The Brain; Mesmerism; Edgar Allan Poe
Period 1: Use the lab time to work on your portfolio. Read/research one of the linked psychological experiments and use any of the prompts (see below) to inspire you to write creatively. (See previous posts for further details):
10 Famous Psychological Studies
Research the following site (The 30 Most Disturbing Human Experiments in History) or find a psychological experiment from history, read & research the topic enough to get the general idea, reason for doing the experiment, and the outcome or what we learned from conducting the experiment. Jot down notes.
Writing Task(s) (for your portfolio):
The Brain: the human brain, the largest of the mammal-kind relative to body size, is the command center for the nervous system of the body. It receives input from sensory organs (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell--hey! IMAGERY!) and sends messages from this input to the rest of the body (muscles, etc.). The normal human brain averages about 3.3 lbs. and is comprised of over 86 billion nerve cells (neurons -- grey matter) and nerve fibers (axons and dendrites or "white matter"), all closely spaced together with synapses. Anyway, there's the major parts of the brain: the cerebrum (forebrain), the cerebellum (the hindbrain), and the brainstem (the midbrain). The cerebrum is divided again into the cerebral cortex with its four lobes (the frontal lobe, the temporal lobe, the parietal lobe, and the occipital lobe). Anyway, enough of that medical talk. The whole thing remains a complex system, essential to thinking, feeling, learning, singing, writing, talking, remembering, and all other mental functions.
Meet Your Master: Getting to Know Your Brain (Crash Course Psychology #4)
It is important to note that psychology involves quite a bit of understanding of human biology. The chemistry of your body affects the way your brain works. Neurons (bipolar, unipolar, multipolar, and pyramidal cells) and cells make up the brain (see description above).
Hypnotism:
Hypnotism, from the Greek word for sleep, is actually really the opposite. It is a state of human consciousness, often meant to heighten one's focus and attention. A person who is hypnotized is usually relaxed, focused, and more prone to suggestion. Unlike the popular cultural notion that the patient has lost his/her free will, the hypnotized has complete control of his/her mind and mental state. It is sometimes used as a treatment in psychotherapy as a way to relax or focus the patient.
Please read the short story "The Strange Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" by Edgar Allan Poe and the short summary of Abbe Faria.
Some trivia:
10 Famous Psychological Studies
Research the following site (The 30 Most Disturbing Human Experiments in History) or find a psychological experiment from history, read & research the topic enough to get the general idea, reason for doing the experiment, and the outcome or what we learned from conducting the experiment. Jot down notes.
Writing Task(s) (for your portfolio):
- Write a scene about a person who might have gone through one of these experiments
- or write a scene about someone learning that someone they love(d) was involved in one of these experiments (or the cause of an experiment)
- or change some of the details to create a fictional story based loosely on the human experiment or psychological experiment
- or speculate what we might learn if this experiment was carried out (or further) today
- Pick a historical or literary figure and place them in a psychological experiment or "put them on the couch" in therapy and have that person "talk" about their problems. Does Hermione Granger have a complex, consisting of her mudblood parents? Write a scene or a monologue or a poem, or a story examining any of these issues.
- Examine any issue from the psychology pioneers we have learned about (Galen, Herbart, Kierkegaard, Galton, Wundt, Ebbinghaus, or those described below...); create your own Crash Course video or podcast about this person and your thoughts on the topic.
- Design and create a psychological experiment (or fake psychological experiment--nothing dangerous or damaging, please!) and write about your findings. For example: Put a cupcake on the lunch room table and see how long it takes for one of your friends to snatch it up or lick the frosting. Observe and take notes about your findings. You might make a short documentary film, for example.
- If you know people in your life who are psychologists, or psychiatrists, or have gone to see one of these people, or if you have experience undergoing therapy, feel free to interview or write a personal essay about the value (or non-value) of the activity. This is a touchy subject, so feel free to disguise names, situations, etc. This is only an option for those students who wish to conduct it.
The Brain: the human brain, the largest of the mammal-kind relative to body size, is the command center for the nervous system of the body. It receives input from sensory organs (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell--hey! IMAGERY!) and sends messages from this input to the rest of the body (muscles, etc.). The normal human brain averages about 3.3 lbs. and is comprised of over 86 billion nerve cells (neurons -- grey matter) and nerve fibers (axons and dendrites or "white matter"), all closely spaced together with synapses. Anyway, there's the major parts of the brain: the cerebrum (forebrain), the cerebellum (the hindbrain), and the brainstem (the midbrain). The cerebrum is divided again into the cerebral cortex with its four lobes (the frontal lobe, the temporal lobe, the parietal lobe, and the occipital lobe). Anyway, enough of that medical talk. The whole thing remains a complex system, essential to thinking, feeling, learning, singing, writing, talking, remembering, and all other mental functions.
Meet Your Master: Getting to Know Your Brain (Crash Course Psychology #4)
It is important to note that psychology involves quite a bit of understanding of human biology. The chemistry of your body affects the way your brain works. Neurons (bipolar, unipolar, multipolar, and pyramidal cells) and cells make up the brain (see description above).
Hypnotism:
Hypnotism, from the Greek word for sleep, is actually really the opposite. It is a state of human consciousness, often meant to heighten one's focus and attention. A person who is hypnotized is usually relaxed, focused, and more prone to suggestion. Unlike the popular cultural notion that the patient has lost his/her free will, the hypnotized has complete control of his/her mind and mental state. It is sometimes used as a treatment in psychotherapy as a way to relax or focus the patient.
Please read the short story "The Strange Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" by Edgar Allan Poe and the short summary of Abbe Faria.
Some trivia:
- Poe's story was originally published in a collection of other medical reports. His, however, is fictional.
- Mesmerism was a popular topic when Poe wrote this story. Learn about the topic at the link. Great fodder for creative writing!
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