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ABOUT THIS SERIES
The systematic study of
human behavior, psychology, only really began in the late l9th century. In
the subsequent hundred plus years its techniques have become ever more
sophisticated and far reaching. Recent techniques for probing the structure
and functions of the brain have added new tools for psychologists to
understand behavior, often confirming insights gained through research based
on other methodologies and sometimes adding completely new insights.
This series,
which discusses neuroscience as it relates to brain function, introduces
undergraduates in psychology classes to the methods and some of the insights
of neuroscience, along with its basic terminology. The series is meant to
supplement, rather than replace textbook or lecture presentations. The
films’ animated graphics, stunning brain images, intriguing segments of
current research and appealing real-life applications serve to reinforce and
expand students’ grasp of complex subject matter and their interest in
it. The internationally recognized experts who are the narrators of the films share some of
their own ongoing work along with more general information about their area
of study.
DISCOVERING THE HUMAN BRAIN: NEW PATHWAYS TO NEUROSCIENCE
with Susan Bookheimer, Ph.D.

Using the resources of
the Brain Research Center of UCLA, this film illustrates the development of
neuroscience from its classical reliance on information from brain injuries
and autopsies through the new insights discovered with electronic
microscopes, EEG equipment, PET scans and MRI machines. Examples of current
research that utilize these tools are presented including a study on the
role of mirror neurons in autism and the mapping of a woman’s several
language centers before surgery for a brain tumor. Animations and graphics
review the gross anatomy of the brain and the actions of its neurons. (2006)
30 minutes $250.
View a
sample
clip from this film.
Go to the complete discussion of this
film.
Visit our
Support Materials section to view or download the
Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-47-6
[Available with Spanish Subtitles]

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HUMAN BRAIN DEVELOPMENT: NATURE AND NURTURE
with Helen Neville, Ph.D.

The fascinating
interplay of genetic predispositions and experience in the development of
the brain after birth is demonstrated in this film produced at the Brain
Development Laboratory at the University of Oregon. Three profiles of
plasticity are depicted with compelling film sequences of behavioral, MRI and EEG
research into the development of visual perception and language acquisition
from infancy through old age. A congenitally deaf young woman, hearing
university students and lively preschool children participate in controlled
studies that illustrate both how neuroscience research is conducted and also
how all brains change over time and circumstance. Practical advice for the
utilization of sensitive periods and optimal specialization of brain areas
make the learning of these concepts meaningful to students.
(2007) 30 minutes $250.
View a
sample clip from this film.
Go to the complete discussion of this
film.
Visit our
Support Materials section to view or download the
Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-49-2
[Available with Spanish Subtitles]

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MAKING SENSE OF SENSORY INFORMATION
With Dale Purves, M.D.

For thousands of years,
humans have asked if we perceive the world accurately through our senses.
From Plato onwards, we’ve wondered how our own cognition has influenced the
messages we receive from our sense organs. Are we perceiving what is really
out there? Because seeing is so important to our species, efforts to
understand how perceptions are generated have most often focused on vision.
This film explores the challenges of explaining visual perception. Using current information from neuroscience imaging techniques
and lab based research, the film describes the profound technical and
philosophical challenges scientists face in attempting to explain perception. The production
includes overviews of the brain structures utilized to process sensory input
and their neural connections to other brain regions, with an emphasis on
visual perception. The essential role of cognition in interpreting sensory
input is well demonstrated with intriguing visuals including optical
illusions from the Purves lab at Duke University.
Approx. 35
minutes. $250.
[Available with Spanish Subtitles]
[ September 2008 ]
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THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN: AN INTRODUCTION TO AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE
With Brian Knutson, Ph.D.

What motivates our
behavior and how is that mediated in our brains? The pleasure/thrill seeking
behavior of gamblers and substance abusers represents far edge of the
questions as they have been studied at the Stanford University labs of Dr.
Knutson. The neural basis of emotional behavior is presented with
animations and computerized MRI images of the limbic system along with
compelling information about the neurotransmitter substances that so
influence all of our affective lives.
Approx. 30 minutes. $250.
[Available with Spanish Subtitles]
[
Winter 2009 ]
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THE THINKING BRAIN: AN INTRODUCTION TO NEUROSCIENCE
With Adele Diamond, Ph.D.

All
our lives we take in information from a huge variety of inputs, process it
and use it. This film reviews the basic aspects of cognition and its
development from a neuroscientific perspective but focuses on how brains
manage vast amounts of data: how they think. The production presents actual
research instruments and invites viewers to exercise their own executive
functions in response.
MRI studies, lab experiments, animations and real life
vignettes introduce students to how cognitive functions are affected by
genes and the environment, are made possible by specialized neural systems
and are used throughout life.
$250.
Approx. 30 minutes.
[Available with Spanish Subtitles]
[ Spring, 2009 ]
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