My General Psychology W2

General Psychology

Blog Topic – Week 2

I’d Hate to Lose My . . .

Clearly, the brain is a vital part of the body. But suppose you were the subject of a diabolical experiment looking at the functions of the various brain areas. A mad scientist wants to do “removal studies” in order to isolate these functions. The mad scientist does have a heart though–he lets his subjects decide which brain structures they’d like to give up. If you were a subject in this heinous (and thankfully fictional) experiment, which three brain structures would you be willing to give up?

Week 2 Assignment

Chapter 3

1. Do you think it’s possible that personality is completely localized in one portion of the brain? If so, how could you explain the fact that someone’s personality can seem to change depending on the situation?

2. Other than as a treatment for epilepsy, can you think of any situations in which having a split brain might actually be more beneficial than a unified brain?

3. Initiation of the flight or fight response clearly has adaptive value. Can you think of any circumstances in which this response might actually lower the chances of an adaptive response?

4. Define the field known as neuroscience.

5.What is the function of the endocrine system? What are hormones? What does the pituitary gland do?

6. Distinguish between a genotype and a phenotype.

Chapter 4

TV Characters and Erikson’s stages

In this exercise, it’s your assignment to watch TV! Look over Erikson’s stages and the “psychosocial conflicts” that he claims are encountered by people entering various stages of life.

Television shows are filled with people in different stages of life (although you will find more TV shows focusing on the 20-50 set than on any other). Pick out four characters (or real people, in the case of talk shows) from TV shows that differ substantially in age, covering different parts of the life span. These characters might be in four different shows, or might all be in the same show. What are the everyday trials and tribulations experienced by these characters? What are their main concerns or worries? Do they fit in with Erikson’s stages of development? Explain.