Page 219 - Understanding Psychology

Psychology Projects
1. Sleep and Dreams Interview members of your family and friends to find out how many hours a night they sleep. Note their responses; then, as a class, record the results in a bar graph. What kinds of sleep patterns—in terms of age and gen- der—do you observe? Present your findings to the class in an oral report.
2. Meditation Meditation is an important part of some religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Find out about the purpose of medi- tation in these religions and present your find- ings in a written report.
3. Drugs and Consciousness Research places in your community where a drug abuser can go for help. Locate the address, phone number, and the types of services offered in each place. Compile your findings in an informational pamphlet.
4. Hypnosis Contact a hypnotherapist and a stage hypnotist. Ask both: Is hypnosis an altered state of consciousness? What is the difference between a person’s usual waking state and a hypnotic state? Do participants voluntarily agree to the hypnotist’s suggestions? What applications of
hypnosis do you recommend to people? Ask other questions to compare their views and uses of hypnosis. Report your findings to the class.
Assessment
30 25 2150 10 5
Technology Activity
0 Search the Internet to find out about various meditation tech- niques. Enter the term meditation to obtain a list of sites that actually provide techniques you can use to meditate. Try one or two of the techniques and
report on their effectiveness to the class.
Psychology Journal
Many psychologists have theorized that by
interpreting the content of our dreams, we can better understand our unconscious desires. Other social scientists have maintained a more com- monplace view of dreams. Write a two-page essay in your journal that presents a case for both view- points. You may want to look for recent magazine articles on dreams. If possible, use a recent dream that you remember as an example to support one of the viewpoints.
Building Skills
Analyzing a Chart Review the chart below, then answer the questions that follow.
Practice and assess key social
studies skills with Glencoe Skillbuilder Interactive Workbook CD-ROM, Level 2.
Percentage of 12th Graders Who Reported Using Alcohol in the Past 12 Months, 1976 to 1996
Year Total School
1976 82.6 12.1 1978 86.7 12.2 1980 86.5 13.4 1982 85.6 10.1 1984 82.5 11.3 1986 84.2 10.9 1988 85.2 10.2 1990 79.0 6.6 1992 76.8 6.7 1994 74.3 7.8 1996 71.3 8.1
Home Party
53.0 72.3 55.8 76.1 57.0 75.3 54.6 74.9 51.6 71.9 49.8 72.4 52.1 73.8 42.9 68.3 40.0 66.0 39.9 63.3 37.8 60.8
Total
Note: “School” was not defined for the questionnaire respondent. Population sizes are not available.
Source: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1996.
See the Skills Handbook, page 628, for an explanation of interpreting charts.
1. According to the table, where does most drinking by high school seniors take place? Why do you think this is so?
2. In what year was alcohol use at its highest among high school seniors?
3. In what year was alcohol use at its lowest among high school seniors?
4. How has the number of seniors who used alcohol changed between 1976 and 1996? What factors might account for this fact?
Chapter 7 / Altered States of Consciousness 205