Blog Post #6

1.) I learned many interesting things about life as a teenager back in the day. Life was harder and house chores were expected. Everyone had to do their part and not get paid. I was very surprised when my grandma had told me that she didn't know anyone who didn't attend high school, I thought that there would have been a higher amount of kids not attending. I also learned that many of the things were the same, such as underage kids drinking even though it wasn't nearly as big of a deal, acted the same and had high school dances, and most who very concerned about fitting in and what they wore. My life doesn't involve as much work around the house and not as much is expected around the house. However, in school way more is expected of us and we are expected to attend college in order to get a job. I have never made any of my owns clothes where my grandma made a lot of hers. I don't think I would have like living then because of the lack of technology and how much work around house was expected. It's very hard to tell though because they both have the pros and cons but ultimately I like living in present day and everything that goes with it.

2.) I agree with the video that in our adolescence, it can be a very hard time with conflicting roles and expectations. Parents must give their children enough psychological space, but still maintain an emotionally close relationship. This can be very difficult when kids grow older and don't want to share everything with their parents, the parents can take it as personal rejection. I think that parents need to give their children enough space to grow up and experience with the good and bad or they will never learn. If they don't learn when they are young and when their parents have some rein on them, when they become older there will be no self control. I think my parents have done a good job raising me with rules, but yet letting me have my independence and experience things. It has shaped me into a better person and helped me realized what I want someday when I become a parent and how I will and will not discipline my children.



3.) I learned how each culture has their norms which are rules for accepted and expected behavior. Everyone around the world has their own cultures and group that evolve and have their norms. It is very important when traveling to other countries, you know what is acceptable and not acceptable. Some cultures may collide and their differing norms may invade our personal space. In our country there are many things that we do that other countries do not do and vice versa. For example, greeting each other with a kiss in one country is weird for Americans in the United States. Many cultures have different religions and morals that they abide by and even families have different standards. The bottom line is if you go somewhere other than your house, you need to know what is accepted and not accepted for behaviors!


4.) One thing that I learned in Chapter 5, is the different parenting styles. The first is authoritarian which is when parents have rules for their children and expect them to follow them exactly. If not, they have punishments for them. The second type they mention is called permissive which is when parent's listen to their children's desires and don't imply many rules or consequences. The last type is called authoritative which is when parents are demanding and responsive. They do explain the reasoning behind their rules and encourage open discussions especially with older children. I feel like my mom is authoritative because she is a stricter parent but always tells me why she gives me certain rules. If I explain to her exactly what I am doing and don't get caught lying, I have more benefits and she becomes more lenient. My mother and I are very close and she always encourages me to have open discussions and tell her what is going on in my life. Overall, sometimes I wish I didn't have such strict rules; however, I feel it has made me a better person with more self control!

Blog Post #5 - Nature, Nurture, & Human Diversity

The first thing I never really understood was the difference between identical and fraternal twins. Identical twins develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two which makes them genentically identical. Fraternal twins develop from separate fertilized eggs, but share a fetal environment. My older sisters has twin boys that are about eight months old and I really wonder what they are. She talks about finding out with a test but supposedly it costs a lot of money. Twins are adorable, however, I don't know if I would ever want to be a twin.

The second thing I read about was peer influences. I feel that our peers have a huge impact on our lives. They state in the book that we seek to fit it with groups and are subject to group influences. I believe this is very true. When you enter preschool, you might like the same foods or play the same games or like the same songs, however, I don't feel that preschool has as much peer influence as high school. When you enter middle school and high school, you tend to be influenced by way more things. The way you dress, who you talk to, your attitude, the choices you make are all peer influenced. Parents can help by choosing your school and neighborhood but they can't pick your friends for you.

I watched the video about Evolutionary Psychology and Sexual Attitudes. They talked about how sex with a male and female is a fertile relationship and that's why more men are attracted to women and vice versa and this is the way humans have evolved. It also talked about how men look for a homemaker and a woman looks for status and resources. I believe this is not true that back in the day women were homemakers but now a lot of women are doing more than just staying home. Some women even provide and the man stays home. Someday I want to be the wife who provides for my family and am independent enough to not have to rely on someone else.

Blog Post #4 - The Unconsciousness & The Two Track Mind

I read through the lecture on consciousness and it was a basic overview of the chapeter. The first thing I learned was there are different layers of awareness. The highest-level of consciousness is it involves controlled processing and the lowest level is called no awareness which Freud's belief states that some unconsious thoughts are too laden with anxiety and other negative emotions for consciouness to admit them. I never knew that we also had levels inbetween such as lower-level, altered states, and subconscious. I also learned that if someone is sleep deprived it can become chronic and there can be many side effects. Many days when I don't get enough sleep I can barely concentrate. This can affect the way I participate in school, my attitude, and my driving. In the end, not only does it affect me but also others around me. That is how important sleep really can be. I learned that I need at least eight hours of sleep a day, which is sometimes very hard for a person with a busy schedule and a lots to get done. I agree that you should really get at LEAST eight hours of sleep a day. It sucks going to school with crabby kids and going home to crabby people.

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.