These discussion guides for Psychology present videos or readings for students to evaluate, compare, and respond to. Suitable for individual or group use, they include learning objectives, discussion questions, and evaluation tables. The guides cover Emerging Adulthood, Enhancing Memory, Schizophrenia, and Growth Mindset. The authors also provide a template for the creation of additional guides.

The Discussion Guides were authored by:

Kelley Eltzroth, Mid Michigan College
Sharon Griffin, San Jacinto College - Central Campus
Patricia Adams - Pitt Community College
Jean Cahoon - Pitt Community College

Students see and learn how crystallization and inhibition occur by making sugar crystals with and without additives in a supersaturation solution, testing to see how the additives may alter crystallization, such as by improving crystal growth by more or larger crystals. After three days, students analyze the differences between the control crystals and those grown with additives, researching and attempting to deduce why certain additives blocked crystallization, showed no change or improved growth. Students relate what they learn from the rock candy experimentation to engineering drug researchers who design medicines for targeted purposes in the human body. Conduct the first half of this activity one day before presenting the associated lesson, Body Full of Crystals. Then conduct the second half of the activity.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"While best known for its role in the brain, serotonin does more in our body than influence mood. There is even growing evidence that it is involved in tumor development. However, little is known about its role in colorectal cancer. In a recent study, researchers found that serotonin promotes colon cancer cell growth in cell culture and animal models. Further tests revealed that serotonin is moved into colorectal cancer cells via its transporter SERT and that once the serotonin is inside the cancer cells, the enzyme TG2 links serotonin to the protein RhoA, activating it. Through down-stream signaling mediators, activated RhoA increases expression of the known cancer-promoting protein YAP. Blocking SERT from transporting serotonin with citalopram reversed the serotonin-induced YAP expression and cell proliferation increases and blocked serotonin’s effects on tumor formation in mice..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

An infographic that shows all of the benefits of sharing materials for teachers who are not sure if they want to share

Through a gardening activity, students will use their knowledge of growth to determine the effect of gravity on plant growth.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson helps out with a gardening activity that you could do at home or in the classroom.

This video segment adapted from NOVA reveals how junk DNA helped solve an evolutionary mystery: Why do certain species of fruit flies have wing spots while others don't?

Students will learn about where different types of food come from, why nutrition is important, and how to grow their own food. Students will also learn the basic conditions required for plants to grow, and the importance of human action in maintaining the availability of these conditions.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Farmed chickens often suffer from intestinal inflammation which negatively affects their feed intake, digestion, and growth performance. The gut microbial community has a known close relationship with growth performance, but how, or if, this microbiota influences intestinal inflammation is not yet known. To test this, researchers examined the microbiota in young chickens, focusing on the jejunum section of the gut. They found that 7-week-old chickens with high body weight tended to have a microbiota dominated by gram-positive bacteria, like Lactobacilli. But lower-body-weight chickens had a microbiota dominated by gram-negative bacteria, like Escherichia-Shigella. Gram-negative bacteria carry endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), and consequently, these lower body weight chickens had more of it in their bloodstream. These elevated lipopolysaccharide levels activated inflammatory cytokines in the jejunum, causing damage to the gut barrier..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.