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Assignment 1:
Now that we have finished watching Memento, please respond to the following prompts. Your responses should be written in essay format and should take approximately 2 or so pages double-spaced.
In a short paragraph, describe your overall reaction to the film. – 15 points
Explain in your own words how Memento fits into the course material we have covered thus far, using terminology from our class lecture/textbook. Consider the following questions to get you started: (Approximately two to three paragraphs) - 55 points
o What type of amnesia does Lenny suffer from?
o What other cognitive problems (for instance, does he suffer from false memories?) does the main character show?
o How does he cope with his difficulties? Do his solutions to his memory issues strike you as realistic? Why or why not?
o Is there anything that Lenny can do in the movie which contradicts what we learned in class about his specific type of amnesia?
After watching this, have your thoughts regarding memory and memory processes been affected at all? In what way(s)? – 30 points
Please note, you are not being asked to write a summary of the plot or a lengthy review of the movie (a la “Ebert and Roeper” style). Avoid extensive discussion of the plot as we have all seen the film.
Assignment 2:
One of the goals of this course is to help you recognize the difference between scientific evidence and pseudoscience. Knowledge gained with the scientific method relies on carefully controlled studies that produce results that can be replicated. Remember that your book states that the scientific approach must have the following characteristics:
Systematic observation & data collection
Publically verifiable knowledge
Empirically testable problems
However, according to Lawson (2007), there are six common characteristics of pseudoscience:
Use of imprecise, scientific-sounding language
No evidence of continued research or new knowledge gained over time
Reliance on anecdotes as evidence
Reliance on authority endorsements, especially “false authorities” (i.e., people who claim to be authorities but do not have any real expertise in the area)
Extraordinary claims without supporting evidence
Evidence relies on confirmation rather than refutation
Feel free to revisit the Michael Shermer video (“What questions we should always ask when we encounter a new claim”) that we watched in class in order to assist you in your discussion of the pseudoscientific elements for this assignment.
Advertisements that rely on pseudoscience to advertise a claim or product can be found in all forms of media (TV, commercials, newspapers, magazine ads, etc.). For this exercise, find one such advertisement (attach an image of the ad or include a link to the ad in your assignment write-up) and write 1-2 paragraphs (approximately 1 page in length) that:
(1) Briefly describes the claim or product
(2) Identifies and comments on the pseudoscience elements being used in the ad
(3) Explains how the ad does not rely on science to support its claims
Part 2 – Feeling Detoxified: A Case Study (25 points)
Please read the case study entitled “Feeling Detoxified: Expectations, Effects, and Explanations” (posted online). For the present assignment, you are only being asked to complete the first two parts of this case study.
Read and respond to all three questions of Part I (The Detoxifying Ionic Foot Bath Experience) and only question #3 contained in Part II (A Proposed Chemistry of Foot Baths). In addition, reflect (for approximately one paragraph) on how this case study ties into our discussion in class regarding pseudoscientific evidence versus scientific evidence. Consider the role of critical thinking and its importance when we encounter the endless unverified, non-scientific messages and claims that we are bombarded with by the media.
Your responses to Part 2 of this assignment should be approximately 1-2 pages in length.
Assignment 3:
Elizabeth Loftus TED talk
Write/Type your responses and email them to me or submit in person any time before the start of our next class. Each response should be at least a paragraph or so in length. This assignment is worth up to 5 points.
Answer the following after watching her talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_the_fiction_of_memory?language=en
1. Think about your sense of your own memory. After watching this talk (not to mention information from lecture and your text), do you have the same degree of confidence in the accuracy of your own memory as you did when you first began the semester? How and why have things changed?
2. Do you believe research regarding false memory and related issues (like the misinformation effect and Loftus’ other work) should be integrated into our legal system? If so, how could such an integration happen?
Assignment 4:
1) Describe briefly what your group thinks retrieval-based learning is in your own words. Provide an example of this type of learning strategy.
2) Look at Figure 1 (p. 159). Explain in your own words what the chart/visual means; in other words, what is the take home message of the bar graph comparison? Do you find the visual persuasive?
3) With regard to concept mapping (and repeated study, for that matter), what process of memory is being utilized as opposed to retrieval (recall the three processes that define memory)? Why do you think researchers and students have been hung up on this type of memory process for learning?
4) How has this article, along with the Six Hour D reading and lectures, impacted your understanding of memory and its relationship with learning? Have your views on your own study habits been further impacted at all? In what way?
5) If you could ask one (or two) questions about the authors’ work or this specific article, what would it (they) be?
this is the arictle website: https://gcccd.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-5776890-dt-content-rid-22206445_1/courses/2017SP-PSY-120-9008/Karpicke%202012.pdf
AsAsignment 5:
Potential Extra Credit Points (if you choose to accept them)
Here’s how it’ll work: First of all, this is NOT required. Second, I will assign these extra credit points (however many you earn) to whichever grade category needs them most (in other words, where they’ll do you the most benefit grade-wise).
Your Opportunity: Write a psychological analysis of a popular film/movie. You can view any film you like (but you have to make it clear in your analysis exactly how the movie is tied to psychology) and will write an essay explaining how the film illustrates a particular psychological concept or principle. Be sure to reference the appropriate material in the textbook/course notes and feel free to find outside, credible sources to reference as well. If the film is focused on a topic that we have not covered yet, please use the textbook information in your analysis. The more detailed your analysis, the better.
Here are just a few sample films to get you thinking: Inside Out, Silver Linings Playbook, Shutter Island, Remember the Titans, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Awakenings
This analysis must be a minimum of one page, double-spaced (normal font and margins) in order to even be considered for any credit. However, in order to earn full points, I would recommend submitting an essay between two and three pages in length. This opportunity is worth a maximum of 10 points.
