Recently in Assignment # 2 Category

Do you ever wonder why you can't remember something when you just saw it a moment ago? Well, the answer lies within the stages of memory. To be more precise, it's mainly the short term memory that's causing that. Short term memory is the second stage of The Three Stage Model. The STM is a cognitive workplace or in other words, it is a working memory system/ base. Within this stage, your memory last for 10- 15 seconds before the information fades. As for the capacity, it is 7 plus or minus 2 meaning that you remember 9 to 5 bits of information given an amount of time. Thus, in the STM capacity, it is restricted or has a limited of space explaining why we can't remember everything we saw within a given amount of time. So to make things easier for our brains and improve the STM, we get involved with CHUNK. Chunk means to regroup more than one thing making it easier to remember or regrouping it in ways that it is "meaningful" to you.
**TEST OUT USING CHUNK. First, look at the row of numbers below for a given amount of time then close your eyes or look away from the numbers and write as many numbers as you can from memory.
--> 1020110214102209061024
How many numbers did you get correct? If you got within the range of 5 to 9 then you just experience 7+/- and chunk. A way of using chunk in this case, look below
10/2011(month & year) 02/14(valentine's day) 10/22(homecoming ends) 09/06(first day of school) 10/24(psy final); see how easy that was!

During the memory lecture by Professor Fletcher, I was fascinated by what I learned about memory. To be more specific, the second stage of STM (short term memory) about "chunks" and how it can improve your memory. I have short term memory when it comes to remembering things, so that is one of the reason why I found CHUNK and 7+/- so interesting. Plus, during lecture we were experimenting with stage 2, and it was difficult at first but when Professor Fletcher showed us what CHUNK was, it was so EASY! Due to this, I believe I will use this method to enhance my memory. It just makes life a little easier.
What do you think about STM- stage 2 of The Three Stage Model?

Most of us did not realize how crucial depth perception plays a role in our lives and how reliable this function has guided us through each step we took. Depth perception allows us to look at things in three dimensions and gives us the sense of how far away and close they are. When it comes to depth, we use two kinds of cues; which are monocular depth cues and binocular depth cues. The monocular depth cues function by using only one eye. On the other hand, binocular depth cues are functioning using both eyes. Depth perception gives us the ability to compare one thing to another such as sizes, shapes, and distances. Imagine what would happen if you walking into something without know how far or whether the thing in front of you is blocking you not. In the video, it gives us some ideas about what might happened if we cannot perceive depth. A guy just walked into a mirror door because at that moment, he did not see or realize that the mirror was there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O2qPT8vgfI&feature=related

Looking at another video below, let's pretend that the artwork was real, and the guy who is jumping and avoid the cliff has the ability to perceive depth and the rest do not. In this case, those who do not have the ability to perceive depth would of fall when they step into the cliff (artwork). And the guy who has depth perception of course would avoid the fall.
http://gizmodo.com/5809997/mind-your-step-that-last-one-leads-into-a-gaping-pit

Lucid dreaming - the phenomenon of recognizing that you are within a dream, your conscious mind interacting with your subconscious mind. This occurrence has fascinated me ever since I first heard of it years ago. Of course my sources might have exaggerated or even embellished some, but the concept was intriguing. What always left me in wonder was the repeated claim of being able to control the dream once you've become lucid, being able to live out practically any fantasy you might have.

Lucid dreaming blurs the line between the state of being awake and the state of sleeping, and thus adds a cloud of complexity to understanding how consciousness operates. What's remarkable is that through adoption of specific techniques, you could increase your likelihood of becoming lucid. Such techniques include looking for clues that indicate that you are dreaming, and once you have become lucid, to keep calm as best you can so the excitement does not wake you. This adds another layer of conscious control in a state that was long believed to be completely subconscious. A video delving deeper into lucid dreaming can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASf55cov5F8

After considering all this, it's is difficult not to wonder of the potential held in research of lucid dreaming. What are the limits? Are there even any?

One of the things my parents tell me about the most, when reminiscing about my early childhood, is how much I mimicked my father. I would follow him around all day while he did chores around the house or out in the yard. When he would mow the lawn, I had a toy lawn mower and would follow him around the yard with it. Looking back on that now through the scope of this course, I realize I was exhibiting Observational Learning. Observational Learning, simply put, is learning by watching others. According to the textbook (and common sense) major role models, like parents, are the ones who are observed and learned from by their children the most. Things like daily chores around the home, social activities and even habits can be observed and taken on by the observer. For example, once I became old enough, I did mow the lawn like my father.

Besides parents and other people, Observational Learning can come from other forms of communication, like the media (video games, movies, TV shows, etc.). One concern that arises from observing this content is that it could lead to learning habits and behaviors that are harmful, like excessive aggression. This can come from watching violent shows or movies, as well as playing violent video games. Though there is no causational proof that this can occur, there is plenty of proof that shows a correlation between such forms of media and observer aggression. According the Lilienfeld textbook, longitudinal studies have been performed that show that "children who choose to watch many violent television shows commit more aggressive acts years later than do children who choose to watch fewer violent television shows."

Both of these aspects of Observational Learning give testament not only to how powerful this type of learning is in its simplicity, but also to how important it is to have a level of discretion with what is observed. This is true for people of all age ranges. It is also important to note that this type of learning was and still is paramount to the survival of humans as a species. After all, by observing and learning we avoid having to learn the hard way through mistakes. Can you think of something you've observed and that you have learned from (simple or life changing)?

After reading the chapter on memory, I found this article: http://www.livescience.com/1473-moving-eyes-improves-memory-study-suggests.html I thought that it was very interesting and decided to share it in my blog post.
The main idea sounds pretty legitimate, that moving your eyes back and fourth increases interaction between the two hemispheres of your brain, and that communication between the hemispheres of your brain is important for memory. I don't think that there has been enough research done on this subject to make any conclusive reports though, which the researcher himself admits. That reminded me of what we learned a few weeks ago, about how sometimes scientists want to prove that they are right and will present their data in a way that proves something that they already thought to be true. I thought the fact that he admitted that more tests will need to be done was a good sign, and that if he could admit that his results were not enough to prove anything then the article was fairly legitimate and honest. I also liked that this article talked about the three different groups, one being the control group in which no variable was added.
I did a Google search on this specific topic, and found this article: http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2009/04/a_quick_eye-exercise_can_impro.php I thought that it was a lot more confusing and less straight forward than the first article. It added more variables, such as being right or left handed, or "split brained." It also seemed to claim much stronger proof for something, which made it seem less legitimate to me now that I've taken a Psychology class and learned about the mistakes scientists often make when conducting research.
Overall, I really hope that this is a true finding, and that they do more research to prove it. Alzheimer's runs in my family, and maybe in the future this might help lead to cures for that disease.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder where the patient suffers from sudden episodes of forced sleep lasting for several minutes and, in rare cases, up to an hour. This disorder is also present in animals. Below is a short video describing how narcolepsy affects the dog Rusty.

Episodes of narcolepsy occur during periods of strong emotion, such as surprise, excitement, joy and even during laughter. In the video the dog Rusty runs around and is seemingly enjoying himself and suddenly he falls asleep in mid run. This is not uncommon for Rusty since he suffers from narcolepsy.

Unlike regular sleep, where REM takes more than an hour to occur, those who suffer from narcolepsy reach REM sleep within minutes of an episode. This may suggest that narcolepsy is caused by a malfunction in the hypothalamus, the location of our "biological clock".

Those who suffer from narcolepsy can also suffer from a similar condition called cataplexy where all of the muscles loose their muscle tone, in other words, you go limp. Cataplexy occurs naturally when someone is in REM sleep, this helps the body relax from all the activity during the previous day. The difference between cataplexy and regular REM sleep is that during episodes of cataplexy the person is completely alert.

In rare cases, narcolepsy can severely impact the lives of those it affects. In one particular case, again a dog, suffers from such severe narcolepsy that it is difficult for him to stay awake all day long.

Since humans and animals can both suffer from narcolepsy, does this mean that other mental disorders such as chronic depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder are also present in animals?

Recently there has been some buzz in the media about men's sexual health as it relates to the development of prostate cancer. Claims have been made to whether there is a correlation between male ejaculation and the development of prostate cancer. Some researchers claimed that ejaculation (through intercourse or masturbation) might be a cause of prostate cancer in men. This extraordinary claim needed to be backed up by more substantial evidence.
In 2009 a study was published in the British Journal of Urology that seemed to better explain the correlation between ejaculation and higher rates of prostate cancer in men. Researchers found that sex hormones were a key factor that had been overlooked. A man with higher levels of sex hormones who is already predisposed to developing prostate cancer, genetically mostly, is even more likely to develop prostate cancer over his lifetime. The researchers found that a higher level of sex hormones may cause a man to have the urge to masturbate or have intercourse more frequently.
I thought that this study contained many of the six principles of critical thinking. The claim that masturbation caused prostate cancer was pretty extraordinary but I have learned that correlation does not imply causation. I also thought that in the end the simplest explanation was the correct one.

For college students sleep sacrifice becomes a very common practice. We are sometimes more concerned about the news on Facebook than our general wellbeing. It seems okay for us to cut back on several hours of sleep because we often are not aware of all of the important functions rest and sleep provide for us.

There are several stages of sleep and each of them has an important function. Stage 1 of our sleep is the light stage of sleep. Sometimes we are not even sure if we are actually sleeping or if we are awake. Stage 2 of our sleep lasts for about 65% of the night and during this stage our body processes slow down, muscled relax and body temperature goes down. Stages 3 and 4 are the stages of our deeper sleep. To feel fully rested in the morning, our body needs to go through several cycles of this type of sleep. During stage 5, or REM sleep, our brain action is similar to our awake state. Our heart rate and blood pressure increase and we experience rapid eye movements. Most of our dreams occur when our body is in this stage of sleep. When our body is deprived from this type of sleep for several nights, our body goes into REM rebound. This proves the critical biological function of sleep on our body.

Like in any other functions of the body, sleep also has several types of disorders. People might experience insomnia, narcolepsy (sudden urge to sleep), sleep apnea (caused by the blockage of the airway), night terrors, and sleepwalking.

It is important for college students to realize the importance of sleep. It plays a vital role in our health and the feeling of general wellbeing.

Being an athlete, I have always been curious what being "in the zone' actually means. Is it a real state of being or something that is made up to explain away amazing, extremely rare athletic performances? I saw a video where a professional basketball player scored 13 points in 35 seconds and I was intrigued as to how Tracy McGrady was able to accomplish this feat. While McGrady was very good, scoring thirteen points in thirty-five seconds is remarkable. Being a rower, I was interested how this applies to rowing and athletes who are not at a pro level. Flow, or being "in the zone", has a few different components. The first is challenge-skills balance, which is the time when one thinks the challenge matches the skills they have. This means that flow is applicable for all athletes, not just the best ones. The second is action-awareness merging. This occurs when you are completely immersed in the activity and everything else disappears from your consciousness. Clear goals is another aspect of flow. McGrady's goal in that game must have been to come back and beat the opposing team. The final part of flow is a sense of control. This relates back to the challenge-skills balance because thinking you can accomplish a task gives you a mental advantage over someone who is lacking that confidence and control. After researching flow, I was given hope that one day I might reach that level of performance during a race.

Article: http://www.cbass.com/Flow.htm
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXlLib0Og-4

The topic that I chose to write about was Depth and Perception in Section 4.1. Depth Perception gives us the capability to see things in three dimensions but also to be able to reach out and grab things. It gives us the ability to move around without crashing into something and gives us the ability to navigate. There are two cues that are part of depth perception: Monocular depth cues which only rely on one eye while there is also binocular depth cues which use both eyes.
I think it is important because depth perception has a great deal of effect on our daily lives. It gives us the ability to move around and touch things and have that spatial recognition and navigation. It is the reason why functioning throughout the day is capable.
http://youtu.be/NaSaLS6vap0
In the video Robin Williams takes the wrong medication impairing his depth perception. The questions that I still have about depth perception are, once a person's depth perception is obstructed can it still be fixed. Is there any medication that also helps a person's depth perception and what diseases affect depth perception?