Light-Dark Sensory Adaptation

Definitions: 

Sensory Adaptation occurs when sensory receptors change their sensitivity to the stimulus. This phenomenon occurs in all senses, with the possible exception of the sense of pain.

Dark Adaptation  adaptation to reduced light intensity and involves enlargement of the pupil, increased sensitivity of the cones and rods

Light Adaptation adaptation to increased light intensity and involves an immediate change in pupil size (it becomes smaller, admitting less light), decreased sensitivity of cones and rods

Concept:

This activity clearly demonstrates the process of light-dark adaptation and provide you with an excellent opportunity to learn about this phenomenon through your own individual experience.

Materials Needed:

1.  Some sort of eye patch to wear over one eye for 20 minutes

2.  Timepiece that can measure seconds such as a stopwatch

Instructions:

This experiment is best conducted in an environment in which the light can be reduced quickly to a lower level where vision can still occur after dark adaptation.  At home at night should suffice. 

Place the patch over one eye, then go about your regular activities (e.g. studying—yeah, right, reading, talking on the phone, watching t.v.) for 20 minutes.  At the end of this time, turn off the lights.  Now remove the eye patch.  Look at various objects in the room.  Note the marked differences in visual ability between the light-adapted and dark-adapted eyes. 

While this difference is still apparent, turn the lights on and observe at what speed the eyes become equal in their light adaptation. 

Record your observations and times.  Repeat this procedure at another time with the other eye.

Write-up:

Was there any difference between light adaptation and dark adaptation?

What are some possible explanations for the time difference between light adaptation and dark adaptation?

Where does light-dark adaptation take place?  In the retina or in the brain?

What observations support your answer?

Report your thoughts on the experience.

Human Development Scrapbook/E-Scrapbook

In this unit we have been investigating the life cycle of human development.  We will be working with four primary psychological theories to understand how people grow and mature.  The psychologists we will be learning about are Freud, Erikson, Piaget, and Kohlberg. 

For this project you will be making a personal development scrapbook or PowerPoint/Prezi presentation, detailing your own unique development. 

Criteria

Cover Page  Title, name, period, etc. Decorate this page.  Be creative, use pictures, events, graphics.

Page 1  Table of Contents

Page 2  Your birth. Where were you born? Who are your parents? Your culture? Your brothers and sisters? How are the circumstances of your birth significant to your life? Include pictures if possible.

Pages 3-10  Each stage your life with the following criteria on each page:

1. Research--define the stage you have selected; explaining the major concepts or conflicts within that stage (what the theorists said).  Make sure you are using at least two out of the four theorists.

2. Application—use short stories from three stages of your life that shows the theory at work in your life.  Show me that you understand the theory you are trying to explain and the meaning behind it.  Make sure to add an explanation of how your example connects to the theory, though!

3.  Professional Presentation--pictures of you at each stage would be wonderful, but not necessary.  Find pictures online or in magazines of other cute kids to illustrate your points.

4. Conduct an interviews with a family members. Because you may not know all the circumstances and stories of your childhood, be sure to conduct interviews in a timely manner.  This project will be tough to do at the last minute for this reason.

Grading

	4	3	2	1
Cover Page & Table of Contents	Title, name, decorative, colorful, creative, pictures/graphics	Title, name, decorative, somewhat colorful, somewhat creative, pictures/graphics	Missing title or name, somewhat decorative, somewhat colorful, creative, few pictures/graphics	Missing title or name, lacks decoration, lacks color, few or no pictures/graphics
Page 2	Detailed account of birth including place and circumstances	Somewhat detailed account of birth including place and circumstances	Account of birth lacks details including place and circumstances	Few details regarding birth including place and circumstances
Research	Detailed explanations of major concepts and conflicts according to theorists; extensive research demonstrated	Somewhat detailed explanations of major concepts and conflicts according to theorists; could be more complete with more research	Explanations are not detailed; lack of research demonstrated	Few details, explanations incomplete; understanding of theories not demonstrated
Application	Short stories connect your life to theory	Short stories somewhat connect your life to theory	Short story connects your life to theory in a way that shows little understanding	Short stories incomplete and/or do not connect to theory
Professional Presentation	Angwinesque, publishable	Somewhat attractive layout, pictures/graphics support mission	Layout needs more thought	Messy, sloppy, little planning is demonstrated

Film List for Psychology Students

Below is a list of movies that include some aspect of psychology. At the risk of being diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, I have put a  *  next to my favorites.  If you have a movie you would like to watch for your project not on this list, please run it by me.  While I have provided nice, neat categories of disorders, many films feature more than one psychological concept.

The most frequent psychological disorders featured in award-winning films:

Antisocial personality disorder - 23% of all themes

Narcissistic personality disorder- 19% of all themes

   

Substance Use Disorders

When a Man Loves a Woman—The story of alcoholic wife and mother, played by Meg Ryan, her treatment, and her relationship with her husband. (Alcoholism)

Clean and Sober-- Michael Keaton struggles with alcoholism and attends rehab. (Alcoholism)

Anxiety Disorders

Birdy—Two childhood friends returning Vietnam vets dealing with the aftermath of their combat experiences - one physically and the other mentally. (PTSD)

*Reign on Me—A man tries to survive day-to-day after a horrific plane crash claims his family. (PTSD)

Copycat-- Sigourney Weaver plays an agoraphobic psychologist. Discuss how accurately is the agoraphobia portrayed. (Agoraphobia)

**The Deer Hunter—Great film!!!  Academy Award winner for Best Picture and Best Actor.  Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep - portray the impact of the Vietnam War in anytown, America.  It shows their lives before, during, and after the conflict. Another look at PTSD. Christopher Walken's Nicky is one worth discussion. Also, consider the traumas they experienced as prisoners of war. (PTSD)

First Blood—Sylvester Stallone plays a Vietnam Vet has trouble adjusting to civilian life after he finds the last of his company dead from cancer--most likely a result of Agent Orange sprayed on American soldiers by their own. (PTSD)

Lars and the Real Girl--A smart, funny, sensitive film about a young man who strikes up a relationship with a doll and the town who befriends the two of them in order to help Lars. (Social Anxiety)

Matchstick Men-- Nicholas Cage plays a con man with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Discuss the accuracy of the diagnosis.   Discuss the ethics of the treatment he received. (OCD)

Ordinary People--Academy Award winner for Best Picture and Best Actor.  This is the story of how a family deals with trauma and loss.  Here you’ll see one of the few positive portrayals of a therapist played by Judd Hirsh.

The King's Speech--The story of King George VI of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.  (Social Anxiety)

Napoleon Dynamite--An awkward teenager befriends Deb, whose portrayal of social anxiety is spot on.  (Social Anxiety)

Dissociative Disorder (formerly Multiple Personality Disorder)

Fight Club—This needs to be watched twice to “get it.”  After you've seen it once, watch it again once you know what to look for. (DID)

Sybil--The movie that started it all!   No one was diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder before this book and film came out.  Might Sybil have PTSD and not DID?

The Three Faces of Eve—Joan Woodward won Best Actress for her portrayal of the three personalities of Eve—Eve White, Eve Black, Jane.  The film is based on a true story. (DID)

Mood Disorders

Harold and Maude--A wealthy, 20-year-old man obsessed with death meets an elderly woman at a funeral and develops his first meaningful relationship. It portrays faked suicides, and a real one, but are the characters truly depressed or just eccentric?  This is a real cult classic. (Depression)

The Hours--Academy Award winner for Best Actress.  This is a well done portrayal of the painful depths and hopelessness of depression and its effects on others.  Virginia Woolf, who is writing a novel, alongside another woman is reading the book in the 1950s, and a third present day woman is living it. Discuss the motivations for the different suicides in the movies. (Depression, bipolar disorder)

Lethal Weapon--The first of the series has a suicidal Mel Gibson paired with Danny Glover. Not many cops would want a partner with a death wish.  The film features Mel Gibson before he went off the deep end. (Depression)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest-- Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress among other awards.  This is a quintessential psychology film.  Randle Patrick MacMurphy (RPM) fakes insanity to avoid jail only to have to deal with Nurse Ratched (what does a ratchet wrench do?). (Anti-social Personality Disorder)

*The Prince of Tides--Barbra Streisand as therapist helping Tom’s sister with her suicide attempts. Discuss the unethical conduct by a mental health professional.  Is she Tom’s therapist?  Discuss PTSD as the characters live through a horrific event. (PTSD, Depression)

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?--Academy Award winner for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.  Alcohol abuse, narcissism, conversion disorder, marital dysfunction, make this a psychology class must see.   What is really going on here???  Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton portray the older married couple whose fights are full of pathos.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Iris—An aging couple deals with the devastating effects of the disease.

Without Her—See Iris above.

The Notebook—There are two parallel stories being told.   One is the present day where a couple has grown old and live in a home; the other is the story the main character reads from the notebook in which he tells how he and Allie met, fell in love, and how their lives changed. Their story is altered by Allie’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Developmental Issues

I Am Sam-- A developmentally disabled man (Sean Penn) fights for custody of his daughter (Dakota Fanning), and in the process teaches his lawyer about love and family.

Radio--A high school football coach changes the life of a developmentally disabled young man in this heart-warming tale.

Personality Disorders

**Gone with the Wind—A woman fights to save her family and her family’s estate against all odds in a man’s world during the Civil War era. (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) 

Patten--The story of General George S. Patton, Jr. during World War II. His battlefield genius garners him fear and respect from the Germans, and resentment and misunderstanding from the Allies. A military historian and poet, he believes he was a warrior in many past lives, and that he is destined for something great during this life, but his stubbornness and controversial methods nearly prevent the fulfillment of that destiny. ~Written by Jeff Hanson  (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) 

**All About Eve—Arguably the best film about the theater.  Who is the narcissist?  Are there more than one?  Bette Davis delivers one of the greatest lines ever when asked if she was going to be difficult all night at her party she replies, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night."  (Narcissistic Personality Disorder)

Sleeping with the Enemy--What seems to be the perfect marriage is really a woman's nightmare.  Julia Roberts stars as a woman who tries bravely to leave an abusive and murderous husband. (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) 

Autism

Rainman—Tom Cruise finds out about an older brother, Dustin Hoffman, he never knew he had.  The two go on a cross-country adventure getting to know each other.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?—Johnny Depp copes with an obese, reclusive mother, an autistic brother (Leonardo DiCaprio), and growing up in this wonderful film.

Temple Grandin--After having social difficulty in high school, an autistic woman earns a Ph.D. Aided along the way by a supportive mother and teachers, Temple rises to the top of her field in the animal husbandry.  

Psychotic Disorders

Donnie Darko--While this is a science fiction film, if you analyze it as an example of schizophrenia, this will be fine.  (Schizophrenia)

Conspiracy Theory--starring Julia Roberts Mel Gibson before his own break, the main character suffers from paranoia.  He sees conspiracies everywhere.  (Paranoid Personality Disorder)

A Beautiful Mind--starring Russell Crowe, based on the real life of John Forbes Nash, Jr., a mathematical genius, slides into a world of visual and auditory hallucinations.  (Schizophrenia)

 

Psychology & Hollywood

Psychology & Hollywood

In this project, students will delve into Hollywood’s portrayal of psychopathology.  Many of these films are rated R for language or adult issues.  Some are PG-13.  While many of you are 17 and 18 years old, please check with your parents to make sure your selection is suitable for your family.

Part I:  Watch a film that features some psychological concepts we have studied in class.  There are hundreds of films that could go on this list.  Mine is an approved list.  A novel may be substituted for a film.  Write a summary.  [1-2 pages]
 



Part II:  Research the psychosis or disorder.  Start with information in the textbook.  Report on it in Part III.
 




Part III:  Present your findings to the class.  Compare Hollywood's version to reality.  Discuss scenes, dialogue, and characters.  Discuss where Hollywood got it right and/or where Hollywood was way off base.  An accompanying PowerPoint or Prezi or another visual would be appropriate here as would showing us film clips.  [5 minute presentation]
The written pieces must be double-spaced in 12-point font.  The font must be New Times Roman or similar.

PLAGIARISM: The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own; a piece of written work or an idea that somebody has copied and claimed as his or her own. Plagiarized work will earn a zero.   You may have to take a course on plagiarism or you may have to re-take the course for credit.

 

Good Sources:

nimh.nih.gov apa.org webmd.com Psychology Today (periodical) livescience.com

	Angwinesque	Acceptable	Poor
Part I	Synopsis is complete; it contains all major characters and major events	Synopsis is somewhat complete; it contains most major characters and most events	Synopsis is incomplete; it contains some major characters and some major events
Part II	Research is extensive and obvious; student knows a great deal about the psychological concepts	Research is obvious; student has a good idea of the psychology concepts	Research is not obvious; report does not indicate extensive knowledge of psychological concepts
Part III	Speaks clearly, extensive eye contact, superior use of examples comparing psychological concepts to Hollywood	Speaks somewhat clearly, good eye contact, good use of examples comparing psychological concepts to Hollywood	Fails to speak clearly, poor eye contact, little use of examples comparing psychological concepts to Hollywood
Grammar/Spelling	No mistakes	Some mistakes	Many mistakes
Citations	Perfect MLA format	Some mistakes	Missing or not in MLA format
Use of Class time	Always on task	Usually on task	Often off-task

Part II Questions to Guide Research

1.  What is the name of the disorder?

2.  What are the symptoms?

3.  Is it curable?

4.  How does it affect the person long/short term?

5.  How is it treated?

6.  Is the disorder biological/cognitive/social/behaviorally based?

7.  What age group does the disorder affect?

8.  How common is the disorder?

9.  What are the early signs of the disorder?

10.  Are there behaviors or other factors that can lead to developing the disorder?

11.  How does it affect home life and relationships?

12.  How does it affect other people/family/friends/coworkers?

13.  Does it require hospitalization?

14.  How are people viewed with this disorder?  Is there a stigma attached to having it?

15.  Are there side effects to the treatments/medication used to treat the disorder?

16.  Does the disorder get progressively worse over time or stay the same?

17.  What is the history of the disorder?

18.  Is it a companion disorder?  Is it connected with another disorder?

19.  Is it recognized by the DSM-V?

20.  Is it fatal?

21.  Is it often misdiagnosed?

22.  Is it hereditary?

Tips for an Angwinesque Presentations

• No more than 25 words per slide
• Text should be no smaller than 30-point
• No more than 10-ish slides
• Be entertaining; use humor when appropriate.
• DO NOT SIMPLY READ YOUR SLIDES TO THE AUDIENCE!
• Make eye contact with everyone in the room.
• Explain your topic with stories, good stories keep the audience interested.
• Have fun...or try.  Genuine enthusiasm for your topic is contagious.