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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 UCLA Brain Mapping Center, 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 [ BACK TO TOP ] 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 [ BACK TO TOP ] 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. Because seeing is so important for our functioning in the world, efforts to understand how perceptions are generated have most often focused on vision. Based on current research in cognitive neuroscience, this film explores the challenge of explaining visual perception. The production includes an overview of the human visual system, illustrated with animated graphics and live action footage, and it describes, using a series of engaging optical demonstrations, the profound technical and philosophical challenges scientists face in attempting to explain perception. The film ends with a thought provoking discussion of the essential role of human experience in determining what we perceive. 30 minutes. $250. “Vision is not what you think it is, and Dale Purves has done an unparalleled job in drawing careful attention to the way that we actually see the world. In this film he combines beautiful animations with memorable examples to bring the issues fully to life.” -- David M. Eagleman, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine "This clear and accessible film will provide an excellent resource for both students and teachers of vision. The discrepancy between the image in the eye and what we actually perceive is demonstrated using a variety of compelling visual illusions that will both bewilder and amaze. A logical explanation for this discrepancy is then provided in a thought-provoking theory on how we make sense out of sensory information. An informative and stimulating introduction into the mysteries of sensory perception." -- Dr. Tim Andrews, Department of Psychology, University of York, UK In Making Sense of Sensory Information, Dr. Dale Purves explains why—to offer a neuroscience twist on an old saw —believing is seeing. But the truth is that our eyes (in conjunction with the brain) deceive us, as anyone knows who has ever puzzled over one of those famous brain teasers, such as trying to determine which of two lines are “longer” (an illusion corrected by the application of a simple ruler). In the entertainment world, magicians and set designers have long capitalized on these so-called optical illusions in which perspective affects what we think we’re seeing, while more practical applications in the real world include supermarkets that spend serious money for lighting systems that make vegetables and meat appear fresher. Purves addresses the physiological aspect of how our visual perception differs from the physical reality of the world, and why we still function remarkably well despite these sensory discrepancies. Beginning with a look at how the eye captures light, as well as how the eye’s “rods” and “cones” work, Purves explains the science behind the ways that the brain compensates for (or makes sense of) what we perceive (for example, how we judge the relative sizes of objects, or even colors). Combining live-action footage and animation in numerous examples, along with cogent scientific explanation of various perceptual phenomena, this film is recommended. -- Video Librarian 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: 1-891340-78-6
[ BACK TO TOP ] THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN: AN INTRODUCTION TO AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE With Brian Knutson, Ph.D.
Emotions color our everyday individual existence and shape all aspects of our interpersonal and intellectual experiences. In this film, animations and fMRI images introduce students to what we now know about the sub-cortical emotional circuits in the brain and chemical processes that produce our emotional responses and contribute to our decision making and mental health. Live action sequences, both in laboratory and real life situations, illustrate Dr. Knutson’s research on risk taking and provide intriguing examples of the factors involved in the interplay of affect and reason in making choices. 33 minutes. $250.
Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film. View a sample clip from this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-79-4
RECENT FILM REVIEW: "The Emotional Brain provides an engaging introduction to some of the most exciting questions in modern neuroscience: How does our brain generate the complex, subjective feelings and physiological states that make up our emotional lives? The film is written and narrated by Dr. Brian Knutson (Stanford University), a leading scientist in this emerging field. Knutson walks viewers through key concepts and experimental results in a straightforward and jargon-minimizing manner. Rather than try to cover the breadth of affective neuroscience in a single movie – an impossible goal – he selects a few important examples and describes them in terms of simpler metaphors appropriate for classroom instruction. This approach tends more to generate questions than to provide definitive answers, and thus the video serves a quick and interesting starting point for in-class discussions or further exploration of the emotional brain." -- Scott Huettel, Ph.D., Director, Center for Neuroeconomic Studies, Duke University
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