Maytee's IB Psychology Blog

2007-04-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

Style Delineator
Another test has been conducted on us which determines what our method of thinking is. This test is called the Gregorc Style Delineator. It asks us to rank, form 4 (most like ourself) and 1 (least like ourself), a list of 4 words. There are a total of 10 lists. These choices are ordered from a) Concrete sequential (CS), b) Abstract Sequential (AS), c) Abstract Random (AR), d) Concrete Random (CR). Then the result is calculated. My strongest learning style is Concrete random.

My scores:
CS: 27
AS:26
AR 19
CR: 28

Quoting form the site:
I find these facts congruent with me

Inspire others to take action
See many options and solutions
Contribute unusual and creative ideas
Often a different way to do things
Accept many different types of people
Think fast on their feet
Take risks
Using insight and instinct to solve problems
Working with general time frames
Using real world experiences to learn
Trying something themselves
Restrictions and limitations
Formal reports
Routines
Re-doing anything once it’s done
Keeping detailed records
Showing how they got an answer
Choosing only one answer
Having no options
"How much of this is really necessary?"

This would be over 90% of what the site listed.

I find that I fit surprisingly well in the Concrete Random. I, for one, already know that I am a really random person. A person who will just jump to do something. Moreover, I love to do things in a random order.

It is expected that my AS score to be low. However this is not the case. My AR yielded the lowest score. Thus I feel that to gain more from one way of thinking is takes away from all others, not only the opposite alone.

Thus we should balance our method of thinking. Thus we can be able to benefit under all conditions.

I also find that people like Daniel, Mint and Pang who are in the same catorization as me have some certain common interests.

In the end I find this test pretty accurate. However it will only work once. Another limitation is the level of language.

2007-04-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

It’s Magical. It’s Malleable, It’s Memory

What is the relationship between memory and selfhood?
We are who we are as a result of what we remember. In other words, memory shapes who we are. Freud assumed that childhood had lots of influence on who you are. Childhood in that sense means memory in childhood. If memory of childhood is wiped out, our self will cease as it has no base. This is because, in my personal experience, we base our self, who we are, on our past experience or memories.

What new discovery about memory do you find most interesting?
I find the discovery that memory is a primitive part of the brain interesting. This is because this implies that memory exists before we are able to human beings developed. In other words, memory can exist even though we do not have language etc. This is also interesting in the sense that memory is half unconscious. This means that we might be able to remember more than we can recall. Or that we can learn when our conscious brain is damaged or destroyed.

How can some memories become indelible?
Some memory can become indelible through the influences of emotions. In witnessing an event like, a homicide, stress hormones and hormones like adrenaline are released. These hormones assist in forcing the mind to encode the memory to long term. Then if this memory is recalled over and over, the connections between the neurons are strengthened. With strengthened connections, these memories are kept “fresh.” Moreover, sleep too allows for effective transference of short term memory to long term. Thus to make a memory indelible, we need an emotional event, which is continually refreshed and a good night sleep.

How can amnesia and repression be explained?
Amnesia and repression might be a result of the hippocampus malfunctioning. For repression, in a extremely emotional event, multiple stress hormones are released. Some of these stress hormones could interfere with the process of the hippocampus. With the hippocampus not fully functioning, some event might not be stored. If the hippocampus ceases to function, all new explicit information will not be stored. For amnesia, the hippocampus is an extremely fragile part of the brain. It is said to be one of the first part of the brain to suffer when oxygen is deprived. Another process of the hippocampus is to restore unconscious memories to the conscious mind. If the hippocampus is damaged through an accident maybe, amnesia might occur.

Explain the following statement: "Memory is more reconstructive than reproductive."
Memory is a reconstruction of events. Thus two reconstructed memories are highly likely to be different. In other words, in the second reconstruction, we might have added some new information (both false and real), and we might have lost some detail. Thus memory is not a replica of what had happened but a recreation of what had happened. Thus memory is more reconstructive than reproductive.

What new paradigm of memory is now emerging?
Memory, before, was believed to be photographic of the event. However, today, memory is believed to be a blend between reality and fiction. Today witness’s accounts are less valid in court cases as we have discovered that memory is a reconstruction, not a replication. Also we are learning that language, emotion, and schemas influence our memory. Thus through these influences our self is created. This is because, memory, or past experiences, is believed to be the foundation of our self.

After reading this article, what conclusions can you make about memory?
Memories are a blend of fact and fiction. Partially, I feel that memory is what we want to remember what we experience by. This is because, we can lie to our self to the point that we believe the lie to be true. I also feel that memories form who we are. However, memory is very fragile. Even though the memory might be permanently stored in our brain, with a little damage to our hippocampus the memory might be lost forever inside the brain. On the other hand, memory can strengthen though repetition or emotional association. In the end, I find memory to utterly important to who we are.

2007-03-15T00:14:00.001-07:00

Rumor chain activity
A story is told to a classmate. Then is retold to another. Then to another. The final story is quite different from the original. First, the story is leveled out. Many fine details are omitted in the second retelling. One for example is the fact that the hijacker is fighting for the peoples’ revolutionary army. Also some minor irrelevant details are sharpened. For example, the reemphasis of the fact that the gun was a 357 magnum. Or that the flight was of the QANTAS International. Assimilation also had a powerful effect on this story. The fact that the pilot was a woman is changed to a man. The air hostess was introduced as a man but was retold as a woman. The names of both characters were switched as well. This is unconsciously done to so that the event will better fit out schemas of a plane-hijacking incident. Serial positioning also had an effect on the story told. The final story and the first one were quite similar.

2007-03-15T00:14:00.000-07:00

2007-03-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

All Purpose Memory Activity

In this activity, a group of words was spoken to us with 1second interval. Then after we are to recall the words. The result, showed that serial position effect was somewhat effecting the result. The first word and the last word, Bed and dream were easily recalled. This implies that the order, primacy and recency, has some effect. Semantic distinctiveness has also influences our attentiveness to a word. The word, artichoke, thus comes up as a common. Rehearsal also improves recall. This is demonstrated as the word night is repeated 3 times. Night is recalled with 100% accuracy. Sleep was one word recalled but Mr. Anthony never said. This implies that memory is a reconstruction process not a roll back of a tape. This is because sleep has the same schema as the other words. Thus we added it to the list of words even though the actual event, of saying the word did not happen. Thus the memory is distorted. Chucking could also have had an effect. Tossing and turning is a common American idiom. A person common to this idiom can easily use this technique to recall this word. As chunking is the grouping of information into units of meaningful events. This experiment has yielded any results. I find this experiment very interesting yet effective.

2007-03-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Meaning Enhances Recall
The class conducted another experiment on memory. Twenty words are to be remembered according using the help of counting the syllables (A words) or the positive or negative connotation (B words) it has. The class’s mean is 5.09 A words are remembered and 7.09 B words, which totals to a total of 12.27 words remembered from 20. The top scorer has 19 words remembered, and the worst is 6. I did poorly at this test. My result was 4 A words and 2 B words with a total of only 6 words. Mr. Anthony said that people remember more words with meaning. However I remember more A words. Ironic. However, the top scorer Pox used a story to help him recall the words. Thus memory can be made more effective using meaning insist recalling. On the other hand, if one had affecting environmental factors like little sleep or misunderstanding the instruction, the result will be poor too. I can see a pattern that people only remember what has some significance to them. For example, we are told to do so. Or else we are forced to ponder upon it. In other words, we choose to remember what holds meaning. If it does not hold some importance, we are not likely to remember it.

2007-03-08T23:29:00.001-08:00

Short Term Memory
Average memory of number is 7 +- 2 numbers. Mine is only 5. Memories tend to be distorted. Sometimes I am able to remember the beginning but not the end. Other times the order of the middle number interferes with my memory. To help us to remember things, use things that are meaningful and emotionally attached. Moreover, things that are visual are more easily remembered. Another method to help is chunking. Chunking is the breaking down of information into sections of groupings which contains a sort of pattern. With chunking a 7 number average can be raised up to 14 numbers.

2007-03-08T23:27:00.000-08:00

Memories
Mr. Anthony told us to recall our first memories. My first memory is of the age of 4 and it is about eating cup noodles. Others in my class reported that they have memories when they were 1, 2, or 3. However, Mr. Anthony argued to their account that it is highly unlikely. He stated that neurologically we, at that age, are unable to store memories as the brain is not yet fully formed. He then concludes that the memories of those below 3 are possibly recreated. One example he gave us was that it is a reconstructed memory from the age of 6 of things we might have heard or seen at that time which relates to the age of three. In other words, these memories are false. These memories are not actually accounts of what have happened; however it is what we told our self to remember. In other words there are emotional elements which assist to what we keep in our memory. For example, me I had eating as part of my memory. Consequently I felt that I was quite happy. I guess that was one reason why I remember it. Also Mr. Anthony told us that when we reconstruct our memories it is in third person. However, seeing the memory in third person is impossible. Thus Mr. Anthony concluded that memory is malleable. In other words, memory doesn’t work like a photograph. It is shaped and distorted through time.

2006-11-22T19:54:00.000-08:00

My thoughts on existentialism

How did I come to this world? Why was I not consulted? All these absurd questions actually have simple answers. Your parents gave birth to you. Now you ask, why then did you let me be born in this world? I didn't ask for it. In reality you have been consulted. However, at that time you only have the intelligence of two cells, (sperm + egg).

Death. It's inevitable. However, people fear death because they say they fear something that we cannot comprehend. Its all crap. Death is when our cognitive ceases to function thus the physical body stops functioning. All people have experienced a zero cognitive state; when we were infants. However, why don't we remember any of it? Simple, memories are one branch of the cognitive. Thus why do we fear death now?
"You are most alive as you die" That is crap. If that is true, you would have feared death. This is because you are approaching the biggest fear, the final test. Thus it becomes a significant event. In reality, when you die, you do not cease to exist. You existence is permanent. Even though people might forget about you, the fact that you have lived will always be there. Thus why do we fear death so much? Is it because of greed? Greed in desiring to do things before you die. Is it because it is so unpredictable? No, people fear death because death is like a dead end. Death implies that this is it. It is over. People cannot accept that fact. Thus God is created.

God. The idea of God is all false. God is created by humans in an image of man. Why? God presents is a role-model for man. Religion then is formed as a moral guideline for man to follow. This keeps people from killing each other off as each person seeks acceptance form others. However, God is also a scapegoat. An image we can always blame and turn to in times of need. This is a form of alienation as people turn away from each other.

Why then do we all experience a feeling of being separate, lost, confused etc? It is simple. With our little knowledge, we try avoid the facts by creating subjective reasons. For example, you and your friends have different interests. You then give reasons like other people might like the same stuff as me. Those people are trying to avoid me. Etc. Etc. It's all crap. The simple fact was you people do not have the same interest. Period.

What is happiness? It is to be happy. Wrong. Happiness is a comparison of a bad event to a good one. However, happiness does not make a person happy. Why? A happy person needs a balance of despair, anxiety, angst as well as happy moments. Thus we are able to make comparisons and feel content.

Am I simply a small speck in the universe in a world that has no meaning? Yes. You are just a speck. The world by itself doesn't mean anything. Its just a ball with mass floating in the universe. However, humans tries to make it complicated and tried to put meanings to the world.

I agree with Satre.

2006-10-31T06:01:00.000-08:00

What have I learnt from this video

I learnt that pigeons learns to pick a reward which best fit its actions. If the bird only have to peck once, the bird, in my opinion, thus think it doesn't have to work hard for a quick reward. As a result, the bird learns that pecking red is more rewarding than pecking green and wait 5 seconds for twice the reward. However, forcing the bird to peck 15 times, the bird has worked harder and might have learnt that green with its 5 second delay but giving twice the food is more promising than red. Thus proves the ablilty that animals can think. Humans, being an animal too, must be able to think too.

I also learnt that one stimuli can have multiple UCSs. These UCSs can even be the shut down of the immune system. This proves that psychological attributes like fear can kill you.

I also learnt that experimenting like the case of Little Albert is now ban. This is because it is every unethical to hurt animals or put fear in little children.

2006-10-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

What was the historical and cultural context of the learning perspective?
The learning perspective evolved from behaviorism from influences of historical and cultural contexts of the 20th century. Behaviorism began in America with Ivan Pavlov at the turn of the century. Unlike behaviorism, the learning perspective takes in influences of the biological and cognitive perspective. The learning perspective also adopted some basic assumptions from its predecessor. The philosophy of empiricism is adopted. Empiricism argues that knowledge is gained from the environment through via senses. Learning, in the mind of learning perspective psychologist, is associating events with rewards or punishments. Watson, Thorndike, and Skinner, assumed that all behaviors are learned from the environment from birth. From Watson’s own mouth, he bragged, “give me a dozen healthy infants…I’ll guarantee to … train him to become any type of specialist I might select.” Moreover, these psychologists assumed that freewill is merely an illusion. Thus abuses of power, like inducing a fear in little Albert, in the behaviorist approach brought on ethical issues. Consequently it caused the behaviorist approach to be abandoned. As a result, picking off after behaviorism, the learning perspective aims to be more ethical through means like animal experimentation.
The world view of Americans at the turn of the century is optimistic with an idea that science can solve great problems with parsimony. The learning perspective, through psychologists like, Garcia and Seligman, focuses on scientifically experimentations. Americans in the 20th century are fond on the Occam’s razor. Occam’s razor describes that the most parsimonious solutions are the best. Consequently, Watson and others kept their explanation parsimonious by focusing on only observable stimuli and responses. As a result, thought and feelings which originated from the mind are ignored. Culturally, Americans have a guide line of “reform, efficiency, and progress.” From the start, the unconscious, from Freudian theory, cannot be observed. As a result, it cannot be scientifically studied. Little Hans’s Oedipus ‘complex’ lacks parsimony. Thus, Freud’s unfalsifiable psychodynamic approach is rejected because Freudian theory lacked efficiency and progress.

2006-09-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

Neo-Freudians
Sigmund Freud’s theories inspire many psychologists, these psychologists, so called neo-Freudians like Erik Erikson and Carl Jung studied with, criticized and attempted to prove that not all of the theories of Freud are correct. Erik Erikson and Carl Jung, both neo-Freudians, split off from Freud and developed their own theories with the same foundations but with different roofs. Erik Erikson’s theories are based on social interactions and conflicts. Carl Jung’s theories added another layer to Freud’s unconsciousness theory. These theories modifies the original Freudian theory. Erikson has made many contributions to understand human behavior.

2006-09-07T00:18:00.001-07:00

What I learnt from this essay

Every word counts. Making an exageration can cost a grade point. Stating false facts can also be lethal. Words like prove and discovered is a no no for psychology. I have just learnt that the grading citeria for HL psychology is very tough. I must avoid using words that convey a too strong meaning. I need more transitional sentences to link the intro, the body and the conclusion.

2006-08-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

My impressions of Freud and Little Hans
I'm stunned on how good Freud was. He did not even need to confront his patient to examine them. Moreover, all those symbols and metaphors that little Hans used, with Freud's help, all fell in place. Freud was able to understand the fantasies and and thought of an abnormal 5 year old boy! It is amazing on how accurate Freud was. He linked all the problems to its origin. Thus curing Little Hans. I feel that psychologist and psychotherapy can pinpoint the fundamental cause of neurosis, unless it is biological, however it is up to the individual to heal themselves. The reason why we need psychologist, might be because our defence mechnism of repression, which causes the mind to produce symbols, is actually blocking us from knowing our true thoughts.

2006-08-22T02:40:00.000-07:00

Victorian Society impact on Freud
In my opinion, Freud is heavily influenced by the Victorian society. Many of Freud's ideas, like repression, is definitely derived from the Victorian society. This idea of repression might be taken from the social repression of sexuality. Even though the society seem good on its outer shell, in reality Victorian society is extremely dark. The rich owned everything and the laborers have to suffer for the rich's expense. The society was incredibly strict. Women had no rights and were owned by their husband. As a result, Freud's pessimistic views towards women might have originated from this. Even though the population are optimistic about their place in society, they were anti-Semitic. As a result, Freud's theories might be a way he lets out his repressed feeling of the culture.

2006-08-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Psychology Best of the Century
Psychology has redefined itself quite differently in this century. Psychology is opened to everyone. It has been determined that 80% of those who participate in group therapies, seminars and workshops benefit from them. Therapies are no longer confined themselves to one culture. With multi-cultured therapies, therapists can devise new methods to help people from different cultural backgrounds. For example thousands of addicts have been inspired to quit their addictions. New methods of therapies have developed like behavior therapy. As a result, many therapists are able to manipulate therapies and combine them to form new and more effective methods of treatments. With advances in diagnostic machines, biological and neurological studies have quickly evolved. Psychotherapy has evolved and incorporated means of spiritual and religious issues.
Even though there are a lot of new breakthroughs in this century, the five that I think is most important are the issues of our memories, benefits of thinking, development of the brain, the benefits of the environment, and mental and emotional development over the age of 12.
1. Elizabeth Loftus has showed us how unreliable our memories are. As an eyewitness, their testimony can easily sentence a person to life in prison. However memories that we think is real, can still be false. As a result, personal account is not always reliable.
2. Ellen Langer has shown us that just thinking can help us live longer. I find that very interesting. It seems to me that thinking causes reactions in the mind that keeps the brain active. As a result, I think that a brain that is not commonly used would degenerate faster. In my opinion the mind works in the same principle as a car. If you use it everyday, it sometime still might break down but it shouldn’t breakdown as quickly as a car that has been left in a garage for years.
3. Jean Piaget has demonstrated to us that the mind develops in stages. As a result, the reason why little kids cannot learn rocket science or nuclear science is not because they are stupid or just not willing to learn. However, it is because their minds are not able to comprehend such a complex concept. As a result with detailed studies, we can produce a curriculum that children can best benefit from.
4. Marian Diamond has demonstrated that rats have a more complex brain when left in a more active environment. Humans too should have more development if we stay in an active environment. As a result we should have a more complex brain. In the end if we had a good environment, theoretically we will have a better mind set than those who never did anything throughout their life.
5. Erik Erikson was the first to propose that intellectual and emotional development occurs throughout our entire life. I agree with Erikson, even though the brain is no longer growing, the neurons are still making new connections. As a result, to the point of death, the human mind can change. I think this is important because, in life, you have to adapt to the environment. The environment cannot always be changed to fit your liking.

2006-08-17T00:19:00.000-07:00

Big issues in Psychology
In completing this survey, I discovered that many things. At first I thought that would be get all the answer that I though was correct. However I noticed that the graph I made is biased. It showed that I'm subconsciously trying to that I was correct. For example I thought that human behaviors are heavily based on nurturing. However, I scored and 8 on it. Eight is closer to the middle than to the extreme of nurturing. However the graph I drew showed the opposite. The result also told me something interesting. If people subconscious biased, how do psychologists know that the result they got is not biased to their own idea. Also I have seen these type of questions before. It is very easy to put answers that will fit with my beliefs. Even though I was trying to be truthful, I might have biasedly answered. I think these test are best if we are not aware of what we are examining. In the end I still think that people are irrational, always changing, and their behavior is based on nurturing.

2006-08-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

"Why do we do the things that we do"
Why do people do what we do? We can try to pinpoint our nature to many thinks like nourishing, psychological evolution, etc. In my opinion I think human is a combination of everything. Every normal human being are self-conscious. As a result, our behavior is based on our environment and personal issues. Even though we still have our basic evolutionary needs, we can control it. For example eating, even if we are famine we can hold our self back. Same goes for air, we can forcefully stop our self from breathing. These things have to be taught or learn through out your life especially in their childhood. My conclusion is that people do the things they do because from their childhood experiences this is what is most appropriate to them. In my opinions I think things we experience through out our entire life influence on why we do what we do.

Even though what we experience through out our life may form the base of why we do what we do. Immediate stimuli like our mood on this day might also is a big factor why we might act more actively or not. Behavior to me is a summarization of your life experiences and what you have learned.

People might argue that biological and evolutionary factors affect our behavior, I think that both these topics influence us. But we are self conscious, as a result we can control temptation. To be able to control temptation, one must learn and live through it. As a result life experiences and what you have learned is the most powerful tool to shape who you are. No matter what you do or why you do it, your behavior is a reflection of who you are.

2006-08-09T23:57:00.000-07:00

Why I'm Taking IB Psychology?

Psychology is . . . Psychology is not an art, though it is subjective. It is a science to pin point why people do or behave the way they do. As a result, we can benefit from this by being able to predict and judge without having to use trial and error. For example, if you are starting a new business, there are many factors can invite costumers to or away from your shop. As a result, psychology plays a vital roll in a successful business.

Psychology isn't something that can be absorbed within a one year course. This is because, like art, the human mind is not like physics which there is only one possible answer. Psychology is more diverse. Even though the same person is being tested in a test twice, the result can easily differ because there are extremely vast amounts of variable. One small change in an almost insignificant factor might distort the final result.

Psychology, for me, will be the foundations in which I can later reflect on. Even if in college and I take a business class, economy, or any other social science class, psychology is the base. Business will not have existed if there was no pattern in which people buy or are attracted to things. Any other social sciences are based on human influences. Human influences are a result of people's psychological behaviors.

Psychology is indeed practical. It is practical through out my entire life. Unlike all other social sciences, psychology is something you use everyday at every moment. From analyzing your friends smile or frown to motivating yourself to do homework psychology is a huge factor most people never think off.