- Your post must be written in your own words
- When you refer to sources, use APA format citations (in-text citations and a reference list; see the APA resources in Canvas)
- Respond to 2 other students’ posts. Your responses have no specific length requirements, but you need to refer to something in the student’s post, showing that you read it (something like “I agree” or “Interesting!” is not enough for the points). If you respond to a student that initially responded to you, that also counts as one of your responses (the idea is obviously to generate discussion here)
GRADING:
10 points for your own post: You get the full points if you respond to questions 1 and 2 with at least 10 sentences for each part. Your opinions, ideas and experiences are not graded for “accuracy”
REFLECTION TOPICS:
This week’s assignment has two parts: sleep and psychoactive drugs. Each part is 5 points: respond to both for the full 10 points. Both parts must be 10 sentences or more.
1. Sleep (5 points)
For part 1, pick ONE of the topics below (A or B) and respond to it with about 10 sentences or more:
A) SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE
The 24-hour sleep-wake cycle is an example of a circadian rhythm. Have you ever experienced jet lag? Or felt disoriented when changing from a day shift to night shift at work? Or felt groggy from spending a lot of the day in the dark? Been sleep-deprived for various reasons? What was your experience, how did it feel? Sources are not required, but if you refer to sources, cite them in APA format as always.
OR:
B) SLEEP DISORDERS
Research a sleep disorder and report what you discovered. If you have personal experiences or know someone who suffers from a sleep disorder, feel free to discuss your experiences or observations. If you have tried or heard about possible treatments or tips for what helps with insomnia or other sleep disorders, you can discuss those too. If you cite a source, use APA format as always.
2. Psychoactive drugs (5 points; respond with about 10 sentences or more)
Pick a psychoactive drug (e.g. marijuana, alcohol, heroin, LSD or some other hallucinogenic drug, anesthetic drugs etc.) and investigate its effects on the brain and consciousness. Cite at least one reliable outside source using APA format. Report about how the drug affects the brain and what its primary psychological effects are. Feel free to discuss other interesting information about the drug (history, medical use, legal issues, cultural or religious use, etc.)
Alternatively, pick another type of activity that potentially alters consciousness (e.g. hypnosis, meditation), and investigate its effects on the brain, cognition and consciousness. Cite at least one reliable outside source using APA format.
If you want, check out this Mouse Party (link below): select a mouse, drag it to the chair and view the brain effects of the drug that the mouse has taken (this all makes sense when you go through the exercise!). Mouse Party used to require Flash which is no longer supported. It didn’t function for a while, but now it’s back. I noticed that it was easiest to use this new version with Internet Explorer. Firefox worked too, and Chrome was the hardest although it worked after multiple tries. I had some trouble placing the mouse on the chair, but it succeeded when I dropped the mouse right on top of the right side of the chair. Play around with it and see if you can view it:
