Chapter 8 First Impression Post

--Original published at Marisa Psych Blog

Throughout the change from high school to college, college is definitely more demanding in assignments, exams and the amount of studying needed to succeed in course. In high school, I didn’t really have to study too much. My classes were not too challenging for meHabits differ person by person. In my case, procrastination is what hurts me the most. What some do to study may not work for another person. My study habits could definitely use an improvement. In becoming efficient while studying for exams or quizzes, I use writing. Writing things like terms or notes over and over help me memorize the most. I also like to make quizlets and reread what I am typing. This helps me remember where I am typing it and what it says. I also try the flashcard method in some of my classes that carry a lot of terms needed to remember for exams as well through the entire course. I actually studied a considerably long time for this past exam yet seemed to study the most material that didn’t make its way onto the exam. In trying to improve my grade for my next exam, I am going to try more group study. Having someone quiz me as well as studying the same material might help me obtain the information needed for this upcoming test. Another struggle I face in studying is strictly time. Finding time and a lot of it to put aside is hard, especially when you have several core classes as well as a sport to worry about. Having school come first is different for me because throughout my high school career, our school mainly focused on athletics. Athletes would get tutoring and help with studying. I think the only way to thrive in this class is to find methods that best work not just for me but in how the information is given to us as well as how its processed. I will definitely start studying earlier for this exam, as well as try to get a long night of sleep before hand. Staying up and cramming didn’t pan out too well for me. Hopefully all of these changes will help me through my memorization as well as thriving through this next exam.

Chapter One First Impression Post- Research Methods

--Original published at Marisa Psych Blog

As I looked into topics we cover throughout the duration of this class, one topic stood out to me. Addiction is a very profound controversy in todays society. It correlates with both human behaviors as well as mental processes.

My question would be, If any, what genetic variables inside the human body make some susceptible to addition more then others?

Hypothesis: Looking into this research question, I believe we will find that genetics do not play a role in the action of addiction.

Explanation of Hypothesis: I think that different aspects of ones background, childhood, parental situation, location of living and social status are variables that increase possibilities of addiction. It seems to be the outer life of a human being rather then the inside, such as their genetic makeup.

For my procedure, I would get a group of participants from all different aspects of life. People from all classes, social structures, an locations will show a variation of results. Although, looking at people from similar lifestyles and up bringings may show comparable results, I feel as if looking into humans lives with less connections will produce a variation of why? Why are some more susceptible to addiction more then others and does it have to do with genetic make up or outside aspects? I would recruit participants with ones looking to answer the same question I am. Most people with addiction in there family have had these thoughts before. Finding the answer of why is difficult and I don’t think there is a direct and complete answer, but looking into the life of others may show the variables needed to support this study. I think with a social media release of the study, many would be interested and willing to comply with the project. Addiction is a very big issue in society and with answers or at least a show of data supporting one result over the other, may help human kind and the evolution of this dilemma.

Blog Creation Post

--Original published at Marisa Psych Blog

Hello. My name is Marisa Krinock and this is the start to my sophomore year at Elizabethtown College. I am a Criminal Justice major with minors in History as well as Pre-law. I am an athlete at this college as a member of the volleyball team. I love the field I am pursuing and believe this course will help me tremendously as I continue to learn different areas and parts of this work.

I chose to take this class because I honestly am interested in the subject and concept of psychology. I do believe that this course is also recommended to take with my major and rightfully so. Not only do I think that understanding human behaviors as well as how others process information important, but very crucial to how society runs and functions as a whole. I have always found psychology interesting. Studying how people act and seeing the make up of brain chemicals that par-take in everyday things such as emotions or even thinking is very intriguing in my personal opinion.

I do not have a background in the subject of psychology. I did however take a basic psychology class in high school and loved it. In that class we focused on nature vs. nuture  scenarios. We discussed a number of very debatable topics. One of my favorite discussions we had was based on serial killers. It was based on whether or not the students felt if certain chosen serial killers we discussed were predisposed to certain things in society, difficult home lives, or mental imbalances and how they contributed to there actions. Looking into the psychological aspect of there actions, we could try to find an answer of why. Why are people different from one another and what are main factors in their actions, such as the ones these killers possessed.

When I here the word “psychology”, I think of the mind. Each person has different makeup. This includes variables of background, parents, home life, economical status, education, location of living and much more. All of these variables contribute to the life one lives and how they live it. Psychology is a branch of science that gives a sense of understanding in why. How and why do people process and act in certain scenarios? This question is not an easy one to answer, but psychology gives steps and different factors that establish a starting platform. Being able to measure and control different aspects and components in someones life can be observed. These observations create data in the levels of science, behavior and mental processes in which humans have on a daily basis. All of these are tide to the mind in one way or another.

After looking into the course syllabus, I found three topics that do intrigue me. The topic of, “What is “Addiction?”” interests me on a personal level as I have seen that throughout my immediate family. In my opinion, addiction is different for everyone. Yes, it is measurable, but everyone has different reasons and contributions to their addictions. Another topic I found interesting was “How to improve memory.” I have an awful long term memory in my opinion. I don’t remember much of my life before the start of middle school. This interests me because my sister can remember small little details from when we were little kids that I don’t even remember happened. And lastly, I found “Psychotic, Traumatic, and Personality Disorders” interesting. I don’t know a lot of about this topic which is the main reason it interests me. Three topics that didn’t really catch my eye or that I would personally think were interested consisted of “Obedience”, “Psychiatric Medication”, and “How to chose a Therapist”. All of these topics didn’t catch because of the titles. I am person that looks and covers of books and decides if they look interesting from that. I hope I learn something not just from these subjects, but all of them.

One question that I would like to get an answer to throughout the span of this intro psychology class is based off addiction. I want to learn more about the different elements of this very big issue in todays society. I don’t think there is really a direct answer, so I am looking for a thicker sense of understanding aspects of it. Why is it such a huge issue in todays world, and how can it possibly be contained or even reduced? This is my question for this course.