Assignment 1

Write a 2page assessment in which you respond to the following questions about biopsychology and the brain. Use the internet to research material to support your answers. The following questions and statements are the required headings for your assessment; do not incorporate the questions into the content of the answers.

1. What is the origin of biopsychology? Who were some of the first theorists?

2. The brain is complicated and sometimes difficult to understand. Describe the different regions of the brain and the associated functions.

3. In addition to brain functions, some believe there is aspect known as the mind. What is the mind-brain problem? Where do you fall in this debate (monist or dualist)? Justify your answer.

4. What are some methods that scientist use today to study the brain? What are the benefits of these methods?

5. What methods of research have been used to gain the knowledge we have today of the brain?

6. What are some of the ethical concerns in connection with research in biopsychology and the brain in particular?

Additional Requirements

• Written Communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

• APA Formatting: Resources and citations should be formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.

• Font and Font Size: Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double spaced. Use Microsoft Word to complete the assessment.

• Length: Write a minimum of 2 pages, excluding the title page and reference page (150-300 words per question).
 
Assignment 2
In 2 pages, address the following questions. Use the internet to research the material to support your answers. The following questions are the required headings; do not incorporate the questions into the content of the answers.

1. What are some of the addictions that are recognized in our society today? Discuss drugs and alcohol as well as other addictions people struggle with.

2. What are physiological mechanisms to addiction that makes it more likely in one person versus another person?

3. What is the connection between addiction and mental disorders? Explain.

4. What are some mental disorders that are commonly seen in today's society?

5. Are any of these mental disorders commonly paired with some type of addiction?

6. Do any of these addictions or mental disorders seem to be more prevalent in one gender or the other? Explain.

Additional Requirements

• Written Communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA Formatting: Resources and citations should be formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.
• Font and Font Size: Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double spaced. Use Microsoft Word to complete the assessment.
• Length: Write a minimum of 2 pages, excluding the title page and reference page (150-300 words per question).
 
Assignment 3

This assessment has two parts: Part A and Part B. Please complete this assessment in one document. The assessment should be a minimum of 4 pages, excluding the title page and reference page. Use the internet to research the material to support your responses.

Part A

It is sometimes difficult to conceptualize how the different motivational theories are distinct, such as drive theory, incentive theory, arousal theory, and brain state theory. Also, neuroscientists across the country are using a wide range of approaches to define the nature of consciousness when philosophers have been debating the nature of consciousness for millennia. This part of the assessment will help you approach issues from each of the theoretical approaches.

For this part of the assessment, complete the following:

1. Identify two common behaviors.
2. Hypothesize what might have prompted the behaviors from the perspective of each motivational theory (drive, incentive, arousal, brain state).
3. Discuss how others, such as advertisers, parents, managers, and so on, apply these different theories to influence behavior.
For each behavior, include the following headings in your paper. Write a 150-300-word response for each theory under each heading:

Behavior 1:

• How Drive Theory Prompted This Behavior.
• How Incentive Theory Prompted This Behavior.
• How Arousal Theory Prompted This Behavior.
• How Brain State Theory Prompted This Behavior.

Behavior 2:

• How Drive Theory Prompted This Behavior.
• How Incentive Theory Prompted This Behavior.
• How Arousal Theory Prompted This Behavior.
• How Brain State Theory Prompted This Behavior.

Part B

Memory acquisition involves different areas of the cortex depending on the type of information presented. Our ability to remember events and how to perform tasks affects our ability to work, interact with others, and understand the world around us. For this part of the assessment, assess the memory's contribution to how we perceive the world by addressing the following:

1. Outline memory acquisition.
2. Consider you are building an electronic learning and memory system for a robot. Is there anything that you would change from the human design? Why or why not?

Additional Requirements

• Written Communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA Formatting: Resources and citations should be formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.
• Font and Font Size: Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double spaced. Use Microsoft Word to complete the assessment.
• Length: Write a minimum of 4 pages, excluding the title page and reference page.
 
Assignment 4

This assessment has two parts, Part A and Part B. Please complete this assessment in one document. You are required to use headings that stand alone and that are not incorporated into the content of the answers. Required headings have been provided for Part A, but you will need to use the questions from Part B as the stand-alone headings.

Part A

The famous "Stroop Effect" is named after J. Ridley Stroop, who discovered this strange phenomenon in the 1930s. For this task, words are printed in various colors. It is easy to name the printed colors of the words if the words are not color related or if each word is the name of the color in which it is printed; however, the task is very difficult when the words are color names that conflict with their printed color, for example, RED printed in blue ink. The discordant information (what the words say and the color of the print) produces interference in the brain. There are two hypotheses that may explain the Stroop effect:

1. Speed of Processing Hypothesis: the interference occurs because words are read faster than colors are named.
2. Selective Attention Hypothesis: the interference occurs because naming colors requires more attention than reading words.

The anterior cingulate is hypothesized to play a role in this task. If you wish, you can research images from MRI scans of what happens in the brain during a Stroop Test.

To inform your assessment, you may want to complete the following tasks. You will need someone to assist you.

1. Open Stroop Handout 1 (linked under the Resources). Ask someone to time this exercise with a stopwatch while you complete it. Begin by naming out loud as many of the COLORS on Handout 1 as fast as you can in 20 seconds. If you make an error, correct it before moving on to the next word. Ask your assistant to keep track of how many colors you name correctly. Write down the results.

2. Open Stroop Handout 2 (linked under the Resources). Repeat the same task. Name as many colors on the handout out loud and as fast as you can in 20 seconds. Write down the results.

As an alternative, you may use the Internet to find information about the Stroop test, such as a demo video or articles that describe how it works and the various results people who have taken the test have experienced.

After you have finished the two tasks listed above or conducted your own research on the Stroop test, respond to the following. Use the headings below to organize this part of your paper.

1. Based on your own experience with the Stroop test or the research you conducted about it, explain which of the two tasks above would be harder and why.

2. Briefly explain the role of the anterior cingulate in audiovisual processing and the symptoms of brain injury to this area. Use the internet to research the material to support your answers.

3. Discuss whether a person with dyslexia or a brain injury would have more or less trouble with this task. Comment on how someone would do on this task if he or she did not speak English. What other observations did you have?

Below are the required headings for Part A of this assessment. These should stand alone and should not be incorporated into the content of the answer:

• Which task would be harder? Why?
• What is the role of the anterior cingulate in audiovisual processing and the symptoms of brain injury to this area?
• Discuss whether a person with dyslexia or a brain injury would have more or less trouble with this task.
• How would someone do on this task if he or she did not speak English?
• Other observations.

Part B

The blind spot is the area on the retina without photoreceptors. Therefore, the part of an image that falls on this region will not be seen. It is in this region that the optic nerve exits the eye on its way to the brain. Humans may use different parts of their brain to discriminate objects from people. In particular, we may have specialized neurons for recognizing faces.

For this part of the assessment, answer the following questions. Use the internet to research the material to support your answers. Format your paper by using the questions as headings; do not incorporate the questions into the content of the answers.

1. What is the problem of final integration of visual information?

2. What kind of problem(s) does this present regarding our understanding of how the brain works?

3. Is this a problem that needs to be solved?

4. What research has been conducted into this issue? Are there any recent papers in the scientific literature that address this issue?

Additional Requirements

• Written Communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

• APA Formatting: Resources and citations should be formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.

• Font and Font Size: Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double spaced. Use Microsoft Word to complete the assessment.

• Length: Write a minimum of 4 pages, excluding the title page and reference page.
 
Assignment 5

This assessment has two parts, Part A and Part B. Please complete both parts in one document.

Part A

Consider an intelligence test you once took, and address the following questions. The following questions are the required headings; do not incorporate the questions into the content of the answers.

1. Do you think the test was a fair assessment of intelligence?

2. Which questions do you feel most accurately gauged "intelligence?" Which did you find bothersome?

3. What did you learn about yourself from the test?

4. What factors might confuse the definition of intelligence? Could intelligence tests be biased? Explain.

Part B

Address the following questions, using the internet to find relevant sources and to add depth to your answers. The following questions are the required headings; do not incorporate the questions into the content of the answers.

1. What careers other than psychology would benefit from a foundational knowledge of biological psychology?
2. What are the practical applications of biological psychology?
3. How will you apply what you have learned in this course to your life?

Additional Requirements

• Written Communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA Formatting:Resources and citations should be formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.
• Font and Font Size: Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double spaced. Use Microsoft Word to complete the assessment.
• Length: Write a minimum of 3 pages, excluding the title page and reference page (150-300 words per question).