I am absolutely fascinated with neuroscience, which is the science of the brain. I have to admit that when I was an undergraduate, I was terrified of the brain. It all seemed so complicated and convoluted to me. I completely avoided the topic even though I knew that I wanted to be a psychologist (and psychologists need to understand the brain-at least a little bit!). In graduate school, I was able to embrace the study of the brain and I have been slightly obsessed ever since. I really believe that it helps us understand ourselves and others so much better than simply describing behavior alone.
So, I decided to start this series to "explain the brain" and how it relates to diversity. I know, those two topics do not seem very connected at all, but they are! Our brain development is significantly shaped by our environment and diversity, or lack thereof, can significantly influence our environment. How does your brain develop if you speak more than one language? How does exposure to peers with different socioeconomic statuses influence the brain? Does learning about different religions change your brain? Using research and my own experience and knowledge, I hope to answer some of these questions in an informative and accessible way. As we go along in this series, I would love to hear from you. What questions do you have about diversity and the brain? What would you like to know more about? How does this all relate to your children? Not sure where or how to start? Check out some of the other blog posts and resources for inspiration. I may not be able to answer every question; the answer may not be fully understood yet! But I will try to offer some information to mull over and hopefully look at things in a new way. This series will be ongoing. There may not be a post every week, but we'll keep it going for as long as people have questions that need to be answered! Leave a comment below, fill out the interest survey, or contact me. I can't wait to hear from you! Did you enjoy this post? Sign up for our newsletter! Instead of having to remember to check out the blog, you will get great information delivered right to your email. Tips, strategies, articles, and videos so you don't have to figure it all out yourself! When you sign up, you will receive a useful book list for kids of all ages-babies to teens. Enjoy and let us know what you think!
2 Comments
Mark
2/9/2016 06:38:50 am
Good choice for topic... looking forward to it.
Reply
Carol
2/9/2016 01:35:00 pm
I am really looking forward to this series. I hope to understand better how the brain works and how that knowledge can help guide me as I try to help kids make good decisions with respect to dealing with diversity.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDr. Sweeney is a licensed school psychologist and cultural competence expert. Here are her musings on life in a multicultural world. Archives
February 2017
CategoriesInterested in writing a guest blog post? Contact me for more information!
|
Proudly powered by Weebly