Links to potentially useful sites and studies:
BRAIN
- Article: How is the internet changing your brain? from Academic Earth
- Study: Chronic stress can damage brain structure and connectivity in Psychology Today
- Article with references: The ill-usion of multitasking from UCSD Centre for Mindfulness
- Studies by Eric Kandel: Cell and Molecular Biological Studies of Memory Storage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Article: Neuroplasticity: Learning physically changes the brain from Edutopia
STRESS AND ANXIETY
- Study: Can stress age women to age more quickly than men? from the Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation
- Study: Real-time brain feedback can help people overcome anxiety from the Yale School of Medicine
- Study: Early-Life Stress Can Have Long-Lasting Impact on Brain Circuitry and Behaviour from Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation
- Study: Study explains how stress can boost the immune system from Stanford Medicine News Centre
SCREEN TIME
- Study: Gray matters: too much screen time damages the brain from Psychology Today
- Article: Research links children’s problems to prolonged screen time from The Guardian
MENTAL ILLNESSES AND DISORDERS
- Article: My name is not Schizophrenia: removing the label from Psychology Today
- Longitudinal study: What can the Amish teach us about early onset Bipolar Disorder? from The Bipolar Child
- Study: Kids with ADHD must squirm to learn from Science Daily
- Study: Global study of mental illness from the NBC News
- Study: Connectivity problems may indicate which individuals are at greatest risk for schizophrenia from Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation
- Article: Study finds that the brains of autism sufferers fail to trim synapses as they develop, reported in New York Times
- Article: Computer modelling provides insight into cellular-level effects of schizophrenia risk genes from Medical Press
VIDEO GAMES
- Study: Violent video games provide quick stress relief, but at a price from Science Daily
- Study: Violent video games delay development of moral judgment in teens from Science Daily
- Study: Negative effects of violent video games may build over time, reported by Psych Central
- Study: Violent videos alter brain functioning in young men from Science Daily
ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOURS
- Article: Smoking marijuana does not lower IQ scores, but alcohol may, from Medical Daily
- Study: Twin study finds no evidence that marijuana lowers IQ from Science Mag
- Article: Can addictive behaviours be predicted in preschool? from Time
Dear Year 11 students,
The pinboard of recent research below as well as the list of possible study options above should serve as a useful starting point for you. Select a topic that interests you and try to turn it into a question that could be the focus of your research investigation. Then search for related studies, saving links to any that seem promising and gradually refining your question.
For instance, after reading the study on the pinboard that explores the relationship between adolescent marijuana use and cognitive performance, you might formulate the question:
How does marijuana use affect the social and cognitive development of teenagers?
As you can see, this question is somewhat broader than the study. You would need to look for more studies that might allow you to tackle all parts of this question. In the process, you might refine the question you wish to ask, depending on the studies you find. Slowly you will build up a range of studies and begin to narrow your options for your research investigation. You need to find three related studies, one of which will be your featured study.
Once you begin your own frenetic googling, be careful to type specific search terms in the search bar. For instance: “psychological studies, marijuana use in adolescence, effects” will deliver more useful options than just “marijuana”. Whenever you find a really well-explained study that other students might also like to use, copy a link to it and put it in a comment on this post. Gradually we will build up a long list of useful and revealing studies.
Kind regards and happy hunting!
Ms Green and Ms Corbo
Click here to view the pinboard below on the whole screen
Psychology – Research Investigation
http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/25/4264742/new-research-the-brains-of-psychopaths
Studying the brain of psychopaths
http://jamesclear.com/delayed-gratification
The famous (or infamous?) marshmallow study and the how it led to more investigations of delayed gratification.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/21/4595712/gut-feelings-the-future-of-psychiatry-may-be-inside-your-stomach
This link leads to a study about the connection between the “gut” (stomach) and the brain.