Personal Brain Fitness Assignment
Question 1– In one coherent paragraph and in your own words, explain what we mean by "experience changes the brain." Focus on the question. Be clear and specific. Write concisely and informatively.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change itself. Through stimulus, the brain can strengthen certain neural pathways until eventually that behaviour becomes the new default pathway your brain takes. As the neurons in our brains fire when we perform a specific task, it strengthens that neural pathway and after they have done this enough times it rewires the brain. This in essence is our experiences changing our brain. Changing your brain doesn’t have to be anything extreme. For me it was as simple as not wanting to lose my keys and forcing myself to always put them in a specific location when I came home. Now, after about a month I
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I feel that my culture plays an important role in how I think and rationalize in a way I’ve never put considerable amounts of thought into. The way in which society influences not only what we think but also how we think is something I find extremely interesting. Our memory is another important aspect of life I don’t think people properly take into consideration. Why we remember some things and not others is a question a lot of people probably ask themselves on a daily basis. How to rewire our brains to learn to pay attention and listen more attentively and therefore have a better memory is a skill I think would be very useful. Lastly, I find addiction is more present in all of our lives than we realize. A lot of things we don’t typically consider to be addictions, such as addictions to caffeine, sugar, technology, and sex are present in our lives and many people are probably forming addictions without even realizing
In “Can You Build a Better Brain”, the author, Sharon Begley discusses how the cognition processes better. He starts by presenting some experiments that prove nutrition did not support the brain smarter. According to the article, he believes that the “cognitive capacity” can be amended by concentration in people’s behavior. He further believes that people’s intelligence do not depend on own skills; however, as long as people peceive new things, their synapses and brain systems will
p1. The brain is constructed like a computer, since both contain parts which enable them to function.
Carr mentions the affect that technology has on the neurological processes of the brain. Plasticity is described as the brains response through neurological pathways through experiences. The brain regions “change with experience, circumstance, and need” (29). Brain plasticity also responds to experiences that cause damage to the nervous system. Carr explains that injuries in accidents “reveal how extensively the brain can reorganize itself” (29).I have heard stories in which amputees are said to have a reaction to their amputated limb; it is known as a phantom limb. These types of studies are instrumental in supporting the claim that the brain can be restructured. Carr asserts that the internet is restructuring our brains while citing the brain plasticity experiments and studies done by other scientists. I have experienced this because I feel like by brain has become accustomed to activities that I do on a regular basis. For example, I rarely realize that I am driving when coming to school because I am used to driving on a specific route.
In the article “Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” (Yorker 2009) Margaret Talbot discusses the misuse of prescription drugs that enhance academic performance at the college level. First Talbot introduces readers to a young college history major at Harvard University named Alex who receives a description of a demanding, busy life which seems impossible to control without the safety unapproved adopted use of a drug named Adderall. After that Alex’s dependency on the prescription drugs cognitive enhancers is described when he asks his doctor to increase the amount of intake and the listing of his daily routine on using Adderall during a week that required him to write four term papers. Next Talbot describes a personal
Culture has a huge impact on our environment. Humans learn to be ethical through culture and family. For example, the racism culture has been brought up through many generations. If our parents or grandparents have a certain belief towards different kinds of people and you are accustomed to that
Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because
Culture sometimes informs the way one views the others and the world in our everyday lives. Some say your culture shapes you as who you are but others say that it’s the experiences you’ve had. Whenever I hear the question “To what extent does one’s Culture inform the way one views others and the world?” I think of two different things. I think of the differences between people, an example being people who have homes and the homeless. They have different point of views because they are in drastically different situations. So I do agree with it may have to deal with experiences, but then I also think about racism and racial judgement, etc. Thats where the Culture comes into play and then with that information I stand in the middle. Its both,
As part of our study of culture, my peers and I were asked to write a paper reflecting our own cultural background. I have always considered myself "all American". I shop, I eat fast food, I drive my own car, and watch too much television.
4. The brain is composed of many particular organs as there are different propensities, sentiments, and faculties which differ from one another.
As the human body goes through different experiences, the brain grows, develops, and changes according to the environmental situations it has been exposed to. Some of these factors include drugs, stress, hormones, diets, and sensory stimuli. [1] Neuroplasticity can be defined as the ability of the nervous system to respond to natural and abnormal stimuli experienced by the human body. The nervous system then reorganizes the brain’s structure and changes some of its function to theoretically repair itself by forming new neurons. [2] Neuroplasticity can occur during and in response to many different situations that occur throughout life. Some examples of these situations are learning, diseases, and going through therapy after an injury.
pp. 164-71. LeDoux, J. E. (2002). "The 'Path How Our Brains Become Who We Are. New York: Viking Books, Inc. M. M. Merzenich, J. K. (1983).
The brain, debatably most important organ of the body, only weighs about three pounds. Two crucial parts of the brain are the cerebrum and the cerebellum. The cerebrum holds four main lobes, named the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital. This part of the brain is responsible for thought and perception. The cerebellum has two hemispheres, and it's responsible for coordination, balance and posture. Without these two sections of the brain, perceiving the world around us would be rather impossible.
To conclude, cultures are a major part of our lives and they constitute the image we see the world in. cultures can sometimes influence us, even in ways we don’t expect. Sometimes we find ourselves forced in cultures with negative stereotypes but that does not mean we should be ashamed of those cultural groups but rather embrace our culture and stray from the negative characteristics of that
Culture has a big impact on how we all fit in as individuals in today’s society, and since this assignment is about that I decided to include some of my own experiences to illustrate my point of view and compare it with those of my classmates and some of the readings.
Humans’ behaviors are often guided by their culture because culture can influence their psychological processes.