The Human Brain Cognitive Process Sensation and Perception Left & Right Brain Dominance Gender Differences
Transcript
Slide 1
The Human Brain Cognitive Process Sensation and Perception Left
& Right Brain Dominance Gender Differences
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Cognitive Process Thinking, Knowing, Remembering: 1. Memory 2.
Language 3. Problem Solving 4. Reasoning
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Cognitive Process "the process of thinking and "the operation
of remembering the mental functions, mental processes of humans
*information processing *applying knowledge *can be conscious or
unconscious.
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Cognitive processes are very important for human behavior,
which is very important to psychology! It is about knowledge and
the way people use their knowledge. Cognitive Psychology:
Intelligence, Language, Thinking, Memory, Attention, Perception,
Problem solving
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What is Cognition? The process and content of knowing,
including thinking, remembering and communicating. how we acquire,
process and store information. things going on inside In the brain
and nervous system
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How do we mentally organize info? By using concepts which are
stored in hierarchically organized categories. Ie. group similar
things together, in our mind Concept: Chair
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Hierarchies: help organize items into categories. Ex: animals
Domestic/wild Dogs/cats Mixed/pure
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Prototypes Mental image or best example of a category The
closer something is to the prototype of a category, the easier it
is to recognize it as being in the category.
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Language Language production Audience design Speech execution
and errors Language understanding Visual representations *multiple
languages!
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Language Evolution 1 st fossil record of language 50,000+ years
ago. May have evolved with walking, running, and tool making.
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Language Development Babbling stage: 4 months sounds goo- gah
One-word stage: 1yrs old Telegraphic speech: before 2yrs, want
juice Complete sentences: 2yrs + *we learn language before we learn
#s
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We structure knowledge through grammar, semantics, syntax
Combine verbal and visual representations *between 1-18yrs, we
learn approx 10 words/day, 3,500/year *By end of high school,
60,000 word vocab.
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Problem Solving Thinking that is directed towards solving
specific problems Move from initial state to goal Initial state
Goal state Set of specifications
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Can you draw 4 straight lines through a 9 dots w/o lifting your
pen off the page?
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Obstacles to Problem Solving Confidence Bias eagerness to
search for ideas that confirm what we think. Fixation inability to
see a problem from a different perspective. Functional Fixedness
thinking only of what an item is usually used for. Mental Set use
the mind set that has worked in the past.
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Reasoning Process of thinking in which conclusions are drawn
from a set of facts (directed towards a given goal). Inductive:
makes conclusions about the unknown based on probability estimates
derived from available evidence or past experience Ex: all school
classes are boring, therefore, university next year will be boring
too! Deductive: drawing conclusions by logically following two or
more statements 1.Mr. Drummond is a teacher 2.Teachers are amazing!
3.(Therefore) Mr. Drummond is AMAZING!!
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Sensation and Perception
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All psychology is concerned with mental processes. To
understand these processes better it is best to break them up into
two stages: Sensation Perception
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Sensation Sensation is the first stage as it uses the
environment to stimulate our sensory organs, sending messages to
our brains Our main human senses are: Taste Smell Touch Sound Sight
Bodily Movement Sense of balance
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In the event of a loss of one of our senses the body/brain
compensates by making/training our other senses to be sharper Case
Study: Helen Keller
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Perception The next stage of the mental processes is
Perception: the way we make sense out of our senses The world
consists of various kinds and levels of physical energies Our
knowledge of the world comes through our sense organs, which react
to these energies The sense organs and the brain transform physical
energy from environmental stimuli into information about the events
around us.
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Factors Affecting Perception The Object Itself: tend to see
movement, contrast, change, repetition, size and intensity
Background and surroundings: dancing in your house alone vs.
dancing at the school dance Experiences and feelings: we tend to
relate situations to past experiences. Can also be based on need
and personal attitudes.
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Try these perceptual illusions. Spinning Dancer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spinning_ Dancer.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spinning_ Dancer.gif Which way is
she spinning? Can you make her change direction?
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Vase vs. Faces
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Duck vs. Rabbit
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Stair at the dot. Do the circles spin?
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Lilac Chaser Follow the Dot. What happens? Stair at the cross.
What happens? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lilac- Chaser.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lilac- Chaser.gif
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Rorschach Ink Blots The concept of perception has been used in
the field of psychology for many years. Test such as the famous
Rorschach Ink blots have been used to help unlock the unconscious
mind and understand the persons sense of perception What to you
see?
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Left & Right Brain Dominance
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General Info A longitudinal fissure (a deep groove) separates
the human brain into two distinct cerebral hemispheres, connected
by the Corpus Callosum. Each side is a visual mirror of each other,
however, the functions of each hemisphere are very different.
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Roger W. Sperry (1913 1994) Nobel price in Medicine in 1981 for
his work/theory /research of split-brain and brain dominance His
research contributed greatly to understanding the lateralization of
brain functions. As a person develops a dominance towards one side
of their brain, they tend to have certain characteristics and areas
of interest in common
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Left Brain Linear reasoning (direct fact retrieval) Numeric
computations (exact calculations, numerical comparisons,
estimations) Language functions (grammar and vocabulary writing and
speech) Logic and thinking More logical, analytical and
objective
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Left Brain Here are just a few things associated with the Left:
Left brain controls the right side of your body Prefer verbal
instructions (attentive for long periods) Good at math, like to
read (non-fiction), very logical Don`t enjoy `clowning around` Need
total quiet to study Usually rational Likes to be organized Skilled
at prioritizing ideas Almost never absent minded Uses specific
details and facts
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Left Brain Student and School In history class, you are able to
remember dates and processes. In math class, you enjoy going
through long calculations You like the order of science In English
class, you have a good understanding of grammar and sentence
structure.
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Here are some `typical` occupations for left brained
individuals Lab scientist Banker Judge Lawyer Mathematician
Librarian Sports judge
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Right Brain Numerical computation (approx calculations,
estimations) Think of figuring what a tip would be based on the
taxes at a restaurant. Prosodic language (rhythm and stress -
intonation and accentuation) Visual and audio stimuli, spatial
manipulation, artistic ability (music, art, 3-D forms). Creativity
and Imagination More Intuitive, thoughtful and subjective
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Right Brain Here are just a few things associated with the
Right: The right brain controls the left side of the body Prefers
visual instructions Good at sports Enjoy `clowning around` Prefer
group activities/work/studying Prefer to read fiction Can listen to
TV or music while studying Likes to organize things to show
relation or act things out Occasionally absent minded Very
spontaneous and unpredictable
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Right Brain Student and School In history class, you enjoy the
social aspects the most. You like to explore the effects of things
that happened in history. You like the essays, too. You can do well
in math class if you apply yourself, but get bored doing long
problems Science? boring! You do well in English class too,
especially when it comes to reading literature and writing essays.
You also do well in creative writing exercises.
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Here are some `typical` occupations for right brained
individuals: Forrest ranger Wildlife manager Beautician Politician
Athlete Artist Craftsman Actor
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Conclusion LB more organized, will watch the clock and will
analyze information and process it sequentially. Often cautious and
will follow rules and schedules. RB dreamers, typically more
spontaneous and quick to follow their own gut feelings. BOTH
Everyone is different, everyone has characteristics from both
types. Some are very equal when it comes to characteristics, and
can have strong qualities from both hemispheres.
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Left brain more likely to appear on the show Apprentice or
jeopardy Right brain more likely to be on Survivor
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Brain Dominance Quiz Take the Left/Right Brain Quiz. What type
are you? Left, Right or Both?
http://homeworktips.about.com/library/brai
nquiz/bl_leftrightbrain_quiz.htm
http://www.intelliscript.net/test_area/questi
onnaire/questionnaire.cgi
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Learning Style Quiz The type of brain dominance also affects
your study skills, homework habits and grades. Take the learning
style quiz... What type of learning style do you have? Visual,
Auditory, Kinetic?? http://www.educationplanner.org/education_plan
ner/discovering_article.asp?articleName=Learn
ing_Styles_Quiz&sponsor=2859
http://homeworktips.about.com/library/quizzes/b
l_lstylequiz1.htm
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3 Types of Learners 1. Visual Learner 1.Needs to see to
understand. Use of diagrams and visual aids important to knowledge
and understanding. 2. Auditory Learner 1.Can just listen to a
lecture and understand the material. Like to hear and real aloud.
3. Kinaesthetic Learner 1.Learns best by touching and doing. 2.Ex:
Science Lab
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Success in School Why is this important? Research has shown
that (students) can perform better on tests if you understand and
change your study habits to fit your personal learning style. Ex:
Visual learners might want to use visual aids when studying, like a
colourful outline of course test materials. In the end, some
students remember best materials theyve seen, some remember things
theyve heard, while others may remember things theyve
experienced
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Dual Brain Theory The two cerebral hemispheres sense and react
to the environment independently as a result of the severing of the
corpus callosum Traumatic injury or medical procedure to help with
epilepsy Studies have indicated the existence of two intact,
autonomous minds. Experiment: Have subject wear glasses w 1 lens
taped over, then switch. Therefore, able to focus solely on the
emotions associated with that hemisphere independently.
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Functioning with Half a Brain
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36032653/ ns/today-today_health/
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36032653/ ns/today-today_health/ An
epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as
a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal
activity in the brain Rasmussen Syndrome
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Male vs. Female Brains
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/28068-
assignment-discovery-the-male-and-female-brain- video.htm
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Interesting Facts Total Brain Size: th e average brain weight
in men is about 11-12% MORE than the average brain weight in women.
Men's heads are also about 2% bigger than women's. Males larger
muscle mass, and larger body size require more neurons to control
them. Brain Cell #: men have 4% more brain cells than women, and
about 100 grams more of brain tissue. may explain why women are
more prone to dementia (such as Alzheimer's disease) than men
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Corpus Callosum: a woman's brain has a larger corpus callosum,
which means women can transfer data between the right and left
hemisphere faster than men. Men tend to be more left brained, while
women have greater access to both sides. Hypothalamus: is twice as
large in men than in women Endocrine and Nervous system (growth,
hormones, mood)
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Language: two areas in the frontal and temporal lobes related
to language were significantly larger in women, thus providing a
biological reason for women's notorious superiority in
language-associated thoughts. For men, language is most often just
in the dominant hemisphere (usually the left side), but a larger
number of women seem to be able to use both sides for language. If
a woman has a stroke in the left front side of the brain, she may
still retain some language from the right front side. Men who have
the same left sided damage are less likely to recover as
fully.
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Orbitofrontal Cortex - Amygdala: a region involved in
regulating emotions producing emotional reactions women possess a
significantly larger orbitofrontal-to- amygdala ratio (OAR) than
men do. women might on average prove more capable of controlling
their emotional reactions
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Limbic females, on average, have a larger deeper limbic system
than males (a set of brain structures that generally support a
variety of functions including emotion, behavior, long term memory,
etc) women are more in touch with their feelings, they are
generally better able to express their feelings than men (but also
more susceptible to depression). have an increased ability to bond
and be connected to others.
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Other Studies Females (higher than men in) empathy verbal
skills social skills security-seeking
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Males independence dominance spatial mathematical skills
rank-related aggression *scientists believe that this is why there
are many more male mathematicians, airplane pilots, outdoor guides,
mechanical engineers, architects and race car drivers than female
ones.