Psychology Unit 1: student directed investigation: Resources

Dr. Karl article on ABC web site, good introduction to the topic.

General article with facts about this phenomenon.

Basic introduction to topic: Brain plasticity, also known as neuroplasticity, is a term that refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience.

Article is from SharpBrains: You may have heard that the brain is plastic. As you know. the brain is not made of plastic…Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, refers to the brain’s ability to CHANGE throughout life.

Complex Article on Brain Plasticity and Behaviour from Current Directions in Psychological Science.

A general article on the theories around right brain and left brain dominance.

Duncan Banks, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, The Open University talks about why brain plasticity is so important.

A click-bait mashable article which points you to a variety of other articles about impact of technology on the brain.

Newspaper article linking to University of Melbourne Studies discussing plasticity and technology.

Opinion piece from Psychology Today referencing one piece of research.

Researchers have been conducting a study to determine whether tablet computers loaded with literacy applications could improve the reading preparedness of young children living in economically disadvantaged communities. In all three cases, study participants' performance on standardized tests of reading preparedness indicated that the tablet use was effective.

A good article about Brain Training linking to a number of studies about the effectiveness of brain training.

An opinion piece about the use of brain training in schools.

Researchers have found the first evidence that young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year compared to children who do not receive musical training, according to research published in the journal Brain.

Musical training before the age of seven has a significant effect on the development of the brain, showing that those who began early had stronger connections between motor regions -- the parts of the brain that help you plan and carry out movements.

Social deprivation has a measurable effect on a child's brain growth. MRI scans show decreased grey and white matter among children in institutional care. At least eight million children worldwide live in institutional settings, according to UNICEF, exposing them to severe psychological and physical neglect.

Low-income children had atypical structural brain development and lower standardized test scores, with as much as an estimated 20 percent in the achievement gap explained by development lags in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.

Characterizing associations between socioeconomic factors and children's brain development, a team of investigators reports correlative links between family income and brain structure. Relationships between the brain and family income were strongest in the lowest end of the economic range -- suggesting that interventional policies aimed at these children may have the largest societal impact.

Could millennia of gendered environments prevent the development of genetic mechanisms for gender differences?. Guardian, August 18, 2017.

Researchers have shown at the molecular level how experiencing stress changes a male mouse's sperm in such a way that it affects his offspring's response to stress. This change is imparted epigenetically, or through a means other than the DNA code, by molecules called microRNAs, or miRs.

Genetic factors appear to influence individual differences in language development among children, at least in part, according to a study by British and American researchers. The study, which also found that environmental influences on children's language development were unique to the individual, not the shared environment.

Could millennia of gendered environments prevent the development of genetic mechanisms for gender differences?. Guardian, August 18, 2017.

Artificial intelligence and robotics have enjoyed a resurgence of interest, and there is renewed optimism about their place in our future. But what do they mean for us?

For many centuries, much thought was given to what distinguishes humans from animals. These days thoughts turn to what distinguishes humans from machines.
The British code breaker and computing pioneer, Alan Turing, proposed “the imitation game” (also known as the Turing test) as a way to evaluate whether a machine can do something we humans love to do: have a good conversation.

The Turing Test has been passed, the headlines report this week, after a computer program mimicked a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy called Eugene Goostman, fooling 33% of its interrogators into believing it was human after five minutes of questioning.

The core disagreement between researchers and theorists about intelligence is around whether it’s genetic or largely influenced by the environment; whether it’s nature or nurture.

Intelligence, cognitive ability or cognitive performance is usually measured by a battery of tests that aim to quantify skills such as memory and analytical ability. There is loads of variation between people in how they perform on such tests, and these differences can be due to genetic and environment factors, and their interplay.

This paper aims at taking a fresh look at Freudian psychoanalytical theory from a modern perspective. Freudian psychology is a science based on the unconscious (id) and the conscious (ego). Various aspects of Freudian thinking are examined from a modern perspective and the relevance of the psychoanalytical theory of consciousness is projected.

It was 1895 when Sigmund Freud introduced his work in the area of human personality with the publishing of his book entitled “Studies on Hysteria.” Almost 120 years later, it remains one of the few works continuing to impact the entirety of mental health treatment. This raises a legitimate question: Is Freud’s Personality Theory Relevant Today?

From the PubMed site a list of studies related to personality. Refine your search here or enter alternative appropriate search terms.

Links to many articles related to personality influences.

People who exercise regularly are better at creative thinking. This is the outcome of research by a cognitive psychologist, as outlined in a recently published article. (2013)

When the task at hand requires some imagination, taking a walk may lead to more creative thinking than sitting, according to research. "Many people anecdotally claim they do their best thinking when walking," said one author. "With this study, we finally may be taking a step or two toward discovering why."

As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved, according to psychological research.

Computer games have a broad appeal that transcends gender, culture, age and socioeconomic status. Now, computer scientists think that creating computer games, rather than just playing them could boost students' critical and creative thinking skills as well as broaden their participation in computing.

Could millennia of gendered environments prevent the development of genetic mechanisms for gender differences?. Guardian, August 18, 2017.