Stroop Test

Today in class we'll briefly discuss how the Stroop Test has been used in research designs that explore impacts of hypnosis. To get a sense of the task participants complete, try out the Online Stroop Test here! NOTE: READ THE DIRECTIONS SO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!

Welcome Back!

I hope you all enjoyed a very relaxing Thanksgiving break. If nothing else, I hope you were able to catch up on some much-needed rest, as we'll need to keep our energy up as we head through some busy weeks ahead.

I imagine that tonight, many of you will be finishing up your States of Consciousness unit projects. Don't forget that you'll need to have a PRINTED copy of this for use in class tomorrow. You should be able to easily identify the following elements in your paper:

• Your Claim (or thesis).
• Evidence (facts, psychological research, data you collected) and
• Reasoning (that links the evidence to your claim).

You will need to refer back to your text or class notes in order to gather information. To help you with this, I've posted this unit's slide show below.

If you want additional practice for tomorrow's reading quiz, check out the vocab flashcards below OR try out the practice quiz in Socrative! Go to m.socrative.com and enter room 109495.

States of Consciousness



Vocabulary Flashcards for States of Consciousness

States of Consciousness Unit Project

Your unit on States of Consciousness will be brief, in part because of its small representation on the AP Exam and our approaching Thanksgiving Break (yay!). As a result, you will not take a full-length unit test on this content. Instead, your mastery of the material will be determined by:

1. Your Reading Quiz on Unit V (given on Nov. 30). AND
2. Your completion of the States of Consciousness Unit Project. Also due Nov. 30.

Thankfully, these tasks should complement one another. And...the project involves something that I HOPE you were planning on doing anyway: sleeping!

All of the links you need are for the unit project are linked into the document above.

Resources: High School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep

National Sleep Foundation

• Backgrounder: Later School Start Times and Sleep
• School Start Time and Sleep
• Eight Major Obstacles to Delaying School Start Times

American Academy of Pediatrics

• Let Them Sleep: AAP Recommends Delaying Start Times of Middle and High Schools to Combat Teen Sleep Deprivation

Washington Post:

• U.S. Doctors Urge Later School Start Times for Teens

CNN

• Doctors: Early School Start Times Unhealthy for Students

The Atlantic

• Students Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep--School Starts Too Early

St. Paul Public Schools: Rethinking Start Times for 2015-16

The Impact of School Start Times on Adolescent Health

Research Reports:

Examining the Impact of Later High School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study (2014)

Impact of School Start Times on Student Learning

When Worlds Collide: Adolescent Need for Sleep Versus Societal Demands

Changing Times: Findings from the First Longitudinal Study of Later High School Start Times

Substance Use Related Disorder Project(s)

Remember, if you would like to complete the IceKube Simulation for your project on Substance Use Related Disorders, you must obtain parental permission to do so. If I do not have a signed permission slip from you by Friday, November 21, I will assume you are completing one of the alternative project choices.

For those who decide to explore issues of use and dependence in other ways, you've got several options to choose from. You are also welcome to propose your own alternative project ideas, but they must be approved by Mrs. Welle no later than Friday, November 21.

Sweet Dreams - States of Consciousness Activities for Spring Break

We've spent the last several days learning about States of Consciousness and the stages of sleep. Over break, you've got a few of things to do. Thankfully, most of them involve or are connected to sleeping, which I hope was a part of your plans anyway. :)

You'll want to finish these three things for Monday (March 24):

1. Finish your Sleep Monitoring Form from the National Sleep Foundation. We will be looking at your results when you return, and you will have a chance to evaluate the quality of your sleep habits and explore ways to make improvements (if you decide they are needed). 
2. You'll also need to complete these Reading Questions from Chapter 7. You will take your Chapter 7 Quiz upon returning from break, and completing this activity should help you prepare.
3. Finally, if you were absent on Friday, March 14, you'll want to view the video embedded below: What Are Dreams? In class, we were able to almost complete this video and its accompanying viewing questions. We'll finish the last few minutes (10-15) when we return from break.

Note: If you were absent during the days leading up to Spring Break, you'll probably also want to make  sure you've obtained the notes from those days, which are embedded below for your convenience.

What Are Dreams?

Slides from States of Consciousness Unit (if you were absent)

Resources for States of Consciousness Exploration

As we will discuss in class, your exploration of content from the States of Consciousness unit will happen largely over break. This is good in some ways, because it involves sleeping, and who wouldn't want to do that? However, it does mean you'll be responsible for keeping track of your own progress through some of the material, in preparation for a quiz on January 3rd.

To help you out, I've created a checklist for you AND I've attempted to give you options for reducing your workload in fun and interesting ways (You should have receieved a paper copy of this in class, but I'll give you the online version here). In order to be ready for our end-of-break quiz, you should:

1. Read Ch. 7 in your text.
2. Complete Ch. 7 Reading Questions (due January 3)
3. Get notes on Stages of Sleep & Sleep Disorders either
•  in class on 12/21/12 
• OR by viewing video lecture for this topic
4. Complete either Dream Monitoring OR Sleep Habits Monitoring for 4 consecutive nights, your choice.
5. Get notes on Dream Theories either
• by attending Psych Club at 4:00 PM on Friday, December 28 (rm 136); extra credit is available for this
• OR by the viewing video lecture for this topic  
6. Optional: watch Inception! Psych Club will be watching this at 5:00 on Dec. 28^th (after lecture/discussion)
7. Optional: view Discovering Psychology video on Hypnosis. For those interested in hypnosis and its uses, this is a great supplement to the text reading.
8. Finish video notes from “NOVA: What Are Dreams?” show (if needed). Note: you should have completed the majority of this with the sub on December 13.
9. Prepare for quiz on Ch. 7 on January 3^rd
• Quizlet flashcards can help with vocab review
• Review the Unit Objectives. Do you feel comfortable with all of these listed tasks?
• You may use your notes, your Ch. 7 Reading Guide, and your video notes sheet from “What Are Dreams?” on the quiz.

Good luck! Hopefully I'll also see you on the 28th for a mind-bending viewing of Inception!

Dreams Video & Viewing Questions

For those who were absent for part or all of the Dreams video we viewed in class December 20-21, I've embedded the full playlist below. While viewing the video in class, students used this viewing guide to organize their notes. I suggest that, if you missed the video, you watch and complete the viewing guide as well.

Guest Speaker on Hypnosis

Timed perfectly to match our in-class discussions of the phenomenon of hypnosis next week, Psychology Club is pleased to welcome Richard Marano, hypnotherapist, to Chi-Hi.

Mr. Marano, who operates the Hypnosis Center of Eau Claire, will be giving a presentation from 5-7 PM in our high school library on Tuesday, December 20th.

Following a talk about the phenomenon of hypnosis and how it is used in psychotherapy, Mr. Marano will lead any interested attendees in exercises that will allow them to experience hypnosis themselves.
These guided imagery exercises are completely voluntary and harmless, and often experienced as very relaxing.

Students interested in participating in the exercises are urged to avoid caffeine and any other stimulating agents in the afternoon prior to the presentation, as these things can interfere with one's ability to focus and relax, which is necessary for hypnosis.

Book I Want to Read: Sleepwalk With Me

Sadly, despite its prominent place on my Christmas lists this year, this item was ignored by my gift-purchasing relatives in favor of other trinkets. Don't get me wrong, Santa (& his associates) were good to me this year, but I was disappointed not to receive Sleepwalk with Me (and Other Painfully True Stories) by Mike Birbiglia.

Why? Two reasons (one of which relates to psychology):

1. Mike Birbiglia is hilarious.
2. In the book he shares his experience of REM Sleep Disorder, which I have discuss in my classes during our "States of Consciousness" unit.

Ok, both could relate to psychology, but the second reason is clearly an easier fit if you are trying to justify including this book in your curriculum.

For those of you not familiar with Mike Birbiglia, he is a stand-up comedian whose work has been featured on NPR's This American Life on several occasions. I have purchased his previous albums and am envious of those who were able to catch his live tour show of the same title in 2008-09.

For those interested in his (very funny) account of discovering his REM sleep disorder, you can probably still listen to it on NPR's This American Life online archives. It aired during a show entitled "Fear of Sleep," which is appropriate given the situations he describes.

Or you could buy the book. Unfortunately for me, student loan-enduced poverty now forces me to choose between waiting for it at the library or enduring the 9 months until my birthday in the hopes someone will buy it then.

P.S. Mike, if you read this, perhaps you would consider "donating" a copy to a needy AP Psychology teacher (me). :)

P.S.S. Students, with final exams right around the corner, there is no time like the present to ingratiate yourself with your teacher. Nothing says 'A' like a great gift...

P.S.S.S. Okay, just kidding about that last part. I do not accept bribes. That would be unethical.

NOVA: What are Dreams? Link

For those of you who missed all or part of the NOVA film we watched in class, here you go!



If the embeded video above does not play correctly, try this link.

Book Review: Out of Our Heads by Alva Noe

Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness by Alva Noe

Some of my students are chomping at the bit this year, eager to study the topic of human consciousness. We will get there in a few weeks, and I don't blame them for their enthusiasm. It's hard to imagine a more fascinating subject. If you are looking for some outside reading consciousness that will bend your mind to some degree, I'd recommend this book.

Alva Noe's basic thesis in Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness is that neuroscientists hoping to uncover the "seat" of consciousness in the brain via fMRI's and similar techniques are bound to be disappointed.

Noe presents - with convincing support - the idea that consciousnes is a process created by our experiences with the world, including the reactions of our sensory systems. In essence, the disembodied brain would be unable to have a "conscious" experience because consciousness is tied up in all of the other things that make us human.

I appreciate the argument, and it is interesting to consider. But I did find myself feeling a little defensive about how easily Noe dismissed the work of neuroscientists and neuroimaging. Certainly, consciousness might be a more slippery concept than we first imagine. But that doesn't mean that neuroimaging studies of the brain are unimportant to our understanding of human consciousness, and sometimes I felt Noe was moving toward that idea.

View all my reviews

Look Who Made the APA Monitor!

No, not yours truly. But that was a good guess.

This month's Monitor on Psychology features an article by Elizabeth Scarborough about the contributions of Margaret Floy Washburn, entitled Understanding the Animal Mind. The article suggests that Washburn, who is most often remembered for her role as the first female to earn a PhD in psychology and for serving as the APA's second female president, also should be remembered for her outstanding contributions to comparative psychology and her position on the prospect of studying animal consciousness. Her argument that animal consciousness was a legitimate topic of study was particularly courageous in an era where behaviorism was becoming increasingly the status quo.


The article serves a great reminder of the important role of Washburn in shaping the early history of psychology.

Hypnotist Al Kaytraz to Perform at Chi-Hi

This Friday, March 20, psychology students in Chippewa Falls have an opportunity to see a hypnotist in action. The Psychology Club of Chi-Hi is sponsoring a performance of Michael Johnson (a.k.a. Al Kaytraz), a licensed hypnotist.

Johnson will take the stage in the Chi-Hi Auditorium at 7:00 PM with an act guaranteed to provide fun for all ages. Members of the audience may volunteer to undergo hypnosis as part of the night's entertainment. Frightened by the prospect of being hypnotized? Don't worry. You can just sit back and enjoy watching the show. Johnson notes on his website:

"During my performances, I work only with willing volunteers. We have fun exploring the power of the human mind, and I enjoy demonstrating how easy (and safe) it is to enter the hypnotic state. Additionally I am certifed by the National Guild of Hypnotist, and I am trained to instruct others how to utilize self-hypnosis and hypnosis to improve their own lives."

What should you expect to see at Friday night's performance? Volunteers undergoing hypnosis will provide much of the show, as they are asked to perform various tasks while in their hypnotic state. Johnson describes the show like this:

"The hypnosis show is a fantastic blend of routines that truly give you and your guests the chance to experience the power of hypnosis. The induction is fast and the action just keeps coming. Your guests will laugh as the volunteers forget their names, become 5 years old, have hallucinations, and so much more. The volunteers will have a great experience and will be surprized at how fun and relaxing the hypnotic state is."

Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Contact Mrs. Welle (wellevk@chipfalls.k12.wi.us) with questions.