English 102 - Fall 2008

The authors discuss the serious consequences of low health literacy for individual health and the added demands it places on the health care system. Problems resulting from low literacy cause increased health complications and increased hospitalization for patients. Because of the inability for patients to understand medical instructions and directives by health professionals, many patients experience more health problems which lead to additional health care expenditures, translating to billions of dollars for the nation. The authors make important points, but much research is based on studies from a single public hospital. However, the facts presented provide valid information.

Lynn Waterhouse's article summarizes evidence for three cognitive theories, one including the "Mozart Effect" theory. Since I was doing this project about the Mozart Effect, I figured I'll pay more attention on the passage concentrating more on MI. In the review, it discusses the history of the method as well as evidence showing how effective this is. It also talks about the Mozart Effect as an arousal tool, that Mozart music creates excitement. Like many of the sources that I'm using, this source also presents that some researchers disconfriming the evidence of this method.

Rauscher and Hinton is arguing the distinct difference music in general as a source of music instruction. I say that because in the 1993 study, the results only lasted 15 mins. The Mozart Effect was under fire as being a "limited" source for a study method. The whole controversy behind that was the during the original study, just one of his songs were being used. Which brings up the question, " Just because one of his songs were used and happen to work, doesn't mean that all of his songs will work the same way.

Michael Linton talks about the history of the Mozart Effect as well opinion on how he thinks this method has been throughout the years.From his research, the Mozart Effect has not only improve the thinking process but has also has cured many diseases and personalities such as schizophrenia and prejudice. In his opinion, Linton feels that the idea of the "Mozart Effect' has been long before it was introduced in 1993. The only difference is that Mozart's music wasn't the only music being used.

This is a case report about the Mozart Effect. In the study, it dealt with a 56-year-old man who throughout his life dealt with gelastic seizures, which is laughing off random. After having many testes done on him cure this problem, the doctor decided to do a intervention. In that intervention, Mozart's music was used which enhanced his spatiotemporal reasoning.

This is an article/study that explain the history/study that explains the history of the Mozart Effect and the experiment being conducted by Cristy Ho, Oliver Mason and Charles Spence. The main purpose for the Mozart Effect was to improve people's intelligence, however that wasn't the intention that was used for this particular study. Their purpose was to determine whether the Mozart Effect was for the "visual attentional blink", also known as AB, which provide dynamics of visual attention.

This article talks about how the "Mozart Effect" has been popularized as being the method of making people smarter, however is has discussed the criticism that the method been getting of being fake. This article also discusses a study that was done by groups of student playing video games instead of tests. Their goal was to determine whether listening to Mart will improve people's performance in computer games.

This article starts off explaining brief history on the Mozart Effect and how it influence the way the mind and music connect together. Will Dowd, the author, also goes on explaining Don Campbell, who wrote the "The Mozart Effect or Children". Dowd uses an example for Campbell's book explaining " Mozart's music enhance the network of connection forming in the infant brain." Towards the end of the article, Dowd explain how there are scientists out there that feel that the Mozart Effect is ineffective.

The article is about how music, in general, is effective for the mind, body and soul. Mostly in everyday situations, but more about the brain. The authors questioned the purpose of the the "Mozart Effect". What is so significant about Mozart's music helping the cognitive process that contemporary music couldn't do? This question and many others help develop a study between classical music and rock music. I the study, a group of rock and classical musicians were used to listen to classical and rock music to determine which music as effective or the cognitive processes. Only 6 woman were included in this study. The demographics for this study was 18-58 years.

This study examined the roles of sensation seeking and self-efficacy in explaining extreme and high physical risk taking behavior. Study participants were 20 extreme risk takers chosen from participants in skiing, rock climbing, kayaking, and stunt flying. One control group was comprised of 20 high, but not extreme, risk takers from each of these activities, matched to the participants in skill and experience. A second control group consisted of 20 trained athletes involved in moderate risk sports. Percepts of self-efficacy emerged as the principle variable differentiating the groups. A social cognitive explanation for desire for mastery was used to understand what enables risk takers to overcome the potentially inhibiting influences of anxiety, fear, and the recognition of danger. This conclusion is further reinforced by converging results from interviews with the participants.

This article is concerned with what it may mean to individuals to engage in practices that are physically challenging and risky. The article questions the assumptions that psychological health is commensurate with maintaining physical safety, and that risking one's health and physical safety is necessarily a sign of psychopathology. The research was based upon semi-structured interviews with eight extreme sport practitioners. The interviews were analysed using Colaizzi's version of the phenomenological method. The article explicates the themes identified in the analysis, and discusses their implications for health psychology theory and practice.

Time for a little fun. I know you've asked yourself this question: why do people engage in those dangerous sports like hang gliding, bungee jumping and rock climbing?

The fear that drives many of us away from the risks of extreme sports maybe the same ingredient that keeps top athletes coming back for more.

In a detailed look at nearly 30 years of research on how television, music, movies and other media affect the lives of children and adolescents, a new study released today found an array of negative health effects linked to greater use.

Parents and students in a growing number of schools can track fluctuations in a grade-point average from the nearest computer in real time, a ritual that can become as addictive as watching political polls or a stock-market index.

Have Americans been seduced into overeating by the so-called health halo associated with certain foods and restaurants?

Tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, while median family income rose 147 percent.