Blog Post #3 - The Biology of the Mind (Chapter 2)

The first activity that I did was called "Contrast/Color Illusions." This activity consisted of a checkboard with a tall shape casting a shadow over it. This made the colors of the board look darker or lighter depending on where they were located because of the light. The second activity was called "Seeing more than your eye does.". In this activity you had to cover your left eye and stare at a cross. Next to the cross was a round black circle. When you moved your head closer to the screen, the dot disappeared into a blindspot even though it was still there. These activites show how the brain can interpret different colors and make up things.

I learned that we have to look at things closely to make sure our brain is not fooling us. Whether it is the color of something and you need to take into play your surrounding areas. I can apply the blindspot activity to driving everday. Even though a car is in the lane next to me, if there is something in the way my brain is going to tell me there is no car. These activites will really change how I look at things and perceive them. Is my brain trying to trick me or is it actually what I really see?

I have learned in this unit that the brain is way more complex than anyone can imagine. I never knew that we had complex neurons that process information in milliseconds. That is so hard to even understand because nothing in our everyday lives that we encounter is at that speed. I also though it was very intriguing to know how we break down the peripheral nervous system into different movements and glands and then again down into around and calming actions. Everyone knows the brain is very high tech but it's hard to believe all this stuff is going on right now in our brains.

The video "The Man With Two Brains" was so crazy. I never knew something like that was even possible. Performing that kind of surgery just seems so crazy and unreal because of one wrong move could change his life drastically. What is really crazy is how it helped cure him and he did not even know the difference. After watching the video it made me realize how we couldn't draw like he was with the two different shapes. You never think about all the little things until you see something like that. Overall, the video was very imformative and interesting!

Formal Blog #2 - Thinking Critically (Chapter 1)

Research is a very important aspect in society. What would we do if research never existed? Humans would have no knowledge of anything or anyone around them. We research the past to inform ourselves about the present and the future. Research allows us to find cures, solve problems, and to prevent problems from happening in the future.

I read an article called "Mondays Are Not As Depressing As You Think." After the weekend goes by, you end up in school on Monday usually tired and not wanting to be there. Many people think their moods are the best on Friday and Saturday mornings and the worst on Mondays. This study showed that on average a person's mood remained the same throughout the week. This result showed memory bias which meant that when people think of Mondays, stereotypically they think they are depressing. Therefore they recall the worst Monday they have had. When they think of the weekend, stereotypically they think of the most memorable and exciting weekend. I think this is very true that you have a fun weekend and dread Monday even though nothing bad is on Mondays.

One thing I learned is that critical thinking examines the assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions. We use critical thinking everyday for all situations. Some people need to use smarter critical thinking skills. Another thing I learned is that an independent variable is the factor in an experiment being studied and the dependent variable is the outcome factor that could change in response to the independent variable. The last thing I learned in this chapter is how our cultures can shape our behaviors. The ideas, behaviors, traditions, and attitudes in a person's culture have a definite influence from one generation to the next.

Formal Blog # 1 - The Story of Psychology

I thought that psychology composed of different psychologists treating people and studying how and why we do things. When we have emotional problems and things going on in our lives that we are having a hard time handling, we talk to professionals that know how to deal with it such as psychologists. They are trained to help us have a better understaning of our feelings and actions. That is what always come into my head when I heard psychology. After reading the prologue I have learned that psychology has way more to it than just that. I learned that it went way back into 300 B.C. and there were many philosphers and psychologists who started the foundation for psychology. They were the ones who created many reasons and theories for the way we act and feel. Many of them even branched into different sections and studied different topics. Overall I discovered there is way more to psychology than I knew and had heard of.

Psychology has a huge impact of my life in many ways. It influences my decisions, emotions, and how I respond to things. Not only does it impact me, but everyone around me and how they are towards me. Everyone has a different sense of emotion and personality which affects me and how I need to act towards them.

One thing I learned in my readings was about all the important and different philosphers and psychologists from the past. I had no idea there were that many people in the past who were studying this topic that long ago. It is much easier to study psychology in present day because of the technology and how advanced our society is. In the past one of the main topics was the nature-nuture issue. I learned that this was a debate over whether it is genes or experience that make us develop the traits and behaviors we have.

Another thing that I learned was there are different perspectives on psychology that study and focus on different areas. For example, neuroscience studies how the body and brain work to create emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. Social-culture psychology is based off of how human behaviors and thinking abilities vary across different situations and cultures. There are different psychologists that study each of these topics and specialize in certain things.

Introductory Post

Hey everyone! My name is Cassie U. and I am 17 years old! I am a senior at Stratford High School. I firmly believe that my family has shaped me into the person I am today. From the day I was born until present day, they are always their for me. They have taught me what I know and helped me become the person I am today.

I believe the study of psychology is important for many reasons. It has helped humans understand why we do the things we do in life and for what purpose. It can help fight problems and provide treatment. We have a better understanding of our feelings and actions by studying psychology.

I think psychology is the study of how the human mind works and how we act and feel in different situations.