Asch's Conformity was interesting because it really made you think about when answering a question, do you answer what you think is correct? Or do you answer whatever the rest of the group has answered? According to this one-third of the time these participants went along with the group. This tells us that as humans, we feel more comfortable agreeing on an answer with everybody else, even if it is indeed the obvious wrong answer. Milgram's Obedience experiment was interesting because it showed how people acted when a figure of higher authority asked them to do it. It surprised me how obedient they are. This shows that Human Nature has a way of doing something when a person older than them tells them too. The Standford Prison Experiment was interesting because they chose real people to act as prison guards would. These fake prison guards acted as real guards and really go into their roles. This goes to show just how well humans can act like somebody else if they really want to.
Social Influence is when we change our normal behaviors just because we are around a certain group of friends. One example of this is when I am around a big group of friends i have a tendency to act happy and hyper. However, when i am not around my normal group of friends i am very quite and have a bigger tendency to keep to myself. Another example is when sometimes I just go with the flow of others instead of really speaking my mind. I sometimes just sit back and watch other people do what they do instead of speaking up and saying what really needs to be done.
The most interesting thing I learned about in this class was about sleep and sleep disorders. This was interesting especially because it pertains to every one's lives. We all sleep everyday, so it is important that we learn about it.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Blog Post #12
Psychological disorders are viewed as an ongoing pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions that are deviant (different), distressful, and/or dysfunctional. Something becomes a disorder when it fully interrupts the thoughts and actions or everyday life. Just because you are different doesn't mean you have a psychological disorder. People have disorders when you can no longer function as a person without a disorder would.'
I have never personally known someone with a psychological disorder. However, I find bipolar disorder to be interesting. Bipolar disorder happens when you have to distinct moods that swing back and forth between the two. These two moods are a mania mood, where you are wildly optimistic, and the depression mood, where you tend to live in slow motion. The mania state of bipolar disorder causes one to have racing thoughts and extra excitedness. In the depressive state of bipolar disorder, a person may need to use all his or her strength just to get out of bed in the morning. Bipolar disorder would be very tough to live with. You would never know when your mood will be mania or depression. It would be tough to keep a steady job along with good, real friends because when you are depressed you just don't have any ambition to do anything or care.
The most interesting thing I learned in this section is about the depressed brain. When a person is suffering depression, their brand activity slows down and there is less activity present. The left frontal lobe creates positive emotions, and this part of the brain is likely do be inactive during depression. In people with severe depression MRI scans have found that their frontal lobes are seven percent smaller than normal.
I have never personally known someone with a psychological disorder. However, I find bipolar disorder to be interesting. Bipolar disorder happens when you have to distinct moods that swing back and forth between the two. These two moods are a mania mood, where you are wildly optimistic, and the depression mood, where you tend to live in slow motion. The mania state of bipolar disorder causes one to have racing thoughts and extra excitedness. In the depressive state of bipolar disorder, a person may need to use all his or her strength just to get out of bed in the morning. Bipolar disorder would be very tough to live with. You would never know when your mood will be mania or depression. It would be tough to keep a steady job along with good, real friends because when you are depressed you just don't have any ambition to do anything or care.
The most interesting thing I learned in this section is about the depressed brain. When a person is suffering depression, their brand activity slows down and there is less activity present. The left frontal lobe creates positive emotions, and this part of the brain is likely do be inactive during depression. In people with severe depression MRI scans have found that their frontal lobes are seven percent smaller than normal.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Blog Post #11
My personality is different than the personalities of my friends. I am independent in the fact that I don't mind being by myself and doing things alone. Actually, I prefer it that way. Many different traits make the the person I am today. Five positive personality traits I have are: 1) Helpful 2) Considerate 3) Loving of Amber especially 4) Smart 5) Trustworthy. Helpfulness is positive because whenever someone asks me to help them with something, I will almost always say yes. I feel bad if I deny someone the help they ask for. Being considerate of others can also be a positive trait, if someone is having a bad day and they turn to me for help I try to cheer them up, not put them down by telling them negative things. I am a loving person; this is positive because I love most people. However, just like everyone else; there are some people I don't always get along with. For the most part, I am loving however. Being smart is a trait I also have, this is positive because it allows me to help others when they need it. I am a trustworthy person, If you need me to keep a secret for you, I will. I have kept many secrets in my life and have never before told someone else something I wasn't supposed to. Three negative traits are 1) Introversion 2) Negativity 3) Disorganized. Introversion is a negative trait because I am usually not very sociable. I prefer to be alone with my iPod than with people full of energy. I enjoy spending quality time with me, myself, and I. This isn't always a good thing because I don't talk to many others giving me less of an opportunity to make friends. Negativity is obviously a negative trait as well. I do not walk around with a smile on my face, ever. Normally, I just am not a very happy-go-lucky person. I usually never see the positive aspects of things. This isn't a good thing because It can turn others away from talking to me. Also people who are negative usually don't live as long as those who are positive. Being disorganized is also a negative trait, because I loose things sometimes, or cannot find where I placed the object.
My level of optimism is nearly non-existent. I hardly ever see the glass as half full. I would be classified as a pessimistic person. This impacts the way I look at life. Sometimes I don't even feel like getting out of my bed in the morning because I feel as if I have nothing good to look forward to. Two examples of the impact it has on my life would be 1) Sometimes I don't do some extra things in school, just because I don't see the need or I don't see what good can come out of my doing things. Another impact it has are that not many people like to be around someone who is pessimistic 99.9% of the time. They may feel that it will also make them pessimistic. This also adds to my introverted personality.
My personality varies from situation to situation depending on who I am with. When I am with certain people, I turn from introverted person to an extroverted person. This changes because of the people I am around. Also my mood can rapidly change depending on the situation. One moment I can be happy and in a good mood, but then one bad thing happens or I see something I don't like, and BAM my day turns terrible just like that. This doesn't always benefit me, but sometimes it does when I become more extroverted because it makes me more fun to be around.
In my life I use in my life are Denial. I know something is true, but outloud I say that it is untrue. I use this about the people I like. I may say that I don't like a certian someone at all, but deep down I know that I really do. I use Sublimation in Softball. When I am angry, I take my anger out by hitting the ball as hard as I can. I also use sublimation when punching my punching bag. I take my anger out on the bag instead of punching real people. Another defense mechanism I use is reaction formation. I act differently than the way I feel. For example, sometimes I feel really sad, but when I am around certain people I may act like nothing is wrong and I am a very happy person.
My level of optimism is nearly non-existent. I hardly ever see the glass as half full. I would be classified as a pessimistic person. This impacts the way I look at life. Sometimes I don't even feel like getting out of my bed in the morning because I feel as if I have nothing good to look forward to. Two examples of the impact it has on my life would be 1) Sometimes I don't do some extra things in school, just because I don't see the need or I don't see what good can come out of my doing things. Another impact it has are that not many people like to be around someone who is pessimistic 99.9% of the time. They may feel that it will also make them pessimistic. This also adds to my introverted personality.
My personality varies from situation to situation depending on who I am with. When I am with certain people, I turn from introverted person to an extroverted person. This changes because of the people I am around. Also my mood can rapidly change depending on the situation. One moment I can be happy and in a good mood, but then one bad thing happens or I see something I don't like, and BAM my day turns terrible just like that. This doesn't always benefit me, but sometimes it does when I become more extroverted because it makes me more fun to be around.
In my life I use in my life are Denial. I know something is true, but outloud I say that it is untrue. I use this about the people I like. I may say that I don't like a certian someone at all, but deep down I know that I really do. I use Sublimation in Softball. When I am angry, I take my anger out by hitting the ball as hard as I can. I also use sublimation when punching my punching bag. I take my anger out on the bag instead of punching real people. Another defense mechanism I use is reaction formation. I act differently than the way I feel. For example, sometimes I feel really sad, but when I am around certain people I may act like nothing is wrong and I am a very happy person.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Blog Post #10
In chapter 9 I learned about overconfidence. Many people are overconfident. People have a tendency to overestimate what they can actually do. Before performing various tasks, people think they can do them better than what they actually can. I found this to be very interesting since I don't think I can do very many things correctly. Overconfidence also takes place in businesses and other various activities. In today's world, too many people are overconfident.
Creativity is the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas. I believe I am partially a creative person, depending on the day and the mood. I apply my creativity especially in my Creative Writing class. This class makes me be creative because we have to write every single day about something new and it must always be interesting. Being high in creative intelligence can be a very valuable trait to have. Creative people tend to succeed in the creative industries, especially art and music. Creative people can come up with new ideas that are not boring at all. Being creatively intelligent can help you in your personal relationships by being able to help out others.
In chapter 10 I learned the eight different intelligences and what they are. This was very interesting to me, especially when I took the test. I got my results back and they were not always what I expected them to be. Being multiple intelligent was a good thing because it allows you to be a versatile person in your life by being good at many different things. This was interesting to me.
Creativity is the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas. I believe I am partially a creative person, depending on the day and the mood. I apply my creativity especially in my Creative Writing class. This class makes me be creative because we have to write every single day about something new and it must always be interesting. Being high in creative intelligence can be a very valuable trait to have. Creative people tend to succeed in the creative industries, especially art and music. Creative people can come up with new ideas that are not boring at all. Being creatively intelligent can help you in your personal relationships by being able to help out others.
In chapter 10 I learned the eight different intelligences and what they are. This was very interesting to me, especially when I took the test. I got my results back and they were not always what I expected them to be. Being multiple intelligent was a good thing because it allows you to be a versatile person in your life by being good at many different things. This was interesting to me.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Blog Post #9
Memory defines who we are as a person. Without memory, we would have no individuality. Memory shows who you really are; your likes and your dislikes. If we had no memory we wouldn't know what to do at all. We wouldn't know who anyone was, and you wouldn't even know yourself. With Clive Wearing, he is still a person; he just has no defining characteristics. He is a body, however he has no bodily functions. He doesn't remember anything and that has to be the toughest thing in the world. Being Clive's wife has to take a lot out of her. Personally, I don't think i could handle it. She uses a lot of patience dealing with Clive and tries to get him to remember things. It would be heart-breaking to be her. However, she is brave and stays strong for her husband.
I never really thought much about memory before now. Now I realize how much you can make your memory change. Knowing how much memories are able to be changed, I really don't trust anyone's memory. Everybody has their own personal recollection of what happens to them throughout the day. I tried the penny memory game. It took me three tries to guess the correct penny, this is only because i totally guessed at which one it was. Even though you see something everyday, you might not be able to remember it.
I found it interesting to learn how memory actually works. Once you have a memory it is encoded into your brain. This means you make somewhat of a mental picture of what you want to remember. After that you will store it for a later time. When you want to remember the memory you use retrieval. This would mean you take out the memory out of "storage" and look at it. This causes you to remember thing. It is interesting how the mind really works when you are trying to remember things. Especially since memory is a very important part of every one's lives.
I never really thought much about memory before now. Now I realize how much you can make your memory change. Knowing how much memories are able to be changed, I really don't trust anyone's memory. Everybody has their own personal recollection of what happens to them throughout the day. I tried the penny memory game. It took me three tries to guess the correct penny, this is only because i totally guessed at which one it was. Even though you see something everyday, you might not be able to remember it.
I found it interesting to learn how memory actually works. Once you have a memory it is encoded into your brain. This means you make somewhat of a mental picture of what you want to remember. After that you will store it for a later time. When you want to remember the memory you use retrieval. This would mean you take out the memory out of "storage" and look at it. This causes you to remember thing. It is interesting how the mind really works when you are trying to remember things. Especially since memory is a very important part of every one's lives.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Formal Blog #8
Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events. For example every time you see someone, you would say hi. The person would then say hi back after you said hi first. Therefore, every time you say hi from now on, you would expect to hear it back. Operant conditioning is learning be associating a response and its consequence to repeat acts followed by good results. One example of this would be a cat using the litter box. Every time the cat uses the little box it receives a treat, this will strengthen the skills. Classical conditioning you don't get rewarded for learning, operant conditioning you do. Classical conditioning applies more to my life. This is because when you repeatedly do something, you get used to it and it becomes natural.
Positive reinforcement increases behavior in a positive manner or using rewards. Negative reinforcement is increasing behavior by stopping negative behavior. Punishment is designed to decrease the frequency of bad behavior. One example of positive reinforcement would be studying for a test and receiving an A on that test. That would encourage you to study more often. Negative reinforcement example would be when my mom constantly tells me to clean my room, I get sick of hearing it. So eventually I will clean my room, and not have to hear her nagging all the time. An example of a punishment would be if I didn't get my room clean, I wouldn't be able to do anything on the weekend.
The most interesting thing I learned in this section was that some people can learn through association. I think this is interesting because it can apply to everyone. For example when I was a little kid, I used to wipe out on my bike all the time. After a while I never wanted to ride my bike because I was afraid of wiping out again. Eventually after a while I started riding my bike again, however, when I didn't it was because of association.
Positive reinforcement increases behavior in a positive manner or using rewards. Negative reinforcement is increasing behavior by stopping negative behavior. Punishment is designed to decrease the frequency of bad behavior. One example of positive reinforcement would be studying for a test and receiving an A on that test. That would encourage you to study more often. Negative reinforcement example would be when my mom constantly tells me to clean my room, I get sick of hearing it. So eventually I will clean my room, and not have to hear her nagging all the time. An example of a punishment would be if I didn't get my room clean, I wouldn't be able to do anything on the weekend.
The most interesting thing I learned in this section was that some people can learn through association. I think this is interesting because it can apply to everyone. For example when I was a little kid, I used to wipe out on my bike all the time. After a while I never wanted to ride my bike because I was afraid of wiping out again. Eventually after a while I started riding my bike again, however, when I didn't it was because of association.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Formal Blog #7
To someone who does not know what sensation and perception were I would say that sensation is using your senses in your body to determine what something is and perception is they way we perceive them. By this perceive means the way we understand how something is.
The most interesting thing I learned in this section was about parallel processing. Parallel processing is when our brains engage in doing more than one thing and the same time. It is kind of like multi tasking. for example when you recognizes someones face, you don't see their whole face at one time. You see different parts of the face and but your brain putting them all together you form the image of one face. This is applied everywhere because everywhere you go in life you see something. You can't go anywhere in life without parallel processing.
I read the article 'Good' Wine Increases Food Consumption by 12 Percent. This article performed a study where a group of participants received wine with a California label and another group received a wine with a North Dakota label. People expected the wine from California would be better. What they did not know was that both of the wines came from the same place, they just had different labels on. They were also all served the same food and the same amount of food. Since California usually makes better wine than those from North Dakota, people thought the California label was the better of the two wine, when really they were the same. I learned that people tend to eat more food when the people think they are drinking the better of the two wines. I thought this was interesting because it was actually the same cheap wine. People are just under the illusion and different perceptions that the wine is better and tastes better. I thought this was interesting because it could also go along with how some kids won't try something just because they think they won't like it. They refuse to try something because they think that they won't like the food. When they try it they really don't taste the real food, they taste something they don't like because they don't think that they will.
The most interesting thing I learned in this section was about parallel processing. Parallel processing is when our brains engage in doing more than one thing and the same time. It is kind of like multi tasking. for example when you recognizes someones face, you don't see their whole face at one time. You see different parts of the face and but your brain putting them all together you form the image of one face. This is applied everywhere because everywhere you go in life you see something. You can't go anywhere in life without parallel processing.
I read the article 'Good' Wine Increases Food Consumption by 12 Percent. This article performed a study where a group of participants received wine with a California label and another group received a wine with a North Dakota label. People expected the wine from California would be better. What they did not know was that both of the wines came from the same place, they just had different labels on. They were also all served the same food and the same amount of food. Since California usually makes better wine than those from North Dakota, people thought the California label was the better of the two wine, when really they were the same. I learned that people tend to eat more food when the people think they are drinking the better of the two wines. I thought this was interesting because it was actually the same cheap wine. People are just under the illusion and different perceptions that the wine is better and tastes better. I thought this was interesting because it could also go along with how some kids won't try something just because they think they won't like it. They refuse to try something because they think that they won't like the food. When they try it they really don't taste the real food, they taste something they don't like because they don't think that they will.
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