May 2012 Archives

Type A Personality: The American Dream. CEO Of some huge corporation. Drive the jaw dropping sports car into work every morning. Drive back every night to the beautiful spouse waiting for you in the multimillion-dollar mansion. Have the kids running up the front steps just in time for supper and stories of their days. Right?

What I learned in Psych 1001 is that this could not be more false. While this may be the American Dream for some, others have completely different views. Psych hasn't just taught me to hate love having to memorize who William James or Sigmund Freud is and what they did; rather it's taught me an entirely different thinking strategy. It's taught me that people are completely different. It's taught me that diversity is a beautiful thing.

When I'm graduated and off in the working world, I'll still be able to use my Psych 1001 days. While this class was a mere brush over everything that the field of Psychology actually is, it's taught me to remain open about thinking. It's taught me to never jump to conclusions. It's taught me to explore all options before I think I've found the perfect solution.

The very commonplace phrase entitling this blog is actually a pretty interesting one to stop and think about. While we as Americans like to claim we know it all and nothing is uncommon territory, we couldn't be more wrong. For many people, the thing they don't know the most is themselves.

I would be hypocritical if I didn't take a second to say I am just as guilty of this as any Average Joe. I wasn't quite aware how guilty I was, however, until I took a couple Implicit Association Tests. The main point of these tests is to see how well you relate to either side of the experiment - Side A or Side B. The tests do it in a rather unique way, however. They measure how well you relate good and/or bad things Sides A and B. From this, it is determined which side you correlate with most and how much so.

I realized after I took a couple of them that I honestly don't know myself as well as I thought I did. It was, however, an eye opening experience that has made me open up my thoughts as I go about my daily activities and helped me to realize that we definitely don't know all that we think we do.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the story of Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski, two lovers who decide to erase all memories of their relationship after it goes sour. We go through the erasing with Joel as well as the realization that giving up all the painful memories isn't worth giving up all the good, happy, beautiful ones. But hakuna matata - by the end of the movie, Joel and Clementine get a hold of tapes that explain the erasing and they decide to restart their relationships even though things might get just as sour as they did the first time and it's all happy glory yippy cute except a little too indie for me.

Urgh.

The targeted memory erasure that Joel and Clementine go through is a fictional procedure. It supposedly erases a person from your memory by tracking the places in your brain that are stimulated when you think of things related to that person.

In real life, this procedure is impossible; memories are not stored in set places in the brain, but are rather the result of a countless number of connections, stimulations, and chemicals. We know that certain organs - the hippocampus, the amygdale, etc. - are definitely involved in retaining memory, but we could never zap a certain part of them to erase a certain memory. The closest we've gotten is the drug propanolol, which blunts the memories of trama.

Poor Joel and Clementine. All that drama for a procedure that shouldn't even exist.

First, I just want to make all potential readers go read the "Understanding Love" blog in that British Psychological Society article. Go. Now. I'll even link it below:

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2011/11/robert-sternberg-understanding-love.html

Ahhhh so cute. And now you're in a better mood so you'll like this post better!

This blog is hard because there are just so many completely different topics in psychology. I think the most enjoyable part of the class for me was just looking at how diverse and all-encompassing the subject of psychology really is - from personality and social behaviors to child development and memory. I positively devoured all the new terms and vocabulary. However, I think the concept from this class that will stick with me the longest is the six scientific thinking principles. After reading an entire textbook with those principles dispersed throughout, I've started asking myself those questions as I read other textbooks and articles - Is the evidence as strong as the claim? Can we be sure that A causes B? Have important alternative explanations been excluded?

These principles teach you to be more than a fat nerd devouring fact food. They teach you to examine the information you are presented and THINK about what it means, what it's excluding, what biases it contains, etc. The terms and vocab might fade from my memory (I mean, be replaced by other memories), but I think the scientific thinking principles will stay with me for a while.

Our textbook starts off by addressing the most prominent stereotype of psychology: it's all just common sense. The authors argue that psychology is actually quite challenging, thank you very much, and there are many instances where our common sense will trick us. This is why pssychology is the science (keyword SCIENCE).

Next, the textbook delves into the dangers of pseudoscience and explores a list of logical fallacy, which I find entertaining because I come across so many of them in daily conversation. Some days I'll even go so far as to use a few myself. ;)

After this, Lilienfeld debriefs us on six scientific principles for ensuring that psychology remains a SCIENCE. A brief-ish history of psychology follows and leads into a discussion of psychology today - the professions, the debates, the applications.

In conclusion, Chapter 1 is a pretty typical introduction to introductory psychology.

As for a visual to support what I have written, I think this picture does a pretty quality job:

...or maybe I just think it's way too funny.

Best blog ever.
My personality analysis of the lover of Lily Evans, the victim of the Marauders, the saver of the wizarding world, the object of my affection, and "the bravest man" Harry Potter ever knew:

Look how agreeable he looks!

Openness: At first glance slash meeting, the average human being would not describe Severus Snape as particularly "Open to New Experiences." However, by the end of The Half-Blood Prince, we readers have realized that Snape is an intellectually curious, inventive, and powerful wizard/. After all, a Closed wizard could hardly have attained a vast enough knowledge of the Dark Arts to win a duel against three Hogwarts professors; save Albus Dumbledore, Katie Bell, Draco Malfoy, and countless others' lives; and successfully pull the wool over Lord Voldemort's eyes.
Conscientiousness: If Severus Snape is anything, he is careful (aside from situations involving Harry, Sirius, or a challenge of cowardice - in those instances, reckless might be a better adjective). Only an intensely vigilant, calculating, and conscientious individual could have successfully earned and kept the trust of both the goodest and the evilest wizards in the wizarding world (AND kept his true loyalties a secret) until the very end.
Extraversion: I'm sure by now that you've sensed a very defensive pattern in this analysis. That ends here. Snape was one introverted dude.
Agreeableness: "Sociable and easy to get along with." ...BAHAHAHA. Snape, easy to get along with. That's a good one.
Neuroticism: I lied. If Severus Snape is anything, he is neurotic... though perhaps only on the outside. It's true that he's eternally depicted as tense, moody, and socially maladjusted, but there are only a handful of times in the series where Snape is beset by feelings of anxiety, compulsiveness, or obsessiveness. He would view such feelings as weaknesses and refuse to be hindered by them.

Ever since when I was a little boy, I knew everything happens for a reason, maybe a lot of the times they are hard to see or they are way too complex for me to understand, but the answers are out there. Later on I had this thought about Determinism when I was in 11th grade in high school, even before I've read anything about Determinism. It is not really surprising for me to form this idea all on my own, the idea which existed for centuries. Because I have some fundamental knowledge regarding Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. In addition I was able to think freely since I did not believe in an obsolete answer to everything. This idea is determined to form in my brain. Have you ever wondered about why we think the way we think? Why do we make certain decisions? Why did we see the squiggly lines arranged in certain pattern or so called words on our computer screen and make sense in our heads? As you're reading this, you are forming meanings in your head, maybe you will comment, or keep reading the next blog, perhaps you want to pee, or now you want to pee after I mentioned the word "pee". Where am I getting at? I guess I'm saying, that what you do, think, and feel, or will do, will think, and will feel are predetermined! Wait what? How? As I type this, I touch the keyboard, the signal is put into computer as electronic pulses meaning 0 and 1. They are arranged in a way so they will make since inside of a computer, and then the data is transferred via internet. The data gets to the server, stored in magnetic arrangements inside the server hard-drive. You go up on the website, the server sends a copy of the data to your computer. Your computer translate those data into light waves shooting out of your screen. Your eyes catches them and transfer the signals into your brain for processing. You then form a thought based on your brain structure and previous knowledge acquired. This thing will happen, and you will think the way you think right now. The next thing you do, you will do it, there is no way to avoid what you do next. Or what really appears to be free thinking is not really free, you are on a path of getting this piece of thought. Everything happens for a reason. I guess it is really hard to explain it with words. If you get what I said, now consider this, maybe the universe calculate at light speed, if you go closer to light speed, the time slows down, it might be due to the fact where the universe is having a harder time to calculate you! We can never calculate our future because we can't calculate at light speed. But the universe can. Well this blog seem random enough, probably it's because I haven't got much sleep. I'm luck this is only a blog, not a paper. :P

Classic condition was first discovered by Ivan Pavlov. The idea is simple: pair two stimuli together to create the same reaction. The most famous example of this is his experiment with dogs. He paired to stimuli, food and a bell. He would ring the bell and shortly after give the dog food. Eventually the dog would hear the bell and think this means I'm getting food and would cause the dog to salivate.

This made me think, what stimuli make me react falsely like the dog to the bell? Here's one that came to mind: picture yourself in the shower. When the water gets too hot you step out from under the shower. Seems simple right? Now you hear a toilet flush and if you're smart you'll step out of the water. This seems unnatural though. Why does a toilet flushing make me step out of the water? It's simple. Just like the dog learned that the bell meant food humans have learned that a flushing toilet means hotter water.
Next time you react, no matter how simple, I challenge you to consider and question why you reacted in the manner you did.

Science, as defined in the dictionary, is systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. But how do we know we are right? In text books there is an answer key for every problem. There is no answer key for life. I was recently pondering this idea: most of science is based off of models of reality, not reality itself. For example, let's consider the science of economics. In a simple example, if there is more demand than supply in theory that should drive up prices. My question is why?

Most people would start to talk explain that because of scarcity, the determining factor in who gets the resource is determined by who offers the most compensation, which logically to most people makes sense, and accepts it as true. But does it need to be true, or is it even true? While this question may seem difficult, the answer is simple: it's the only way humans know how to solve the problem of scarcity, at least the way the majority believes it to be. Most have come to accept this supply and demand model because science says it to be true. This brings me to my final point. How much do we, as humans, let these representations of reality(science) influence our behavior?

In the coming years I think that Piaget's principle of stages and debate that surrounds around it is what will stick with me the most. Growing up my parents talked about the stages of development and that my cousins were "just in that stage." Through learning about the controversy with Piaget's principle I have learned that development is much more continuous than when I grew up. This is obviously important to know as my friends and siblings are having children of their own. This controversy is something that will affect many, even without having children of their own.

It's amazing that the idea of babies developing "in their own time" is not a new concept. I know especially with some of my friends that have children that they start to worry when their children aren't where they should be in development. With the concept of development being continuous, using this information will greatly ease the worries of those in my life that some may call "Nervous Nellies".

Like most adolescents, I fought to stay awake as late as possible, and nap time was the last thing I wanted to do. Now that I'm in college, I certainly have learned to appreciate a good nap. Sleep is something that I have never thought much about, and learning about it in Psychology has definitely piqued my interest. From the different stages of sleep and when we are most likely to dream, to the disorders of sleep that many people suffer through, I never realized that so much happened while we were in this restful state. It will be years before I forget what REM sleep is, when our brains shift into high gear and we experience rapid breathing. Dreams fascinate me, and it is in this stage that we dream the most. What I will remember most vividly, however, is when I experience REM-rebound and had some of the most intense dreams I can remember, filled with detail and excitement. I have my college workload to thank for that experience, but it definitely helped me remember and understand sleep more than any textbook could do. This is an interesting article from Scientific American which discusses REM-rebound and some different circumstances which may bring about these intense nights of sleep. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-less-sleep-means-more-dreams)

Five years seems like such a long time, but it'll be here before you know it! Many things will be different from advances in technology to the way everyday life is lived. Technology might take over every aspect of life, however relationships will still remain "old-fashioned". Five years from now, when I look back at Psychology 1001, I will remember the "Rules of attraction" which are the basis for relationships. These rules include: proximity, reciprocity, and similarity.

Looking at the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, we see that these rules apply perfectly. In this movie, the lead male character and the lead female character fall in love from being with one another for extended periods of time (proximity). They also find that they have more in common than first assumed (similarity) and do give compliments, words of encouragement and support throughout the films (reciprocity). Considering that I grew up watching this film, it's safe to say that the "Rules of attraction" will stick with me.

Overall, it's safe to say that other aspects of psychology may change, however the premise relationships are built off of will not. For a relationship to last forever, proximity, reciprocity, and similarity are necessary.

As Psych 1001 draws to a close, one topic stands out to me among all the concepts covered in the course. That topic is how our memory systems work. The human memory system is conceived of 3 different systems, sensory, short term, and long term memory.The most interesting part of the memory systems was how it was affected by long term potentiation, or LTP. Memory grows stronger as the neurons in our brains fire more. This is due to the strengthening of neural pathways over repeated usage. As a prospective medical student, this intrigues me due to the possible consequences in the clinical field. This could aid in the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's or dementia. The degeneration of long term memory is a hot topic in the current medical climate due to its harmful affects on the quality of people's lives. A possible treatment for this degeneration could involve repeated exposure to stimuli that trigger activity along weakening neural pathways. Obviously much more research would be necessary before anything substantial is achieved, but the topic bears keeping in mind for the next 5 years, if not longer.