The Stroop Effect

Information:
The Stroop Effect became popular during the 1930’s by John Ridley Stroop. This experiment is used to learn how the brain processes information. This is a demonstration of how the brain experiences slowed processing time because it is trying to sort through conflicting information.

In the Stroop Effect:
1. Subject is given a list of words for colors printed in different colors
2. He is then asked to read the words, you should take the time to compare
3. Subject is then asked to name the color of the ink used to print each word, you should also take time
4. Subject will experience a delayed reaction time, because the subject's brain is trying to suppress the input from the printed words in order to focus on the color of the words.
5. Compare the time it took to complete each test. Usually the amount of time it took to complete the second exam is doubled from the time it took for the first exam.



Conclusion:
The words have a strong influence over our ability to say and process the color. This is why it takes so much time for the subject taking the test to read the color of the words rather than the actual words. The difference between the different information which is what the words say and the color of the words causes a problem on our brain. Some of the reasons why this may happen can be because the interference occurs because words are read faster than colors are named, or because the interference occurs because words are read faster than colors are named, or because the interference occurs because naming colors requires more attention than reading words.



http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=150197
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html#seffect

The Myth of Multitasking

1. Why is multitasking considered by many psychologists to be a myth?
Many psychologists believe that multitasking is a myth because you can’t not do two things at the same time and to them well. Your mind has to switch between the to tasks so you never have you full attention on two things.

2. To what does the term "response selection bottleneck" refer?
It refers to when a person is trying to do multiple things at once , and you have to go back to giving your attention to every single thing. And you are trying to do multiple things at once when you should only do once thing at a time.

3. David Meyer has found that multitasking contributes to the release of stress hormones and adrenaline. Why is this important?
It is important because this can cause long term health problems if not controlled and contributes to the loss of short term memory.

4. Explain what Russell Podrack found regarding multitasking.
He found that multitasking adversely affects how you learn. Even if you learn while multitasking. Learning is less flexible and more specialized, so you can’t retrieve the information as easily.

5. What does the author conclude could happen to our culture as a result of increased multitasking?
We may adjust and come to accept it. It may also become just another part of our daily routine. Also with crumbs of attention rationed out among many competing tasks, their culture may gain in information, but will surely weaken in wisdom.

Observations of the BaMbuti Pygmies

Bambuti Pygmies are one of the oldest indigenous people of the Congo region of Africa. The Bambuti are composed of bands which are relatively small in size, ranging from 15 to 60 people. The Bambuti population totals about 30,000 to 40,000 people.The forest of Ituri iwhere they live is a tropical rainforest. In this area, there is a high amount of rainfall The rainforest is 70,000 square kilometers.The forest is a humid region strewn with rivers and lakes. The Bambuti live in villages that are categorized as bands. Each hut houses a family unit. At the start of the dry season, they leave the village to enter the forest and set up a series of camps. These villages are solitary and separated from other groups of people. Their houses are small, circular, and very temporary. They do not use blueprints, but instead trace the outline of the house into the ground. The walls of the structures are strong sticks that are placed in the ground and at the top of the sticks, a vine is tied around them to keep them together. The Bambuti are primarily hunter-gatherers, foraging for food in the forest. The Bambuti have a vast knowledge about the forest and the foods it yields. They collect an assortment of food, including crabs, shellfish, ants, larvae, snails, pigs, antelopes, monkeys, fishes, honey, wild yams, berries, fruits, roots, leaves, and cola nuts.There is a lore that can be tied to Bambuti mythology, where the giant forest hog is thought to be a physical manifestation of Negoogunogumbar. Other food sources yielded by the forest are non-kweri animals for meat consumption, root plants, palm trees, and bananas and in some seasons, wild honey. Yams, legumes, beans, peanuts, hibiscus, amaranth, and gourds are consumed.The Bambuti use large nets, traps, and bows and arrows to hunt game. Women and children sometimes help out by trying to drive the animals into the nets. Both sexes gather and forage. Each band has its own hunting ground, although boundaries are hard to maintain. Colin Turnbull was an anthropologist who studies the Bambuti Pygmies. He wrote several books about them and other tribes and also made some recording tapes that are sold commercialy about the pygmies.