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What do scientists do? Scientists: Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull Make predictions Measure how fast, how large

What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

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Page 1: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

What do scientists do?

Scientists:

– Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull

– Make predictions

– Measure how fast, how large

Page 2: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

What does the brain do?

Different parts of the brain do different things

– See– Pay attention and think– Remember– Move– Hear, taste, balance

Page 3: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

A. Seeing - The eye

• Materials– The Big Model of the Eye– Cow Eye to dissect– Flashlight– Slides

• Activities– Eye see u slide -> Flashlight on pupil; explain function– Inside eye slide -> show retina in model & in cow eye– Near sighted & cataract -> show lens in model & in cow eye– Color vision

Page 4: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Eye see you

Iris: This is the colored part of your eye

Pupil: This is the hole in your eye that lets light in.

It gets bigger in the dark and smaller with bright light

Page 5: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Looking inside the eye

In photos, the flash lights up the back of the eye which is red.

Doctors use a flashlight with a magnifying glass to see the back of your eye

This is what they see. The red lines are arteries that carry blood and oxygen that your eye needs

Page 6: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Seeing without eye-glasses

• For some people things near their eyes look clear, but things far away look blurry. These people are near-sighted and wear glasses or contact lenses that help them see better.

• All babies are near sighted until they are 6 month olds. • So if you want a baby to see you clearly, make sure to get close to her (but ask mom first!)

Near sighted Normal

Page 7: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Seeing blurry

Inside the eye, there is a lens (a magnifying glass). As we grow older, the lens sometimes gets ‘dirty’. This disease is called ‘cataracts’. Doctors can do surgery to replace the lens with a new one.

Normal

Page 8: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Seeing in Color

Most people have three different types of color detectors in their eyes.

Some boys have two types of detectors instead of three. To these boys, colors look slightly different than to the rest of us.

If you have a hard time seeing the number 5 in the figure above you might be in that group. If so, your mom’s dad may also have a hard time seeing them. This is because this difference runs in families, and it is passed through the genes.

all 3 detectors only 2 detectors

Page 9: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

B. Visual illusions & experiences• Materials

– A brain model– Slides – Markers– Paper

• Activities– aftereffect -> Flashlight on pupil; explain function– Illusion < --- > let kids figure out that they should measure with a ruler, if they

don’t do so, gently hint it to them– Circle illusion: idem– Lincoln face: show area in the brain model; also point to visual areas

• Extra: For kids who finish early– , use markers to experience aftereffect– Use scissors to create circle illusion

Page 10: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Stare at the mouth for 30 seconds. Next, quickly turn your eyes towards some white spot (for example, a piece of paper). What do you see?

What is going on? Your eyes get ‘tired’, that is, the neurons start sending a weaker signal to the brain. When you stop looking at it, the signal is so weak that it is even lower than when seeing nothing. So you end up ‘seeing’ the opposite: the white parts look dark.

Page 11: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

+

Stare at the dot in the center of the USA flag for 30 seconds. Next, quickly turn your eyes towards the + on the left. What do you see?

Page 12: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Which line looks longer? Which line is longer? How can you find out which line is truly the longest one?

Important lesson: Sometimes our intuition is wrong. Good scientists always measure as a way to test their hypothesis.

Page 13: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Which of the two center circles looks larger? Which one is larger? How can you find out which center circle is truly the largest one?

Important lesson: Sometimes our intuition is wrong. Good scientists always measure as a way to test their hypothesis.

Page 14: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Do you notice anything weird about Lincoln’s face? Turn it around to find out

What is going on? Humans are really good at recognizing faces. We can notice very slight changes in people’s faces. Also, we see the whole face at once. That is, you don’t need to first look at the nose, then the eyes and the mouth before you recognize your mom, right? But when the face is upside down, it is just like any other object, we see it in parts instead of as a whole. So it becomes less obvious that it is wrong.

Did you know? There is a part of the brain that specializes in recognizing faces.

Page 15: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Faces, Faces Everywhere!

Faces are so important to us, and our brain is so good at noticing them, that we see faces even in clouds and pancakes!

Page 16: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Vision and ArtIf you get your eyes out of

focus (or you take off your eyeglasses), you may see somebody’s face. Who is he?

If you still cannot see it, get far away from the page, can you see it now?

This is a picture by Dali, a famous Spanish painter

Page 17: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Vision and ArtLook at the grapes, the leafs, the fruits and vegetables. Do you see something else?

This painting was made by Giuseppe Arcimboldo more than 400 years ago!

Page 18: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Vision and Art

This painting was made by Rene Magritte

Page 19: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Vision and ArtThis painting was made by Andy Warhol

Although the colors are very different, it is easy to see that is always the same person

Page 20: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Vision and Art

This painting was made by Rene Magritte

Page 21: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

C. Attention

Activities: In all, it is important to pay attention– Dalmatian dog: role of expectations– Old/young lady: ambiguity– Spot the difference– Beans

– Stroop task (‘red’ in blue)

Page 22: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Try to find the dog. It is hard the first time, but easy after you found it once.

What is going on? Once your brain knows what to look for, it can make ‘guesses’ and find it. It can pay attention to the important spots.

Page 23: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Do you see a young girl or an old lady? Both are there, which one do you see?

What is going on? Sometimes, things can have two meanings. By paying attention to one or the other, we see different things

Page 24: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Try to find the difference between these two pictures

What is going on? We only see things if we pay attention to them.

Page 25: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

         

                                                                          

 

One of these beans is not a bean, it’s a face! Can you find it?

What is going on? Just like in ‘Where is Waldo?’, we only see things if we pay attention to them.

Page 26: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Stroop task

• Materials: – stopwatch, – pencil (to graph)– Kids work in pairs: One reads, the other times

• Instructions:– Name the color of the ink, do NOT read the word

• Results: Graph results (see sample)– Include y-axis (how many seconds), x-axis (condition)

• Discussion:– Which was slowest? Why?– what would happen if the kid doesn’t know how to read yet? Would he be

faster? Slower? It depends? Why? – What would happen if you put 'funny’ words, like ‘poop’, and ‘fart’. Why

Page 27: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

BLACK ORANGE RED BLUE GREEN

YELLOW BLUE BROWN BLACK GRAY

ORANGE GREEN YELLOW BLUE BLUE

BLACK GRAY PINK ORANGE BROWN

YELLOW BROWN GRAY BLACK PINK

Page 28: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

Page 29: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

RED BLUE GREEN BLUE BLACK

YELLOW GREEN ORANGE GREEN RED

PINK BLACK BROWN YELLOW GRAY

BLUE RED GREEN PINK BROWN

ORANGE BLACK BLUE GREEN RED

Page 30: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

20.427.4

90

0102030405060708090

100

red xxx redred

How many seconds?

What type of list?

Page 31: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

D. Memory

• Materials– A real penny– A brain model

• Activities– Penny– False memory: show the hippocampus (remember) and the frontal

lobe

Page 32: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Only one of these images of a penny is correct. Which one is it?

Answer: Most people have a hard time making this choice. You need to be able to recognize a penny when you see one. But you don't need to remember many details to tell it apart from a dime or quarter. This sort of test suggests that you're likely to remember only enough about an object to let you recognize it in everyday life. A is the correct image. Now you know!

This activity is from the website of the ‘Museum of science, art, and human perception’ in San Francisco. For more activities, go to http://www.exploratorium.edu/mind/play.html

Page 33: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

False MemoryInstructions:

– I’m going to read a list of words. Try to remember them.– After I read them, you will count to 30. – When you are done counting, I will read some old words and some new words– Raise your hand when you hear an old word. – Ready to try?– Let’s start with a practice trial.

Practice:

List 1: Dog, shoe, momCount to 30List 2: Dog, hippopotamus, mom

Good. Ready to start for real?List 1: read, pages, letters, school, study, reading, stories, sheets, cover, pen, pencil, magazine,

paper, wordsList 2: ocean, pencil, apple, house, shoe, book, flag, rock, train, hill, music, water, glass, school

Predicted Results: - few hands up for ‘ocean’ (correct rejection)- Lots hands for ‘Pencil, ‘school’ (hits)- Lots hands up for "book“: FALSE MEMORY

Page 34: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

False memory: results

4

1

3

0

1

2

3

4

5

old new new_related toold

How many kids?

What type of word?

Page 35: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

False MemoryAnother example (if you need to kill time)List 1: sheets, pillow, mattress, blanket, comfortable, room, dream, lay, chair, rest, tired, night,

dark, timeList 2: door, tree, eye, song, pillow, juice, orange, radio, rain, car, sleep, cat, dream, eatDid they say that "sleep" was on list 1? Only pillow and dream were on list 1.

Page 36: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

E. Move

• Activities– Catch a ruler (& dollar bill)– Trace a maze with left/right hand

Page 37: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Catch a dollar bill

• Illustrate with a dollar bill trick – It is easy to catch the dollar bill if you release, – It is hard to catch if someone else releases it. Why?

• Catching the bill is like the game, ‘Whisper Down the Lane’ only it all happens inside the body.1. The eye sees the bill drop.2. The eye sends a message to the part of the brain that ‘sees’.3. From there, it sends the message to the part that plans movement.4. From there, it goes to the spinal cord.5. The spinal cord sends a message to the hand/finger muscle.6. The finger muscle contracts to catch the ruler.

• Activity: see brain poster; see parts of brain in model

Page 38: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

F. Brains & Models

• Activities– See slides of rat brain (ppt & glass)– See brains of different animals (doc & glass)– See skull–

Page 39: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large
Page 40: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large
Page 41: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

G. Touch, Taste&Smell, Hearing, Balance

• Materials– Brain model (show motor strip)– Toothpicks (or anything to gentle touch skin)– Ear

• Activities– Touch: Two point discrimination– Taste&Smell: jelly beans– Hearing: see eardrum (model & slide)– Balance:

Page 42: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Touch: two point discrimination

Kids work in pairs (instructor illustrates first)• Instructions

– I will touch you with either one or two toothpicks, like this– If you feel one, say one. If you feel two, say two. – Keep your eyes closed

• Instructor touches tip & base of index finger: most likely kid says ‘2’ • Instructor touches same gap in the arm: most likely kid says ‘1’. • Repeat with eyes open, so kids see that there is always two stimulus

• Interpretation– there are more nerves in the finger than in the arm, – There is a larger part of the brain devoted to feeling fingers than to feeling

arms (see homunculus)

Page 43: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large
Page 44: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Taste&Smell

• Instructions– With eyes closed, plug your nose and pop a jelly bean in your mouth.– Chew 5 times while holding your nose. What do you taste?– Unplug your nose and keep chewing. What flavor do you experience?

• Interpretation– The flavor of food depends on both taste and smell– When you have a cold, food does not have flavor (no smell)

Page 45: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Balance

lllustrate the three sources of balance (vision, joints, inner ear) by asking them to balance on a mattress (no joints), after twirling (no inner ear), with their eyes closed (no vision) or open (vision)

With eyes closed, they fall

Page 46: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Healthy Eardrum

Ear Infection

Hearing

Page 47: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

SPARE SLIDES

Page 48: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large

Taste (no time for it)

• Taste and flavor are different. While you can taste only 5 things – sweet, salty, sour, bitter, fatty– you can identify thousands of flavors. This is because your nose adds smell to taste to create flavor. We will illustrate this by eating some Jelly beans.

• -• pink bumps

Page 49: What do scientists do? Scientists: – Observe Brains, Eyes, Ears, Skull – Make predictions – Measurehow fast, how large