Forest Shomberg, a Madison man who has served more than six years in prison for a sexual assault he said he didn't commit, was ordered released from prison Friday after a Dane County Circuit Judge overturned his conviction.

http://truthinjustice.org/shomberg2.htm

Books and articles that emphasize the "non-cognitive" determinants of genius and elite performance are all the rage these days. (I put "non-cognitive" in quotes, because the line between "cognitive" and "non-cognitive" traits is much more blurred than popular journalists make out). A recent book on the topic (which has just been released in paperback) is David Shenk's book "The Genius in All of Us: New Insights Into Genetics, Talent, and IQ."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-barry-kaufman/is-there-really-a-genius-_b_845100.html

The Indianapolis Star reports that Jacob Barnett, who is mildly autistic, grasps some of the most complex concepts in math. He's attending Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where there is a movement to get him on board as a paid research assistant.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/28/jacob-barnett-12-year-old_n_841577.html

"The elephants caught on as quickly as chimpanzees, elevating themselves to such heady company as great apes, dolphins and crows, according to Plotnik, of the department of experimental psychology at England's Cambridge University."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/08/elephant-intelligence-study_n_832522.html

How does this relate to what we have been studying in History & Systems?

"I didn't enjoy school very much. Occasionally, I had a teacher who would inspire me. But as an adult, as I began working with computer technology to tell stories through film, I began to wonder, "Why couldn't we use these new technologies to help improve the learning process?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lucas/join-the-movement-to-tran_b_828962.html

What does this tell us about how succesful (or not) we have been about learning from psychology on how to teach?

Wisconsin Protesters Resist Police Order To Leave Capitol

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Union leaders and other protesters say they plan to make a peaceful stand when police begin clearing out the state Capitol nearly two weeks after demonstrators first occupied the building.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/27/wisconsin-protesters-resist-police-capitol_n_828861.html

How does this relate to the backlash of Social Darwinism?

How does thi relate to Dewey's view of the reflex arc?

"Discrimination is always high on the agenda at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology's conference, where psychologists discuss their research on racial prejudice, homophobia, sexism, stereotype threat and unconscious bias against minorities. But the most talked-about speech at this year's meeting, which ended Jan. 30, involved a new "outgroup." "

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/science/08tier.html?_r=2&hp

What are your thoughts on this?

How might this relate to the different divisions of psychology?

(thanks to Xavier for sending)

Cat and Crow are "friends."

Is this an example of animal intelligence or animal instinct?
How does this relate to comparative psychology?

(thanks to my sister Laura for sending)

Apparently this was a commercial from Canadian TV.

below is a trailer for a PBS documentary

Q: Who was Penfield and how did he contribute to the history of psychology?
Q: How does Penfield's work relate to phrenology? 

A pseudoscience is set of ideas based on theories put forth as scientific when they are not scientific.

Scientific theories are characterized by such things as (a) being based on empirical observation rather than the authority of some sacred text; (b) explaining a range of empirical phenomena;...

http://www.skepdic.com/pseudosc.html

Q: What is pseudoscience and how does it relate to the history of psychology?
Q: How can psuedoscience be used to evaluate scientific theories such as Darwin's theory of evolution?

"This pseudoscience is based on the false assumption that mental faculties are located in brain "organs" on the surface of the brain and can be detected by visible inspection of the skull. The Viennese physician Franz-Joseph Gall (1758-1828) claimed there are some 26 "organs" on the surface of the brain which affect the contour of the skull, including a "murder organ" present in murderers."

http://www.skepdic.com/phren.html

Q: What is phrenology and how does it relate to the history of psychology?
Q: What is pseudoscience?

What is happening in Egypt?

http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

How does this relate to the history of psychology?
How does this relate to psychology proper?

Chimpanzees appear to mourn their dead infants just like humans, scientists have discovered.

Chimpanzee mothers establish close physical relationships with their young, carrying them for up to two years and nursing them until they are six.

But now scientists have filmed how one chimpanzee

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1352119/Chimpanzees-mourn-dead-children-just-like-humans.html#ixzz1Ce6a0iE0

Why is it suprizing that apes have human like experiences?
What does this tell us about the continuum of 'man' and 'beast' ?

(Thanks to Allison)

"A gorilla has achieved fame for walking upright on his hind legs like a human at a British animal park.

Ambam, a Western lowland gorilla, was filmed strolling about his enclosure by animal researcher Johanna Watson."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41292533/ns/technology_and_science-science/

How does this relate to explanationsof how man began to stand?
How does this relate to the concept of the chain of being?
How does this relate to comparative psychology?

How does this tie into Darwin's ideas of evolution?

 If you can't get the video to work here try:

http://bbcearth.posterous.com/the-birth-of-a-new-island-on-film

How does this relate to the different approaches of telling/writing history as discussed by our text. Caution may contain adult language...

"One problem is that students just aren't asked to do much, according to findings in a new book, "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses." Half of students did not take a single course requiring 20 pages of writing during their prior semester, and one-third did not take a single course requiring even 40 pages of reading per week."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/45-of-students-dont-learn_n_810224.html

How does this relate to what we are trying to accomplish with the hybrid class?

Atomism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomism

John Locke - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke

Descartes - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descartes

Dualism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartesian_dualism

Associationism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associationism

Nature - Nurture - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture

Tabula Rasa - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_rasa

or find a topic that you were interested from the current chapter at Wiki. Tell us what your topic was and leave a brief comment about it.

Which of the early philosphers do you think had it most right for thier time?

http://psychology.okstate.edu/museum/history/

What do you think would be an interesting time or event to witness? What do you think these old men are up to?

http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/history/history_nonflash.html