Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Audio Links

Audio 1.1: Learning in a Social Matrix

Description: A brief podcast highlights the influence of the Communist regime in the former Soviet Union on Vygotsky’s theory, as well as the impact of his theory on the current emphasis on inclusion and diversity in contemporary education.

Audio 1.2: Childhood Exposure to Lead

Description: A decades-long study in New Zealand suggests that childhood exposure to lead may be related to lower cognitive ability and lower socioeconomic status as an adult.

Video Links

Video 1.1: Nature and Nurture

Description: The video introduces the issue of genetic and environmental contributions to thought and behavior in the context of intelligence and sexual orientation. The discussion opens with the high-interest topic of feral children.

Video 1.2: Correlation and Causation

Description: Does living together cause divorce? This video takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to demonstrate that correlation does not always mean causation.

Web Resources

Web 1.1: Resilience: It Takes a Village

Description: The video explains social stratification in the United States from a sociological perspective as it applies to social class, status, and power.

Web 1.2: Poverty and Brain Development

Description: This article probes the influence of contexts such as poverty and community development on the development of children’s brains.

Web 1.3: Second Couplehood in Late Adulthood

Description: This article explores “sunset relationships”--second couplehood in late adulthood--as a way of illustrating the theme of continuity versus discontinuity in development. The results suggest that discontinuity may be the rule in development, and continuity the exception.