Psychology 03/04

UNIT 1. The Science of Psychology 1. A Dance to the Music of the Century: Changing Fashions in 20th-Century Psychiatry, David Healy, Psychiatric Bulletin , January 2000 David Healy discusses the history and theories that have shaped psychology and psychiatry over the last century. He questions where the disciplines are headed and which theorists will continue to have an impact on our philosophy and on psychological treatments. 2. Good and Evil and Psychological Science, Ervin Staub, APS Observer , May/June 2001 Psychology can examine the causes and consequences of both good and harmful acts by humans. Ervin Staub shares his work in three different domainschild rearing, genocide, and healing/reconciliationto illustrate this point. 3. Exploring a Controversy, George W. Albee, American Psychologist , March 2002 George Albee, noted psychologist and editor of the leading journal American Psychologist, responds to heated discord over the journal's publication of a research article on sexual abuse of children. Along the way, Albee challenges the media, the government, the public, and even psychologists to become more familiar with the results of scientific research, social science research in particular, and with scientific methodologies. UNIT 2. Biological Bases of Behavior 4. The Tangled Skeins of Nature and Nurture in Human Evolution, Paul R. Ehrlich, The Chronicle of Higher Education , September 22, 2000 Are we slaves to our genes or does culture modify our psyche and behavior? The main point of this article is that the attributes of an organism are the product of the interaction between biology and culture or learning. 5. Altered States of Consciousness, Susan Greenfield, Social Research , Fall 2001 Susan Greenfield likens the functioning of the human brain to the functioning of an orchestradifferent parts play different and complex roles. She details the organization, the plasticity, the neurochemistry, and the relationship to consciousness of the brain. She concludes by examining the difficulty of building models of the brain on computers. 6. Brain-Based Learning, Ruth Palombo Weiss, Training & Development , July 2000 Ruth Palombo Weiss connects the brain's relationship to various psychological phenomena that enhance or hinder our ability to learn. She succinctly discusses the brain's role in promoting attention, understanding patterns and emotions, facilitating memory and recall, and enhancing motivation. UNIT 3. Perceptual Processes 7. The Senses, U.S. News & World Report , January 13, 1997 This article offers an introduction to the importance of the human senses in general, with a brief overview of each distinct sense. It concludes that the senses are windows to the brain. 8. Sight Unseen, Michael Abrams, Discover , June 2002 Scientists are attempting to restore human vision lost in childhood. The results of one man's stem cell transplant are reviewed. Why this man cannot see well despite the surgery is another main focus of the article. 9. It's a Noisy, Noisy World out There!, Richard Carmen, The Saturday Evening Post , March/April 2002 A clinical audiologist bemoans the ubiquitous assault of noise on our ears. About one-third of all hearing loss is the result of this cacophony. What we can do to avoid hearing loss is also covered in this article. 10. An Ear for Color: Exploring the Curious World of Synesthesia, Where Senses Merge in Mysterious Ways, Allison Hoover Bartlett, Washington Post , January 22, 2002 Allison Bartlett explores the world of synesthetes, people who combine sensations in unique ways. She examines what synesthesia is, how it affects daily life, and the available research on its neurology and heritability. 11. Phantom Sensations: Understanding the Pain Felt by an Amputee, Eric Haseltine, Discover , May 2002 The brain can wire itself such that amputees experience sensations from a limb no longer present. This phenomenon is called phantom limbs. Eric Hasletine discusses experiments that nonamputees can attempt in order to have a similar experience. 12. Pain and Its Mysteries, Marni Jackson, Maclean's , May 27, 2002 Pain is something we could all live without. In fact, some people do live without itthey have congenital analgesia. Painhow and why it is experienced and how to reduce itis being studied by scientists. 13. Brains in Dreamland, Bruce Bower, Science News , August 11, 2001 One hundred years have passed since Freud's work on the interpretation of dreams, and scientists still cannot agree on their function. Bruce Bower reviews seminal theories on the subject as well as some of the neurology involved in these nightly theatrics. UNIT 4. Learning and Remembering 14. Memory and Learning, Ruth Palombo Weiss, Training & Development , October 2000 Learning and memory are two sides of the same coin. This article explains what each is and how scientific principles of learning and remembering can improve our abilities for each. 15. Understanding Our Differences, Susan Reese, Techniques , January 2002 Multiple forms of intelligence exist, so Susan Reese concludes that there are also multiple styles of learning. Reese reviews some of the various learning styles as well as the concomitant changes that must be made in assesment and in the use of learning technologies to accommodate this diversity of styles. 16. New Evidence for the Benefits of Never Spanking, Murray A. Straus, Society , September/October 2001 Murray Straus reviews five landmark studies on spanking or corporal punishment with an eye to answering the question, "Does this type of discipline change children's behavior?" Straus determines that the answer is a resounding "no." In fact, he believes that spanking can be harmful. 17. The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers, Daniel Schacter, Psychology Today , May/June 2001 Daniel Schacter explains why so much routine forgetting occurs. He discusses such processes as transience, absentmindedness, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias, aDuffy, Karen G. is the author of 'Psychology 03/04' with ISBN 9780072548297 and ISBN 0072548290.