Biology 202 Web Paper 3

Virtual Reality and Dissociative Personalities

This final examination of dissociation will be looking at the projection of the self in daydreams and other fictional states and will suggest the incorporation of a fluid scale of dissociation…

The article that inspired this investigation is written by a woman in the forefront of the examination of the idea of “plural selves” and dissociation, especially in relation to technology and virtual reality. In the article “Who Am We?” professor and clinical psychologist Sherry Turkle writes about herself and her research in the 3rd person, a quirky self-reflexive approach that goes hand-in-hand with the concept of self-pluralism:

Music is without a doubt a universal language that transcends time, generations, and cultures. It makes for good entertainment, interest, and constructive pursuit that enriches the lives of whomever it touches. Some researchers believe that our natural, almost universal predisposition to the enjoyment of and emotional reaction to music is hard-wired into us – that it has always played a pivotal role in helping humans develop their minds and relationships with others. One writer suggests, “ Babies are born with musical wisdom and appetite, music facilitates well-being and returns people to well-being from mental and physical impairments – it is deep in our genetic structures” (1).

Pharmaceutical companies have been grappling with the placebo effect since the 1950s, when its surprising powers were discovered. As long as a patient is under the assumption that he or she is receiving a drug, a sugar pill or saline injection can alleviate illness and cure disease—sometimes, with close to the same level of efficacy as the actual drug. The science behind the placebo is shaky, and there are studies being conducted, but what seems to be of more concern to scientists is the placebo’s detriment to drug trials. Martin Enserink, in Science, discussed in his report on the placebo the recent failure of a new drug by Merck, MK-869, an antidepressant.

Michelle Han

Paul Grobstein

Web Paper # 3

May 13, 2010

            Research has shown that control is an important aspect in relationships. Control can be understood as a compensatory process where people are most likely to control their partners when control over their environment is challenged, When low mastery, low trust, or high conflict occurs in relationships, individuals feel the need to control their partners to compensate for their perceived lack of control. In order to better understand intimate relationships we need to examine processes such as commitment, love, conflict, and power.

Normal 0

In my previous web paper, I contemplated the idea of a link between depression and the default mode network. I would like to explore the link between the two in this web paper.

    Imagine an army of ants crawling up your back. Slowly they move up your spine, their short legs scurrying along. Eventually they reach your neck, briefly touching your skin before they move up the back of your head. Does your skin feel tingly? Did your head start to itch? Did you give in to the temptation to scratch? If so, you aren’t alone; I had those same sensations as I was writing this. That inexplicable sensation of itching just by reading about it is not uncommon. Atul Gawande, in The Itch, a treatise on itching published in The New Yorker, described a similar experience.

                                                                                Color Perception