mary had a

a little lamb

Multiple Choice Practice Questions

These are the questions from Wednesday's class (answers are listed at the end).


   1.What function does the retina serve?

A.The retina contains the visual receptor cells

B.The retina focuses light coming in the eye through the lens

C.The retina determines which rods and cones will be activated by incoming light

D.The retina determines how much light is let into the eye

E.The retina connects the two optic nerves and sends impulses to the left and right visual

cortices

2.Which of the following sentences best describes the relationship between sensation and

perception?

A.Sensation is a strictly mechanical process, while perception is a cognitive process

B.Perception is an advanced form of sensation

C.Sensation happens in the senses, while perception happens in the brain.

D.Sensation is detecting stimuli; perception is interpreting stimuli detected

E.Sensation involves learning and expectations, and perception does not.

3.Of the following, which bend incoming light rays to focus an image on the retina?

I.Cornea

II.Iris

III.Lens

A.I only

B.II only

C.III only

D.I and III only

E.I, II, III

4.  The cochlea is responsible for

A.  protecting the surface of the eye.

B.  transmitting vibrations received by the eardrum to the hammer, anvil, and stirrup.

C.  transforming vibrations into neural signals

D.  coordinating impulses from the rods and cones in the retina.

E.  sending messages to the brain about orientation of the head and body

Answers:  1. A; 2. D; 3. C; 4. C

Sensation and Perception Study Guide

In order to prepare for Monday's exam, please ensure you have spent a significant amount of time reviewing the following:

• the process of transduction (in general and within vision and audition)
• sensory adaptation
• absolute and difference/JND thresholds
• signal detection theory
• subliminal persuasion
• visual sensation: anatomy, processing of, creation of color, color blindness, opponent-process theory, afterimages
• hearing/audition: anatomy, processing of, sound waves, pitch, frequency, amplitude, timbre, deafness, cochlear implants
• vestibular sense
• olfaction: anatomy, process, pheromones, connection with memory, transduction
• gustation: anatomy, taste sensitivity over time
• pain: gate-control theory, coping, tolerance
• relationship between sensation and perception
• feature detectors
• bottom-up vs. top-down processing
• perceptual constancy
• ambiguous figures, illusions, Laws of Perceptual Grouping (similarity, proximity, continuity, common fate)
• Gestalt theory
• figure and ground; closure
• visual cliff
• binocular vs. monocular cues, depth perception, misperception
• factors that affect perception (context, expectations, etc.), perceptual set, culture
• all previously covered material (there will be review questions on this test!)

Use your study books, memorize your flash cards, review your Cornell notes, review the blog, make concept connections, and know everything on the study guide.  Good luck!

Cochlear Implant Animation

Here is the video, from Monday's class, that explains cochlear implants and ear anatomy. Watch it again!
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Learning to Listen

Here is the video I showed in class about the little boy who had a cochlear implant. We discussed the video in conjunction with the content presented in the do now, "Close-up: Living in a Silent World."

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Extra Credit

Read this article and watch the video.  How does this relate to sensation and perception?
Think beyond basic concepts.  Extra credit will be awarded based on the level of critical thinking demonstrated in one's answer.

Other Important Senses

Wednesday's Homework
**You should write your answers on a separate piece of paper (do not post your answers as a comment)**


On a piece of paper, answer the following questions using Cornell notes:

1.  How do we sense touch and sense our body's position and movement?
2.  How do we experience pain?
3.  What is gate-control theory?  Provide a concept-to-self (text-to-self) connection.
4.  How does pain perception vary according to social situations or cultural traditions?
5.  How do we experience taste?
6.  How do we experience smell?

Take special care to interpret the concepts.  Answer these questions in your own words, not the words of the textbook author (he already has a Ph. D. in psychology, and I know he understands these concepts!)

Monday's Homework

Hi everyone.  Here is the information from the slide in class today.  For Monday, please remember that you need to complete a write-up for today's "experiment"/observation and review pp.52-62 in your study book.  I will also be sending out a unit 4 study guide and a few other attachments via email, so check your email.  If I can figure out how to post these items on the blog, I will do that as well.

Peripheral Vision Observation
*If you did not finish this in class today, you will need to complete the observation with other subjects.  Your report will be better if you have data from a variety of subjects.
Test the peripheral vision of a subject by holding a colored object (colored pencils, markers, or highlighters work well) in his/her peripheral vision.  Make sure the subject doesn't know what color the object is beforehand, and ensure that the subject stares straight ahead with his/her eyes affixed on one point.  Slowly move the object forward and observe when the subject can correctly determine its color.  You will get more information (and thus stronger results) if you use subjects who represent a variety of visual ability (e.g., those with glasses, those who don't need glasses, those with contacts) and ages (if possible).  You will also want to vary the distance from the subject that you hold the item.


Record all results; include all descriptions of the experimental methodology

• Research question and hypothesis
• –Independent variable
• –Dependent variable
• –Extraneous variables
• Sampling/subjects
• –Procedure
• –Results
• –What do your results demonstrate?  (Be specific about the process of visual intake.)
• –Were there inconsistencies in your results?  If so, why?
• –Discussion

Please let me know if you have questions!  

Advice:  Don't procrastinate!

A note on tonight's homework

Just a reminder that you need to answer (via comment) two of the four questions I posted last night.

Note:  Your comments will not automatically appear.  As I told you in class, I have adjusted the settings so that I need to approve the comments first.  I am doing this so everyone does their own work, and you are not influenced by someone else's comment/answer.

I will approve the comments tomorrow and they should be posted to the blog by tomorrow night.

Now, get to work!

Flashcards and study books

Hi everyone!  Just a quick note on the flashcards and study books.
1)  You do not need to bring them to class everyday, although you will want to bring your flashcards for the current unit of study (i.e., pull out the sensation flashcards, put them on the ring, and bring those to class)
2)  The study book will primarily be used in study group and for your independent studying.  Each section summarizes one unit of study in our class.  I will occasionally assign it for homework.  For example, I am asking you to review the research methods section for Monday's class.
3)  These are gold.  Seriously.  If you use them well, you will be much more prepared for the AP Exam.  Success in this course and on the exam does depend a lot on your self-discipline to study even when no on "makes" you.

Question 4

If you could choose to feel pain or not feel pain for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?  (This is your opinion, so be sure to clearly explain your reasoning).

Question 3

Explain the principal difference between amplitude and frequency in the context of sound waves.

Question 2

Explain what vestibular sense is and how it works.

Question 1

Describe the process of gustation in humans.

Study books and flashcards have arrived!

If you have paid for your book and flashcards, you may pick them up in my room today or tomorrow after school.  :)

Major Concepts (pp.109-125)

Here are the notes from class last week.  Please note that I have altered some of the writing and added additional information (in italics) for clarity.


Why do psychologists study cases of sensory loss?  Psychologists are interested in cases of sensory loss because they emphasize senses and how they work.  On a more personal level, it shows human resilience and the ability to adapt.  -Roberto, Edgar, Danny, and Oscar


What is the difference between sensation and perception?  Sensation is the changing stimulation in a way the brain can understand, whereas perception creates a way to explain that sensation.  Sensation is when you intake a sensory stimulus and the stimulus turns into a neural message, transferred to your brain. Perception is the explanation of why you feel what you are feeling.  Perception relies on past experiences or interactions (especially schema).  -Cesar, Jose, Gaby, and Isaiah
Our minds interpret what our senses detect.


How are sensation and perception related?  Sensation and perception are related because they are dependent on each other.  Without the ability to intake sensory information, one wouldn't be able to perceive the outside world.  -Miriam, Sonia, Sandy, and Maya
Remember that in the case of sensory loss, the inability to intake a specific sensation, humans and other animals tend to compensate by relying on other sensations.  For example, a person who is blind may have refined auditory abilities.


How does visual stimulation become perception?  It undergoes three stages.  First, physical stimulation; second, neural messages; third, the process of perception.  -Lizsandra, Joshawn, Carlos, and Carolina
Ensure that you understand our brain doesn't automatically know what it sees, hears, smells, etc.  We don't automatically process sensations.  Our ability to intake sensory information always begins with some sort of stimulus.  The stimulus means nothing without our body's ability to process it.  Our body intakes the stimulus and then processes the stimulus (physical energy) into a neural message.  This is called transduction. After the stimulus is processed into neural messages through the transduction, the signal travels from receptor cells along sensory pathways to specific processing areas in the brain.  Sensation occurs when the brain extracts information from the neural message.  The brain then adds any additional information (schema, etc.) to create the perception of the stimulus.  Note that these are four specific steps that must occur in this order.  This is sometimes challenging to wrap our minds around because the process happens so quickly it seems as thought it's simultaneous.


What is sensory adaptation, and why do we need it?  Sensory adaptation is the diminishing responsiveness with sensory systems to prolonged stimulation.  For example, when you adapt to the feel of cool water.  We need it because it announces changes in our external world.  -Alyssa, Leah, Brian, and Leticia
In other words, we don't notice big changes once we get used to them (after we've been exposed to them for a period of time and the stimulus doesn't change).  With the pool example, the water feels cold at the beginning, but your body adapts to it relatively quickly.  After constant exposure to a stimulus, our nerve cells fire less frequently.  This has an evolutionary basis because our body needs to remain alert to intake new sensory information and react to it.  Our sensory receptors are alert to novelty (new information.)
Fun fact:  If all this is true, then why don't objects disappear if we stare at them?  Actually, our eyes are constantly moving, of fluttering, even when we are "staring" at something.  
Did you know that people with schizophrenia experience more eye fluttering than those without schizophrenia?


What is the difference between absolute threshold and difference threshold?  The absolute threshold is the minimum amount of stimulation needed to be detected by the sensory cortex.  The difference threshold, also known as the just noticeable difference, is the smallest physical difference between two stimuli that can be detected.  For example, if you have the music blasting really loud, in order to hear a difference, you must turn it down to a really low volume.  If the volume is low, you will likely easily tell the difference if you turn it up slightly.  -Ebony, Yolanda, Taayler, Felicia, Luis
Absolute threshold is the minimum stimulation we need to detect a particular light, sound, pressure, taste, or odor 50% of the time.  For example, a hearing specialist could test your absolute threshold for sound by exposing each of your ears to varying sound levels.  For each tone, the test would define where half the time you correctly detect the sound and half of the time you do not.  For each of your senses, that 50-50 recognition point defines your absolute threshold.  Remember that absolute threshold may vary with age.  
Extra credit:  Respond to this post commenting on the information in this link.  How is absolute threshold related to this brief article?
The difference threshold is the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli half the time.  The detectable difference increases with the size of the stimulus.  For example, if you add one ounce to a 10-ounce weight, you will probably detect the difference; add one ounce to a 100-ounce weight and you probably will not.  See the information below about Weber's law.  


Does a person's absolute threshold remain constant?  No.  It varies in every person, and it depends on a person's physical condition and situational context.  For example, a person walking down an unfamiliar neighborhood may have a lower absolute threshold (better ability to detect stimulation), for they try to be more aware of their surroundings much more than in their own neighborhood.  -Taylor, Bianca, Jennyfer, and Nancy
This example includes the idea of signal detection theory, see the posting below.


What is Weber's law?  Weber's law says that the just noticeable difference, or difference threshold, is determined by the intensity of the stimulus.  -Lizsandra, Joshawn, Carlos, and Carolina
Weber's law deals with constant proportions, not amounts.  For the average person to perceive their differences, two lights must differ in intensity by 8 percent.  Two objects must differ in weight by 2 percent.  And two tones must differ in frequency by only 0.3 percent (Teghtsoonian, 1971).  It's easier to notice the difference if the original stimulation is low, but more difficult to notice the same increase in stimulation if the original stimulation is high.  This is why it's hard to tell that someone has turned down the volume three notches if the volume was originally very high, but if the volume was originally low, turning it down three notches is much more noticeable.  Likewise, a person can tell the difference when a person puts on one vs. three squirts of perfume.  It is much more difficult, however, to tell the difference when a person puts on eight or ten squirts.  This isn't always true, but it may help you in your thinking.
Weber's law is very mathematical, so the most important takeaway is that you understand that we are dealing with proportions (percentages), not actual amounts.  For example, lifting a 15 pound box and then adding a 5 pound weight to the top of it is not the same as lifting a 50 pound box and adding a 5 pound weight to it.  You must always consider the original stimulation.


What is signal detection theory, and how does it relate to absolute threshold?  Signal detection theory is the idea that a person's psychological state impacts our ability to detect weak signals.  This is exactly what is demonstrated in Taylor, Jennyfer, Bianca, and Nancy's example above.  People can respond differently to the same stimuli depending on the context, including the person's experience, expectations, motivations, and alertness.  A person walking in an unfamiliar neighborhood may be able to detect a weak stimulus, like a slight sound, because the person doesn't know the area and doesn't know what to expect (or could be afraid).  A person who is accustomed to the neighborhood may not notice the same stimulus.
Another example is an exhausted parent of a newborn who will likely notice a faint whimpering from the baby's cradle, but may fail to notice the phone ring while they are sleeping, although the phone ring is a stronger stimulus.

What is subliminal persuasion or subliminal stimulation?  How does it relate to absolute threshold?  Stimulation could be below or near a person's absolute threshold.  Subliminal persuasion is when you're influenced to do something without being aware.  It relates to threshold because persuasion happens so close to absolute threshold that it is hard to notice, as a person is not consciously aware of it.   -Oscar, Danny, Edgar, and Roberto
The important thing to note here is that much of our information processing occurs automatically, out of sight, off the radar screen of our conscious mind.  However, the consensus is that advertisers and other subliminal persuasion attempts are not able to manipulate us with "hidden persuasion".  

Dr. Sanjay Gupta's Interview with Michael J. Fox

Check out this fascinating interview with Michael J. Fox.

Michael J. Fox is a Canadian-born actor who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991.
Fun Fact: My favorite childhood movie is "Back to the Future."


Extra Credit Opportunities:

• Comment on this post with an explanation of the neurotransmitter deficiency associated with Parkinson's.
• Comment on this post with a brief summary of this interesting article on the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research website.  Make sure to explain the type of brain imaging they refer to in the article.

Study Group Reminder

Study group is back on!  We will be meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, November 23 at 3:45pm.  We may meet in another classroom.  Please check for any postings on Ms. Iverson's door.  See you then!

Just your average background music?

Click here to read the full article about the Washington Post's "experiment" with Joshua Bell.  Consider how schemas influenced a person's likelihood of noticing Mr. Bell's musical talent.  Do you think you would have stopped to listen?

Subliminal and Overt Advertising

This is the link we didn't get to in class.  It shows some hidden and overt (obvious) messages in logos and advertising.  Think about how companies use a variety of techniques to intentionally market products to reach their consumers.  Some of these techniques are subliminal and some are more overt.  Consider how both types of techniques use figures and grounds (background) to communicate the intended message (see pages 142-143 in the text for more explanation of figures and grounds).

http://www.walletpop.com/specials/hidden-meanings-in-popular-logos

Sand Art

Welcome!

Yes, it is the 21st century, and I realized there is absolutely no way we can move forward without a blog.  This blog will compile information and resources applicable to our class.  Check it frequently!