This week

This week AP has been working on understanding emotions and motivations. We have had several discussions on the issues of obesity in American society. We looked at the science behind the data and realized that the information is quite overstated. Students also took time to create new weight loss methods that would use multiple aspects of the psychology of motivation to help people lose weight. Today we discussed the purposes of emotions and how they have evolved over millions of years.
Upcoming Assignment: Test Chps 1-8 next Tuesday

This week Honors psych has been working on understanding the mental processes of memory. Students have worked on several experiments to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of their short term memory systems. Visit this website if you'd like to see how difficult it is to keep information in your STM. Today, we began discussing how long term memory works, how it is organized, and how to use mnemonic devices to remember things better. Read more on peg word mnemonics and the method of loci if you are interested. Tomorrow, we will continue watching a documentary on Kim Peek that is available on youtube in order to see what is possible with long term memory. We will also discuss amnesia and other forms of long term memory loss.
Upcoming Assignments: Vocab quiz Monday, Thanksgiving Assignment 28th

Its Been A While

It is amazing how quickly a week can go by when you have a million responsibilities for home coming. I have had no time to post lately and for that I am sorry. I'm going to get back into the flow of things this week.
AP Psych
Today we talked about ways in which people have difficult times thinking logically and analyzed some survey data that we gathered from the student body of SC. Students also learned about how important language can be in the way we approach a problem. This is called framing-best example is when you tell yourself that this test/project/experience is going to be terrible and because of this mindset it is. We are currently working on experiments to demonstrate this principle in SC.
Upcoming Assignments: Vocab chp 7 quiz Thursday 11, 3. Major extra credit opportunity due in a week and a half-create a psych themed board game for review purposes, must cover chps 1-7.

Honors
Today students continued to work on their understandings of classical conditioning by working through more examples of the process and taking part in a classical conditioning exercise. Half the class is now classically conditioned to have their hearts speed up when I clap my hands. We will test again tomorrow but the majority of the class had a significant increase to the number of beats per minute as a result of this process.
Upcoming Assignments: Vocab chp 4 quiz tomorrow

Last Week...Sorry

So last week was a blur. Helping with Senior class fundraisers and the powder puff game pretty much took up all the extra time I had last week to update this blog. Because of this, I'm just going to start fresh with today's news.

AP Psych
We continued talking about memory, how do we remember, what do we remember, why do we forget sometimes, etc. The National Geographic channel is currently running a program called "Brain Games" with an entire episode devoted to the topic of memory. It has some great information on memory, check your local listings, it replays a few times over the course of the week. I'm trying to find it on youtube but can only find short clips so far. We will finish the chapter on memory by Wed and have a test on chapters 1-6 by this Thurs or Fri. Make sure students are signing up for flex to review information.

Honors Psych
We continued working through the chapter on consciousness today by discussing hypnosis, dream journals, and drug use. Students worked on and completed a presentation on a specific psychoactive drug that will be presented tomorrow. Students will have a quiz on these drugs by Thursday so they need to make sure to study the information once it is all presented. Go to http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html to see how drugs change neurochemistry in order to produce the feelings of being high.

Wed-Fri

AP
Wednesday was a pretty hectic day for my classes. Due to PSAT testing in my classroom, we were displaced and spent the day in the G wing of the school. Being that it was the day after a big test and in a different setting, we took it easy. AP was allowed to take a look at their exams and make corrections for a few points to be added back to their tests. After that, we worked on our next chapter Learning, by discussing key components of classical conditioning and experimenting with it. The students are currently conditioned to have their eyes dilate whenever a certain cellphone ring is heard. We will check again next Wed to see if it is still conditioned. Thursday, we were back in our classrooms and finished up classical conditioning and began a discussion of operant conditioning to prepare for a visitor-Mr. Kemper 14 month- Friday. We created some ideas of how to condition Mr. Kemper's son to clap his hands, pick up paper, etc. and tested them on him Friday morning. The first few groups didn't go too well due to the little boy being tired and overwhelmed, but the last groups brought fruit loops and cheese to help with the conditioning and that worked quite a bit better. While the groups were working with Mr. Kemper's son, we also were watching and analyzing the conditioning that was occurring in an episode of Nanny 911. Students were asked to identify the trouble behaviors and use their knowedge of psychology to correct these behaviors in the children. We will complete this assignment Monday along with debrief their experiences with Mr. Kemper's son.
Upcoming Assignments: Vocab chp 5 Tuesday, Test chp 5 and 6 10/26

Honors
Again, Wed was a pretty hectic day, each period was in a different classroom so students were quite thrown off by having to walk all the way to the G wing for psych. The day after the test we went back and discussed the learning stations on sensation and perception we worked through Monday. Students enjoyed the sensory deprivation goggles, discussions on the existence/non existence of aliens/sasquatch/Loch Ness monster/etc., and how artists can so completely warp our perception. After the discussion we began the next chapter which deals with consciousness. We talked about what they knew of consciousness and what they would like to learn. Thursday, we started into discussion of why we sleep, and whether we get enough sleep as a society. Next week students will discuss how much opening earlier next year will affect their performance in school. Friday, Mr. Kemper and his son stopped in to discuss their sleep habits and how they have changed as a result of being a parent. We also finished a discussion on the stages of sleep and will talk about dreams Monday.
Upcoming Assignments: Dream Journal due Monday 24th

Monday 10/10 and Tues 10/11

Both Honors and AP spent the majority of Monday working on reviewing for their tests Tuesday. Honors also spent time wrapping up sensation and perception with some learning stations that I will post later in the week.

Tuesday, both classes took a test. AP was tested on chapters 1-4 while Honors was tested on chapters 1-3. I will get these tests graded and back to students by no later than next Monday. AP will have their scantron tests back tomorrow in class to discuss where they did well and where they did poorly on the tests.

Upcoming Assignments: AP chapter 5 vocabualry will be due next Wed, and they will have a Vocab quiz that day. Honors will receive a new vocab list next week.

Tomorrow my classes will be displaced due to PSAT testing so my students should report to the following classes:
Mod 1- Mr. Goff's classroom G 267
Mod 2- Mr. Trail's classroom G 263
Mod 3- Mr. Baker's classroom G 268

Last Week...Sorry

So my experiment with creating a daily blog sort of took a week off last week. My apologies. Here is a quick snapshot of what we did last week and what is coming up this week.

AP Psych
This week we talked about everything that is consciousness. We discussed sleep stages, sleep disorders, dreams, drugs, hypnosis, and meditation. Thursday we discussed the effects of drug addiction and how psychologists understand the cause of the condition. Friday we did a little experiment with hypnosis from the Harvard Hypnotic Scale. Students had a great time with it and gained a much better understanding of the conscious mind from it.

Upcoming Assignments: Test chp 1-4 Tuesday Oct 11th

Honors Psych
This week we finished the chapter on sensation and perception. Students watched several videos on methods of restoring sight and discussed what the pros and cons of such surgeries would be. Students now know all about the 7 senses-no the 6th isn't seeing dead people. Students also have an understanding of how we percieve the world around us and how 3D devices work. We will finish the chapter Monday with some learning stations on the senses and perception.

Upcoming Assignments: Test chp 1-3 Tuesday Oct 11th. Students have a study guide and can bring in a half sheet of paper with whatever notes that they want on it. Must be hand written, nothing stapled/glued/etc onto the paper.

9/28

AP Psych

Today in class we took a vocab quiz on chapter 3. We finished discussing the kinesthetic and vestibular senses, and finished up going over several different aspecsts of perception. What do you see here?

A mouse or a human face? We did a little experiment today that demonstrated that what you've seen in the past influences what you see now.

Honors Psych

Today, students took a brief quiz on the brain and did a good job. Afterwards we began chapter 3 Sensation and Perception. We discussed what our senses can and cant do as well as identifying the absolute bare minimum of energy necessary to sense it. Believe it or not, on a dark enough night you could see a single candle light from 30 miles away. We finished class with some experiments on the difference threshold-how much more light/taste/smell/weight does there have to be in order to notice that there is more of that sense.

9/23,26 and 27

Sorry for not posting the past few days, its been a busy weekend.

AP Psych

Friday in AP Psych, students developed and then tested experiments for the absolute threshold of senses. One group measured how far down the hallway a person would be before smelling popcorn, another tested how small a font could be and still be read, and the other groups came up with equally great experiments. The results were consistent with what we knew about absolute thresholds and senses. We also were treated to the most amazing looking brain cake for a Friday treat. Pictures to come later.

Monday in AP Psych we talked about the experiments then we discussed the processes of sight and hearing. Afterwards, we performed some basic experiments to determine the strengths and limitations of these sight.

On Tuesday we performed some taste tests to demonstrate how the senses of taste, smell, and sight all work together to create our experiences of flavor. After we debriefed the taste tests, we finished discussing the sense of touch, proprioception, and the vestibular sense.

Honors Psych

Friday in class we worked on creating a super hero comic book to help us study the different parts of the brain. The class had the majority of the mod to work on this, with some time Monday to finish and turn in. The last chunck of class was spent discussing how the brain can bounce back from severe injuries.

Monday, the class finished putting the super hero book together. We further discussed the way that the brain can repair itself after an injury. We also discussed and watched a brief video on split brain surgery and how the surgery changed the patients' behaviors.

Tuesday, the class performed one last experiment to test left/right hemispheres of the brain. Students had to balance a ruler on their finger while spelling words/doing math problems. The hypothesis was that the more the concentration was split on one side of the brain the more difficult it would be to balance the ruler. I will post the results soon. To end the class we began work on the final assignment for the brain chapter which is to identify how the different structures of the brain are responsible for complex actions.

9/22

AP Psych
The students had time to go through and check their work on the multiple choice and essays from the test Wed. Students who are struggling with essay writing at this point should sign up for flex mod as often as possible to get more practice with them. Aside from some issues with the essays, the class did well. There will be another test in about two weeks so students need to stay on top of their studying.
After discussing the test, we began the chapter on sensation and perception by performing some quick sensory experiments that involved taking a brief field trip around the SC hallways. The class was completed with students designing their own sensory experiments to test for the absolute threshold.
Upcoming Assignments: Vocab quiz chp 3 next Wed

Honors Psych
We further discussed the different hemispheres of the brain and began a major assignment dealing with the brain. Students will work together with a group to create a comic book that uses different parts of the brain for characters. Students will have until Monday to complete this assignment. Students also have an individual assignment that will be due Monday. They are to go online to the following websites, take the quizzes on being Left/Right brained and report what their findings are. Students need only go to two of the three sites:

http://www.web-us.com/brain/braindominance.htm
http://similarminds.com/brain.html
http://www.blogthings.com/areyourightorleftbrainedquiz/

Upcoming Assignments: Superhero comic and Left/Right brain paper 9/26

9/21

AP Psych
Today AP took their first test on chapters 1 and 2. The test is made up of 72 multiple choice questions and 2 essays, one of which was completed at home the night before. Remember that there will always be flex mod review sessions the days leading up to a test.
Upcoming Assignments: Vocab quiz chp 3 9/28

Honors Psych
The students worked on an experiment that tested reaction times using rulers today in class. Students measured how quickly their nervous systems reacted to a dropping yardstick. Students did a good job and realized just how difficult it can be to react quickly to a dropping item. Students then worked on summarizing 5 different disorders of the nervous system-MS, muscular dystrophy, etc. Students were researching these disorders so that they could compare the disrupted nervous system of these disorders to the healthy nervous systems we are discussing in class.
Upcoming Assignments: Neuron quiz tomorrow, Vocab quiz Friday 9/23

9/20

AP Psych
Today we finished discussing the brain by talking about Left Brain and Right Brain theory. We also worked on another practice AP essay. And we finished the class playing a review game for the test on Chapters 1 and 2 tomorrow. If anyone has last second questions, I will be checking my school email and the Wiki if a student wants to create a discussion post for questions.

Honors Psych
Today we discussed how neurons communicate with each other through the use of chemicals called neurotransmitters. We recreated the process by using students to represent all of the parts involved with a simple message to pass along the neuron. We finished class with a discussion of the parts of the nervous system which lead to us discussing how the nervous system can respond so quickly to dangerous stimuli. This discussion eventually lead to this video of a deer jumping over an SUV.

9/19

AP Psych
Today the students completed chapter 2 with discussions of Broca's and Wernicke's areas, as well as Split Brain patients. Students then took a quiz on 8 important psychologists, the next quiz on psychologists will be in a few weeks. To help students prepare for their upcoming exam, time was spent in groups creating mnemonic devices for the different parts of the brain to make sure students remember them for the test.
Here is an interesting website for split brain studies
Upcoming Assignments: Chp 1 and 2 Test 9/21

Honors Psych
Today, students completed the optical illusions discussion from Friday and began studying the anatomy of the brain itself. Students are now familiar with the structures and functions of neurons as well as the purpose of neurotransmitters.
Here is a good site for further exploration of optical illusions.
Here is a good site for help with questions about the brain/neurons.
Upcoming Assignments: Vocab quiz 9/23

9/16

AP Psych
In class we evaluated the results of the nervous system experiment and discovered that anger and sadness were the emotions that created the greatest response from the nervous system. Afterwards, we discussed any questions that the students had on the parts of the brain and played a review game to test their knowledge of the structures of the brain. Students also took the chp 2 vocabulary quiz and were assigned a worksheet for homework that required them to read the situation and diagnose possible brain damages to the individuals in the situations.
Upcoming Assignments: Test Chp 1 and 2 9/21, Important People quiz 9/19

Honors Psych
Today we had time to analyze and conclude the experiments that have been running in class. The studnets did a nice job with their experiments and were able to come up with some interesting results that they then shared with their classmates. After, students took a quiz on chp 1 and vocab list 2. Students did very well on both of these assessments. To finish class and introduce topics for Monday, we observed a series of optical illusions and discussed how the illusions can teach us about what the brain can and can't do.
Upcoming Assignments: Vocab list 3 quiz 9/23

9/15

AP Psych

Today, we continued discussing the different kinds of neurons that are present in the human body. We also identified and discussed the different kinds of neurotransmitters that are involved in neuron communication. Those interested in the process of neuron communication should go to this website to learn more-warning it is VERY scientific. Next, we identified the different segments of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems and their purposes in the body. Finally we ended class with an experiment trying to elicit a response from the autonomic nervous system. The results will be posted here later.

Upcoming Assignments: Test chp 1 and 2 9/21, Vocab chp 2 9/16, Important people quiz 9/19

Honors Psych

Today we completed the experiments that the students created Tuesday. They went well, and will have results tomorrow. After, we finished our Psych Family Tree projects and briefly reviewed chapter 1 for the quiz tomorrow.

Upcoming Assignments: Chp 1 and Vocab quiz 9/16

9/14

AP Psych

Today in class we completed all of the experiments that the students created earlier this week. Students were given time to analyze and conclude their experiments in class and came up with some interesting results. While none of the experiments were perfect, they were a good first effort. Later in the class, we began a discussion on how psychologists study the brain citing MRIs, PET scans, CAT scans, etc. We also discussed how doctors in the past studied the brain through severe brain injuries such as the case of Phineas Gage (shown to the right). We finished class by discussing the anatomy of a neuron and the different functions neurons can play in the human body.

Upcoming Assignments: Chapter 1 and 2 test next week 9/21, Vocab quiz 9/16, Important people quiz 9/19

Honors Psych

Today we conducted several student lead experiments that they created earlier in the week. This took the majority of the period. Topics included taste tests between Coke and Pepsi, memory tests, and reaction time tests. Tomorrow the remaining groups will present their topics. With the time remaining in the class the class began a final review assignment for Chapter 1. Working in groups, students were instructed to create a family tree for psychology. Beginning with ancient philosophers and ending with modern day psychological perspectives, students will demonstrate their knowledge of the material in chapter 1 by making strong logical connections from one generation of psychological thought to the next.

Upcoming Assignments: Chapter 1 quiz 9/15, Vocab list 2 words quiz 9/16

9/13

AP Psych

• Completed psych experiments


• Graded AP Psych essays

Honors Psych

• Planned psych experiments


• Discussed and anaylzed experiment on violence in video games

9/12
AP Psych

• Finished discussion of 9/11


• Carried out 4 student lead psych experiments


• Practiced writing AP essay

Honors Psych

• Finished discussion of 9/11


• Finished animal research debates


• Summarized descriptive research methods


• Began planning student lead psych research studies

9/9

AP Psych

• Discussed the use of statistics to analyze a quick psych experiment


• Discussed the relationship of psychology to the events of 9/11

Honors Psych

• Completed animal research debates


• Discussed the relationship of psychology to the events of 9/11

9/8
2 Hour Delay due to Rain
AP Psych

• Further developed plans for psych experiment


• Compared experiments and correlational designs for research


• Summarized use of statistics in psych experiments

Honors Psych

• Took chapter 1 vocab quiz


• Began debating animal testing topics

9/7

AP Psych

• Took Chp 1 vocab quiz


• Summarized the types of descriptive research methods and compared them to experimental methods


• Evaluated the Milgram experiment for its ethical issues


• Developed ideas for AP Psych experiments

Honors Psych

• Finished summarizing steps of the scientific method


• Discussed ethical considerations of psych experiments


• Researched and prepared debate topic on animal testing

9/6

AP Psychology

• Took a brief quiz on the beginnings of psychology-important people, schools and perspectives


• Discussed observations of human behavior from the weekend that were posted to the class' wiki


• Summarized steps and vocabulary of the scientific method


• Began developing psychological experiments to take place in South Carroll

Honors Psych

• Reviewed material on the early days of psych from last week


• Discussed modern perspectives of psychology


• Took brief quiz on the beginnings of psychology-important people, schools and perspectives


• Summarized steps of the scientific method


• Practiced writing and creating hypotheses for future psych studies

9/2

Honors Psych

• Finish discussion of original psych schools


• Summarized modern perspectives of psych, discussed how these perspectives can explain disorders and odd behaviors


• Extra credit opportunity for Tuesday- How much sugar does an American ingest in a given year? Summarize any articles on this topic for points.


• Quiz Tuesday on the beginnings of psych-philosophy, early schools, modern perspectives


• Quiz Thursday on vocabulary list 1

AP Psych

• Finish discussion on modern perspectives of psychology


• Introduce scientific method


• Discuss and evaluate methods of creating operational definitions for psychological concepts like love, popular, etc.


• Evaluate example problems for IV/DV and control/experimental groups


• Begin creation of 1st psych experiment


• Homework is to post an experiment idea to the wiki by Tuesday


• Quiz Tuesday on the beginnings of psych-philosophy, early schools, modern perspectives


• Quiz Wed chp 1 vocabulary

9/1

Honors Psych

• Completed discussion on the "Allegory of the Cave"


• Discussed the development of psych from early philosophers Aristotle and Descartes, and scientists Broca and Galen


• Students summarized the perspectives of the original schools of psychology and evaluated how they were different from one another

AP Psych

• Summarized important contributions of philosophers Locke, Bacon, Descartes, Plato, etc. to the development of psychology


• Summarized the differences between the original schools of psych and modern perspectives of psych


• Evaluated and discussed how different perspectives would describe human behaviors

8/31

AP Psych

• logged onto Wikispaces to create a class wiki


• broke down the structural features of the MC portion of the AP Psych exam
  

1. 100 mc questions with 75 minutes to complete it



2. each question has 5 possible answers, no points off for getting the wrong answer-always guess



3. test gets harder the further along you go

Honors Psych

• discussed the development of psychology and its roots in philosophy


• read the "Allegory of the Cave" by Plato and discussed its connections to psychology


• assignment is to rewrite the allegory in a way that anyone can understand its meaning