PB3A:
The Brain Game
The scholarly
article I plan on transforming for my Writing Project 3 is Differential abnormalities in plasma 5-HIAA and platelet serotonin
concentrations in violent suicide attempters: Relationships with impulsivity
and depression (Differential Abnormalities).
Published by the Life Sciences
journal, Spreux-Varoquaux et al. primarily aimed to evaluate plasma and platelet
serotonin concentrations in “violent suicide attempters” and examine the relationship
between these concentrations and depression and impulsivity. A select group of
suicide attempters admitted to intensive care units, as well as a control
group, are interviewed by trained psychiatrists to assess levels of depression
and impulsivity. After that, both patients and control subjects underwent the
same blood sampling procedures and “biochemical determinations” were made for
the chemicals 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) (a serotonin metabolite) and homovanillic
acid (HVA).
This study
implements the overlap of the biological and psychological disciplines. 5-HIAA and HVA levels are measured via blood
sampling of both types of subjects to analyze adjacent to the interviews taken
to qualitatively assess depression levels. In this experiment, it is clear that
both physiological and cognitive assessments are performed to form relationships
between hormone levels, mental health, and impulsive actions.
I chose this
article partially because I have experienced depression firsthand and have a
family member who has suffered with severe depression (and subsequent
alcoholism) his whole life. The disorder is very interesting to me; all the physiological
processes involved and the external effects of those processes are so complex
and fascinating. Diagnosis of depression and suicidal acts are prevalent
worldwide, especially among young adults experiencing extreme peer pressure,
raging hormones, and often bullying.
For the transformed
genre targeting an adult audience, I was thinking of doing a Web MD post. Zack
told us about how someone used that genre for their WP3 and I thought it was
highly appropriate for my article. It might be somewhat difficult since I would
describing a mental disorder, but I think it’s important for people to be able
to identify their feelings of depression even if they lack counseling
resources. Web MD could be a great preventative tool for people who are confused
about their troubled thoughts. With the Web MD post, I could incorporate much
of the language from the scholarly article as well as evidence discussing the
indicative happiness hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. I can directly
address the article in the post by saying things like “studies have shown that
low serotonin levels are associated with depression and impulsivity, which can
lead to suicide”.
To target a
younger audience, I was thinking of creating a fake “brain game” similar to
operation. This educational game would include lots of lights, beeping noises,
and voice-animated tasks that would provide a fun and entertaining way to learn
about the brain’s different functional parts and the neural network within it.
I won’t be creating the game itself, but rather the easy-to-read instructions for
it. The voice in the game would ask the child to identify a certain structure
of the brain, and a beeper (just like Operation) will go off if the child
touches a different part with the provided surgical
tool. This hands-on learning tool is fun and engaging for kids, which helps
them to subconsciously absorb information. Health education in younger generations
will contribute to the awareness of the prevalence of people with mental
disorders.
I really like your idea about the Web Md Page as it would be really helpful, but it seems to be something that is already done on the actual website itself. I would just use caution with the genre and make it stand out from one that could be found on their actual website since you are talking about a medical condition. Otherwise this is a great idea and I look forward to seeing the way you execute it. The game similar to operation is quite interesting, my question is what will learning about the brain connect to the article you've chosen? How does knowing the parts of the brain convey the information from the article? This is a great idea, very creative and unique, I just wonder what information about depression you are wanting to get across to each type of audience. Maybe something that includes the fact that depression is a normal thing many people go through would be appropriate for the child audience? But I don't know what information is in your article, hopefully this helps!
ReplyDeleteYou chose a really interesting topic that was really interesting to read about. I like how you put a lot of thought into what you are writing as well as made it personal. I also enjoyed seeing how you differentiate the content between the older and younger audience. Maybe include a summary paragraph in your WP3 so the reader has some backround going into reading your paper. I also really like how you organized your paragraph, it made it really structured and easy to read. Overall good job and good luck on your WP3!
ReplyDeleteHi! I think that the paper you chose was really interesting. Your summary was a helpful to understand what the original context of the paper is. I also found it very interesting to read about the personal story behind the subject that you picked. For the WebMD post I suggest that you emphasize to the reader that if they do think they have a mental disorder that it is important to go to the doctor or a health care professional. What are some conventions that you think makes WebMD different than other websites that attempt to diagnose people.
ReplyDeleteThe game that you are creating sounds extremely interesting as well. What are some ways that you are going to engage children while the read the instruction manual? I know that I personally always skipped the instructions and tried to play the game, so if I were to have read the instructions I would have to be engaged throughout. Are you going to provide information about different mental disorders? Is it a multi player game? For what ages is this game designed for?
Hey Jordan! I love your “brain game” idea. I think it’s a super creative and outside-the-box way to teach youngsters about a subject that definitely doesn’t get enough attention in schools. However, it does have the potential to get a little “dark”. Do you plan on simplifying the concepts to benefit a child’s understanding and avoid spooking him? Or do you plan on avoiding mentioning mental disorders altogether and just focusing on the mechanics of the brain? Although I think it’s very important that kids are educated on the topic, mental disorders may be a difficult and heavy concept for them to wrap their brains around. Perhaps you could include a suggested age range in your instructions. As for the WebMD article, I think it might be difficult to present the information in the article in that format since it’s focused on internal causes – chemical concentrations in the brain – of depression. People usually use WebMD to self-diagnose when they begin exhibiting external symptoms. Are there specific symptoms of depression mentioned in your article? If so, then this genre is a perfect fit, but if not, I think you might have a bit of trouble with the transformation. But overall, I love the creativity of your ideas. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteCaldwell,
ReplyDeleteExcellent job on the summary—even though I’m not a “hard science” guy, I was able to understand what the researchers were doing and why. The experimental condition is something, in and of itself, that you could base (in part) your transformation on. Independent and dependent variables are almost always pretty interesting to think about, and pretty important to explain to others who might be interested in research about this topic.
The Web MD transformation does seem like a natural fit. That said, it’s important that you go above the “it looks like a Web MD analysis” to a “how is this capturing the scholarly piece?” consideration. What will you hope to pull out from the research? And who is the Web MD piece tailored to? Depressed individuals with thoughts of suicide? Their family members? Doctors and/or doctoral students? All of the above? These are all aspects that I think you should consider. You might also want to take a second to consider other medical genres that are out there—you might find one better for your purposes than Web MD.
And a “brain game,” huh? Wooo—sounds neat! Question: who, exactly, is the younger audience? And why them? Where (in what kind of context/setting) might they be encountering/playing this game, and what do you hope that they will “get” out of it? Could it be for a science class? Or would it be found in a psychologist’s or psychiatrist’s office? Or would kids just be playing this for fun, on their own? (That seems a bit unrealistic to me.)
The instructions—but not the actual game—will totally work. I dig it. ☺
Z
Your summary was really helpful in understanding what you were shooting for. The WebMD is a good call, especially considering your topic concerns health. For the WebMD article, are you focusing on the biological or psychological aspects of depression? I'm guessing since the article covered chemical levels in the brain the focus will be there.
ReplyDeleteI love the brain game idea! Video games are a great way to educate people about topics and I can see your instructions working out well. Would the information given about the regions of the brain point out the ones related to depression? I like the game idea, but the operation style description has me curious as to how it could convey information about depression in a meaningful way.
Hi Jordan! I think the topic that you chose is a very interesting one. I don't have much experience with webMD or ever use it but taking a look at it, it seems like it would be a good genre for your topic. One question I had was if this website is where people usually go when they want to research about prescription or an explanation for depression. I don't know really, but I would expect to find an article about that in a psychologist office or at a place like CAPS here on campus.
ReplyDeleteYou said you are not very creative, but c'mon! The idea of the game was marvelous! I really really like it! I think if you explain in what context or situation a kid would play it, you would be good to go. Also, how exactly would instructions for the game show the essence of the article you are transforming?