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?”

Introductions

--Original published at Sherika's Psych Blog

Hi! My name is Sherika Marshall. I’m majoring in Japanese with minors in English and Asian Studies. I currently live in Norristown, Pa with my mother and younger brother; it’s located 30 minutes away from both Philly and King of Prussia.

Why am I taking this course? Well, like any other college student would answer for the credits of course. But that wasn’t the only other motivation I had for taking this course. I’ve always had some interest in psychology, even extending back into my high school years when I always thought that I’d end up studying forensic science with some sort of focus on psychology. But surprisingly, I ended up majoring in a foreign language.

I have a somewhat limited background in psychology with the last psych course I’ve ever taken being sometime in my early high school education. I can easily say, however, that my favorite shows related to psychology in some capacity are “Mind Hunter” and “Hannibal.”

With this course I’m just hoping to learn as much as I can about psychology and everything it entails.

Introductory Blog Post

--Original published at olivyahvanek

My name is Olivyah Vanek, I will be a sophomore in the fall at Elizabethtown College. My major is environmental science and I am still deciding on what I want my minor to be, psychology being one of the possible options, which is one of the main reasons I decided to take this summer course. I also decided to take this course to gain more college credits.

I don’t have much background in psychology, other than a class I took during high school for one semester. The class I took was just an introduction to psychology and I found it to be one of the most interesting courses that I took during high school.

When I hear the word “psychology” I think of the behaviors and mental thoughts of humans.

As I looked through the course schedule, I realized that there were many topics that I was interested in. I am most interested in learning how to evaluate psychological claims and how humans are psychologically affected by certain scenarios. I am very interested in children’s psychology as well and how it is different than in adults. I am less interested in topics such as topics such as memory and human development because they don’t seem quite as interesting to me as some of the other topics do.

By the end of this course I hope that I can learn enough information about psychology to help me decided whether or not I want to declare it as my major. I look forward to beginning this course and learning more about psychology!

Blog Introduction

--Original published at Noah'sPSY105blog

My name is Noah Hartman and I am a rising senior at Elizabethtown College. I am a Business Administration major with a concentration in Management. I am from Lebanon, Pennsylvania and enjoy spending time outdoors either playing lacrosse or spending time with friends.

I decided to take this course to gain extra credits as well as develop some understanding of psychology as a whole. I do not possess any previous knowledge when it comes to psychology. When I hear the word “psychology” I immediately think of the mind and what different factors drive people to think or to act. I believe that chapters 3,8, and 11 will be the most interesting chapters to learn about and could also be some of the most helpful chapters as well. I think that the topic on the Scientific Method, the Classical and Operant Conditioning , and Neuro-Imaging because on the surface these all seem like topics that could be very dry or tedious in nature. Lastly, the question about psychology that I would like answered by the end of the class would be, how well can it be tied into different fields of study?

Intro to Psychology Blog Creation

--Original published at JVershinski's Blog

Hello! My name is Jacob Vershinski. I am from Glen Mills, Pennsylvania and I just completed my freshman year at Elizabethtown College. I have lived in Glen Mills my entire life with my mom, my dad, and my older brother. We currently have three dogs, a guinea pig, and a few fish. I am majoring in Biology with a concentration in pre-medicine, but I think that I am going to switch my major in this upcoming year.

I decided to take this course because it is a pre-requisite for my current major, as well as the major I may be switching to. I do not have any background in psychology as I did not take it in high school. When I hear the word psychology, I think of the way that people act and the reasoning behind it. Another thing that comes to mind is my favorite TV show, “Psych.” To me, chapters two, four, and the drug knowledge activity appear to be the most appealing. Chapter two is about the biology of behavior which sparks my interest. Chapter four is about how psychology changes during the human life span, and the drug knowledge activity is interesting to me. Three topics that are not interesting to me are chapter one because I know it will be the basic introductory chapter, the stress ranking activity because it’s summer time and I don’t think many of us will be stressed, and the exams are definitely not fun topics. A question about psychology that I wish to answer is what kind of role it plays in everyday life. Obviously it is going to play quite a major role, but I’m just curious as to how much it impacts the everyday life.

Introductory Blog Post

--Original published at Courtney's College Blog

My name is Courtney Katch, an upcoming senior at Hempfield High School in Landisville, PA. I am hoping to attend Elizabethtown College next year with a major in biology, on a pre-medical track. I am taking two classes this summer to introduce myself to college-level coursework, while gaining college credit.

I am taking this course to complete a required course for my major. Also, I am considering obtaining a minor in psychology, and I am hoping that this course will give me a clear response as to if I should do so.

I have limited background in psychology, although I am very interested in the subject. I have taken Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Child Development in high school, which touched upon psychology.

When I hear the word psychology, I think of the science behind emotions and daily processes.

I am looking forward to learning about mental illness, because it is something that has affected by life. Since I am pursuing a career in medicine, I am interested in neuro-imaging, and psychiatric medication.

While looking through the course schedule, I was delighted to see how much I was interested in. I am least excited to learn about the scientific method, and why research design matters. Although these concepts are important, I am eager to dive in to material that is specific to psychology. Another least interesting concept is personality and culture, because it is less intriguing than other topics, like mood disorders and treatment.

At the end of this course, I hope to have a clear understanding about the basics of psychology, because I am taking psychopathology in the fall. I hope these courses let me know if I should to follow through with a psychology minor.

Introduction

--Original published at Bogo's Blog

Hello guys, My name is Adam Bogobiri and I go by Bogo. I am a sophomore mechanical engineering major.

I picked Introduction to Psychology because I’ve always had interest in psychology despite having little to no background in it. When I hear the word psychology I think of a therapy room and a patient sitting in a couch telling a therapist what he see’s when he looks at a certain pic.

I am very excited to learn more topics in this class but if I had to choose three they would be Mechanics of Sleep, Personality & Culture, and, Moral development. I picked mechanics of sleep because I have always been curious about dreams and why we dream. I picked the other three because I was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, so I have different morals and personality from the average american citizen. I don’t think I have a topic I’m not interested in exploring because all the topics in the syllabus seem very interesting.

A question I would want answered by the end of the class would be why people dream when they sleep. It may seem like a simple question but it’s a question I have had since I was around six years old.

Introduction

--Original published at Grace's College Blog

My name is Grace Cuff and I am a current first year at Elizabethtown College. I am a computer science major with a math minor. I chose to take this course to satisfy my social science credit, but also because I never got the chance to take psychology in high school and my friends who did thoroughly enjoyed it. I have little to no current background in psychology, only from my previous course in foundations of teaching. When I hear “psychology,” I think mostly of studies like the stanford prison experiment or experiments that they do on rats and animals. The three topics that interest me the most are “How to Improve Memory”, “Coping with Stress”, and “Attachment Theory.” I’d like the memory section because my memory tends to be bad and I’d like to see how it works. I also have a horrible time coping with stress so I think that section will be interesting. And I want to know about attachment theory because I think I have an idea of what it is, but I am not sure and would like to know more. The three that do not interest me are “Classical Conditioning”, “Theories of Intelligence”, and “Stereotypes and Discrimination.” I have learned a lot about conditioning in my teaching class. And the other two seemed less interesting than others. I would like to know by the end of this class the reason people have certain personality traits and where those develop from.

1/16/19

Introduction

--Original published at Zach Nawrocki's Blog

Hi everyone, my name is Zach Nawrocki I am a Biotechnology major. I chose to take this course because I need it for my neuroscience minor and I also find this field very interesting to talk about and have deep conversations about.

I do not have to deep of a background in Psychology. I did not take any Psychology classes in high school. Nevertheless, I have taking Cognitive Science and Neuroscience last semester so I know a little about the brain and how it works and thinking about questions revolving around psychology.

When I hear the word psychology I think about the brain and questions that revolve around the brain and delving deep into the mind and how it works as a whole and in coordination with other parts of the body.

Three topics that interests me are, “How does our brain decide what is long term memory vs. short term memory”, “How do emotions and consciousness relate to one another”, and “Understanding more about how the brain works”. I am interested in these three topics because I find the brain a very complex machine and I want to learn more about how the brain works and does dozens of things in split seconds.

Three topics that I think will not interest me as much are, “Sections on sleep”, “The parts of the brain”, and “psychotherapy”. I do not think that these topics will interest me as much because I like to learn more about how the brain works with the outside world and deep questions about how consciousness works and figuring out if other things have consciousness and what exactly makes something conscious.

Some questions I want answered by the end of the class is how memory works and what is happening when students are studying and why does the brain remember some things while forgetting about others. I also want to learn more about the emotion side of the brain and why do humans show emotions while other animals do not.

Introduction

--Original published at Robert's Psychology blog

Why you chose to take this class?(It is okay to be honest)

I took this course as my ssc because it’s a topic I’ve not had much experience in, and I’d like to learn more about it.

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

I have no background with psychology.

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

When I hear the word “psychology” I think of how the minds of people and animals react to various stimulants. By stimulants I mean different chemicals in the body, whether produced by or introduced to, which interact with the brain, as well as emotions and experiences.

Look at the course schedule on the syllabus.

Which three topics look the most interesting to you? Why?

The three topics look the most interesting to me are; Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, and Observational Learning, because these topics relate to learning how the world works around us and adjust ourselves, so we are better able to function in it.

Which three topics look the least interesting to you? Why?

The three topics look the least interesting to me are; Scientific Method, Personality Assessment, and Personality & Culture. I am a physics and engineering major so the section on the scientific method doesn’t interest me because I have gone over it many times. The reason for the other two is because I just don’t find personality information interesting.

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

What practical everyday uses will there be for someone who doesn’t study psychology, with the information learned in this class?