statement of purpose – why do i want to teach this · web viewpsychology: the science that...

University of WyomingScience Posse

June, 2010 Science ALIVE! Mythbusters

PSYCHOLOGY MOCK TRIALSEthan A. McMahan

Primary Objective: Provide students with a basic understanding of psychology within the context of a fun mock trial game.

Overview: This activity provides students with a very basic understanding of psychology and how mental processes influence and are influenced by behavior. This is achieved largely within the context of a mock trial game that requires students to act out and interpret others’ behaviors. Students are presented with a crime scenario in which they are assigned a character and are required to interact with other characters in small groups. Each group contains several characters, including investigators and a perpetrator. Later, students attempt to identify the characters in their groups, with special emphasis being placed on identifying the perpetrators of the crime. The primary emphasis for this activity is for students to have fun and learn a little about psychology. However, teachers can easily incorporate more detail on the study of psychology into this activity.

Grade Level(s): 6-8 Group Size: This can be done with an entire class; students will work in groups of 5.

Prerequisite Skills and Knowledge None. This activity assumes that students have little or no prior knowledge of psychology.

Time Frame: 1.5 hours for each scenarioPart 1: 45 mins.Part 2: 45 mins.

Enduring Understandings:)Students will develop a basic understanding of how cognition and emotion influence, and are influenced by, behavior. Students will also develop a basic understanding of the complexity of human behavior.

Relevant Skills:Students will be able to more critically analyze their own and other behaviors with reference to the mental processes that underlay them.

Relevant Vocabulary:- Psychology: The science that studies behavior and how mental processes (i.e., cognition,

emotion) influence and are influenced by behavior.- Cognition: All mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and

communicating.- Emotion: A response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2)

expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience.

This lesson plan was developed with support from the National Science Foundation (G-K12 Project # 0841298) and

the University of Wyoming.




Wyoming Science Standards and Benchmarks:SC8.1.5 Behavior and Adaptation: Students recognize behavior as a response of an

organism to an internal or environmental stimulus and connect the characteristics and behaviors of an organism to biological adaptation.

SC8.2.1 Students research scientific information and present findings through appropriate means.

SC8.2.2 Students use inquiry to conduct scientific investigations. Ask questions that lead to conducting an investigation. Collect, organize, and analyze and appropriately represent data. Draw conclusions based on evidence and make connections to applied

scientific concepts. Clearly and accurately communicate the result of the investigations.

SC8.2.3 Students clearly and accurately communicate the result of their own work, as well as information obtained from other sources.

SC8.2.4 Students recognize the relationship between science and technology in meeting human needs.

SC8.3.2 Students explore how scientific information is used to make decisions. The role of science in solving personal, local, and national problems. Interdisciplinary connections of the sciences and connections to other

subject areas and careers in science or technical fields. Origins and conservation of natural resources, including Wyoming

examples.

Part 1: Introduction and Group Interaction (45 mins.)

Materials/Preparation:1. Wildfire scenario instructions and character descriptions (Appendix A)2. Fireworks scenario instructions and character descriptions (Appendix B)3. Board games (any will work, but the game should involve frequent player interactions)

Location/Environment: Classroom

Background Information for the teacher:Included in this packet are two scenarios (Wildfire Scenario and Fireworks Scenario). Teachers can use both scenarios in two separate activities or one scenario in a single activity. The instructions provided below are general and can be used for both scenarios.

Lesson Plan/Narrative:1. Introduce the study of psychology (see definition above). Emphasize that psychology

studies how mental processes systematically and predictably influence and are influenced by behavior.

a. Note the predictability of behavior mental processes using several examples.






i. Example: “If you observe someone hit their friend, what emotion do you think the person is feeling? Conversely, if you know that someone is very mad at their friend, what types of behavior would you expect to observe”

ii. Example: “If you know that your friend is hungry and that they think there is food in the refrigerator, what type of behavior would you expect to observe? Conversely, if you observe someone walking to the refrigerator, what do you think is going on in their mind?”

b. Note that each of us engages in some form of informal psychology every day. We often interpret others behaviors based on what we think they are thinking.

2. Divide students into groups with five members each.3. Introduce the game.

a. Students are told that they will be characters in a crime and will have to act out their characters. They can act out their character in any way that they like, but it is helpful to think about what their character may be thinking and feeling (e.g., the perpetrator may be feeling guilty, and may think that others will find out that he/she committed the crime).

b. Students are told that they should also observe the other members of their group, because they will have to try and identify their characters later.

c. Read crime scenario to students (see ‘Facts’ section on scenario instructions form).

d. Give students their character assignments. Each group should have a perpetrator, two investigators, and one of each of the other characters (e.g., an innocent camper and an angry local rancher in the wildfire scenario). Tell students what characters are in each group (see ‘People in Your Group’ section on instructions form. Character descriptions and instructions are provided on the character descriptions form. TIP: Have character descriptions printed and placed in individual envelopes to distribute to each student once they are put in groups.

e. Important: Tell students that they are not to discuss their character or the crime with any other students. They are to act out their character with no explicit reference to the crime.

f. Tell students that they will be acting out their character within the context of a board game. Students are to play the game like they think their character would.

4. Inform students that in the second part of this activity they will have to try and identify the perpetrator in their group during a mock trial.

5. Note that to be good at this game, students have to be good psychologists. They will have produce behavior that is consistent with their character and will also have to critically observe others behaviors to identify their character.

6. Distribute board games and allow students to play. Remind students that they are not to just play the board game, but to play like their character and observe others in their group.






Part 2: Mock Trial (45 mins.)

Materials/Preparation:1. Judge wig and gavel (optional)2. Arrange classroom like a courtroom with spaces for the judge, witnesses, and the “jury.”

(To keep the entire class involved, students in other groups serve as the jury.)

Location/Environment: Classroom

Lesson Plan/Narrative:1. The teacher is to be the judge. As judge, it is the teacher’s job to ask the witnesses

questions, to facilitate discussion, and to control the court.2. Inform students that they will be the jury and that they will have to vote on who they

think the perpetrator is in each group.3. For each group, have both investigators come up as witnesses for questioning. The judge

can ask several questions to the investigator witnesses, and investigators may or may not differ in their assessments. However, the judge should ask the witnesses to tell the jury:

a. Who was in their groupb. What behaviors they observed from each of the members of their groupc. What they believe these behaviors indicate about each members characterd. Who they think is the perpetrator in their group

4. Allow the jury (or class) to vote on who they think the perpetrator is based on the investigators’ assessments.

5. Have students identify their characters to see if the investigators and the jury are correct.6. Repeat this process for each group.

TIP: A Mock Trial is the most engaging and entertaining with a lively and funny judge. While it is important to maintain control of the class, this part of the activity has lots of room for silliness and laughter too.

Lesson Wrap-up: After the trial, discuss how this activity relates to psychology. In most cases, students are quite bad at identifying the perpetrators and other characters in their group. Often, they will be surprised by who is actually the perpetrator. This can be explained by noting how complex human behavior is. Several things could be going through the mind of the perpetrator. For example, some perpetrators may feel guilty, some may be afraid of getting caught, and others may act in different ways. Additionally, cognition and emotion often interact in ways that produce seemingly ambiguous behavior. For example, one might predict that someone who is angry (an emotion) may hit or yell at another person. However, if this emotion, anger in this example, is coupled with knowledge (an aspect of cognition) that the other person is having a bad day, the individual may be less likely to produce the expected behavior (yelling or hitting in






this example). Given this complexity, the study of behavior and mental processes is often quite difficult, as likely evidenced in this activity.






Wildfire Scenerio Mock TrialFacts: On August 11th 2009 at approximately 3:00 am, a local rancher awoke and saw that a portion of his pasture was on fire. After causing a great amount of damage to the rancher’s land, the fire was extinguished. Authorities discovered that the fire started on public land and spread into the rancher’s land. This public land is often used for camping and other outdoor activities and authorities believe that campers may be responsible for the fire.Authorities found out that two groups with five people each were camping in the public land on the night in question. Either group of campers could be responsible for the fire.Issues: Which group of campers caused the fire? Who among you is part of the group of campers who started the fire?People in your groups: There are four types of people in your group (you are one of these types).

1. Perpetrators: These are the campers that started the fire2. Innocent campers: These are the campers who did not start the fire3. Local ranchers: These are local ranchers who are angry about the fire4. Investigators (2 people): These are people who are trying to figure out who started the

fire

Mock Trial: Each of the investigators will present their observations of the behavior of the individuals in their group, followed by their conclusion about who is the perpetrator. The jury (audience) will decide whether or not they think the investigators are correct.

Remember! You are trying to figure out who the perpetrators are by assessing their behavior.






Character: Perpetrator of the fire Facts: On August 11th 2009 at approximately 3:00 am, a local rancher awoke and saw that a portion of his pasture was on fire. After causing a great amount of damage to the rancher’s land, the fire was extinguished. Authorities discovered that the fire started on public land and spread into the rancher’s land. This public land is often used for camping and other outdoor activities and authorities believe that campers may be responsible for the fire.Authorities found out that two groups with five people each were camping in the public land on the night in question. Either group of campers could be responsible for the fire.Your Character: You were camping with the group that started the fire and are responsible for the fire. You do not want people to know that you started the fire. Your Group: In your group are several other characters. You will be interacting with these characters, but nobody knows for sure who each character is. Importantly, some people will be trying to figure out who started the fire. Remember, you are acting like someone who started a fire. But, don’t make it obvious that you started the fire. The one and only rule: You can’t talk about your character or the fire. Act out your character through your behaviors, actions, and emotions.






Character: Innocent Camper Facts: On August 11th 2009 at approximately 3:00 am, a local rancher awoke and saw that a portion of his pasture was on fire. After causing a great amount of damage to the rancher’s land, the fire was extinguished. Authorities discovered that the fire started on public land and spread into the rancher’s land. This public land is often used for camping and other outdoor activities and authorities believe that campers may be responsible for the fire.Authorities found out that two groups with five people each were camping in the public land on the night in question. Either group of campers could be responsible for the fire.Your Character: You were camping with the group that did not start the fire. Although you are innocent, you were camping nearby that night and do not want others to think that you started the fire.Your Group: In your group are several other characters. You will be interacting with these characters, but nobody knows for sure who each character is. Importantly, some people will be trying to figure out who started the fire. One person in your group is one of the campers who did start the fire.Remember, you are acting like someone who is innocent and doesn’t want people to think they started the fire.The one and only rule: You can’t talk about your character or the fire. Act out your character through your behaviors, actions, and emotions.






Character: Angry Local Rancher Facts: On August 11th 2009 at approximately 3:00 am, a local rancher awoke and saw that a portion of his pasture was on fire. After causing a great amount of damage to the rancher’s land, the fire was extinguished. Authorities discovered that the fire started on public land and spread into the rancher’s land. This public land is often used for camping and other outdoor activities and authorities believe that campers may be responsible for the fire.Authorities found out that two groups with five people each were camping in the public land on the night in question. Either group of campers could be responsible for the fire.Your Character: You are an angry local rancher. You are angry about the fire and are concerned that other campers may damage your land.Your Group: In your group are several other characters. You will be interacting with these characters, but nobody knows for sure who each character is. Importantly, some people will be trying to figure out who started the fire. One person in your group is one of the campers who started the fire. Remember, you are acting like someone who is angry about the fire and is concerned about other campers damaging your land.The one and only rule: You can’t talk about your character or the fire. Act out your character through your behaviors, actions, and emotions.






Character: Investigator Facts: On August 11th 2009 at approximately 3:00 am, a local rancher awoke and saw that a portion of his pasture was on fire. After causing a great amount of damage to the rancher’s land, the fire was extinguished. Authorities discovered that the fire started on public land and spread into the rancher’s land. This public land is often used for camping and other outdoor activities and authorities believe that campers may be responsible for the fire.Authorities found out that two groups with five people each were camping in the public land on the night in question. Either group of campers could be responsible for the fire.Your Character: You are a criminal investigator. Your job is to try and figure out who in your group started the fire. Your Group: In your group are several other characters. You will be interacting with these characters, but nobody knows for sure who each character is. One person in your group is one of the campers who started the fire. You have to try and figure out which person in your group started the fire by observing their behavior. No one, not even you, is allowed to talk or ask questions about characters or the fire. So, you have to critically observe others behavior and determine who you think started the fire.Take careful observations, because later tonight you will have to tell everyone who you think started the fire and why they, and not the other people in your group, are the perpetrator.The one and only rule: You can’t talk about your character or the fire. Act out your character through your behaviors, actions, and emotions.






Appendix BFireworks Scenario Facts: On the 4th of July 2009, authorities were notified that campers were illegally setting of fireworks in a nearby national park. When authorities arrived at the campground, they found several spent firework casings, indicating that someone was indeed setting off fireworks. However, authorities could not find the individuals who had been setting off the fireworks. There were three groups of campers in the campground that evening. One of these groups is suspected to be the perpetrators. Issues: Which group of campers was setting off the fireworks? Who among you is part of the group of campers who set off the fireworks?People in your groups: There are four types of people in your group (you are one of these types).

1. Perpetrators: These are the campers that set off the fireworks2. Innocent campers: These are the campers who did not set off the fireworks3. Campers who called the authorities: These are the campers who called the authorities in

the first place to report the fireworks4. Investigators (2 people): These are people who are trying to figure out who was setting

off the fireworks.

Mock Trial: Each of the investigators will present their observations of the behavior of the individuals in their group, followed by their conclusion about who is the perpetrator. The jury (audience) will decide whether or not they think the investigators are correct.

Remember! You are trying to figure out who the perpetrators are by assessing their behavior.






Character: PerpetratorFacts: On the 4th of July 2009, authorities were notified that campers were illegally setting of fireworks in a nearby national park. When authorities arrived at the campground, they found several spent firework casings, indicating that someone was indeed setting off fireworks. However, authorities could not find the individuals who had been setting off the fireworks. There were three groups of campers in the campground that evening. One of these groups is suspected to be the perpetrators. Your Character: You were camping with the group that was setting off the fireworks. You do not want people to know that you were setting off fireworks. Your Group: In your group are several other characters. You will be interacting with these characters, but nobody knows for sure who each character is. Importantly, some people will be trying to figure out who was setting off fireworks. Remember, you are acting like someone who is guilty. But, don’t make it obvious that you were part of the group who was setting off fireworks. The one and only rule: You can’t talk about your character or the fireworks. Act out your character through your behaviors, actions, and emotions.






Character: Innocent CamperFacts: On the 4th of July 2009, authorities were notified that campers were illegally setting of fireworks in a nearby national park. When authorities arrived at the campground, they found several spent firework casings, indicating that someone was indeed setting off fireworks. However, authorities could not find the individuals who had been setting off the fireworks. There were three groups of campers in the campground that evening. One of these groups is suspected to be the perpetrators.Your Character: You were camping with the group that did not set off fireworks. Although you are innocent, you were camping in the same campground that night and do not want others to think that you were setting off fireworks.Your Group: In your group are several other characters. You will be interacting with these characters, but nobody knows for sure who each character is. Importantly, some people will be trying to figure out who was setting off fireworks. One person in your group is one of the campers who did set off fireworks.Remember, you are acting like someone who is innocent and doesn’t want people to think they were setting off fireworks.The one and only rule: You can’t talk about your character or the fireworks. Act out your character through your behaviors, actions, and emotions.






Character: Camper who called the authoritiesFacts: On the 4th of July 2009, authorities were notified that campers were illegally setting of fireworks in a nearby national park. When authorities arrived at the campground, they found several spent firework casings, indicating that someone was indeed setting off fireworks. However, authorities could not find the individuals who had been setting off the fireworks. There were three groups of campers in the campground that evening. One of these groups is suspected to be the perpetrators.Your Character: You are one of the campers who called the authorities to tell them about the fireworks. You are angry about the fireworks and don’t want others to ruin the rest of your vacation by setting off more fireworks.Your Group: In your group are several other characters. You will be interacting with these characters, but nobody knows for sure who each character is. Importantly, some people will be trying to figure out who was setting off the fireworks. One person in your group is one of the campers who was setting off the fireworks. Remember, you are acting like someone who is angry about the fireworks and is concerned about other campers setting off more fireworks.The one and only rule: You can’t talk about your character or the fireworks. Act out your character through your behaviors, actions, and emotions.






Character: InvestigatorFacts: On the 4th of July 2009, authorities were notified that campers were illegally setting of fireworks in a nearby national park. When authorities arrived at the campground, they found several spent firework casings, indicating that someone was indeed setting off fireworks. However, authorities could not find the individuals who had been setting off the fireworks. There were three groups of campers in the campground that evening. One of these groups is suspected to be the perpetrators.Your Character: You are a criminal investigator. Your job is to try and figure out who in your group was setting off fireworks. Your Group: In your group are several other characters. You will be interacting with these characters, but nobody knows for sure who each character is. One person in your group is one of the campers who was setting off fireworks. You have to try and figure out which person in your group was setting off fireworks by observing their behavior. No one, not even you, is allowed to talk about characters or the fireworks. So, you have to critically observe others behavior and determine who you think the perpetrator is.Take careful observations, because later tonight you will have to tell everyone who you thing was setting off fireworks and why they, and not the other people in your group, are the perpetrator.The one and only rule: You can’t talk about your character or the fireworks. Act out your character through your behaviors, actions, and emotions.



statement of purpose – why do i want to teach this · web viewpsychology: the science that...

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