Blog #7

I would clearly state that the difference between sensation and perception has a varitey of different ways being descirbed. I would first state that sensation is what you are feeling of how you act in respones to the environment. Whereas perception is how you see things through your eyes. Many people get this two words mixed up or think that they are the same but they are actually totally different.
The most interesting thing that I learned in this chapter was dealing with the illusions and seeing things beyond what they appear to be. I was interested in the illusions we had to glance at and write about. Some many of the illusions I looked at and thought one thing but then realized after you look at the display and go beyond what the naked eye sees you see much more. I then related all this illusions to life experiences that I either have experienced or will be experiencing in the future. My favorite was the wagon wheel, you thought you knew what was happening and you thought you had figured out the puzzle but really you had to sit and observe what was truly taking place as the wheel spun. So many situations occur in my life today that I see people for who they are on the outside but it isn't until I look closely and talk more to them that I finally figure out their true selves and realize what kind of person they are.
The article I chose to summarize was called 18 ways attention goes wrong. This article talks about how our minds get so distracted and can't stay focused on one thing. We forget, as humans, of the present events that we are doing because we are thinking about future events yet to come. Because of the mind working like this we miss many other occurences in the present time that play a huge part of our future. Then the article listed 18 ways and describe each of them and how they all can play a part in attention lost in your present mind set. I found this article interesting because some of the way they mentioned that affect your train of thought at the time are events I would never have thought would affect me. It then started to make me think about how some events affect my thoughts at the moment and then I forget what I was doing, who I was talking to, or what I was suppose to be doing but instead I got side tracked. I will always be applying this to my everyday life because there will never be a moment in my life that I can't be doing something without thinking of many others things. For example right now, I am doing my psychology homework and concentrating on how these events affect my learning yet I am truly thinking about what I am going to wear tonight to the football game and how I did on my last Physics quiz. So many events happpen in my life that I can relate to either the illusions that I saw for today or just events that take place of what my mind is suppose to be set on.

Blog #6

While I was talking to my grandma I learned a large amount of the different life styles that she lived in that I am living in today. I was shocked at everything she had to say that I never even thought about. I was shocked to find out that most girls didn't have their ears pierced. They also didn't wear much jewelry which would be hard for me because I absolutely love accessories with my wardrobe. They did, however, wear neck scarves which I believe has come back into fashion in a different style. As my grandma continued to talk I was amazed at the situations she mentioned with dating. She said she could date but no on ever asked her. She then stated that no one really dated in high school they just hung out as a large group as friends. Today there are so many couples in high school and now the younger children are beginning to "date" as well. One thing that my grandma pointed out that I took seriously was the fact that the difference between teenagers then and teenagers today is the lack of respect not only for other but for ourselves. She mentioned that she has met up with a few teenagers that have not treated her with the respect she remembered having to show others as a teenager. I took that to heart because in a way she is talking about her own grandchildren, maybe not specifically towards us, but that was the way I took it.
I honestly enjoyed the Parenting and Adolescence video. It really opened my eyes to how my parents are feeling and made me feel more comfortable about the way I act. I feel like I am just a teenager and this is the emotion and stages of life that I am going through right now. As I head toward my adult life I think back to when I first turned into a teenager and where I am at right now. I think my parents have given me the guidance that I needed to become who I am and that they have done a great job at it. I wouldn't change anything about my teenage years even though I have had some disagreements with my parents. I understand now where they were coming from when they wouldn't let me do something or wouldn't let me have something. They have reasons for everything that they do and of course at the time I don't want to sit and listen to those reasons because I am so angry with them. I believe my time as an adolescence has and still is impacting my life for adulthood tremendously. I have learned to be mature about certain situations and keep an opened mind when others are talking. I have learned to accept what I have and be grateful for what I was given. I think I will turn into a mature, well-rounded adult with much respect towards others and especially towards myself.
In Chapter 4 I learned about gender identity and gender typed. This two topics lead into socail learning theory. All three of those relate because they talk about males and females exhibiting traditionally masculine traits and interests or distinctly feminine traits and interests. Social learning theory states that children learn gender-linked behaviors by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished. I would have to agree 100% with that statement. I believe that children learn their gender at a young age byt the way they are talked to. For a girl it might be acting as a good mom while playing with dolls. For a guy it could be not crying because big boys don't cry after getting hurt. Even when a child is being discouraged parents tend to do it in a gender-type matter which still helps children learn their group and then they go into their "boy" or "girl" world.
In Chapter 5 many different things about infants and about children in their younger years. One that was brought to my attention because my mother is a day care provider was does day care affect attachment? The book stated that it does not affect their attachment. There the book continues to go into depth with the situation and talk about how it can actually sturdy an individual who can thrive in a wide variety of life situations. I would also have to agree with this situation. Being a by stander at my mother day care center I get to experience the different emotions and reactions from all different children as they enter the center and at the end of the day leave. I have come to realize that the first years that a child starts they are scared and only want to be with their moms which is typical. I mean I wouldn't want to go into a house I have never stepped foot into and be there for at least 8 hours out of the day without my mom. But as the child progress through the center they begin to attach to my mom and at really young ages treat her as if she was their mom. Once the child grow and start school they find it hard to leave the day care but go into school very outgoing and ready for any new person to come along to meet.

Blog #5

This week in psychology I learned a number of new things. One interesting concept that I learned was in the Evolutionary Psychology and Sexual Attitudes Video. I learned that men are more interested in casual sex than women are. I found it interesting that gay men are the same way and they are happy becasue they have found someone who will, 1. have the same interests, and 2. give them the casual sex they are looking for. I believe that men are prefer casual sex over women and I am curious to know why. Why aren't women more interested in having casual sex? What is the difference between how the mind of a man is working compared to a women? I was surprised to find out that because the vast majority of man are attracted to women and the vast majority of woman are attracted to men is because we evolved that way. My only question is because so many men are attracted to women and vis versa then why do we continue to have more confessions of being homosexual? I question myself and the video answered it in saying that because men are getting what they want because their partner wants it too. Women are obvisouly the same way, they have found someone who doesn't always want the casual sex.
Another concept that I learned and was surprised to read about was in The Nuture Assumption article. As I began reading it I learned that a children isn't entirely the way they are because of the up bring of their parents. I was interested to find out that because of the environment a children is born into can play a huge part in what the future will be like for that child. I agreed with that statement for the most part, but deep down I truely believe a child is the way they are because of how the parents treat the children and act towards them in good and bad situations. I am thankful to have the parents that I do because they raised me well and I believe I have a strong up bring that will benefit me in the future. I strongly believe my statement before because I have seen how parents approach their children and how those approaches are rubbed off and mentioned again in different terms.
A final interesting aspect that I learned from the lesson this week was in the Chapte 4 reading. I came across the topic of Evolutionary Psychology Today. It comments on Charles Darwin's theory and then goes into questions from other evolutionary psychologists have addressed. One question that keeps coming back into my mind is "Why are biological fathers so much less likely than unrelated boyfriends to abuse and murder the children with whom they share a home?" In my opinion unrelated boyfriends abuse and mrder the children because they are jealous and want to be the only person in the woman's life at this point in time. They don't want to have to share her and the home. They are in the early stages of a relationship and want to be able to do things that wouldn't involve the children. I also believe it is because they don't want to be reminded that their partner was once with another man and had sexual relations with him. Seeing the child or children everyday is that exact reminder. Those are just my beliefs and I would be very interested to find out what the psychological reasoning for that question would be. I don't understand how an innocent child can have such an effect on one man.