Assignment: Group Presentation of A Current Biopsych Research Report
Points Possible: 30 pt possible for your portion of the group presentation
                       + 30 pt possible for your individual written article summary
Goals:
  1. Expose you to the primary sources (articles reporting the results of individual research studies, published in the scholarly journals of the field) in Biopsychology.
  2. Expose the class to the diversity of methodologies used in Biopsychology related research.
  3. Give you another opportunity to work collaboratively with your groups to develop and deliver an educational presentation.
  4. Understanding a study well enough to "teach it" or present it to the class should enhance your knowledge of biopsychology, while also enhancing oral presentation skills.
    In the weeks following our first exam each four-person group will take a turn making a brief (approximately 16 minutes) presentation of a published research report (journal article) from one of the areas of biopsychology. In most cases one group member will briefly introduce the study by providing background on previous research on the question under investigation as well as what area of biopsychology this research represents. Another member will explain the methods/procedures used, the third will present the results (using, perhaps, key graphs or tables from the article, and the fourth the conclusions, limitations and why this study is important. The group is responsible for working together to prepare either clear overhead transparencies or, better yet, a Powerpoint slideshow for their presentation. The group should also write several multiple choice test questions on the key aspects and findings of your study.

    Meet with your group and select a recent research report (journal article) related to biopsychology to present to the class. You may choose from the list below or your group may find your own journal article and submit it for approval. Select an article which reports the results of an empirical study, not an one which reviews a large body of research or focuses on presenting theory. The suggested presentation dates following the references below are meant to coordinate presentations, whenever possible, with our coverage of topics in class. The first several articles relate to topics that we are currently discussing. Turn in a list of your group members, the title and reference of the article you have selected and preferred presentation date to "claim" a particular journal article and presentation date (first come, first serve).

    Be clear and concise and ready to answer questions from the class. Practice your presentation to make sure it will run no more than 16 minutes in length. If you have difficulty understanding your article come see me! You might also find these links on reading journal articles helpful: (1)  (2)  (3) .

    Your individual journal article summary papers should include sections providing 1) background material on the problem or the previous research that lead up to the present study, 2) the methods (including participants, variables, and procedures, and brief explanations of any special techniques, technologies, tests, etc.), 3) the results, including at least one key graph or table from your article, 4) the conclusions drawn and how this study extends or relates to topics covered in our text (include text page numbers in your discussion), and finally 5) criticisms or limitations of the research, and suggestions for future research. Attach a copy of the journal article. Your paper should make it clear that you read and understood the entire study (not just the part you presented in class). Be careful not to plagiarize or closely paraphrase the article; tell me about the study in your own words! Check your papers for spelling, grammar, and clarity! Sloppy, mistake-laden or poorly written papers will be returned un-graded.

Members of the audience are responsible for listening carefully and trying to understand the methods and findings of each study, and for asking for clarification when necessary. Take notes because tests will include one or two questions on each presentation made!

Presentation Section Guidelines

Introduction
Briefly: what previous research lead up to the present study? Why is a new study needed? What questions are the investigators trying to answer, or what is the hypothesis that will be tested?
Is this study an example of physiological psychology, psychopharmacology, psychophysiology, neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, behavior genetics, comparative psychology, or evolutionary psychology? Why?

Method
What manipulations and measures will be used? Who were the participants, how are they divided into groups, and how are the groups treated differently? What procedure was followed to collect the data?

Results
What were the main results of this study? Was the hypothesis confirmed? What table(s) or graph(s) most clearly display the key finding(s) of the study? Does this fit with what is presented in our text?

Discussion
What conclusions do the investigators draw from their results? Can we generalize from these conclusions? What are the limitations or criticisms of this research? What might be done differently in future research?

Link to Presentation Evaluation Checklist
 

Journal Articles

Your group may find  your own biopsych-related journal article and submit it for approval or you may choose from the articles below:

O'Kusky, J., Strauss, E., Kosaka, B., Wada, J., Li, D., Druhan, M., & Petrie, J. (1988). The corpus callosum is larger with right hemisphere cerebral speech dominance. Annals of Neurology, 24, 379-383. (Feb.)

Mackenzie, C., Begg, T., Brady, M., & Lees, K. (1997). The effects on verbal communication skills of right hemisphere stroke in middle age. Aphasiology, 11, 929-945. (Feb.)

Yonelinas, A., Kroll, N., Baynes, K., Dobbins, I., Frederick, C., Knight, R. & Gazzaniga, M. (2001). Visual implicit memory in the left hemisphere: Evidence from patients with callosotomies and right occipital lobe lesions. Psychological Science, 12, 293-298. (Feb.)

Hopkins, W, Dahl, J. & Pilcher, D. (2001). Genetic influence on the expression of hand preferences in chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes): Evidence in support of the right-shift theory and developmental instability. Psychological Science, 12, 299-303.(Feb.)

Cobianchi, A. & Giaquinto, S. (1998). Positive potentials evoked by the first syllable of spoken words in right- and left-handers. Journal of Contemporary Neurology, 1998, #3A. (Feb.)

Elbert, T., Pantev, C., Wienbruch, C., Rockstroh, B., & Taub E. (1995). Increased cortical representation of the fingers of the left hand in string players. Science, 270, 305-307. (Feb.)

Drewnowski, A., Henderson, S., Shore, B., & Barratt-Fornell, A. (1997). Nontasters, tasters, and supertasters of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and hedonic response to sweet. Physiology & Behavior, 62, 649-655. (3/3-3/10)

Tepper, B. & Nurse, R. (1997). Fat perception is related to PROP taster status. Physiology & Behavior,61, 949-954. (3/3-3/10)

Madrazo, I., Drucker-Colin, R., Diaz, V. , Martinez-Mata, J., Torres, C., & Becerril, C. (1989). Open microsurgical autograft of adrenal medulla to the right caudate nucleus in 2 patients with Parkinson=s disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 316, 831-834. (2/26-3/5)

Ikonomidou, C., Bittigau, P., Ishimaru, M., Wozniak, D., Koch, C., Genz, K., Price, M., Stefovska, V., Horster, F., Tenkova, T., Dikranian, K., & Olney, J. (2000). Ethanol-induced apoptotic neurodegeneration and fetal alcohol syndrome. Science, 287, 1057-1059. (3/5)

Ralph, M., Foster, R., Davis, F., &Menaker, M. (1990). Transplanted superchiasmatic nucleus determines circadian period. Science, 247, 975-978.( 3/19)

Cacioppo, J.T., Hawkley, L.C., Bernston, G.G., Ernst, J.M., Gibbs, A.C., Stickgold, R. & Hobson, J.A. (2002). Do lonely days invade the nights? Potential social modulation of sleep efficency. Psychological Science, 13, 384-387. (3/21)

Lecreuse, A. (2000). Cognitive function in aged ovariectomized female rhesus monkeys. Behavioral Neuroscience, 114, 506-513. (3/30)

Driessen, M., Herrmann, J., Stahl, K., Zwaan, M., Meier, S., Hill, A., Osterheider, M., & Petersen, D. (2000). Magnetic resonance imaging volumes of the hippocampus and the amygdala in women with borderline personality disorder and early traumatization. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 57, 1115-1121. (4/4-4/6)
 

Hamann, S, Ely, T., Hoffman, J. & Kilts, C. (2002). Ecstasy and agaony: Activation of the human amygdala in positive and negative emotion. Psychological Science, 13, 135-141. (4/6-4/9)

Matthews, K., Gump, B. & Owens, J. (2001). Chronic stress influences cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses during acute stress and recovery, especially in men. Health Psychology, 20, 403-410. (4/6-4/9)

Andreasen, N., Arndt, S., Swayze, V., Cizadio, T., O=Leary, D., Ehrhardt, J., & Yuh, W. (1994). Thalamic abnormalities in schizophrenia visualized through magnetic resonance image averaging. Science, 272, 2924-298. (4/9/-4/11)

Rogers, M., Bradshaw, J., Phillips, J., Vaddadi, C., Presnel, I., &Mileshkin, C. (2000). Parkinsonian motor characteristics in unipolar major depression. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 22, 232-244. (4/11-4/13)

Scinto, L., Daffner, K., Dressler, D. Ransil, B., Rentz, D., Weintraub, S., Mesulam, M., & Potter, H. (1994). Potential noninvasive neurobiological test for Alzheimer's disease. Science, 266, 1051-1054. (4/16)

Parkes, M. & White, G. (2000). Glucose attentuation of memory impairments. Behavioral Neuroscience, 114, 307-319. (4/16-4/18)

Ryan, L., Hatfield, C. & Hofstetter, M. (2002). Caffeine reduces time-of-day effects on memory performance of older adults. Psychological Science, 13, 68-71. (4/16-4/18)

Block, R., O=Leary, D., Hichwa, R., Augustinack, J., Ponto, L., Ghoneim, M., Arndt, S., Hurtig, R., Watkins, G., Halls, J., Nathan, P. & Andreasen, N. (2002). Effects of frequent marijuana use on memory-related regional cerebral blood flow. Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior, 72, 237-250. (4/16-4/18)