Weekly Blog; Social Thinking

The social positions and the roles that come with them. The Philip Zimbardo experiment definitely shows how this can go bad. For those who don't know what this is it is an experiment on role taking and how it effects the behavior of people. Colleagues of Stanford volunteered. Zimbardo randomly selected each man to either be a guard or a prisoner. The experiment got so serious that they had to end it early. The boundary between the role and the person was erased! The guards turned into brutal guards who took advantage of their power and the prisoners had to be released because of the oncoming stress and anxiety.
This proves that roles of your social positions completely influences your behavior. I can honestly say that this has happened to me. I am a lifeguard at the Tundra Lodge and a lifeguard runs the ropes of the pool and even has the power to revoke the passes into that pool. I am completely different when I am a lifeguard and trying to enforce rules than I am as a friend or a student. I remember I kicked a boy out of one of the pools because he swore at me. It made me angry and I kicked him out of the pool, in turn, wasting his money on the water park. As a worker I also am timid to my managers and do what they say. When I am with my friends that doesn't really happen. I say what is on my mind, I do what I do, and I am who I am. I don't take their orders neither do they order me to say clean the toilets. I also think that the environment in which this role is and social positions. If I grew to know my friends as orderly maybe I would act different in order to fit in. Or maybe I would have moved on to different friends. Depends on the role that is required of my social positions.

Weekly Blog: Eating Disorder

Frolich's syndrome is the condition of the lateral hypothalamus that actually increases appetite. Through research, not wikipedia, I found that it not only affects your metabolism but it affects your sexual characteristics, which I didn't expect at all. This disorder will cause absence of genitals! How does that even happen? How does a hypothalamus disorder affect your genital growth?
Flolich's syndrome was associated with tumors of the hypothalamus which also depresses secretion of gonadotropin. Another interesting fact is that it was only boys who receive this disorder. I'm sure that girls, when they destroy the lateral hypothalamus, will receive this disorder.

Definition

Odgren case

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=5&did=2011390341&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1271872783&clientId=14507
The article I found off of ProQuest was very interesting. It was about a special needs child who convicted violent crimes in his high school as an act to novels. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. According to the article John Odgren suffered from multiple mental disorders and decided to act upon stories and books he had read previously. This attack took place at Lincoln-Sudbury High School and attacked pretty much everyone. He apparently killed a 15 year old band participant by stabbing him and penetrating his heart. He stabbed a boy named Alenson with a 16 inch knife and left him to die in the bathroom. He suffered from bipolar, hyperactivity, Aspenger's disorder, and a form of autism. John was set free.

Weekly Blog; Psych Disorders

The DSM-IV in my opinion is completely correct. We read an article today that completely demolished the idea of even having this DSM-IV. Having a book that defines psychological disorders is only beneficial to the people who sincerely believe they have something wrong with them. Having experts who specialize and diagnose these disorders only helps eliminate false diagnosis.
Even though I agree with the DSM-IV, the new psychological disorders going into the new DSM-V in 2013 are a bit absurd. a binge eating disorder? Hypersexuality? Are they serious? This book needs to become serious and literal. I believe that the disorders they are adding to the book are repetitive and are just branching off of each other. I want to know what everyone else thinks. Do you think that these are legit disorders and they should be treated or if they are just explanations for the problems people bring to themselves?

Weekly Blog/ Sleep Problems

Today we talked about the sleep talking man. I looked at a couple pages about him and the stuff he says is hilarious. I chose to write about him because I have been told I talk in my sleep. No one could ever tell what I was saying or anything but they said I could hold conversations with myself. I also had problems where I would wake up crying, or having mild night terrors. I would wake up crying and shaking only in some nights. It wouldn't happen every night but my mom would wake me up and I would be completely in tears. One night, though, it got bad. I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and my hand were covered in blood. Whether something happened in my sleep or it was just a bloody nose I didn't know because I couldn't remember anything. It was scary. I also have experienced times where I was told that I would twitch. I don't know what it is but I have been told that I do it all the time.

An article about Adam and his wife...some of the things he says.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6983170/Woman-keeps-blog-of-sleep-talking-husbands-funniest-comments.html

Adam Lennard Quotes
http://gregwhit.blogspot.com/2010/01/adam-lennard-quotes_22.html

8 Intelligences: Gardner

Today we took the multiple intelligence test and I thought it was very interesting. The 8 intelligences really came into perspective when I did this activity. When you were done with the test it showed each intelligence and gave a lamens definition. It helped me put a definition to the 8 intelligences that the book failed to do. In my test I got that I was most intelligent in linguistic and intrapersonal. In lamens terms I am best in learning terms and vocabulary and work and know myself. This will help me in college because now I know how I need to study. I also believe that it is a good idea to make freshman and younger students to take this test so they know how they learn and it will help them make school easier. It may also help teachers in possibly splitting up students on the way they learn. It could make our students tests scores higher and possibly bring more students to our schools. I think its something to think about in the future.

Weekly Blog: Solving Problems

For my blog this week I wanted to talk about solving problems and the methods people take. Reading the pages and taking notes on the concepts and methods of solving problems, I realized that I could actually relate to or find examples of times where I have used such methods as algorithms and insight and obstacles such as fixation.

Algorithms, according to my notes, are just step-by-step directions of how to solve a problem. I would argue that everyone, sometime in their life, has used algorithms to solve a puzzle, do arithmetic equations, or even to organize their daily routine. I use algorithms in math. It helps me become error proof in my math problems and understand the concepts of such things as proofs, solving for "x", and doing trigonometry. Algorithms make it easier and organized to make correct solutions to a problem.

Insight, again I would argue, every one uses or has. Everyone, I would say, has had an obstacle, such as a challenge problem or even an answer in your head to a question on a test. I have had many moments were, in a test, I struggle for the answer on the test. I sit there and think about it until finally the AHA! moment comes along. It just makes the clouds around that thought disappear.

Along with solutions I have had obstacles. There has been many times where I have been doing a puzzle or reviewing a test where if my thought, which I was positive was right, was completely wrong and I didn't know how else to solve such an issue. Or even when you disagree with someone and you are POSITIVE you are correct, and they prove you wrong, you just feel like you just didn't know. I have that a lot as well. It really helps me learn these concepts, solutions, and obstacles when I can relate them to personal experiences.

6 Concepts of Today's Activity

1: Confirmation Bias
I felt confirmation bias on all of the rotations that we did today. It is the tendency to search for info that supports your preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence. I didn't experience it myself but one of my partners, Katie, said "Oh! I saw people do this on a TV show," and that helped us with the idea for finding a solution to the record player. I also experienced this by myself as well, such as when I found a solution to a problem, I was confident that was it, and I blurted it out to my group. It ended up being wrong, but that's beside the point; it goes into the next concept.

2: Fixation
During many of the activities, all of my team members felt the feeling of thinking something is totally right, and when it fails, they were like "oh, well..now what?". Especially in the nail, article, and the record player activities. After realizing what you thought was right was wrong, you felt this sense of not knowing how else to even try solving the problem.

3: Algorithm
During every activity, my group came up with at least one method of solving the solution, whether it was right or not. It wasn't written down on paper or anything and the method was changed while trying everything out. It made processes a lot easier such as the record player and the puzzle.

4:Heuristic
Considering we only had 20 minutes at each station, some quick, mostly wrong methods were put together to try and make the deadline. This was especially true to the puzzle/article. Though we had clues, making quick decisions on what goes where definitely showed.

5: Prototype
Making a mental image on how the activity should look, play out, or sound like made it possible to make methods, algorithms or heuristics, and solve the issue at hand.

6: Insight
Our group, especially Katie, had some sudden thoughts on how the solution should play out. Especially when we were running out of time or when we could recall the solution being on a television show.

The Lady Who Can't Forget

Jill Price has a very interesting memory. I think it would be annoying and harmful to remember EVERYTHING but not be able to recall academic premises...I would feel useless! There is no purpose to remember everything of your own past. But I cant help but wonder, if she can remember all of the details of her past down to the second, wouldn't she be able to just go back and see the day that she learned it and be able to recall that information. The fact that she cant remember any academic concepts really makes me wonder. Also, the fact that she can remember every fight, bad deed, or bad attitudes would probably give some harmful feelings. She can remember the day her husband died! She would live with that everyday! She wouldn't be able to repress memories. That could be harmful to her psychological health.

In Class Discussion

Extrinsic rewards...I believe that everything that we do has some sort of extrinsic reward. Breathing, walking, going to school, eating, etc. has some reward to the extent of whether you realize it or not. If you breath you live, if you walk you explore new things, if you go to school you succeed, if you eat you get a full tummy, get delicious sensations, and get to live. Everything thing you may take for granted and do unconsciously and consciously has the feeling of revealing your feelings and rewarding yourself for your hard work.

Bobo Doll experiment

Today we watched a movie on the Bobo doll experiment and our discussions included ethics, how the doll was built to be treated, and about the control group. Regarding ethics, I don't think it was ethical. The text book stated that humans have mirror neurons that allows them to experience and do the things that the model shows you. You create networks about the movement and you do and think about the action during the observation. The child will learn and see that as acceptable. What if they keep that behavior for life? Regarding how the doll was built, maybe they were just doing what the doll was meant to be done. It was built to be pushed over and pop back up, it was built to be knocked down, and it was meant to keep coming back. Who is to say that they didn't just know how the doll was meant to be played with? Yes, they did model the experimental video, but maybe it wasn't for hatred. Also, what about the control group? Didn't the control group touch or push down the Bobo doll just once? Yes, I agree, modeling has a huge impact on our learning but it isn't the only thing controlling our behavior and cognitive processes,

ESP

The minuscule unit on ESP is very interesting. I always had a hard time believing ESP and magic but in the back of my mind I always wondered. I was watching the videos on YouTube from Moodle and I was watching more related ones as well. It always was amazing how people can get jobs with police departments using telepathy and precognition. How does the police department know that those people that gave them the location of missing bodies or solutions to crimes didn't commit the crime themselves. How do you prove that? ESP is sketchy and personally, allowing them to help with police issues doesn't really make sense. They cant prove anything because ESP is so unscientific.

Russian Sand Lady

YouTube and Internet videos about the different topics in our texts is one of the things I really enjoy in this class. That Russian sand artist, if that is what you call her, used many vision and perception techniques that we use and talk about in this class. Before this unit, I couldn't explain why I could see those pictures but I always enjoyed doing those illusion exercises. From looking at my notes and my textbook, I have found that this can be best explained by the Closure part of the perspective organization grouping. The definition of closure explains that we fill in the gaps of lines and shades to create a complete, whole object. The Russian lady used sand to show lines, contrast, and shapes to allow our eyes to put the shapes together to make a picture. She actually used many of the grouping topics, but I believe that she used closure more than any other one.

From my notes and definitions, I also believe she used gestault because she used sand to help us organize and emphasis our tendency to integrate pieces of information and pictures she provided into a meaningful picture that portrayed sensitive topics in Russian history. I don't know how, but she also used lines and perspectives to give us a sense of depth perspective and made her pictures look 3D. It was a very cool video and it went well with this unit.

Weekly Blog #2

Today in class we did labs about perception and the senses. I do have to say it was a fun lab, time consuming, but fun. I especially liked the taste lab where you had to try to identify the different substances colors based on tasting with and without the ability to use your nose. I liked it because I always thought that was interesting how your nose can help you taste food better.

I had Anatomy and Physiology the semester before this class and it has made APP so much easier for me. The neurons, brain parts, endocrine systems, the nervous system, and the senses have all been review for me as far as I am concerned so when we did these labs I knew exactly what to expect, but the taste and the nose correlation still amuses me. I had fun doing the labs and I hope to possibly do something such as those labs more often.

I also enjoy the video clips on YouTube about the different topics that are in our books. Learning something from a PowerPoint is very effective, but seeing an experimental way of seeing it has always helped me remember things easier. Plus they are always entertaining to watch.

PSA Announcment

For my blog assignment I watched Hope, Claire, and Joey's PSA announcement and I just wanted to say that it made my day. It made me laugh and I thought it was very clever to associate it with a song that most, if not all, of the class mates know. It must have taken a long time to come up with that rhyme for how long that movie clip lasted.
I also want to note how well that group related all the requirements they had to into that song rhyme. It is also nice how they had funny pictures to show the systems and clubs they were singing about. They had many ideas that went well with the required ages and concepts. I give them props.


The other video's I looked at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MI5J3FX-0E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KftyKy61g0U
http://www.youtube.com/user/appsychology1023#p/a/u/2/6I1L6LT_0NE
http://www.youtube.com/user/appsychology1023#p/u/5/j0qoY_5ymOo

Schema, Assimilation, and Association Discussion

Today, in class, we were talking about schema's, accommodation, and assimilation. I think this is very true and I can see this in every child I see. Even in some adults! The examples Mrs. Daniels was giving us made so much sense. The example about her mother and the pierced earrings and tattoos was very good. I can relate this example to my own family. My grandma had a big deal when my mom wanted to get her ears pierced. It was simply not allowed. Yet when my mom was 18 and out of my grandmothers rule, she did it. My grandma, today, compliments on my mothers ears, and my own. My mom, learning how unfair her mom was to her, pierced my little sister's ears and my own when we were small children. Realizing pierced ears were pretty and inhumane to adolescence, loved the idea.
Another example that came up in group discussion was when a child first gets a hair cut. The child perceives the salon as a scary place that will hurt them. They don't know that getting your hair cut doesn't hurt. I remember watching Rugrats where Chucky was getting his first haircut. Angelica pulled out one of his hairs and said "now imagine how bad it will hurt to get ALL of your hairs cut!" and that scared Chucky. Then when his father finally got him to the chair and finally got his hair cut, Chucky said "This isn't so bad at all!" This would be a perfect example of these vocabulary words because it shows how Chucky accommodated to his schema of a haircut. Chucky's assimilation of a haircut changed from hurting and scary to fun and loves it. Also, my grandma's schema about pierced earrings changed to something bad and "sassy" to something that makes you "beautiful".

Old Brain New Tricks

So I did this with Alexa and neither of us understand how the tongue is connected to the eyes. The article specifically said they both have no connection. We came up with the idea that it may go threw first the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex. Once the message is received it would go threw the parietal lobe of the sensory cortex. From that, the message is taken over to the occipital lobe that would possibly have been taken over by other parts of the brain due to plasticity.

Neurotransmitter Assignmnet- (#9) Citalopram

Citalopram

• Used to solve severe depression.
• It is known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor--agonist.
• Effects on the brain by blocking the lack of serotonin. It helps that neurotransmitter stay in the brain longer, which makes you happy. It mimics the transmitter to help make more.
• Long term effects-- Hypothyroidism, diabetes, weight gain, heart failure, and for some they had sexual dysfunctions.
• The only way you can misuse this drug is if you were to take more than what your doctor proscribed you. If you took more then the recommended amount (normally 10-70Mg) you would increase your chances for the major, long-term effects above, but this drug isn't really addictive.
• Can act more like a placebo if you aren't diagnosed with severe depression.

YouTube Assignment Feedback

I think that this assignment was fun, interesting, and funny but I do think that you need to give more turn over time. You need to give more time, like maybe a FULL class period to do research AND video shooting. I believe you also need to give a heads-up when your presenting this project so people can have time to get prepared for it.

Standard Deviation

Control:
Mean-13
Median-12
Mode-12
Standard Deviation-3.5
Statistical Significance-The statistical significance of the Control group would 68% of the data laying between 8.5 and 15.5. 95% would be another standard deviation away from those boundary lines.

Visualize:
Mean-16.05
Median-17.5
Mode-19 & 20
Standard Deviation-3.75
Statistical Significance-Same with control, the 68% of the data lies between one standard deviation away from the mean on both sides. One standard deviation for Visualize is 3.75.

Pronounce:
Mean-6.26
Median-6
Mode-8
Standard Deviation-2.15
Statistical Significance-Same as the other groups, 68% of the data lies between one standard deviation of the mean.

Class Experiment Blog: Assignment 1

Groups:
Control- The control group was, in my opinion, the understanding group because it had neither experimental concepts. The experiment was to see if visual learning or pronunciation would lead to better memory, whereas just understanding it was just asking if you knew what the teacher was asking. Correct me if I am wrong, but that is what I got out of the entire experiment.

Experimental-The experimental groups were visual and pronunciation groups because they were the groups created to see which would gain the most memorization from their ordered technique.

Variable:
Independent- The independent variable in this experiment would be the type of memorization they were ordered to practice. Therefore, the independent variables would be visual, pronunciation, or understanding.

Dependent- The dependent variables, or the ones that relied on the independent variables, were the scores of the different memorization techniques.

Single or Double blind?
This was a single blind procedure because the teacher know what was going on, and about the whole experiment, yet the students had no idea what was going to happen.

Technology Use in My Future

Technology will play a huge role in my education and future. Technology changes everyday, so I've been told, and its only growing at a faster rate. By learning about technology and incorporating it into my educational criteria and activities is very important on learning how my future will be like.
Technology will not go away or die down, so it is very important and very interesting how I am one of the few classes in Wisconsin, possibly America, to use Netbooks in a classroom and having our classroom discussions over blogs. It is all very new to me. Especially considering I am NOT a tech-savy person. This is all very confusing but it is a glance at how my future discussions, classes, and life will be getting into. Like I may have stated before, I am very excited to have this opportunity to incorporate this type of technology into my everyday education!

AP psychology blog-Writing Assignment 1

Q-Explain your expectations for this course. How have they changed over the last 48 hours? How have they changed since taking the first quiz on Moodle? What are you looking forward to and/or apprehensive about? Any other pertinent information you would like to share with your peers....

My expectations for this class was learning Psychology and going farther in depth than I did for the regular Psychology class. In the last 48 hours, my expectations for this class went WAY up. I had NO idea it would be this tech savy. That quiz on Moodle was rediculous! I didn't expect it to be that hard! I do look forward to working on the netbooks and getting to learn off technology.