#humancognition

[drjentsminger]

Kids Don’t Need Facts. They Can Google That Stuff Later…

  It was the year 2008. I got my first “smartphone” (a Samsung). I couldn’t believe I (and everyone else with a smartphone for that matter) had the internet (and social media) at my fingertips! What a momentous occasion! Around the same time, I also started substitute teaching. In 2007, I graduated from ISU with a degree in Communication. I didn’t like where I was working or what I was doing (a…

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[willowsearth]

9 Types of Intelligence

Redefining Intelligence: Contrary to popular belief, intelligence isn’t solely defined by academic success. While good grades are one indicator, they fail to capture the diverse ways in which individuals demonstrate intelligence. Enter Howard Gardner and his Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which expands our understanding of human cognition. The Nine Intelligences: Naturalist Intelligence:…

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[sabrinaljhenrie52-blog]

*HUMAN COGNITION* Post 2 (Chapter 4) What is the vigilance decrement and why does it occur?

Diligence decrement is the “decline in performance over time in vigilance tasks” (p.110). Some examples of this in the real world are that students’ attention tends to decline through out the course of the lecture and driver’s vigilance declines through out the course of a long drive (p. 110).  

Currently, there are two theories that seek to explain diligence decrement, these are the overload view and the underload view (p.110). The overload view attributes diligence decrement to the high demand of vigilance tasks, whereas the underload view believes that these tasks are not stimulating enough to hold attention (p. 110).

It Is difficult to “prove” which view offers the “correct” explanation, even empirical evidence has not led researches to a definitive answer. For example, in one study participants reported that vigilance tasks were difficult and stressful and their performance decreased with the addition of another “resource demanding task” (supporting the overload view) and another shows that physiological measures such as heart rate decrease progressively through out the course of diligence tasks, indicating under stimulation (p.111).

Personally, I find myself relating to the underload view. I know that when I am working on something for a long time, I tend to get distracted easily. This is why I find studying in shorter bursts is more helpful that studying one subject for a really long time, as I tend to lose focus after a while.

Perhaps the answer to our question, can be answered by both views.

[sabrinaljhenrie52-blog]

*HUMAN COGNITION* Post 1 (Chapter 3) Describe several different brain areas responsible for different aspects of visual perception.

Chapter 3 of the textbook focuses on perception, which is the processing of information so that it leads to “conscious experiences” and guides our actions in the world (p.52). One aspect of perception that this chapter focuses on is visual perception. Of course visual perception involves the many different parts of the eye, but there are many different parts of the brain that are responsible for different accepts of visual perception as well. 

The first two “parts” or modules of brain involved with visual perception that are discussed are the Dorsal (”where”) and Ventral (”what”) pathways. The Dorsal stream of visual processing is responsible for things such as determining the location and motion of an object, which helps to guide action. The Ventral stream is responsible for determining the shape, color, and meaningful identity of an object. 

As we learned in class, although the brain itself is not as modular as some believe, visual perception is. For example, the Fusiform Face Area is located in the Inferior Temporal Cortex and is responsible for the conscious recognition of faces (p.56). Interestingly, if a person has damage to this area, they are unable to recognize faces. This is called “prosopagnosia”, I wonder what it would be like to not be able to recognize whose face belongs to who (p.56).  Additionally, there is a part of the brain that is responsible for consciously recognizing other body parts, such as arms and legs, this is called the “extrastriate body area” (p. 56).

Another area of the brain that is involved in visual perception is called the  Parahippocampal Place Area, which is a part of the ventral (”where”), which allows for us to consciously recognize places (p.56). I am curious as to how damage to this are of the brain would effect an in individuals ability to navigate on a day to day basis. For example, if one were to damage this area, would they be able to recognize places that they have been before the injury? or would it only effect new places the person has been after the injury?  As you can see, although we are not conscious of the many processes that lead to our visual perception of the world around us, there are many part of the brain that have very specific roles and if damage were to occur to any one of them, this may result in a deficit in that area. 

[drjentsminger]

The STEM Challenge Conundrum: Learning and Making Meaning Through Interactive STEM Challenges

DISCLAIMER: I LOVE STEM! I was a cofounder of a STEM school. I spent summers developing integrated project-based learning (PBL) curricula for the school. I procured computer coding and Project Lead the Way engineering curricula for those students. My doctoral dissertation focused on STEM (specifically, challenges facing upper level female undergraduate engineering students). I LOVE STEM!

All that…

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