September 6: Test Review and Introduction to the Brain

In-Class Activities:

1) Neuron Note. You didn't have answers to read today, but you wrote a new question based on last night's textbook reading on neural communication.

2) Prologue/Chapter 1 Test Review. I put the test data (distribution, mean, median, mode, standard deviation, histrogram, grade scale) on the overhead so you could see how we did as a class as well as how you did in comparison with your classmates. Since the highest score was an 95, I curved the test by making the total points 95, not 100. We went over the questions that most students got wrong and you were able to write down the reasoning behind those tricky questions. I also tried to give page numbers so you could look up those concepts again. No matter how you did, you should be motivated to improve your test preparation, notetaking, vocabulary memorization, and study plans. As you learn more and more about what to expect from these tests and adjust your system for this class, you will be more and more successful.

General comments about the trickiest questions: Many of you missed the ones related to the early philosophers and psychologists. Study the chart on the bottom of page 3 and memorize those early names. Make sure you know that psychological research is broken down into three categories: description, correlation, experimentation.

Scantron Issues: The IMC scantron machine did not do a good job marking the ones with errors. We ran the scantrons through the E-Wing machine after class today and it re-marked the wrong ones better. Test scores did not change, but it made the wrong ones easier to read.

3) Neuron Model Assignment Explanation: For the weekend, your job is to make a model of a neuron with readily available supplies from your house. It must have all the parts (axon, dendrites, cell body, nucleus, myelin sheath labeled AND defined. Be thorough and thoughtful, and have fun and be creative.

4) The Behaving Brain Video. Another classical Philip Zimbardo introduction to the unit. This one gave you LOTS of information on how neurons communicate, parts of the brain, as well as the cool ways they study the brain (EEG, PETscans, etc)

Assignments:

1) Read chapter 2 pages 65-76.

2) Neuron Model is due on Monday.

3) Make those notecards so you can just review vocabulary next week

4) FYI: Chapter 2 test is Tuesday, September 18.