Quiz: the Brain

Your quiz on Friday, October 1st will cover the information from your notes in class as well as the 10 questions answered last week on your blog and the information covered in class regarding the case study of Phineas Gage.  We will have a short review in class this week - please see me with any questions.

PowerPoint presentation from class:    http://bdoughertyamschool.wikispaces.com/Grade+10+documents+-+2010-2011

Lost And Found -- Cognitive Scientists Use fMRI To Watch Brains While Eyes Search

ScienceDaily  -- Cognitive scientists ran an experiment to understand how the brain searches for an object with a known shape. They asked subjects to track the movement of dots, and used fMRI to see which parts of the brain activated. The fMRI showed that when the brain is looking for a particular feature, such as a certain shape or color, it is searching for that feature everywhere in the visual field, not just in the spot where the eyes focus.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/0207-lost_and_found.htm

How Our Brains Work

Answer the following questions regarding how the human brain functions:

1. What does the word "hemisphere" refer to when talking about the brain?
2. What are the major differences between the left and right sides of the brain?
3. What is the corpus collasum?
4. Explain the study performed by Paul Broca in which he discovered "Broca's Area."
5. Explain the study conducted by Roger Sperry in regard to "split brain."
6. Explain the study conducted by Karl Wernicke which led to the discovery of Wernicke's Area."
7. Which lobe is most responsible for vision?
8. Which lobe is most responsible for hearing and language?
9. Which lobe is most responsible for performing math calculations?
10. Which lobe is most responsible for judgment, reasoning and impulse control?

This assignment is due by Friday, September 24th.

Phineas Gage

Write an entry including answers to the following questions:
1. Who was Phineas Gage?
2. Describe the event which caused his injury.
3. What happened to him as a result of his injuries?
4. What did we learn about the brain based on this case study?
5. Explain the idea of brain localization?
6. Explain the concept of brain lateralization?

* Include at least 3 pictures relevant to this entry
* At least 250 words in length
* Be sure to site all references.

Topics for Discussion - Nature vs Nurture (videos for class)

Six segments from the BBC entitled "The Mind of a Murderer": Details case studies of criminals convicted of murder and the biological/environmental factors that may have caused the brain damage thought to be responsible for the actions of the murderers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_u3PH-7oAg  Seg 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHpGEGSnGDA&feature=related  Seg 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZupNkYTcKM4&feature=related  Seg 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbZX4jfbQSE&feature=related  Seg 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJl2qHrt6gI&feature=related  Seg 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXR-PtM_eCU&feature=related  Seg 6

A "60 Minutes" story detailing the possible biological connections to homosexuality (2 segments.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3pvAk7Zz5U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS6J_gg89ms&feature=related