Spotlight Post #3

--Original published at Chey's Blog

I decided to look at single- gender schooling instead of year round education. Before reading any of these articles my stance is that single-gender education is not a good option. I personally so not think that it gives males and females the social skills that are necessary for them to interact with each other.

The first article I read was called “The Research Spotlight on Single-Gender Education.” It essentially claimed that girls would thrive more in a single-gender school. The author of this article noted that boys are praised more often than girls for things like calling out answers in class in mixed-gender schools. I located another article called “Is Single-Gender Education Better for Students?” This article said some similar things. It noted that girls tend to do better in single-gender schools. It was also stated that girls feel more confident and treat each other better when boys are not around. It was also noted that both genders could potentially do worse socially when not interacting with each other every day in schools.

On the opposite side I located some articles against single-gender education. This particular article, “Single-Sex Schools Are a Bad Idea,” was written by a woman that attended a single-gender school. She spoke of a level of competition that was not in mixed-gender schools. She noted that every girl in her school went on a diet to try and eat less than every other girl. She said that it was very damaging to her and made all of them see the opposite gender as lower than them. I found another article called “Single-Sex Education: The Pros and Cons.” This article talked about how these schools could make you see the opposite gender as lower and that many teachers are not able to create gender-specific lessons and techniques to teach.

Overall I found that these articles did not change my opinion. I still feel that single-gender schools could be detrimental to social skills with the opposite sex. They could also cause a lot of emotional harm as well. I think too much estrogen or testosterone in one building is a bad idea in general.

http://www.nea.org/tools/17061.htm

https://www.goodcall.com/news/single-gender-education-010826

https://thetab.com/uk/student/2016/02/05/went-single-sex-school-think-theyre-bad-idea-421

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/single-sex-education-the-pros-and-cons/

Media Production Project

--Original published at Chey's Blog

Researchers have been studying the differences between cultures and the effects that those cultures have on the brain. It was hypothesized that in Western cultures there is more of an independent self-identification and in Asian cultures there is an interdependent self-identification. Researchers Ying Zhu, Li Zhang, Jin Fan, and Shihui Han put their skills together to come to a conclusion for this hypothesis.

Tests were performed on paid volunteers. Thirteen volunteers were men and women from a Chinese college and the other thirteen were men and women from a Western college. The researchers used fMRIs to measure brain activity of the participants. The participants were asked to judge words shown to them on a screen and describe whether they were accurate descriptions of themselves, their mothers, or others. An example of a word would be the names of the presidents of both countries. They were also asked to judge the font of the words. The results were that the medical prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activated more with self than other identification for both parties. However, the MPFC was activated with both mother and self in Chinese subjects and just self in Western subjects. This shows that the MPFC of Chinese individuals represents both the self and the mother, while the MPFC of Western individuals exclusively represents self.

By studying both of these cultures it found that there are varying cultural differences in brain activity with self representation. Asian cultures have more of a group identification while Western cultures have a self identification. Because of the dynamic of Asian cultures there is no mental separation of identity. It is normal in Asian cultures for families to live together continuously. This is almost unheard of in most Western families. It is normal for children to move out when eighteen and not move back in. This helps to forge a self identification in Western individuals.

Pop Culture: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-cultures/201701/how-culture-wires-our-brains

Scholarly: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ynimgNeuroImage 34 (2007) 1310–1316

http://www.paper.edu.cn

Reflection:

I chose to include how the research was conducted and how participants were elected. I did not explicitly answer the five critical questions because I believe that if you are reading a summary of information those questions should be able to be answered in the summary. Overall the news article was lacking in information provided in the scholarly article. The news article focused on explaining what cultural neuroscience was and not on the research done to find cultural effects on the brain. The news article was not reliable and did not speak about how volunteers were found and how the experiment was conducted. I learned that journalists write to their audience. The scholarly article would not be easily understood by someone with no background in psychology. The news article explained a small portion of the scholarly article and then explained neuroscience in the way that most people could understand. The scholarly article writers aimed their writing towards other psychologists that could understand their experiments and work. When I was writing this I was trying to break down what I read in the scholarly article and make it easier to read for someone who does not have that much of a background in psychology. Unlike the pop culture article I stayed along the lines of the actual experiment happening in the scholarly article. It was fairly difficult to decide what I wanted to include in my summary of the article. A lot of what I read would not make sense to somebody who has not been doing research in psychology.

Chapter 13 First Impression

--Original published at Chey's Blog

So, the first test that I took was the Jung Typology Test. My result was ISTP. I am a 3% introvert, which apparently means that I have no preference of introversion over extroversion. I agree with that. I can be introverted or extroverted depending on my mood. I am 9% sensing, which means that I have a slight preference of sensing over intuition. I would say that is accurate. I try to look at the actual situation and not automatically go with my gut. I am 12% thinking, so I have a slight preference of thinking over feeling, also accurate. And lastly, I am 19% perceiving, which means I have a slight preference of perceiving over judging. I would like to think that is accurate, but I probably judge more than I realize. I do not know where the rest of the percentage points go, but I would say this test is pretty accurate in my opinion. I think that this test was pretty credible. It asked a wide range of questions to gather more information.

I took the Type Theory test next. I got the same results on this as I did on the first test, so that should be a good sign. My type is ISTP also known as “Artisan.” The description reads, “Action-oriented and fearless, and crave excitement. They like tools, and instruments and often become technical experts. 5% of the total population.” I think that this test is mostly credible. The results were not very detailed.

The third test that I took was the Big Five Personality Traits test. My result was that I was a part of factor one which was extroversion. I am apparently outgoing and social. I would say that I agree with that to an extent. I do like to have my alone time and I will not be the one to make plans more often than not. This test does not seem very credible to me. The questions were not very in depth at all.

The last test that I took was the color quiz. Picking colors and learning about my personality from that does not seem very credible to me. According to my results I am very social and require daily social interaction. I would agree with that. I am also apparently to critical and am constantly worried about being manipulated or tricked. I would say that is accurate. If you get hurt enough you are critical of every relationship you have with anyone. It said that I am emotionally involved in relationships, which I also agree with. I think this test is pretty accurate, but I would question its credibility.

Spotlight Blog 2

--Original published at Chey's Blog

I chose to evaluate online stress management approaches for my post. The first type of stress management that I looked at had a focus on high school students. The article for this website is titled Top 10 Stress Relievers for Students. It was stated that, “An NYU study found that much of high school students’ stress originates from school and activities and that this chronic stress can persist into college years and lead to academic disengagement and mental health problems” (Scott 1). Some tips were provided to help the stress of these high school students. The biggest tip was to take power naps because of a lack of sleep. From what we talked about in class, naps are not the best idea. They should not be frequent and should be less than twenty minutes long because they can greatly disrupt your sleep schedule. Exercise was another option that was given. This could be useful to relieve stress, but as we talked about in class it could also cause stress for some people. So, it is really up to the person exercising to decide whether that works for them.

The next type that I looked at was directed towards athletes. I know we have a lot of athletes in our class that have talked about their stress levels, so I thought it would be interesting to see what coping mechanisms the internet had to offer. The article that I found is called Five Stress Management Tips for Athletes. The number one tip provided here was to get adequate rest. The suggestion was 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night and naps if you could not get that much rest. Now, as we learned in class that specific time of sleep is not necessarily correct and you just need to find what works for your body. The naps were also spoken of previously. Another tip was to check your attitude. The article talked about how having a positive attitude can reduce stress. I’m sure being positive is one way to not have stress, but I’m not sure that just telling yourself to be positive is going to get rid of stress, especially for those with anxiety.

The last type that I looked at was stress management for employees in the workplace. There is a lot of stress in the workplace and I know the way that I cope with it is unnecessary bathroom breaks to get away from coworkers. So, I wanted to see what tips were available that did not include those bathroom breaks. The article that I found for this is called 9 Simple Ways to Deal With Stress in the Workplace. One tip that was provided is to avoid conflict. I would say that is a very good tip to avoid the stress, but it does not really give you a way to manage the stress you are already feeling. Another tip was to go for a walk on your lunch break. For those of us that enjoy food that might not work, but if you are really stressed I do think that is a good option. Walks actually relieve my stress a lot. I think that moving around helps to keep me calm.

Overall these were pretty good tips. I would not personally do most of them because they would not work for me, but getting a decent amount of sleep and exercising are good tips that a lot of people could use.

https://www.verywellmind.com/top-school-stress-relievers-for-students-3145179

https://nova3labs.com/five-stress-management-tips-athletes/

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-deal-with-stress-at-work-3145273

Chapter 9 First Impression

--Original published at Chey's Blog

I had a lot of really great teachers whenever I was in high school. Sure, there were some that did not care about their students at all, but I have several teachers that really cared about me and wanted me to do well. One in particular was my German teacher. I was in his class for all four years of high school, so we knew each other pretty well. I would bring donuts in the morning for him and he would help me with my assignments to make sure I did well. In my senior year I was working forty hours a week as well as going to school full time. I told him about my schedule and he offered to go into my workplace and speak with my manager about cutting my hours back because they would not listen to me. Unfortunately they were not going to change my schedule so he helped me out a lot with class work. He told me he could not give me extensions, but that he would do what he could to help. He ended up changing the way he graded my assignments. He would skip putting some of my grades in to cut me some slack. He never said this out loud, but I could see it in my scores. Now I know that is not allowed, but I appreciated it more than I could express. I felt hopeless and depressed as well as overworked and that really helped me to do more in class to make up for what I could not do outside of class. I think that helping your students and getting to know them on a personal level is the best way to improve their performance in the classroom. My teacher did this for me and really left a positive impact on me.

Chapter 10 First Impression

--Original published at Chey's Blog

A lot of music tends to be misinterpreted. For the example Every Breath You Take by The Police, I have always thought that it was a song about a stalker. It turns out that it was and I was right to be ‘creeped out’ by it. My mom listened to a lot of 80’s music whenever I was a kid. I remember her telling me that many of those songs that she listened to were love songs. One in particular that she swore to me was a love song was Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard. Now, being older, I know that is not a love song. She claimed that because it said, “In the name of love” in one line it was a love song. This is not true. It is a song about shooting up heroin and having sex, to put it in plain terms. So, I suppose the sexual part of it could be considered part of a love song. But this song is most definitely about taking drugs as well, which I say would discount it as a love song. It specifically says, “take a bottle/ shake it up/ break the bubble/ break it up.” This is referencing flicking a syringe to get the air bubbles out of it. I know that is very forward, but that is literally what the song is about. I always thought it was funny that she thought it was a love ballad. I would not considered the use of drugs in a relationship to make it a healthy relationship. Overall, it would not be considered a love ballad in my eyes. Just like Every Breath You Take is not a love ballad neither is Pour Some Sugar On Me.

Chapter 11 First Impression

--Original published at Chey's Blog

College life is filled with stress. I do not think that my life is as stressful now as it was in high school. I think that is because I am learning what I want to learn and I am not just thrown into random classes. I deal with my stress in a lot of different ways. One of the main ways that I deal with stress is by making art. I do a lot of painting to put my focus on something other than what is stressing me. Just moving the paint or charcoal or graphite around on paper and canvases is very stress relieving for me. I also play the guitar and/or sing to relieve stress. It also works really well for me. One of the things that relieves stress the most for me is something I do not get to do very often. I love to drive my car with the windows down and the music up. That is one of the most freeing and stress relieving things for me to do. I love it so much, but as a poor college student I do not have the gas to do that. That fact, in turn, puts stress on me. I think that one thing I could start doing is keeping a journal. I have heard that writing out what happens in your day and what is stressing you can help to relieve that stress. I think that would be a good idea for me since I like to write.

Spotlight Prompt 1

--Original published at Chey's Blog

I spent many years not knowing what my learning style was. I struggled to find the right way to teach myself material. I did very well in school, but when it came to tests and exams I did not know how to teach myself how to memorize material. Most of my teachers thought that it was very important to know my learning style, but I had no idea why. They only taught in a way that they understood. So, I decided to explore the concept of learning styles because of this.

In an article published by ERN it was said that, “styles of thinking and learning are just as important as intellectual ability… And ignoring students’ thinking styles…puts teaching and learning in jeopardy” (Kappan 2). Many educators are told this exact statement. A lot of time and effort is focused on finding the learning styles of students or having students find their own learning styles. Another article published by Teach stated, “It is important for educators to understand the differences in their students’ learning styles, so that they can implement best practice strategies into their daily activities, curriculum and assessments” (Teach 1). So, the main focus is on educators finding the learning styles of their students and not the students finding that out for themselves. Both sources seem to be credible blogs directed mainly towards educators.

On the opposite side, many people believe learning styles should not be focused on. According to an APS article it’s shown that, “although numerous studies have purported to show the existence of different kinds of learners (such as “auditory learners” and “visual learners”), those studies have not used the type of randomized research designs that would make their findings credible” (APS 3). So, the testing to find learning styles wasn’t done in a way that could be seen as credible in the first place. The article later talks about how people should not be put into one specific learning category or another and how they are often a mix of different learning styles, which I agree with. In another article published by The Atlantic it says virtually the same thing- that learning styles do not exist because not everybody can be put into one category of learning.

Overall I agree with the opposing side. I do not think that learning styles really exist. I learn in several different ways and was never placed into a specific category. I do not think that an educator basing their entire teaching methods off of the ‘learning styles’ of students would help in any way.

Sources

https://www.ernweb.com/educational-research-articles/the-importance-of-understanding-individual-learning-styles/

https://teach.com/what/teachers-know/learning-styles/

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/learning-styles-debunked-there-is-no-evidence-supporting-auditory-and-visual-learning-psychologists-say.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/the-myth-of-learning-styles/557687/

Chapter 7 First Impression

--Original published at Chey's Blog

I thought that B.F. Skinner made a very valid point when he said that people do things because there is a reinforcement for their actions. He used people gambling as an example. Skinner stated that, “…people gamble because of the scheduled reinforcement that follows.” According to Skinner there is no such thing as free will because of this. I believe that free will does exist and ties along with his reinforcement and operant conditioning theory. Of course people do things because there is a reward, but I do not believe that they did not choose to perform whatever action it is that they were performing. I believe that everyone has the ability to choose what they do and when they do it. If free will did not exist we would all have the same morals and follow each others actions. I think having free will makes us all individuals. I have the ability to color my hair. I choose to do so frequently. The key here is that I choose to color my hair. I make that decision because I have the power to do so. And that it was I believe free will is –the power to choose. You can choose to do something because you get a reward for it. You just can not choose the consequences of your actions. So, I do agree with Skinner’s theories, but I do not think that those theories mean that free will does not exist.

Chapter 4 First Impression

--Original published at Chey's Blog

I chose to make an eight stage development cycle like Erik Erikson did previously. It goes as follows:

Infant to 18 Months: Safety vs Fear

18 Months to 5 Years: Moral vs Immoral

6 to 7 Years: Inclusive vs Exclusive

8 to 14 Years: Individuality vs Group Mentality

15 to 20 Years: Identity vs Anonymity

20 to 36 Years: Control vs Crisis

35 to 60 Years: Fulfillment vs Dissatisfaction

60 and Older: Contentment vs Discontentment

Safety vs Fear: When infants are beginning to develop they trust easily, but when they are afraid of something they lose that sense of trust as well as any sense of safety they felt. When there is safety there is no fear. But in the absence of safety an infant would feel fear. An infants interaction with the world around them would teach them what to fear and what not to fear. Parents play a role in that teaching as well.

Moral vs Immoral: Children are taught by their parents what is moral and what is immoral. When children do something ‘wrong’ they are disciplined by their parents. If they do something ‘right’ they are often praised. In early childhood morals are one of the basic concepts taught by parents and that moral compass tends to follow children throughout their lives.

Inclusive vs Exclusive: Children learn what they do and don’t like pretty early in life as well. If children like something they will include it into their lives. If they don’t like something they will exclude it from their lives. For example, if a child doesn’t like peas, but does like grapes, they will include grapes into their diet and exclude peas.

Individuality vs Group Mentality: As children develop into adolescents they learn how they want to express themselves individually. But they won’t always express themselves as individuals. Society targets adolescents with standards and norms to make them feel as though they need to follow the crowd and be part of a group. Their individuality could be hidden by the group that they associate with.

Identity vs Anonymity: During this stage people are figuring out what their identity truly is along with their sexuality. People often express their true identity during these years more than they did during previous years. In opposition to that some people don’t want to be noticed. They blend in with others and avoid being their own person, which is where the anonymity portion comes in.

Control vs Crisis: During this period adults want to have control of their lives. They want to have a plan that is full-proof that they can continue on for the years to come. If they don’t have a sense of control there will be crisis. A lot of people refer to this as a ‘mid-life crisis.’

Fulfillment vs Dissatisfaction: At this stage in life an individual has completed the goals they’ve set for themselves. They’ve done what they set out to do in their life. Either that or they haven’t accomplished these goals and they’re dissatisfied with their life. They can still try to reach these goals or they will settle with feeling despair due to the outcome of their life.

Contentment vs Discontentment: In the late stages of life individuals feel content with their lives. They are satisfied and aren’t wanting for more than what their life has offered them. In contrast they feel discontent. They aren’t happy with the outcome of their life and they end up being unhappy with their last stages.