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