The Concept Behind Neural Plasticity Psychology Essay

The Concept Behind Neural Plasticity Psychology Essay Have you ever wondered what Neural Plasticity is? Do you know the concept behind Neural Plasticity? To achieve your full understanding on what neural plasticity is and its concepts; the information below will help you discover what this is by defining neural plasticity and as well as giving examples on neural plasticity. You will find out that neural plasticity can be experienced in many different parts of the brain such as in the motor cortex, the auditory cortex, and in the visual cortex. Neural plasticity depends on the experiences one encounters because each experience stimulates the brain in different places. The areas I will focus on in this assignment are the background of neural plasticity, examples on how neural plasticity is used, and the actual concept of neural plasticity. Come with me on the journey through neural plasticity! To fully understand what neural plasticity is, I must break down the words into two parts and define them for you. Neural relating to nerves or the nervous system, Plasticity the capacity to change as a result of usage, practice, and experience. Fuse those two words together and you will now have neural plasticity the ability of the brain to change throughout the process of learning and experience. Before the mid 1960s came around, psychologist concluded that neural circuits in a fully mature brain and nervous system was completely developed in which the brain can not produce new neurons. What the critics didnt know was that they are about to be dramatically shocked because their hypothesis will be proven wrong through neurogensis and neural plasticity. The brain we once thought we knew turns out the be completely altered than the brain once discovered in the late 1800s and 1900s by Santiago Ramon y Cajal, Camillo Golgi, and Wilhelm Waldeyer. Santiago Ramon y Cajal was a Spanish Neuroanatomist, born in Petilla, Navarra, close to the Pyrenees Mountains. Ramon y Cajal studied medicine, teaches anatomy, history, and also teaches pathological anatomy. Ramon y Cajal made numerous contributions to the study of neural plasticity. He was the first to propose the ideas of the changing of neurons, the organization of the brains networks, and the neurons functions through new experiences in life. The brain has the ability to change as a result to usage, exercise, and experience. The concept of neural plasticity is proven by an American research psychologist by the name of Mark Richard Rosenzweig according to the Essentials of Psychology. Rosenzweig found out in animal studies on neural plasticity that the brain sustains developing anatomically by adapting and transforming itself into its adolescences based on life challenges and changed the assumed wisdom that the brain reached full capability in the childhood stages of early life. Mark Rosenzweig created an amazing park for rats so he could observe the significant effects in a developed habitation on neural development. He had half of the rats live together in a cage full of obstacles to have fun with. The other half of the rats lived in solitary confinement without any ladders to climb on or toys to expand their mind with. Rosenzweig found out incredible information that changed the worlds view on neural plasticity. He disc overed that the rats that resided in the enriched environment increased cerebral cortex volumes and developed heavier, broader brains. He also found out that the rats in the enriched environment cultivated more dendrites and synapse in their brains than the ones in solitary confinement. Visual stimulated rats increased 20 percent more synaptic connections per neuron in the visual cortex. Also, the rats that were running between obstacles formed new synaptic connections in the cerebellum, the structure mainly dealing with balance and motor cortex coordination. Rosenzweigs final conclusion on the experiment in 1996 was, by encountering new experiences; it increased the growth of new synaptic connections and shapes the brains neural architecture. Neural plasticity is remarkable information for human development and adaptation. Another interesting discovery that explains neural plasticity is the study on Albert Einsteins brain. Einstein had an average sized brain like any other human being but there was an important aspect that caught researchers attention. The visuospatial and mathematical region of Einsteins brain showed 15 percent larger than normal! Do you think you know why this happened? This happened because Albert Einstein constantly used and challenged the visuospatial and mathematical side of his average sized brain. Practice may not always make perfect, but its likely to create an impression on you brain, states Dr. Azar in 1996. I am a true believer of these words. I believe that you obtain the ability to do anything you want in life, but it is all up to what you decide on in life. Neural plasticity boils down to your mindset towards you life and how you perceive learning experiences. Youre either the rat that resided in the enriched side of the cage or the rat in solitary confinement, but this is where you have the opportunity to challenge, exercise, and expand you brain to perform Neural Plasticity. In conclusion, neural plasticity is the ability to develop an individuals learning process. This statement provides proof that no matter what environment one is in; there is always going to be an ability to change through their experiences which improves the growth of the brain. Basically, the concepts of neural plasticity states that the more experiences a person encounters, the greater chances one has on improving their dendrites and synapse. Neural plasticity is found in many different regions of the brain such as in the auditory, motor, and visual cortexes. The information Ive provided proves that without experiences there is no ability to improve your brain because one isnt improving if one doesnt go through experiences in life. Thank you for taking this exciting journey through NEURAL PLASTICITY! REFERNECES Kassin,S. M. (2004). Essentials of Psychology, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall, Retrieved January 14, 2010 Hoiland, E., http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html, Brain Plasticity: What Is It? Learning and Memory. Retrieved January 15, 2010 Singer, E.,(2008) http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/21736/, Making an Old Brain Young. Retrieved January 16, 2010

New vs Traditional Teaching Methods :: Education

Becoming a rational citizen is a process that involves a series of lessons which are created to guide every person to create strong foundations for self-judgment and reasoning. Therefore, it is very important to find the right way to send this essential information to the students in order to promote creativity and efficiency for the new generations which are considered the drive to innovation, social and economic growth (V. S.Damodharan & V. Rengarajan 07).In this case, the measure of efficiency in teaching besides the material presented, narrows down to the process used in the teaching system. Frankly speaking, if we consider the available methods for teaching today, the debate will definitely occur between the old schooling system versus the new schooling system. Being told what to do to get an A isn’t just an experience that my friends and I have had in our years in elementary school but it’s also the main characteristic of the so-called old schooling system. This teaching method emphasizes the theoretical part of learning and it is mostly considered as â€Å"copy-paste† learning. This terminology means that the material explained in class is the teacher’s notes or a book (Damodharan & Rengarajan 04), from the students it is expected to know that information word by word if they want to have a good grade. Since the lessons are teacher oriented mostly, the students are the passive party in the classroom and that leads to less interaction between students in class and no critical thinking for issues being presented. Consequently this lack of discussion in class has a negative effect only on the student because it reduces the chances for feedback or context clarification while lecturing. Last but not least, teaching theory without putting it on life situations may cause students to lose interest in their studies since the system considers him/her just as a number in the class and not a valuable person who can contribute with valuable ideas for the community. Working in groups and having chances to discuss with each other about the lesson is the main characteristic of new schooling system. This teaching method emphasizes the importance of collaborating with each other and it helps students get more involved in cooperative learning.

The Dominican Republic’s Expression

Abstract Merengue is the national music and dance of the Dominican Republic. Both tourists and locals enjoy partying to the sound of the merengue inside the bars and outside in the streets. Two major festivals with a merengue theme are celebrated in a year. This depicts the merengue as a critical part of the lives of the Dominicans. Merengue was even able to reach out overseas and be accepted by other countries like the USA and Puerto Rico. However, merengue had gone through a lot of trials before it got its distinction. It was initially rejected by the Dominicans because of its link to African music and because of its vulgar lyrics and taboo subjects. Widespread acceptance occurred only when the Americans came and became a cultural threat and when the dictator Rafael Trujillo declared the merengue as the national symbol. Since then, armed with its traditional instruments, the merengue became the soundtrack of the lives of the Dominicans. Merengue: The Dominican Republic’s Expression I.Introduction II.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merengue History III. Merengue Instruments IV. Merengue Music V.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merengue Dance VI. Conclusion Merengue: The Dominican Republic’s Expression People say that music is the universal language of mankind. However, in the case of the people of the Dominican Republic, it is not just a language; it is an expression and a way of life. Walking through their streets, one would notice that music coming from houses, vehicles, stores and restaurants serves as the country’s soundtrack. And soon after sunset, the air would be filled with life from the pulsing beats from the clubs that invites both locals and tourists to their dance floors. For the Dominicans, dancing is a practiced art and it is a pleasure for them to share their native dances to those willing to learn (Dominican Republic, 2005 and Hispaniola, 2008). Merengue is Dominican Republic’s most popular music and dance and is considered as the country’s national dance. The sound of the merengue is a combination of European, African and Eastern Cuban elements. It has a signature beat pattern that easily identifies it and requires the dancers to swing their hips in quick but fluid motion (Hispaniola, 2008). The Dominicans celebrate two merengue festivals, namely, the Santo Domingo Merengue Festival which is a seaside musical festival and the Puerto Plata Merengue Festival which is a festival in outdoor bars and in streets (Dominican Republic, 2005). The arrival of the merengue to the American soils was attributed to the Dominican immigrants to the country. And merengue became a worldwide phenomenon due to the increasing number of countries accepting it. It was even able to outsell salsa in the Latin America. This is the reason why I chose to write on the topic; I want to explore merengue to know why it has become a worldwide trend. Merengue History The roots of merengue are quite unclear and several theories are proposed. One theory is that a soldier, Tomas Torres, developed the music after the Dominican’s victory at the Talanquera battle. Another theory is that it came from upa, a Cuban music, wherein one part was called merengue (Tambora y Gà ¼ira, 1995). Even the roots of the name are still uncertain. Some say that the name came from the Haitian mereng, which developed from the music of the African slaves. Some even say that it came from the way the merengue was danced, such that the swirling and rapid crisscrossing steps reminded them of the beating of the eggs in making the meringue dessert (Highbeam Research, Inc., 2008). Wherever merengue came from, one thing is sure, that it evolved from something and became an integral part of the lives of the Dominicans. Merengue had gone through many problems before it was generally accepted as the national dance of the Dominican Republic. During the early 1900’s, the public was reluctant to accept it because of its nature; it has close links to African music and the lyrics were themed on sexual encounters and other socially taboo issues. It was only accepted by the masses after two important events. The first was during the American soldiers’ stay at the country from 1916 to 1924; the Dominicans slightly reduced the merengue’s tempo to allow the visitors to keep-up with the dance while maintaining their cultural identity. The second event was the former president Rafael Trujillo’s acceptance of merengue as the national symbol. This was due to the fact that Trujillo was born of a poor family and was prohibited from attending upper-class clubs, thus making merengue the status symbol of their class (Dominican Republic, 2005 and Salsa and Merengue Society, 1999). However, the vulgarity and sexual explicitness of the lyrics still produced oppositions until composer Luis Alberti was able to write a merengue with good lyrics entitled Compadre Pedro Juan which became identified as the merengue’s archetype. Since then, merengue has spread overseas through radio broadcasts and music recordings (Highbeam Research, Inc., 2008). Merengue Instruments The traditional merengue is composed of a three-piece band that includes a melodeon, an accordion-like instrument, a guira, a scraped cheese grater-looking percussion, and a tambora, a double-headed drum (Dominican Republic, 2005). The tambora is played by placing it horizontally across the thighs and hitting the right end with a stick and the left end with an open palm (Highbeam Research, Inc., 2008). However, the melodeon is not the initial instrument used for the harmony and melody; Dominican bandurrias, guitars, tres, cuatro and marimba, a wooden box with four to eight metal tongs that are plucked, are the ones initially used since they are the instruments owned by the common people (Tambora y Gà ¼ira, 1995). It is only when the Germans began to trade their accordions with the Dominicans’ tobacco that the accordion became a part of the merengue (IASO Records, Inc., 2008). It blended naturally with the merengue music and was helpful in making the sound cope up with the increasing audience size. Nevertheless, the one-row accordions of the Germans were later replaced by the saxophone due to the former’s inability to play sufficient major keys. The accordion was only able to come back when the two-row accordions were introduced (Salsa and Merengue Society, 1999). Up to the present, the music continues to evolve and adapt to the changes. Different instruments like trumpets, violin, flute, piano, electric and bass guitars, and bass drums are being used by different merengue musicians (Dominican Republic, 2005). Merengue Music There are several kinds of merengue music formed in the Dominican Republic and they differ only in their instrumentation. The most famous of which is the Merengue Cibaeà ±o, also known as Perico Ripiao and Merengue Tipico. It came from the El Cibao region of the country where merengue was first accepted and it is now considered as the â€Å"The cradle of merengue† (IASO Records, Inc., 2008). The name Perico Ripiao, which literally means ‘ripped parrot’, was derived from the wild country parties wherein, in the absence of other poultry birds, the parrot serves as the main dish. The local musicians who play at the said parties named their music after the dish (Grupofantasia). Merengue Cibaeà ±o’s musical structure has either two beats (2/4) or four beats (4/4) to the bar and uses the three traditional instruments in a manner wherein the tambora calls and the other two responds. This gives the merengue its signature and characteristic drive (Salsa and Merengue Society, 1999). The songs are normally composed in two sections. The first part is with a simple rhythm used to introduce the song’s lyrical and melodic content wherein the verses are just sung and improvisations are heard just at the end of the song lines. The second part is composed primarily of instrument improvisations wherein they play catchy riffs that help inspire and excite the dancers. Rhythms of the tipico merengue include the merengue derecho or the straight-ahead merengue which is the fast-paced merengue. The second rhythm is the pambiche or merengue apambichao which is slower and characterized by the dual strike rhythm of the tambora. The third rhythm is the guinchao which is a combination of the first two (IASO Records, Inc, 2008). Merengue Dance The merengue is a very easy dance and anybody, even with little training, could instantly dance it since the steps are made to be less complicated for beginners. Couples dancing the merengue vary from being too close such that only simple steps are done to being far apart such that there is space for turning combinations. It was said that the Dominicans prefer dancing further apart since they like to brag their fancy footwork. In addition, close body contact, for the Dominicans, are considered as pornographic and vulgar dance making them prefer dancing with a distance (Salsa and Merengue Society, 1999). The merengue dance is divided into three sections. The first is the paseo or promenade wherein couples walk slowly and talk with each other or with nearby couples. The second is the merengue which is first danceable part and is comprised of 16 or 32 repeated measures. The last is the jaleo which has four of eight measures and has a refrain that is repeated many tines. This is also the last danceable part of the music (Highbeam Research, Inc., 2008). Conclusion Merengue has been an integral part of the lives of the Dominicans. This could be attributed to the struggles of the merengue before it was fully accepted by the people. This made merengue more than their national dance, but also a way of expressing themselves. This attitude towards merengue made it appealing to other countries and enabled it to be accepted by them as another form of music and dance. The addiction with merengue was caught by other countries making merengue an international phenomenon. References Dominican Republic. (2005, October). Dominican Republic Music and Dance. Retrieved April 25, 2008 Grupofantasia. Merengue. Retrieved April 25, 2008 Highbeam Research, Inc. (2008). The infectious merengue.(history and influences of merengue music and dance). Retrieved April 25, 2008 Hispaniola. (2008). Music and Dance in the Dominican Republic. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/society_music.php IASO Records, Inc. (2008). Merengue: Popular Music of the Dominican Republic. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.iasorecords.com/merengue.cfm National Geographic Society. (2008). Dominican Republic. Retrieved April 25, 2008, Salsa and Merengue Society. (1999). Merengue: The Dance. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.salsa-merengue.co.uk/revealit/dancemer.html Salsa and Merengue Society. (1999). Merengue: The Music. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.salsa-merengue.co.uk/revealit/musicmer.html Tambora y Gà ¼ira. (1995, June ). Merengue History. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.mindspring.com/~adiascar/musica/merhst-e.htm

The Theme of Death in Poetry Essay - 819 Words

The Theme of Death in Poetry Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson are two Modern American Poets who consistently wrote about the theme of death. While there are some comparisons between the two poets, when it comes to death as a theme, their writing styles were quite different. Robert Frost’s poem, â€Å"Home Burial,† and Emily Dickinson’s poems, â€Å"I felt a Funeral in my Brain,† and â€Å"I died for Beauty,† are three poems concerning death. While the theme is constant there are differences as well as similarities between the poets and their poems. The obvious comparison between the three poems is the theme of death. Both poets, in these works and many others, display a fascination with the death of themselves as well as the death of peers, and†¦show more content†¦Where as â€Å"I felt a Funeral in my Brain,† and â€Å"I died for Beauty,† by Dickinson are considerably short poems, in which she seals as much as she reveals. Emily Dickinson’s poetry was not that of any traditional style. She was criticized for capitalizing words in the middle of sentences, using inexact rhymes and only giving a partial understanding. She loved to use ellipses, in order to let the reader finish a thought. Many of these were actually eliminated in many of her first publications, which were never published until after her death. In the two poems, â€Å"I felt a Funeral in my Brain,† and â€Å"I died for Beauty† all of these characteristics are present, including her usual four line stanzas in the meter of traditional hymns. Written in first person, â€Å"I felt a Funeral in my Brain† is about the thought of her own funeral. Imagining what is would be like in the coffin, where only the sense of sound is present. The last word of the poem is ‘–then-‘, a classic example of an ellipse, where the reader is left to finish the poem on their own. â€Å"I died for Beauty also ends with an ellipse. The poem is about two dead people, herself and another man, resting side by side, buried underground. 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Often focusing on topics that were taboo at the time like mental illness and suicide, it is no surprise that Sylvia Plath wrote poetry in this style. Plath suffered from depression most of her life and used writing as an outlet (Spinello). In her works â€Å"Cut,† â€Å"I Am Vertical,† and â€Å"Lady Lazarus,† Plath exemplifies confessional poetry through the themes of resentment, death, and mental illness. To understand