Phase I Questions

1) How does neuroscience help or hinder the credibility of psychology as a science?

Neuroscience helps the credibility of psychology as a science. Neuroscience is an accepted science that helps build further understandings of topics in Psychology. Psychology is the study of behavior and mental processes. Neuroscience helps explain the mental processes and goes more into detail about it. By knowing the science behind the behaviors, one can completely grasp why one would have a particular behavior. Psychology is rooted from philosophy and biology. Since biology shows up frequently in neuroscience, or the study of how the brain and body work together, it is another reason why neuroscience helps give psychology credibility as a science.

2) How do the brain and body work together to explain how humans think, feel, and act?

The brain and body work together to explain how humans think, feel, and act. Through the nervous system the brain controls behavior. Information is sent up the spinal chord to the brain for the information to be processed. The body will feel a certain way depending on how the brain interprets it. Then the brain sends out reflexes for the body to act out. 

3) What is the difference between cognitive psychology and neuroscience?

Cognitive psychology deals with the mind and neuroscience deals with the mind and body.

4) How do gender roles play a role in how we study human beings and how they think?

Since women have always been seen as cooking and staying home with the children, women are brought up with the mentality to not be ambitious with their own career goals and be dependent on the man.  Since times have changed, women are becoming more independent which rewires their brain to be more ambitious.  Also, men's brains are being rewired and now they are seeing that women are competition for jobs, and in some households the man stays home which makes people study humans differently now.

5) How does culture play a role in how people behave?

Culture can be defined as the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution. Therefore, the behaviors and personalities of a person can easily be developed through a culture. It is clear that the actions made by a human can be based on his or her beliefs or values. For example, if a culture is vegetarian, the people of the culture will most likely act differently in site of an animal being killed for food then others who do not see living off of animal meat as such a bad thing.

6) How do studies of twins help us to understand the genetics behind psychology?

Twins help to prove or disprove that two babies from the same exact womb at the same exact time will be exactlly alike in personality and behavior if they are raised in separate environments. 

7) Explain how evolution plays a role in Psychology.
Evolution plays a role in psychology because by studying natural selection, the idea that certain traits have been passed along or lost to better suit survival, psychologists can get a better understanding of why this happens. This can lead to figuring out why certain genes get passed along over time and help to get a better understanding of why these certain traits are more important.

8) How does technology play a role in helping us to understand the brain and its functions better?
Technology has played a big role in helping to get a better understanding of the brain and how it works. New technology can let psychologists get a closer look inside of the brain and really see how it works. Functional MRI scans can be used to see what parts of the brain are stimulated by certain activities by studying the increase of blood flow to that area. Also by using a PET scan psychologists can see what part of the brain is responsible for things like talking or listening.

9) Do you believe that natural selection is a plausible theory when it comes to how humans have developed over time?

Yes, natural selection is the process of reproduction of organisms with desirable traits. This concept is also known as "survival of the fittest." Depending on where one lives, they must have certain traits to survive. For example, an albino person would not survive living in the hot, sunny climate of Africa. Through natural selection people with that undesirable trait in that area have not survived and failed to pass along that trait.

10) Consider the term "Social Darwinism" used often during the imperial age of American history. Do you believe that the term has credibility when it comes to Psychology?

Social Darwinism is the idea that the strongest and most fit should live and have their traits be passed on while it should be accepted that the weakest will die along with their undesirable traits. Social Darwinism also includes putting or claiming a group or society above all and therefore thinking others should follow. Thus, the term does indeed have a lot of credibility when it comes to Psychology.

11) Culture plays a huge role in how human beings behave but it also plays a role in how we perceive others. How does the culture we were brought up in the influence the way that we perceive others around the world? 

Every aspect of culture that we are brought up in influenced the way that we perceive others around the world. One’s beliefs and morals are formed from the environment in which they are brought up. For example, if one’s parent believes that money makes a person better, then chances are the offspring will share that belief.

12) Based on what you know about psychology and biology, do you believe that men and women can be perfectly equal in our society? Explain your response.

No, based on psychology and biology men and women cannot be perfectly equal in our society. For example, in biology, it is proven that males have a higher testosterone level than females, causing them to be stronger and more powerful. Therefore, men will always believe they are the higher authority. As we learned in the Prologue, Mary Calkins was denied her degree from Harvard only because she was a woman. From the beginning of time, men always thought themselves to be more intelligent and overall superior.

13) Consider Wilson High School's social environment. How often does peer pressure play a role in the decisions that students make here? Provide an example to prove your point. 

As in most high schools, peer pressure plays a role in the decisions that students make in Wilson daily. For example, students get pressured into doing drugs, cheating, stealing, and having sex. More specifically, an individual may pressure a friend into helping with answers on a test. He or she may guilt his or her friend by putting their friendship on the line or reminding him or her of an irrelevant past favor.

14) The current foreign language program at Wilson starts in 6th grade. Considering what you know about brain development, is that a good age to start studying a foreign language or is it not necessarily the best age to start? Explain using at least two examples.

No, 6th grade is not necessarily the best age to start studying a foreign language. Due to the fact that early childhood is the prime time for brain development, knowledge learned in younger years can be mastered. If one waits until their high school years, it will be nearly impossible to become fluent in the language. It is shown in Wilson High School that many people have difficulties learning a new language. However people who are brought up speaking more than one language at a young age have found it easier and more natural speak that language now. For example, Senora Anewalt, a Wilson High School Spanish teacher, started teaching her daughter both Spanish and English from the time she spoke her first word. Because of this, her daughter will be able to speak fluently in both languages. 

**1&2 - Sarah

**3&4 - Kelly

**5&6 - Briana

**7&8 - Danielle

**9-14 - All