Which modern methods of examining how the brain influences behavior are noninvasive?
Which modern methods of examining how the brain influences behavior are noninvasive?
Chapter 1: 1. Psychologists are among the least likely to believe in psychics, palmistry, astrology, and other paranormal phenomena. Why might that be? 2. Which psychological perspective would most likely be used to study and explain why some animals, such as newly hatched ducks or geese, follow and become attached to (or imprinted on) the first large moving object they see or hear? 3. Why is the scientific method described as a cycle rather than as a simple six-step process? 4. Imagine that a researcher recruited research participants from among her friends and then assigned them to experimental or control groups based on their gender. Why might this be a problem? 5. Which modern methods of examining how the brain influences behavior are noninvasive? 6. What do you think keeps most people from fully employing the strategies for student success presented in this chapter
Chapter 2: 1. Imagine that scientists were able to identify specific genes linked to serious criminal behavior, and it was possible to remove or redesign these genes. Would you be in favor of this type of gene manipulation? Why or why not? 2. From an evolutionary perspective, can you explain why people are more likely to help family members than strangers? 3. Why is it valuable for scientists to understand how neurotransmitters work at a molecular level? 4. What are some everyday examples of neuroplasticity—that is, of how the brain is changed and shaped by experience? 5. Imagine you are giving a speech. Name the cortical lobes involved in the following behaviors: a. Seeing faces in the audience b. Hearing questions from the audience c. Remembering where your car is parked when you are ready to go home d. Noticing that your new shoes are too tight and hurting your feet
Chapter4: 1. Sensation and perception are closely linked. What is the central distinction between the two? 2. If we sensed and attended equally to each stimulus in the world, the amount of information would be overwhelming. What sensory and perceptual processes help us lessen the din? 3. If we don’t adapt to pain, why is it that people can sometimes “tune out” painful injuries? 4. What senses, outside of hearing, would likely be impaired if a person were somehow missing all of the apparatus of the ear (including the outer, middle, and inner ear)? 5. Can you explain how your own perceptual sets might create prejudice or discrimination?
