The Brain: Fact or Fiction?
PSYC 121F
Fall 2024
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01
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Dopamine fasting, bio-hacking, and nootropics, oh my! It seems like every day experts present us with a new method to "fix" or "understand" our brains. But, how do we assess what is true in the world of neuroscience? In this course, we will discuss some common misconceptions about the brain perpetuated in the media and discover the origins of these common myths. Not only will we learn some neuroscience, but this course will also teach the basics of assessing scientific claims. Students will get practice reading primary scientific articles, writing accurately about psychological research, and critiquing brain science as depicted in their favorite (or least favorite) media, from podcasts to science fiction. Assignments will include two short writing assignments and one long paper that will be written throughout the duration of the course. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
NSM PSYC |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (PSYC) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 | | Special Attributes: FYS |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
,Scott O Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, Barry L Beyerstein, 50 GREAT MYTHS OF POPULAR PSYCHOLOGY, 978-1-405-13112-4.
Gregory Hickok, THE MYTH OF MIRROR NEURONS, 0393089614.
Frans van Dam, Liesbeth de Bakker, Anne M Dijkstra Eric A Jensen, SCIENCE COMMUNICATION: AN INTRODUCTION, 978-981-122-835-3.
Paul A Howard-Jones, NEUROSCIENCE AND EDUCATION: MYTHS AND MESSAGES, journal article.
Dantas el al., HOW TO READ AND INTERPRET A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE: A SHORT NOTE, journal article.
Joseph Garner, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MEANING: WHY DO OVER 90% OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE RESULTS FAIL TO TRANSLATE TO HUMANS, AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO FIX IT?, journal article.
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Examinations and Assignments:
, Psychiatric condition: facts and fiction assignment. In this assignment, students will choose a psychiatric condition to create a short (two-page) infographic. This infographic will include common myths about the disease, and a summary of current research understanding. This infographic will be targeted to a lay-audience.
Scientific press release assignment: Students will choose from a list of current neuroscience research papers to read and write a press-release style summary. This assignment will have a 500-word limit and will focus on clarity, brevity, and accuracy.
Psychology media critique final paper: In this assignment, students will choose a piece of media (science fiction novel, action movie, podcast, etc.) that depicts a neuroscience concept or technology. They will summarize how the concept/technology is presented, how the concept/technology adds to the piece, what ¿real¿ science the technology/concept is based on, how accurate the depiction is, and, overall, how successful this piece of media is in conveying scientific information. Students will work on this assignment throughout the duration of the course. Section drafts will be due at set times throughout the semester, culminating in an approximately 15-page length paper. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
, This course counts as an elective towards the psychology major.
Neuroscience, like all subjects, is a complex and changing field. In order to share scientific knowledge with the general public, much gets lost in translation. This unintentional (or sometimes, intentional) misrepresentation of research has led to pervasive myths about the brain and psychology. This course will critically examine common beliefs about the brain. For example: Are there left- and right-brain thinkers? Does the human brain stop growing new neurons by a certain age? Is it true that we only use 10% of our brain? Is dopamine a miracle motivator?
A large focus of this course will be on how to evaluate scientific claims and how to effectively communicate research findings. Students will learn to leverage library resources, including databases, in order to find information about scientific topics (with a focus on neuroscience and psychology). Students will also be taught how to read primary scientific and review articles from scientific journals. These skills will be used to communicate neuroscience findings in multiple assignments throughout the course. These assignments include press releases and a final paper in which students will critique famous (or infamous) pieces of media that portray neuroscience or psychology. |
| Instructor(s): Poisson,Carli Lorraine Times: ..T.R.. 08:50AM-10:10AM; Location: JUDD113; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: X | JR major: X | | |
| Seats Available: -3 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: X | FR: 15 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 6 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 6 |
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