Monthly Archives: June 2019

Chapter 2 First Impression

--Original published at Courtney's College Blog

For this assignment, I chose to analyze Jim Fallon’s TED Talk, “Exploring the Mind of a Killer.” I was compelled to this video because I was interested in what factors create a psychopathic killer. It is something I had never thought about before, so I was surprised when Fallon mentioned that the interaction of genes, biological and environmental factors, and how these situations are timed perfectly, is how a psychopathic killer can arise. He analyzed 70 killers and determined that all of them had damage to their orbital cortex and the anterior temporal lobe. The gene aspect of what makes a psychopathic killer is the presence of the MAOA gene. This gene is sex-lined, and is maternal. This describes why mostly men are psychopathic killers. It causes too much serotonin when the person is in utero, which makes the brain insensitive to it when the person is born. In order for the MAOA gene to be expressed, the person had to experience a traumatic event sometime before puberty. Fallon ended the talk with how he determined that his father’s side of the family had several psychopathic killers. He tested his family by PET scans, EEG tests, and genetic analyses. Fallon found two of his family members had suspicious similarities to psychopathic killers.

I found the fact that the gene that causes psychopathic killers is sex linked most surprising. I had always wondered why there are many more male murders than female ones. I had always assumed that it had something to do with testosterone levels and societal norms.

Jim Fallon is a trustworthy source because he studied psychopathic killers for years. He is a neuroscientist at a brain imaging center, and a professor at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine.

A study that I would conduct is determining what types of trauma were common to fulfill the environmental aspect of a psychopathic killer. I would interview the family and friends of as many killers and I can. I would ask questions about the killer’s childhood to determine if a certain type of trauma is commonly present. This information can help society to determine who is at a greater risk of becoming a psychopathic killer.

Chapter 2 First Impression

--Original published at JVershinski's Blog

I watched the Ted Talk about serial killers by Jim Fallon. What drew me to it is the idea that serial killers structurally have a different brain that normal people do. This is interesting to me because they’re just another person, but their brain structure causes them to act differently.

This talk told me about how serial killers have different brains based off of brain damage, genetics, and their environment. It talks about how these things need to development at a certain time in order for the outcome of a serial killer to be present.

The most interesting thing about the talk was the idea that the timing of when the brain damage occurs affects whether or not someone will be a psychopath. I find this interesting because if someone does have brain damage, it could’ve been a matter of a few weeks difference that lends them to being a psychopath or a normal person.

I find the information presented fairly trustworthy. Ted Talks do not just invite anybody who is a self-proclaimed expert on a topic onto the show. They do their background research and see how reliable this source of information actually is before inviting them onto the show. Additionally, the information presented by the speaker was done in a very professional manner, along with photos that were specifically designated to help understand what is going on. Many people can access these photos with a quick google search, but the speaker explained what was going on in the pictures, and if he wasn’t reliable, he did a very good job telling everyone about the brains of psychopaths.

A research idea that could be interesting to investigate would be if neuron development is affected by brain damage. To conduct this experiment, you could take some individuals and determine an estimate of how many functioning neurons are in their body, and then you could take a brain damaged individual and determine the same. Compare the results to see if neuron quantity or at least functioning neuron quantity is significantly different.

Chapter 4 First Impression

--Original published at Noah'sPSY105blog

It can be extremely difficult to identify what styles of parenting are most effective to help raise a child who will go on to have a very productive and happy life down the line. Although a parenting style that is a happy medium between being strict and being very carefree will most likely be the best style in my opinion. You can run very many risks leaning too heavily to one extreme or the other.

For example, if a parent tends to be too strict whilst their child is growing up, the child may lack important experiences, (whether the experience be negative or positive) in which they will be able to learn from down the line. I believe such experiences are vital whilst a child is growing up, because if they are not able to live through these experiences, they may not be able to truly learn whether the choice they made was truly right or wrong.

On the other hand, if parents are not strict with their children at all and let them do whatever they want, they may go through a portion of their life in which they believe they will be able to get away with whatever they would like to. Or they may not understand the true repercussions of their actions.

This is why I believe the middle ground between these two extremes is paramount when it comes to raising a child. Not only will they be able to experience things that they will be able to learn from, but the parents will also be able to punish the children and help explain to them why some actions may not be appropriate or acceptable, and why others are acceptable.

Chapter 4 First Impression Post

--Original published at Courtney's College Blog

I have become opinionated about parenting over the past few years through observing the styles of my parents and those of my friends. I believe that parents should find a middle ground between strict and laid-back parenting.

When parents are too controlling, their children do not know how to take care of themselves. I have some friends my own age that do not have time management skills, because their parent plans out their day for them, minute by minute. Their thoughts are constantly put down by their parents, whom are viewed as far more superior. This results in the people being incapable to formulate their own opinions, which can be detrimental in adulthood. I understand why parents do not want their children to experience failure, but failure is essential to learning. Parents can not always be a “safety net” to take away all of their problems. Children, especially young adults, should learn to solve their own problems, a practical skill in the adult world. I believe that strict parenting strains the relationship between the child and the parent. The children may fear the parents or not feel as close to them, because they are micromanaging their life. The children may be feared by the parents’ excessive punishments. Strict parenting has its upsides because the children know that the parents care about them, since they are exerting so much energy in to improving their lives. Strict parents keep the child focused on their dreams. They make sure that no assignment is turned in late and that no sports practice is skipped.

Parents should not be too permissive either. It is essential for children to be loved, in order for other psychological needs to be met. If parents are barely involved in the children’s lives, the children do not get the basis of being loved. Children with unrestrictive parents may not know how to respect authority, because they did not have any authority while growing up. The laissez-faire parenting style is not fully a terrible thing. It teaches children to learn on their own. I have observed that children with permissive parents learn to cook, clean, and take care of themselves at an earlier age. The bond between the child and parent are usually stronger when unrestrictive parenting is used. These parents usually just want to please their children, resulting in minimal conflict.

Finding a mixture between these two parenting styles is ideal. This results in the child feeling cared for and self sufficient, while also having guidance. A parent should serve as a guide in a child’s life. They should be involved, but not in an authoritarian way.

First Impression Post; Development

--Original published at olivyahvanek

To begin the 8 stages of lifespan I would begin with the first range being from zero years old to two years old and at this stage would be when the children are just beginning to grow and I think that the most psychological challenge at this age would be to communicate because there is no actual form of communication other than crying and laughing because children are unable to speak at this point.

The next stage would be from three years old to around six years old and at this stage is when children begin to walk, talk, and do more things on their own, without having to rely on their parents. At this stage one of the psychological challenges would be to begin walking and talking on their own because usually at these ages is when children are able to walk and talk, but are not great at it yet, so these are the years that they actually get better at it.

The next stage would be from seven years old to thirteen years old because this is when children just begin to go to school and actually interact with other children of their own age. The psychological challenge at this age would be learning how to socialize and make friends because they have to be around other children their age all day almost everyday, and this is where they begin to learn their social skills.

The next stage would be from thirteen years old to eighteen years old because this is when children begin to turn into young adults and begin to face harder things, such as school, puberty, and more serious relationships. The psychological challenge in this age range would be beginning to learn how to be more independent because these are usually the ages where parents begin to give kids more freedom.

The next stage would be from nineteen years old to around twenty-three years old. This is the stage where most kids move out of their parents homes and start to become completely independent. The psychological challenge at this stage would be learning how to live on your own and rely on yourself because there is no more full support from their parents anymore

The next stage would be from twenty-three years old to thirty-five years old. At this stage, most people begin to get married and have children. The psychological challenge at this stage would be to learn how to live with another person and raise kids with them, this is a challenge because just as they got used to living on their own, another person has entered their lives and made another major change.

The next stage would be from thirty-six years old to fifty years old. At this stage most people have been married and already have kids, but here they are having to raise the kids and I think that the psychological challenge at this stage is having to raise kids and teach them the right from the wrong and to be a parent.

The next stage would be from fifty-one to around sixty-five years old. At this stage children start to leave their homes and parents are left with an “empty nest” so there are changes in the household and I think that the psychological challenge at this stage is getting used to no longer having to fully support children that you raised because they are now out living on their own.

The final stage is form sixty-six years old to death. At this stage people are usually retired and no longer have their children living in their homes, so there is a large difference in life and it is much quieter than they are used to. At this stage the psychological challenge would be making something to do with their time because they aren’t used to their lives not being as busy as they used to be.

These 8 stages of lifespan range majorly depending on the person, but I think that these are the basic 8 stages of an average person.

Chapter 4 First Impression

--Original published at JVershinski's Blog

8-Stage Lifespan Development

Stage 1: 0-3 years old

I think that the main psychological challenge during this stage of development is the understanding of learning so many new things. The behaviors that someone this age will go through as well as the mental processes pose quite a challenge for someone from a young age.

Stage 2: 4-6 years old

The main psychological challenge for this age is the behavioral aspect of life. At this age I think that many people are learning to act how their parents tell them to act. Also, kids go through the phase of whether they should listen to their parents or act the way they want to act.

Stage 3: 7-12 years old

The main psychological challenge of this age group is the external development of behavior. I think at this age people are beginning to understand how their behaviors and what they say affect others around them.

Stage 4: 13-22 years old

At this stage in life, I think the biggest psychological challenge is stress. Most people around this age are in middle school, high school, or college, and they are faced with new mental challenges that they learn to figure out on their own which can cause a lot of stress. Also, around this age range is when people really judge themselves for how they look, and this can lead to things like anorexia or other eating disorders.

Stage 5: 22-28 years old

In this age group, I think independence in terms of behavioral development emerges on a different level. Around this age, you graduate college, move out, find your own place and start your own life. There is no more relying on other people to help you out anymore, and the responsibility of yourself really comes to light.

Stage 6: 29-40 years old

I think at this age range the biggest psychological challenge is planning ahead. This is the age range where people work a lot and start to plan their future years ahead, possibly even to retirement. This places a lot of stress on the brain as well as the person as a whole.

Stage 7: 41-64 years old

This age range’s biggest psychological challenge is development of new skills. Many people around this age do not possess the capability or the correct mindset to make time to learn something new. This could possibly prevent true happiness or joy from occurring.

Stage 8: 65+ years old

I think the biggest psychological challenge for this age group is keeping everything in order. Around this age and onward dementia may begin to kick in which could lead to episodes of mania or maybe forgetting something or someone that was very important to you.

First Impression Post; Research Methods

--Original published at olivyahvanek

Within the topic of psychology there are many different topics that interest me, one of the most interesting would be phobias. To research phobias I would begin with the question of, how do different types of phobias occur in people of all different backgrounds? Meaning what are the different causes of certain phobias and how to they become relevant and start to affect the human if they hadn’t in the past?

My hypothesis would be to say that humans are only affected by certain phobias if there was a previous trauma that caused them to fear certain aspects of life, whether the phobia is directly related to the or not. With this being said, phobias can be caused by things that had happened to people during their childhood, or during younger years of their lives.

To test this a group of people with one type of phobia would be gathered and a test on their past could be made by asking questions about what made the phobia come about. These tests would include questions relating to their home life, childhood, and what trauma they experienced in their lives so far. These results could be compared to the results of a group of people who do not have phobias.

The results of the experiment could help to show that phobias are created by things that had happened in the past and it can also tell whether or not phobias are caused by trauma.

Mythubusters: Madness Behind the Method

--Original published at Sherika's Psych Blog

In one of the mythbusters most iconic episodes where they compare whether the usage of a cellphone while driving compares to the dangers of drunk driving. In order to test hypothesis, the team set up a controlled experiment where the subject was both sober and wasn’t using a cellphone in order to be used to the course they had set up for the experiment.

The second experiment featured the subject being distracted due to a cellphone call. For the last variation of the experiment, the subject drank some alcoholic beverages and had their blood alcohol level examined with a breathalyzer test before driving the course again.

While these three different experiments were set up, there were of course, smaller criteria that existed within the experiments as detailed in the first controlled experiment that the team established. Within that experiment, they had the subject accelerate to 30 miles per hour and stopping at a marked point. After that the subject had to parallel park and avoid accidents. On top of this the experiments were timed as well.

During the cell phone portion of the experiment the subject was given different mental tasks to complete while also operating the car. Whether it was answering factual questions or more mathematically challenging questions. For this portion of the experiment, giving subjects mentally challenging tasks during the simulation of distracted driving due to cellphone usage was a weakness. Distracting the subject with factual or mentally stimulating questions doesn’t accurately recreate drivers everyday who are distracted due to the usage of their cellphones. Whether that be because the driver themselves are using their phone while driving or are getting distracted due to a phone call.

Instead of distracting the driver with mentally stimulating questions, it would have been more accurate for the subject to be holding a phone conversation instead that simulates the phone conversations that everyone has every day.

Another critique to be noted as that the blood alcohol level of the subjects tested wasn’t ever mentioned in the experiment. So it’s hard to determine if any of the subjects had the same blood alcohol level when they engaged in the test. This seems like a weakness as the two subjects in the study, because of age, sex, and weight could consume the same number of alcoholic drinks yet have differing blood alcohol levels that affected them differently. Instead, there should have been some sort of effort in order to get both subjects to either consume the same number of drinks or have blood alcohol levels that were close to each other.

Even though at the end of the video the mythbusters hypothesis was proven true that driving drunk and driving with a cellphone had similar margins for accidents. Whereas they had a larger margin of error for driving with a cellphone. Another thing to critique is that there was never any point of the video in which the mythbusters themselves addressed the criteria they were using to determine whether driving drunk was dangerous than a using a cellphone, vice versa, or with both. Instead, these criteria should have been mapped out at the beginning as it’s hard for the viewer to accept such things at face value.

Chapter 1 First Impression

--Original published at Noah'sPSY105blog



For my research study, I would be interested in finding if there is any correlation between students residing on a college campus, and exhibiting reckless behavior such as binge drinking. I would word my question as the following, “Does residing on a college campus increase the chances of students participating in destructive behaviors, such as binge drinking?”

My hypothesis is that students who live on college campuses are more likely to participate in dangerous behavior.

My procedure would be very straightforward, I would first start by asking students from different colleges to take a simple survey. The survey will be anonymous, but the students will have to include which college or university that they are attending so it will be easier to interpret the results. The survey would also ask the students if they live on campus, live off campus, or commute to their college or university. Lastly, the survey would ask the students how frequently they partake in dangerous activities such as binge drinking. Utilizing the results from the surveys will then help determine whether this hypothesis has some truth behind it, or is completely false.



Introductory Blog Post

--Original published at Rickster's Psychology Blog

Greetings!

My name is Richard Stone. I’m from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. I’m Business Administration Major with a concentration in finance.

I’m taking this class in order to graduate, deepen my understanding of Psychology, and apply it to the Cognitive Science courses I’ve completed.

My background in Psychology stems from 2 Cognitive Science courses I previously completed and an introductory Psychology class I took in high school.

I think of Psychology as the study of the way humans think as individuals and the combined mental processes in order to generate behavior.

The 1st topic which sparked my interest was cognitive because it would be interesting to compare how a Psychology instructor would explain Cognitive Science as to how my previous instructor with a Philosophy background explained Cognitive Science.

The 2nd topic which I’m interested in is Observational Learning. I know a bit about it already. I’m curious about the amount of depth this class gets into on this subject.

The 3rd topic I’m interested in is the mechanics of sleep. I never learned about the stages in great detail so I’m curious about each stage and what roles they play throughout the sleeping process.

The 1st least interesting topic to me is the scientific method. I’ve learned about it in every science course I’ve ever taken.

The 2nd least interesting topic for me is Neuro-Imaging. From what I’ve learned about Neuro-Imaging already, I know we still can’t capture the exact parts of the brain which respond to a certain prompt in real time. I’d be more curious on the subject when better technology is available and has bigger sample sizes.

The 3rd least interesting topic for me is Why Research Design Matters. I’ve learned about what makes a good Research Design in great detail in statistics class. I don’t feel like there’s much more for me to learn about this subject.

The question I want to build a better answer for from this class is “What are the mental processes and behaviors needed for an organism to constitute consciousness?”