TV Alert--Psych Week 2012--June 3-8

Did you know that psychology is all about mental disorders?  It is, according to Discovery Health Channel that is.  Personally, I'd love to see some other topics get included, but I suspect that the honchos at Discovery do not equate brains, perception, social psych, and cognition with great ratings, but I am no television executive. 

Check it out at the link below.

It's that time of year when Psych Week airs on the Discovery Health Channel.
http://health.discovery.com/tv/psych-week/#mkcpgn=emdh2

Set your Tivos and DVRs to record.  Updates on January (and her family), the seven-year-old schizophrenic and others who suffer greatly at the hands of a variety of disorders.  Check the link for the schedules for you locally.  Looking forward to more controversy with some of these disorders.  Check out the web site for more information and activities.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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More on using Radiolab in psych classes

It's no secret that we here at the blog are big fans of the Radiolab podcast - we've posted about it previously here, here, here, here, here, here and here. So I was delighted to read a Radiolab post on the AP Psych listserv today from teacher Kim Freund, who teaches just down the road from me (Steve) in Greensboro, NC. I'm posting below Kim's message describing what episodes she uses in her class:

My kids took their class evaluation yesterday and by far the most popular thing we did this year was to listen to different Radiolab clips. The kids love it... it's a little goofy, but REALLY informative. Here are some of the episodes I use, but there are many more you can find.

http://www.radiolab.org/2012/apr/02/ (minutes 18-34). This clip explains research about bacteria in the stomach having antidepressant qualities. REALLY Interesting!

http://www.radiolab.org/2012/jan/09/ (minutes 9:03-24:45) This clip explains some of the alternate ways to interpret Milgram's experiement... really thought provoking.

http://www.radiolab.org/2011/jan/25/ (minutes 33-38) This clip is great to explain the idea of Linguistic Relativism.

http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2010/jun/15/strangers-in-the-mirror/ - An entire episode on face blindness with Oliver Sacks. Here's another great one about face blindness http://www.radiolab.org/2010/sep/20/letting-go/ (minutes 12:20-21:30).

http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2011/aug/09/damn-it-basal-ganglia/ - an episode on the Basal Ganglia

http://www.radiolab.org/2007/may/17/ - an episode on the Placebo Effect

Thanks for sharing these, Kim! And just a reminder to those new to using technology: PLEASE be sure to download and save these free podcasts first - don't rely on having a stable Internet connection. Also, if you have other favorite Radiolab episodes, or would like to share how you use them in class, please share in the comments below.

--posted by Steve

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Summer Reading and DVDs for Next Year (Schallhorn 2012 Edition)

It's that time of year when we are thinking about assigning summer reading for ourselves and our kids and getting ready for next year.  Below are some resources that I have either seen and/or read.  I make these recommendations since I have positive personal experience with each one.  I am certainly not saying that these are the only good resources out there, they are only a list of items on my bookshelf--that I can see/recall.  I have many more.  Each link below takes you to the Amazon.com site where you can order the books immediately should you wish.

(note: As I finish this list, I am kind of stunned that I've read all these books.  Too bad all the info has not stayed with me.  Perhaps it's time to go back to learning to play guitar.)

Books for summer reading:

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

Minds on Trial: Great Cases in Law and Psychology The Scientific American Day in the Life of Your Brain

Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche

Imagine: How Creativity Works

How We Decide

Proust Was a Neuroscientist

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Sleep Thieves

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales

An Anthropologist On Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales

Emotional Intelligence: 10th Anniversary Edition; Why It Can Matter More Than IQ

Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

My Lobotomy

A Natural History of the Senses

A Natural History Of Love

Thinking, Fast and Slow

An Alchemy of Mind: The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain

The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind

The Social Animal

Readings About The Social Animal

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition)

Situations Matter: Understanding How Context Transforms Your World

A Geography Of Time: On Tempo, Culture, And The Pace Of Life

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life

Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships

The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Revised and Expanded Edition

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior

NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Outliers: The Story of Success

The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls

The Story of Psychology

Emotions Revealed, Second Edition: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life

Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us

The Sociopath Next Door

Columbine (on my reading list, but not yet read--highly recommended though)

The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity (I have not read this, but it looks fascinating)

The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human

WHY Do They Act That Way?: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen
Who's in Charge?: Free Will and the Science of the Brain

DVDs to get your hands on:

 (sorry--VHS only)

Some Valuable Resources for Every Teacher:

Activities Handbook for the Teaching of Psychology

As and A-Level Psychology Through Diagrams (Oxford Revision Guides)

Challenging Your Preconceptions: Thinking Critically About Psychology
The Human Brain Book

Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research (6th Edition)

Teaching Introductory Psychology: Survival Tips from the Experts The Critical Thinking Companion for Introductory Psychology






posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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