Michael Frank3/14/07

sleep, consciousness, and paper writing

Today

• Consciousness and sleep• Quiz• Brief review of paper writing

Sleep review

• How many sleep stages?• How are they measured?

Sleep stages

• Stage 1: Hypnogogic sleep• Stage 2: Sleep spindles• Stages 3 & 4: Slow-wave sleep• REM sleep

Sleep stages

Kales and Kales. N. Engl. J. Med.1974;209:487-499

Controlling sleep

arousal

Discussion: Consciousness & Sleep

• Are we conscious during dreams (REM sleep)?

• What is the function of REM sleep?• Why might sleep patterns change with age?

Quiz

• What are the two types of conditioning (bonus: what is the name of the researcher most associated with each technique)

• What is latent learning?• If TV and video games make children

violent, this is an example of what kind of learning?

• What was the hardest question on the exam?

Grades histogram

Writing a critical review

• Seems strange, but actually very common in science:– Read a variety of sources– Synthesize into an argument for or against

• Paper should be about particular arguments, not opinions or personalities– No reference to own feelings – Very rare to use direct quotations– Not about personalities involved, just about

theories/facts

Paper structureThesis: Squirrels are evil.

[argumentative claim]

1. Squirrels steal from other species

• bird feeders [evidence]

• picnics [evidence]

• Squirrels do not act morally towards one another

• Squirrels bite without provocation

Conclusion: Squirrels are definitely evil [restate thesis]. Should we eradicate them? [extend]

The Road Map

• Road map gives the reader a preview of the argument:

• Signposts help the reader stay on track

“What is the moral status of squirrels? They steal from their own kind, they act immorally towards other species, and they bite without provocation. The evidence is clear: squirrels are evil.”

“Our second argument for squirrels’ immorality is...”

Mechanics

• Thesis in the first paragraph• No summary!

– You can cite evidence for a specific point, but that’s different:

[Starting a paragraph]Not so good: In his essay, Ronaldo writes that his hatred of squirrels started at an early age, when he saw one steal a sandwich from his brother.

Better: Squirrels steal from both their own species and from humans. Ronaldo observes that squirrel-on-human crime is extremely prevalent in Northern California.

Possible traps

• Point-counterpoint– bad: john says this, but steve says the other

thing– better: structure your argument around

particular claims, not by evaluating the authors’ statements

• Too much emphasis on “flow”– Arguments can be separate points– Numbering is useful for organization