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.

Formal Blog #6

I interviewed my grandpa, I thought it was interesting to realize the differences between teenager's lifestyles today and teenager's lifestyles back then. I would rather be a teen today because we have so much more freedom. My grandpa stated that while he was a teenager, they were only allowed to go out one night per week. All the other nights they were either working at a job, or doing chores around the house. Teenagers today have it way easier than teenagers then.

I also watched the "Parenting and Adolescent" video. I could relate towards it, as an adolescent. I don't really like talking to my parents about what is really going on in my life. Becoming an adult will be influenced upon who you were/are as an adolescent. Personality will stay remotely the same. One will become more mature as they grow more towards adulthood. The teenage years are very hard on many people; however, they will help shape you into the person you will become.

In Chapter 4 I read about identical and fraternal twins. I was very surprised to find out Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are actually fraternal twins. Also it is interesting how identical twins share the same DNA and how the emotional states of identical twins are related. Fraternal twins on the other hand have separate DNA. They are still twins, but are developed from separate fertilized eggs. Other than the fact that they share the same fetal environment, genetically they are no different than normal brother and sisters.

In Chapter 5 I thought that the basic trust was interesting. As a child being brought into this world, you have what is called a basic trust. This means that you have a sense that the world is predictable and reliable. This basic trust is actually related to the parenting you received as a child. As the child grows older, this basic trust may diminish. The child reaches teenage years and adulthood and he or she will realize this world isn't meant to be trusted. Yes, there are some people you can trust. However, you cannot trust everyone. You must be able to weed out the bad from the good in a sense. As a child everyone seems so innocent, you don't always understand the bad things that happen in life and why people do them. To a child, others are trustworthy and innocent. As you grow up, you realize not everyone is a good person. I found this interesting how you start off life with a basic trust, but depending on environment and parenting that basic trust will strengthen or diminish.

Formal Blog #5

I learned about fraternal and identical twins in this chapter. I never knew that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were actually fraternal twins. I found this very interesting, along with the differences. Another thing that was interesting were the set of identical twins who were on their way to give each other Christmas presents and ended up colliding with each other on the way there.

One other thing I learned were that fraternal twins actually don't share the same DNA, whereas identical twins have identical DNA make-up. Identical twins are formed from one fertilized egg that splits into two. Fraternal twins are made from two separate fertilized eggs.

The final interesting thing I learned was the nature and nurture issue. I learned how parents influence your life, and how who you live with will influence you in to being the person you are. If your parents drink alcohol a lot, there is a better chance that you will also. If your family is very church oriented, there is a very good chance that you will be also.

Formal Blog #4

I listened to the talk Teens and Sleep. I thought that this was actually very interesting. The number of teens suffering from sleep deprivation is amazing. I am one of these included, as I write this I wish I were asleep. I learned that teenagers are recommended to get at least 9 hours of sleep, I actually did not know that. I always thought that the recommended hours of sleep were from 7-8 hours. I understand how many parents do not know when their children go to bed. For example, my parents are asleep a few hours before I am. With the recent technology in the bedrooms many people are playing with electronic devices instead of sleeping. For me, I listen to my iPod all through the night, and I almost always fall asleep while texting on my phone. I found this very interesting mostly because it pertains to my life. Lack of sleep affects you greatly on the decisions you make along with remembering things. Instead of staying up late cramming for a test, you should go to bed early and finish studying in the morning. This is actually quite interesting. If you look around school, you see many people walking around looking like a zombie, myself included.

Many teenagers believe it is okay to not sleep as much during the week and catching up on your sleep during the weekends. This isn't accurate, sleeping more on the weekends only messes up your internal clock. If you do this your brain will feel the need to sleep at the normal times you would be in school. I was most surprised to find out how much sleep an average teenager needs. Also I found it interesting about how teenagers are sleepy all day long while in school, but once it comes to the night, they wake up more. They compare this feeling to being in a constant state of jet lag. I believe that teens become more awake at night. During the school day, I am so tired and I want to take naps all the time. However, once I get home later at night, I start to get more energy, then I can't fall asleep when I should. On my normal school days, I will fall asleep between 12:30-1:00ish, and i usually wake up around 7:00. This radio talk was actually pretty interesting, and really deals with the teenagers' lives.