--Original published at Sierra's College Blog

Hello my name is Sierra, and I am a freshman studying occupational therapy here at Elizabethtown! I also played field hockey during the fall, and I loved it! My hobbies include: hanging out with friends, going on vacations, playing with my dog, and watching scary movies.

I chose to take psychology because it is required for my major. I wanted to take it earlier rather than later in my college career. I honestly have no background in psychology and have never taken a course like it before in high school. However, I love watching Criminal Minds. They talk about how the mind works and why people do certain things or commit crimes by viewing their backgrounds. When I think of the word “psychology,” I think about how the mind works, and what causes people to make certain actions. Not only do I think that everyone makes their own choices for a specific reason, but I also believe outside factors contribute to these choices.

The three most interesting topics in the syllabus are Why do We Forget, What is “Addiction”?, and How to Get Good Sleep. The first topic interests me because I have always wondered why I can remember things from my past, but forget short-term events. I hope the second topic can tell me the difference between bad habits people have and addictions. The third topic I love because sleeping is essential for college students. The least interesting topics are How to Choose a Therapist, Assessing Intelligence, and Power of the Situation. How to Choose a Therapist is not interesting to me because I do not know much about it. The second topic does not get me excited because it is about assessing, and not about theories. The last topic is not interesting to me because there are an infinite number of possible situations that could occur, and I do not understand what we would be talking about.

By the end of this class, I would like to answer: How can you tell if some suffers from insanity?

After hearing the first couple of minutes of the first lecture, I am excited for what this class has to offer!

--Original published at JD's Blog

Hello, my name is John Sterbens, but everyone calls me J.D. I am a first year Biology Pre-Vet major from Long Island, New York. I am Minoring in Cognitive Science and Communications. I’ve worked with animals my whole life and one day hope to become a Zoological Veterinarian. I choose to take this class because I think that psychology is really interesting. I love learning about how the mind works. I have also been told by many people, a background in psychology is very helpful as a vet, when it comes to an animal’s owner or caretaker. I do not have much of a background in psychology except for a few articles and videos I have seen. When I think of the word “psychology” I think of studies concerning how the mind works and why it reacts certain ways to specific stimuli. The three topics I am most interested in learning about this semester are memory, mechanics of sleep and personality theory. I think memories are fascinating and look forward to learning how they work. I am intrigued by the mechanics of sleep because I wrote my FYS research paper on how slow classical music helps a person fall asleep. I don’t know anything about personality theory, but it sounds really cool. All of the topics look interesting, but if I had to choose three I didn’t like, I would go with what is addiction, stereotypes and discrimination and mood disorders and anxiety. All of these topics seem fun, but these three simply don’t seem as interesting in my opinion. However, I don’t know anything about them yet so that could easily change. One question I would love answered by the end of this class is how the study of psychology came about and why it started? I look forward to meeting everyone.

--Original published at CurtisCollegeBlog

Hey my name is Curt, I have a basketball game tomorrow, I’m a point guard got shoe game. I’m a sophomore engineering major, I’m kinda hot. I didn’t know what to write so I started it like I started my tinder profile.

I chose this class because I need it to satisfy core, and I was thinking about a psychology minor, but I’m not sure anymore.

No background in psych.

It’s hard to explain, but I guess to cover what I think of as psychology is how a persons brain works.

Power of experiments, Stereotypes & Discrimination, and how to make memories all seem  like pretty cool to me because they are just things I want to learn. Moral development, group dynamics, and how to choose a therapist aren’t interesting at all to me.

How many different types of jobs can you get with knowing psychology?

--Original published at The Core Techs

Hello, Core Techs!

Since this is my very first blog post, I’m going to be talking a bit about myself and my General Psychology course for college! Let’s start off with some Q&A:

Q: Why did you choose to take this class?

A: As an Occupational Therapist, understanding how the brain works with others, itself, and the environment is essential. In other words, it is crucial to understand why people do the things they do, scientifically. Understanding what is happening mentally can be a big factor to understand what is happening physically. The processes people take can sometime lead to very interesting questions and conclusions. Besides needing this course for credits, I am also very interested in psychology. I took the course in high school and loved it. It made me think a lot more about why we do the things we do as humans, and how we are even capable of doing such things.

Q: What background, if any, do you have in psychology?

A: As previously mentioned, I took psych in high school. I have also done some research here and there on my own time just out of plain curiosity! OT and Biology classes also touch lightly on subjects in a psychological manner from time to time.

Q: What do you think of when you hear the word “psychology”?

A: BRAINS. I really do! Not that I’m a zombie or anything… But everything about psychology involves the study of the human mind and how it interacts with everything. Incredible, isn’t it?

Q: On the course syllabus, which three subjects look most interesting, and which three look the least interesting? Why?

A: Many subjects on the syllabus interest me! To list a few, I am highly interested in learning about sleep, mental illnesses and other disorders, and emotion! I feel that these are all very relative to my life. Teens and other young adults, especially those in school, often have inquires about sleep, emotions, stress, depression, anxiety, and more. Perhaps if I learn more about these subjects, I will be able to assist my colleagues in understanding more about the psychological reasoning and effects of these things, and perhaps it will benefit me as well. As for the subjects I am least interested in, it is probably the units about classical conditioning, operational conditioning, and observational learning. Not that these aren’t interesting subjects, but I have already learned about them in high school and did not take great interest in them. However, I’m sure there’s always more than meets the eye!

Q: What question about psychology do you want to answer by the end of the class?

A: How intelligent can people truly be? I understand that the human mind is capable of many things, but I want to learn about all the things it can do. Can we really do astral projections? Is lucid dreaming real? Is it possible for people to see the future? Can we read minds? Will we be living somewhere other than Earth someday? Just how smart was Einstein?

To understand more about me, this blog, its purpose, and why I created it, go visit the “About Me” page!

Best wishes, Core Techs!

-B

--Original published at JanellesCollegeBlog

Hello! My name is Janelle Barna, and I am a freshman occupational therapy major! I chose to take this class because not only is it required for my major, I am also extremely interested in the topic. Also, I am considering a Psychology minor and hope that this course will help me decide if that is the path I want to take. Although I have never taken a psychology course before, when I think about the word “psychology” I think about the brain and how the different processes of the brain affect human behaviors, decisions, and emotions. I also think about psychologists and how they help individuals with mental illnesses.

Three topics on the syllabus that interest me are Emotion because I feel like there is such a broad range of emotions that ultimately are inspired by what is happening in the brain which is interesting to think about, Theories of Intelligence because there are many individuals that are considered geniuses but what is thought to cause the spike in intelligence, and Motivation because you always hear that if you put your mind to something you can accomplish it, but I want to learn about why/how this works in your brain.

Three topics that do not interest me that much are the Scientific Method, Chemicals & Consciousness, and Classifying Mental Illness because I know the scientific method and the other two topics sound confusing and extremely in depth as well as ambiguous.

By the end of the semester, I want to be able to answer the question: “How does the media use the field of psychology to manipulate and make populations feel a certain way or consume certain products?”

--Original published at Anneka's Blog

Hi, I am Anneka Bell, a freshman music therapy major, and I am excited to be taking General Psychology this semester! This class is a requirement for my major; however, I have always been interested in Psychology. Our brain and mind has always fascinated me. As a music therapist, psychology is applicable to our work with clients to help understand their mentality and behaviors and to treating their needs. I have not taken a previous Psychology class prior to PSY105. I wanted to take a class when I was in high school, but unfortunately my schedule was already full.

“Psychology” makes me think of the brain and mind and the reasoning behind certain thoughts and behaviors. I also associate mental disorders, personality, Maslow, and Freud.

Several topics of this semester that look interesting to me are How to Improve Memory, How to get Good Sleep, and How to Make Memories. I sometimes tend to be on the more forgetful side when remembering to do something. I make myself write down what I want to remember on the spot in fear of forgetting. I think it would be helpful to improve my memory not only help remember to do the little things, but to improve memory for studying. I am thankful for the many memories I remember throughout my life and I am interested in how to the brain creates memories and how to possibly improve the quality and retention of memories. Sleep is another topic of improvement in my life. I am a night owl, and I find it difficult at times for me to fall asleep (I can toss and turn for over an hour). Being in a busy major fills my schedule and cuts my sleep, and learning to fall asleep quicker and sleeping more restful would be beneficial now and later in life.

Several topics of this semester that do not look as interesting are Scientific Method, What is “Addiction”?, and Power of Experiments. These topics are familiar to me whether from previous science or health courses, and would be redundant.

Some information about me in a classroom is that I work well both individually and in in groups, and that I work best in quiet areas with minimal distractions.

Finally, questions I have are: are previous memories that one can no longer remember stored somewhere in the brain, and are there ways of retrieving these memories?

--Original published at Melissa's Blog

Hi, my name is Melissa and I am an OT major! I decided to take psychology because it is required for my major, but I also find it very interesting. In high school I took an introductory psychology course and really enjoyed it. To me, the word psychology means the study of the functions of the human mind and how it effects behavior and emotions. I look forward to exploring and learning about mental illness, memory, and stress. These topics are appealing to me because mental illness and memory loss disorders run in my family, and gaining skills to cope with stress is always great to learn, especially as a college student. The topics that look the least interesting are attachment therapy, personality theory, and theories of intelligence, probably because I am unfamiliar with them. However, I am eager to learn about all of the topics in this course. The questions I would like to answer by the end of the course are what causes mental illness, and how are the different types classified?

--Original published at Sarah's Blog

Hello! My name is Sarah Peppe, and I am a first year Music BA student. I am taking this psychology class to fulfill the Social Sciences core, but also because I have always been interested in psychology and did not get to take the class in high school. I do not have much background in psychology, but I have always wanted to take this class since the beginning of high school. When I hear the word “psychology”, I think of the mind and how it works. I relate the term “psychology” mainly with mental health and how they affect the body and mind. Three topics that look the most interesting to me are Stress, Motivation, and Mood Disorder and Anxiety. I believe that these are related to my life the most, and I am hoping to be able to take what I learn in those topic discussions and relate them back to my own life to be more present and aware  Three topics that look the least interesting to me are What is “Addiction”?, Scientific Method, and Mechanics of Sleep. I have learned the Scientific Method for many years, so I believe that I already have the knowledge of that topic. I have also learned about addiction and sleep in prior health classes, so I also feel that I know a lot about those topics. I am very excited to learn all of the information this class has to offer, but one question I would like to answer by the end of the class is: How does mental illness affect the brain specifically, and how does someone get diagnosed with a mental illness (is it hereditary, etc.)?

--Original published at marybraun99

Hi guys! My name is Mary Braun, and I’m a first year student here, and I am studying Social Work. Psychology is a part of the core requirements for social work, but I also think it is a very interesting concept, and will probably be minoring in psych, as it is very useful in the social work field. I’m from a very small high school in Northeast PA, but am so excited for the home feel that i achieve here at Etown. I took an online psychology class in high school, because it wasn’t offered as an actual course. It was super interesting, but I flew through it and finished it in less than a month, so needless to say I didn’t get all the information that I could have gotten from it. When I think of the word “psychology” I think of the way a brain is programmed to work, and why it is programmed to work that way, and what can be done to alter the way ones mind is perceived. It’s an interesting concept, because psychology explores so much about so many people, and there’s so much to constantly learn from psych. I think that how to improve memory,  and why we forget, Classifying mental illnesses, and Motivation sound the most interesting to me in terms of what we will be learning, and the least interesting I would say would be classical, operant, and observational learning, since I’m already aware of what they are so I feel like they will almost be a review. At the end of this class I would like to have the question answered of Why do some people feel like they are alive, and others do not feel as though they are, and what part of the brain contributes to this section of living. I look forward to having this class and learning more than my previous knowledge on psychology! Have a great semester to everybody!

--Original published at Jessie's PSY105 Blog

Hello! My name is Jessie Rubelmann. I chose to take this class because I am a Biology Pre-Med major. Going on to medical school requires students to take the MCAT exam and since a large portion of this test has to do with psychology, taking this class is very important. During my junior year of high school, I took a psychology class. Since I enjoyed this class very much, I am looking forward to taking psychology at E-town. When I hear the work ‘psychology’, the first things that come into my mind are closely related to the brain. Its structure, processes, and the different ways in which your surroundings affect the brain, and thus, your behavior. The three topics that I am most looking forward to are ‘Moral Development’, ‘How to make Memories’, and ‘Theories of Intelligence’. I find Moral Development very interesting in how it can be looked at in a historical context. Information about how people develop morally can add a lot to looking at the causes behind wars and other conflicts. Learning about how memories are made is also an intriguing topic for me. I am excited to see how different chemical processes in the brain can allow us to store memories from previous experiences. Looking into the different theories of intelligence is something that I look forward to simply because I do not feel that I know very much about it. I want to understand the different ideas that have been proposed about intelligence and I hope that there is some kind of genetic aspect to this topic. The three topic that are of the least interest to me are ‘Scientific Method’, ‘What is Addiction?’, and ‘Stress’. The scientific method is not at the top of my list because I feel that throughout my education I have learned about it numerous times and I feel that I have a decently firm grasp on the concept. ‘What is Addiction?’ and ‘Stress’ are low on my list for the same reason. Last semester, I took Dr. Hagan’s Science of Addiction FYS. Since we went into great detail on the nature of addiction, I am not excited to look into it again. Also, my term paper for this class was based on stress, so I feel that I have gone to great lengths with these topics already. In terms of what question about psychology that I want to be answered by the end of this class: How to brain processes allow memories to be created and stored?