Use how much of your brain

On that day, you will explain what you have found with the members of your group. Bring copies to share with them in addition to the copy you will turn in to me. Your answers should be based on information from credible sources. A good answer will reflect a thorough understanding of concepts, critical reflection and clear, coherent, persuasive arguments.

Clarity, organization, and writing style count as well as references and content. Taylor is at a party. Although normally easy going, the drug causes Taylor to become loud, aggressive, and violent. Taylor gets into an argument with other partygoers and assaults a couple of them before being subdued. Taylor is arrested, but once the drug wears off Taylor is appalled by the violence and deeply remorseful about the incident. Should Taylor be arrested and tried for the assault? Why or why not?

If yes, would you vote to convict if you were on the jury? If Taylor is convicted, should Taylor be incarcerated for the assault and for how long? Explain your reasoning at each step. Taylor is normally easy going but over a period of months, becomes progressively more violent and aggressive.

Finally, Taylor gets into an argument with other people at a party and assaults a couple of them before being subdued. Taylor is appalled by the violence and deeply remorseful about the incident. Did you react differently to the two scenarios? How is the first scenario different from the second one, or are they fundamentally the same? Your answers to these questions bear on key questions of human nature. Do people really have free will or are they bound by their brain activity?

It bears on how we view the causes of crime and other kinds of antisocial behavior. It has important implications on the question of personal responsibility in society. Do we always hold people personally responsible for their actions? If not, under what conditions do we excuse them? Can society function in a lawful and orderly way if we do not hold people personal responsible for their behavior?

Finally, it has implications for society as a whole. What if we could detect brain structures or genes that make it likely a person will develop destructive behaviors. How should we treat that person? This scenario is not hypothetical. Brain tumors can cause significant changes in mood and behavior. See these two resources:. For Part 3, reflect on your answers to Parts 1 and 2. Did you find a difference between the two scenarios? Create your free account or Sign in to continue.

See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Create Account See Subscription Options. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. So how can an idea with so little biological or physiological basis have spread so widely?

It is hard to track down an original source. He was optimistic that people could achieve more, but he does not refer to brain volume or quantity of cells, nor does he give a specific percentage. But Professor Della Sala has tried to find the quote, and even those who work at the Albert Einstein archives can find no record of it.

So it seems this might be a myth too. There are two other phenomena that might account for the misunderstanding. Nine-tenths of the cells in the brain are so-called glial cells. But these are different kind of cells entirely. It is not, however, as simple as saying that drinking alcohol kills brain cells — this is a myth.

The reasons for this are complicated. If a woman drinks too much alcohol while pregnant, it can affect the brain development of the fetus, and even cause fetal alcohol syndrome. The brains of babies with this condition may be smaller and often contain fewer brain cells. This may lead to difficulties with learning and behavior. Research suggests that subliminal messages can provoke an emotional response in people unaware that they had received emotional stimulus.

But can subliminal messages help a person to learn new things? This was only the case in people who had already studied the vocabulary. Researchers noted that hearing information while asleep cannot help a person to learn new things. It may only improve recall of information learned earlier, while awake.

The human brain is covered in folds, commonly known as wrinkles. The dip in each fold is called the sulcus, and the raised part is called the gyrus. Some people believe that a new wrinkle is formed every time a person learns something. This is not the case. The brain starts to develop wrinkles before a person is born, and this process continues throughout childhood. First established in , scientists estimate that the brain is around 73 percent water.