The Strange And Curious History of Lobotomy

"It's 75 years since the first lobotomy was performed in the US, a procedure later described by one psychiatrist as "putting in a brain needle and stirring the works". So how did it come to be regarded as a miracle cure? Deep in the archives of London's Wellcome Collection, that great treasure trove of medical curiosities, is a small white cardboard box. Inside is a pair of medical devices. They are simple. Each consists of an 8cm steel spike, attached to a wooden handle."These two gruesome things are lobotomy instruments. Nothing sophisticated," says senior archivist Lesley Hall. "It's not rocket science is it?"These spikes once represented the leading edge of psychiatric science. They were the operative tools in lobotomy, also known as leucotomy, an operation which was seen as a miracle cure for a range of mental illnesses." 

(By Hugh Levinson BBC News, 11/8/2011)

Click this link for the rest of the article

Psychoanalyzing 10 Popular Halloween Costumes

"Think that French maid costume is meaningless fun? Psychologists say it tells us something about you On any other day of the year, a French maid is just a French maid. Batman, just Batman. But on Halloween—she's sexually repressed and flaunting her inner vixen. He clings to fantasies about being an all-powerful superhero. Indeed, experts say our Halloween costumes often aren't random choices. They reveal hidden personality traits, reflecting our inner urges on the one day it's okay to abandon societal rules and regulations."

By Angela Haupt, October 23rd (www.health.usnews.com)

Click this link to the rest of the article

How the mere presence of a mobile phone harms face-to-face conversations

"You sit down for a chat with a new acquaintance but before you're even started they've placed their phone carefully on the table in front of them. Why? Are they waiting for a call? Do they just enjoy marvelling at its chic plastic beauty? Either way, a new study suggests this familiar habit could be interfering with our attempts to socialise." (Research Digest 9/24/12)

Click here for the full article 

The Marshmallow Study Revisited

"You've no doubt heard of Walter Mischel's Marshmallow Test and its followup study, which examined the relationship between delayed gratification (the ability to resist the temptation to eat a marshmallow right away with the promise of more if you succeed) and overall life success. Celeste Kidd, a U Rochester doctoral candidate, has published a paper in Cognition challenging Mischel's findings, arguing that children from more unpredicatable circumstances may choose the single marshmallow because they have a rational basis for suspecting that the experimenter is lying to them about the additional marshmallows that await them if they follow instructions." (Doctorow, C 10/11/2012)

Click here for the rest of the story

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Make Your Own Brain Hat

This was really a fun activity for the class. Something different, more hands-on and enjoyable. In terms of learning the parts of the brain, they know them well. No boring lecture/power-point necessary this time. Sometimes it might be good to just let them figure it out. I found this idea on Pintrest. Click the below link to enter the original site with instructions on how to make these.

Click this link for instructions and more info

Electromagnetic Spectrum of Visible Energy

Boy brought up as a girl

The story of David Reimer. A great way to start off the nature- nurture debate in class.

A Modern Day Phineas Gage

“News of a 24 year old Brazilian construction worker who was impaled in his head by a 6-foot metal bar - and lived. I'm posting the photo below and video, but first wanted to highlight a couple of comments:

From the man's wife: "When he arrived [at the hospital] he told the doctors he wasn't feeling anything, no pain, nothing. It's unbelievable."

From the hospital's chief of staff, Luiz Alexandre Essinger: "[Essinger] said Leite was lucid and showed no negative consequences after the operation.’Today, he continues well, with few complaints for a five-hour-long surgery,' Essinger said. 'He says he feels little pain.” (Teaching High School Psychology 8/18/2012)

Click here for the full article

Study: Fitter kids get better grades | ajc.com

The fitter the middle school students were, the better they did on reading and math tests, says researcher Sudhish Srikanth, a University of North Texas student. He presented his research Friday at the American Psychological Association's annual meeting in Orlando.
Study: Fitter kids get better grades  | ajc.com

Why men (yes, men) are better multitaskers - Association for Psychological Science

Why men (yes, men) are better multitaskers - Association for Psychological Science

Prepared to wait? New research challenges the idea that we favour small rewards now over bigger later

Prepared to wait? New research challenges the idea that we favour small rewards now over bigger later

"The old idea that we make decisions like rational agents has given way over the last few decades to a more realistic, psychologically informed picture that recognises the biases and mental short-cuts that sway our thinking. Supposedly one of these is hyperbolic discounting - our tendency to place disproportionate value on immediate rewards, whilst progressively undervaluing distant rewards the further in the future they stand. But not so fast, say Daniel Read at Warwick Business School and his colleagues with a new paper that fails to find any evidence for the phenomenon." (Research Digest)

Rebloggled from Research Digest

Inside the Bieber Fans

Inside the Brains of Bieber Fans

Very True

Interesting picture I came scross.

There are two kinds of bilingual brain

There are two kinds of bilingual brain

Parents -- not TV -- may determine whether kids are active or couch potatoes

Parents -- not TV -- may determine whether kids are active or couch potatoes

Teaching High School Psychology: 2012 AP Psych exam results

Teaching High School Psychology: 2012 AP Psych exam results

Sociopath Ted Bundy on the Damaging Effects of Pornography (Video)

Sociopath Ted Bundy on the Damaging Effects of Pornography (Video)

Electric shocks to improve academic performance?

"Stimulating the brain with tiny electric shocks can boost people’s learning and memory ability, research has found." (Wardrop 2012)

Click the link for article 

 

How a “tech break” can help students refocus

I saw Dr. Rosen speak at the Brain & Learning Conference in Washington D.C last month. Impressed by several of his suggestions, I have decided to implement “tech breaks” in my classes, with great results. I noticed more focus and student engagement. They knew that they will get a chance to "check in" and look at their phone to reply to a new text. They just have to wait 15 minutes.

How a “tech break” can help students refocus

 

 

South Kent students with the highest GPA sleep 7-9 hours a night

The results of the 2012 SKS Sleep-GPA Study correspond with ones from the same study in 2011. During the 2011-2012 academic year, those South Kent School students with the highest grade point average seem to be the ones who sleep 7-9 hours a night. A complete write-up with all data will be available in the next few days.

SKS Sleep-GPA Study 2012

SKS Sleep-GPA Study 2011

High school students test best with 7 hours of sleep at night

High school students test best with 7 hours of sleep at night

ScienceDaily (Feb. 10, 2012) — Whether or not you know any high school students that actually get nine hours of sleep each night, that's what U.S. federal guidelines currently prescribe.

Re- blogged from Laura's Psychology Blog

 

Psychology Schedule for the End of School Year

Regular PSY: 

- Your last HW is due on Saturday, May 26th. It is posted in PSY assignments.
- By Saturday, you will receive your Final Exam Review Sheet, with all the terms to know for the exam.
- In-class review of material on Monday, May 28th and Tuesday, May 29th.

AP PSY:

- By Saturday, you will receive your Final Exam Review Sheet, with all the terms to know for the exam.
- In-class review of material on Monday, May 28th and Tuesday, May 29th.

Harlem Valley Psychiatric Hospital Field Trip?

Check out the photos on the following link:

Wingdale Photo Link

SKS AP Psychology on iTunes U- It's a start

Check out the brand new SKS AP Psychology on iTunes U. Just a few posts for now, but more updates are on the way (podcast, material, class videos and more).

SKS Bystander Effect 2011

2012 AP Psychology Exam Information

Click this link for info