Study Resources for Your Nature & Nurture Test

Your test on the Nature-Nurture unit will be Monday, November 3. In addition to the resources you received in class (e.g., MC study guide), you might find these links helpful:

• Video overview of Twin Studies (3 min)
• Video: The Jim Twins - Describes the work of Thomas Bouchard, who studied identical twins separated at birth.
• Video Crash Course: Natural Selection - Though more animal biology-related, this video reviews the basic principle that applies in Evolutionary Psych as well.
• Video Crash Course: Heredity - NOTE: Heredity not the same thing as "heritabiliy," but this is still a helpful overview of genes, chromosomes, DNA, etc.
• Heritability Explained - more web articles & quiz questions to test your understanding of the concept.
• Video Crash Course: Epigenetics - biological overview of how epigenetics works
• Video: Epigenetics: Why Do Identical Twins Not Always Look the Same? - NOVA Science NOW
• Study Session Resources:
• Agenda Slideshow
• Practice FRQ

Quizlet Flashcards:



Notes - Behavior Genetics & Evolutionary Psych (Note: You will need to be signed in to your chipfalls.org account in order to view).



Notes (10/31/14) on Sex & Gender

Nature & Nurture Projects

Thanks, everyone, for your patience with my absence(s) over the past week. I promise I'll do my best to get us back on track this week, as we delve into the Nature-Nurture issue more deeply!

You'll have one project to complete this week (and one reading quiz, on Wednesday!). Take a moment to look over your project options and their related scoring guidelines. Both options have the same deadline - Friday, October 31st - which should help prepare you for your unit test on Monday, Nov. 3!

• Project Option #1 - The Nature & Nurture of You! (Poster + written interpretation). Be sure to consult the scoring guidelines for details about how your work will be evaluated.
• Project Option #2 - The Nature & Nurture of.....(Insert Topic of Your Interest Here). (Formal academic paper). You may wish to consult this list of links to relevant sources (will be updated throughout the week...send me more if you wish to have them added!). Scoring guidelines are posted here. 

Dueling Brains PsychSim

Here's the link to PsychSim 5. You'll need to click on "Dueling Brains" to complete the activity measuring hemispheric specialization in word recognition.

Study Resources: Biological Bases of Behavior

The Biological Bases of Behavior test is almost upon us (scheduled for Tuesday, October 21). To that end, you'll want to take advantage of the spacing effect and break up your studying time over the next few days.

Just a reminder, your study session for this unit will start a little earlier than planned in order to accommodate the National Honor Society Induction also taking place that evening. So, we'll kick things off at 4:30 PM (rather than 5:00, as planned) on Monday, October 20.

In the meantime you may wish to use some of these handy tools to assist with your review:

• Your MC Study Guide Packet (distributed after the quiz on Wednesday). 
• The Unit Objectives - Can you do all of these things? If not, hit the books!
• Quizlet Flashcards for this unit (also embedded below for your convenience).
• Practice Multiple Choice Questions: on Neuroscience and The Brain
• Video Review: The Chemical Mind
• Video Review: Meet Your Master - The Brain
• 3D Brain - for practicing identification of those brain parts. 
• Materials we will be using at Monday's Study Session:
• Agenda/Slide Show
• Brain Damage Exercise
• Neural Transmission Practice WS
• Practice FRQ

Notes: Neurons, Neurotransmitters, and Drugs


Notes: Nervous System Divisions & Endocrine System


Notes: Techniques for Studying the Brain


Notes: Brain Anatomy & Hemispheric Specialization (10-14 through 10-20)

Link to Community Program Registration Site

On Wednesday, October 22, Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, WI is hosting a free event for the community. At 6 PM, a speaker will be presenting information about Opioid Prescription and Heroin Addiction, and there will be a panel of local experts to discuss the nature of this problem in Eau Claire and Chippewa Counties. This is a timely topic for my AP Psych classes, as we are just wrapping up our unit on the biological bases of behavior and have learned about how drugs affect the nervous system.

The program is scheduled to last from 6-7:30 PM, and AP Psych students with an interest in this topic are encouraged to attend. There is no cost, but the organizers of the event would like you to register in advance to ensure adequate space is available.

To register, or to learn more about the event, go here: http://www.uwec.edu/CE/programs/community-program-on-heroin-and-prescription-drug-abuse.htm

THE BRAIN!!!!

Over the next several days in class we will be exploring the structures of the brain and their associated functions. You may find this link helpful as you try to make sense of the many diagrams and charts you will be presented with, as it offers 3D rotational views of major brain parts:

• 3D Brain

You will probably also find that link to be a useful resource as you complete your Brain Choice Project for this unit! Enjoy!

Neurotransmitter Exploration

Today in class we'll be exploring the functions of several different neurotransmitters. In addition to the informational chart you can find on pg. 82 of your textbook, you might find the following links helpful:

• Here's a great overview of what neurotransmitters are, as well as the functions of particular types (including relationships to diseases and drugs that alter their activity).
• This chart of drugs and their effects can be helpful, particularly if you scroll to the bottom for the table that is sorted by neurotransmitter type.
• Here's a more simplified neurotransmitter list.

Mouse Party Interactive

Sorry for the delay in getting this link posted! Here's the Mouse Party interactive that you'll need to complete this worksheet for tomorrow (10/10).

PsychSim: Neural Messages

We'll be learning about the processes by which neurons communicate over the next couple of days in class. To that end, you'll be completing this PsychSim on Neural Messaging in order to gain some familiarity with the topic. To access the online module, visit this website and click on Neural Messages.

Completed worksheet will be due Thursday, October 9.

Study Resources for your Cognition & Memory Test

I can hardly believe it, but your second unit in AP Psychology is almost over! We've learned a LOT about thinking and memory this unit, and I hope this will help you as you prepare for this and other tests.

To help you harness the power of the testing effect, I'm including links below to several resources that you can use to test your understanding of material from this unit. I'm also embedding what I can from slides/resources and materials that we used in class (since we've had many folks out ill over the course of this unit). (Note: Sorry, the Memory notes are harder to post, since they're in a different file format that is not super compatible with Google Slides.)

• Quizlet flashcards
• MC Practice Tests on Memory and Cognition
• If you're practicing loci, here's that 50 Word List you can memorize for some extra points!
• Study Session Materials (if attending the study session, you will use these): 
• Memory Vocabulary Sorting 
• Practice FRQ
• Slide Show w/ agenda