WWW
Learning Links
PSYC 2301 Dan Dydek, Instructor
This is a great site to start with. Check out the incredible
array of divisions, the APA Monitor, and consider becoming a student associate
member.
The APS was started as an alternative to the APA. In their
own words, "advancing the scientific discipline and the giving away of psychology
in the public interest."
Classics
in the History of Psychology
This is an extensive listing of web-published classics in
Psychology. It is an amazing internet resource developed by Christopher D. Green
of York University, Toronto, Canada.
World Wide Web
Virtual Library of Neuroscience
This site contains a vast and comprehensive
set of links relevant to brain, neurosciences and cognition. It also
contains many links to some of the premier research institutions in academia.
The Society for Neuroscience is a nonprofit membership
organization of basic scientists and physicians who study the brain and
nervous system. Neuroscience includes the study of brain development, sensation
and perception, learning and memory, movement, sleep, stress, aging and
neurological and psychiatric disorders. It also includes the molecules,
cells and genes responsible for nervous system functioning. Recognizing
the tremendous potential for the study of the brain and nervous system
as a separate field, the Society was formed in 1970. It has grown from
500 members to more than 29,000 and is the world's largest organization
of scientists devoted to the study of the brain.
To quote PBS: "THE SECRET LIFE OF THE BRAIN, a David
Grubin Production, reveals the fascinating processes involved in brain
development across a lifetime. The five-part series, which will premiere
nationally on PBS in winter 2002, informs viewers of exciting new information
in the brain sciences, introduces the foremost researchers in the field,
and utilizes dynamic visual imagery and compelling human stories to help
a general audience understand otherwise difficult scientific concepts." The
interactive web page includes activities concerning the history of the brain,
3-D brain anatomy, mind illusions, and brain scanning technologies.
Running from November 19, 2005 until May 29, 2006 The
American Museum of Natural History offers this invitation to you, "For
21 years he kept his theory secret. Discover the man and the revolutionary theory
changed the course of science and society."
The AASM is a professional association of sleep
researchers and medical practitioners. It is a comprehensive site for students
wishing to learn more about any of the sleep disorders which we have discussed
in class: apnea, insomnia, sleep-walking, bed-wetting, & narcolepsy.
Sleepy? Check it out!
"The Association for the Study of Dreams is a non-profit,
international, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the pure and
applied investigation of dreams and dreaming. Our purposes are to promote
an awareness and appreciation of dreams in both professional and
public arenas; to encourage research into the nature, function, and significance
of dreaming; to advance the application of the study of dreams; and to
provide a forum for the eclectic and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas
and information."
This site, which was originated by former
Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, is dedicated to safe weight management
and fitness. It
has information on BMI, body mass index, and related topics. This is relevant
to Health Psychology.
Are you in shape? Check it out!
The U.S. Library of Congress has opened
an exhibition of Freudian artifacts, photos and letters. It signifies the on-going
legacy of this seminal mind. The exhibition opened on October 15, 1998 and will
run until January, 1999. Then it will go on international tour. If you are interested
in Freud and Psychoanalysis, you will find this site fascinating!
A film by David Grubin is introduced by
PBS thusly, "Sigmund
Freud gave us a language for our dreams, our deep secrets, our darkest
nightmares. But, as a young man, he would have to wrestle with his own
fears before he learned how to grapple with the demons inside others. Explore
Freud's life and question your assumptions. You may be surprised by what
you discover...
or even shocked."
This classic paper by philosopher Karl Popper is considered
to be one of the most profound contributions to the philosophy of science within
the twentieth century. Within this short paper, Popper explains why he considers
Freud's Psychoanalysis to be unscientific.
To quote WGBH and PBS: "Evolution
plays a critical role in our daily lives, yet it is one of the most overlooked
principles of life. It is the mechanism that determines who lives, who dies,
and who gets the opportunity to pass traits on to the next generation, and the
next, and the next ... The Evolution project is a seven-part, eight-hour
television broadcast series, an extensive Web site, a far-reaching educational
outreach initiative, and a HarperCollins companion book by acclaimed science
writer Carl Zimmer." The seven-part DVD series is available
in the ACC Learning Resources Centers at the Riverside, Rio Grande and Northridge
campuses. The Call Letters for the
DVD collection are: QH367 .E845X 2001 DISC 1-4. This would be ideal for Extra
Credit.
The Whole Brain Atlas provides medical
professionals and pre-med/med students with accurate MRI, tomographic,
and nuclear medicine
images which emphasize the pathoanatomy of several leading CNS (central
nervous system) diseases and serve as a road-map into the human brain.
Your instructor has posted a special web page to inform the public about
sleep apnea, a dangerous sleep disorder. Check it out!
This book is available in complete form on-line for students of psychology.
It is a classic in the psychoanalytic literature. A university-level
book report may be submitted for Extra Credit. For more information,
consult with your instructor.
Do birds see in color? Check out this site. The answer may
surprise you.
American Mensa has more than 47,000 members
as of March 2000. Five million Americans are eligible for Mensa membership.
Mensans
come from all walks of life and all levels of society. However, they share
one trait - high intelligence. To qualify for Mensa, one must score
in the top 2% of the general population on a standardized intelligence
test.
"In any given 1-year period, 9.5 percent
of the population, or about 18.8 million American adults, suffer from a
depressive illness.
The economic cost for this disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering
cannot be estimated. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning
and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but
also to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy family
life as well as the life of the ill person. But much of this suffering
is unnecessary."
In 2009, the American College Health
Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA)—a nationwide
survey of college students at 2- and 4-year institutions— found that nearly
30 percent of college students reported feeling “so depressed that it
was difficult to function” at some time in the past year. This document
produced by the National Institute of Mental Health provides valuable information
on this important issue.
To quote Donna E. Shalala, "This seminal report provides
us with an opportunity to dispel the myths and stigma surrounding mental illness.
For too long the fear of mental illness has been profoundly destructive to
people's lives. In fact mental illnesses are just as real as other illnesses,
and they are like other illnesses in most ways. Yet fear and stigma persist,
resulting in lost opportunities for individuals to seek treatment and improve
or recover."
Karen Brown, Producer of A Mind of Their Own,
writes, "Today, it's estimated that up to half a million children have
bipolar illness, but the diagnosis remains controversial. A relatively small
number of psychologists and psychiatrists treat the condition in young people.
So how do parents, teachers, physicians recognize the brain disorder in a
child, and then seek help?" This American RadioWorks web site includes
an hour long audio program which is downloadable as an MP3 file. Give it a
listen!
The B. F. Skinner Foundation was established in 1987 to
publish significant literary and scientific works in the analysis of behavior
and to educate both professionals and the public about the science of behavior.
According to their web site: "Founded in 1956
by seven women who had learned about successful breastfeeding while nursing
their own babies, La Leche League is the only organization with the sole purpose
of helping breastfeeding mothers. Now 8,000 Leaders and 3,000 local Groups
strong in the United States alone, La Leche League Groups meet regularly in
communities worldwide to share breastfeeding information and mothering experience."
According to the PBS web site: The Forgetting: A Portrait
of Alzheimer's is a Primetime Emmy award-winning documentary that takes a
dramatic, compassionate, all-encompassing look at the growing epidemic of
Alzheimer’s disease. The cornerstone of the project is a 90-minute documentary
based on David Shenk's best-selling book. Like Shenk's book, the documentary
weaves together the history and biology of the disease, the intense real-world
experiences of Alzheimer's patients and caregivers, and the race to find a
cure.
The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization
that supports brain research through grants, publications, and educational
programs. Online and in print, the Foundation offers neuroscience-related
publications, including exclusive news and feature articles and interviews,
briefing papers, primers, and our blog. The online journal Cerebrum offers
thought-provoking ideas from leading researchers, and the monthly periodical
Brain in the News features the top brain-related stories from external
publications.
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