Media Production Post

--Original published at KatiesPerspectives

News Article:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109093729.htm

Scholarly Article:

http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(11)00912-7/fulltext

Word count article: 297

Word count reflection: 250

Article Rewrite:

A study was done to test and prove that telomere in depression and the general population are associated with a hypocortisolemic state. The study proved the correlation between people with depression and having telomeres with shorter length. Telomeres are the outermost part of linear chromosomes, that have lines of short nucleotide strings. This study showed that there was also a significant relation between the hypocortisolemic state of stress, which leads to depression which leads to having a short telomere length. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a big part in the neuroendocrine response to stress. This HPA axis is commonly found to be dysregulated in people with depression. While there are outside factors that contribute to stress and the HPA response to stress, the depressive state itself acts as a stress generator and does not help the person with depression. A group of patients in a psychiatric care center in northern Sweden who all meet the criteria of major depressive disorder were evaluated in this study. Eighty-one participants and 253 control subjects were all involved in this experiment and all of them were questioned and had their telomeres evaluated. The first article mentions the correlation between short telomeres and depression, but does not mention which causes which, but whether or not they are systematic, but it is confirmed that they are very much correlated. Results showed that telomeres were indeed shorter in evaluated patients than those in the control group. It is also important to note that telomeres shorten with age and stress/depression can accelerate this shortening process. Telomere length was also associated with stress measured with the Perceived Stress Questionnaire. This research has been done multiple researchers and has been evaluated by many professionals, and the results are generally the same despite few aspects that may vary.

Reflection:

Considering the fact that I only had 297 words to work with, I found it extremely difficult to get all the information I wanted in my article rewrite. One might think it’s easier writing less words, but I found myself going back and rewriting sentences over and over again in order to condense my word count. In order to meet the word count, I was forced to leave out some very important information that was put in place to support the research. Although I was able to get everything in that helps to summarize the findings of this study, there were a lot of details that I had to leave out that would have made my research sound more valid and believable because it helps support much of the research. When I was looking for a news article to read about, I wasn’t necessarily looking for a short one, but if I found one brief enough to get the point across, then that would be a plus (or so I thought.) In the end, having more words to work with would have been beneficial to me and throughout this semester I have learned much about research articles and their validity. I have learned that some are more reliable than others and most of the time, extra words and that little bit of extra information is exactly what an article needs to be more reliable. The original article shows just how much I’ve grown since the start of the semester.

Week 15 First Impression Prompts – Mental Illness

Hand writing on a notebook

Here are the prompts for this week. Regardless of which prompt you choose, use the tag “Mental Illness.” The first impression posts will be due by the beginning of class on Monday, 4/23. The refinement posts will be due at 5pm on Sunday, 4/29.

Option 1

Schizophrenia is often depicted dramatically in the media, and has been the subject of many major films like A Beautiful Mind, The Soloist, and Donnie Darko. Less frequently, however, do people get the chance to think about the daily life of someone who experiences hallucinations and delusions. Watch this video which simulates the experience of a person with schizophrenia, share your reactions, and compare this to how you typically see schizophrenia in the media.

Option 2

People often associate schizophrenia with the homeless population or mental hospitals, but rarely do we think about people who are professionally very successful. One person who is thriving despite her schizophrenia is Elyn Saks, who received her law degree from Yale and is a professor at the University of Southern California. In her TED Talk, she describes how she struggled with her disorder and was eventually able to manage her condition and take control of her life. Share your reactions to the video, discuss how her story compares to the “typical narrative” of schizophrenia, and discuss why you think she turned out differently than other people with this disorder.

I look forward to seeing what you write!

Header image: CC by Flickr user Caitlinator

Media Production

--Original published at Caleb C's College Blog

Study done by Researchers at University of British Columbia Discover that Smelling Your Partner’s Scent Could Decrease Your Stress Levels

Research conducted through the University of British Columbia has found that women who are exposed to stranger’s scents compared to their partner’s scent display differences in stress levels. The study was conducted to research how stress levels very in women when exposed to unfamiliar scents. In the study, 96 heterosexual women were randomly assigned to smell one of three scents (their partner’s, a stranger’s, or neutral) and then were exposed to an acute stressor to then evaluate their body’s response to the smell when matched with stress. The main aspects measured in the experiment were cortisol levels, as well as perceived stress. Cortisol is the stress hormone released in the body and perceived stress was defined in the study as “indicated anxiety, physical discomfort, desire to leave the situation, tension, and feelings of control.” Perceived stress was overall reduced in those exposed to their partner’s scent, and cortisol levels were increased in those women who were exposed to a stranger’s scent. The study found, based on these results, that olfactory cues in social interactions revealed that scents impact reactions to stress.

The researchers continue emphasize in the discussion how a “stranger danger” effect was occurring with the elevated cortisol levels and a “partner comfort” effect was observed with the perceived stress. Both of these effects were limited to either aspect. Some criticisms within the research point towards how the men, where the shirts the women had to smell came from, were told to not eat or do anything for 24 hours which would alter their natural smell. This had to be done to control “scents,” though naturally people do things such as use scented lotions or body washes which contribute to their overall scent. This could explain why only 63% of women correctly identified their partner’s scent when exposed to it.

Reflection

This was extremely hard to summarize the research due to all the information and important aspects within the study which are necessary to the study. Though, because I was only limited to about 300 words, I was forced to leave some aspects out in order to properly summarize the research. I believe it was most important to emphasize the main idea of the study as well as what the researchers found within the results. Though, I had to sacrifice some of the details of the experimental setup as well as not hit all of the 5 critical questions. While writing this, I developed more respect for journalists because they have to boil down studies in order to get the most important information out while at the same time appealing to the reader and not boring them. I found the entertaining part the most difficult because I feel like I need to add facts about the research to prove my credibility but at the same time I feel as if I just copied information over and did not make it sound very interesting. This makes me feel bad about how harsh I was when criticizing the article initially because it seemed like they left out a lot of necessary information, though they did give the main message the study found accurately as well as composing it in a way which was appealing to read. I believe the author of the article left out important aspects of the article to make it an easy read while emphasizing the main idea, while I decided to more focus on including as much facts about the study within my 300 word limit and just discussing the main idea towards the beginning. Though, I also had to sacrifice “wrapping up” my article because I could not decide what information to take out without feeling like it was incomplete. Overall, I gained much more respect for journalists through this process because I discovered first hand how hard it can be to summarize main ideas of a complicated article while at the same time not making it a boring read.

Article: https://health.usnews.com/wellness/health-buzz/articles/2018-01-05/smelling-your-partners-shirt-could-decrease-your-stress-levels-study-says

Study: Hofer, M. K., Collins, H. K., Whillans, A. V., & Chen, F. S. (2018). Supplemental Material for Olfactory Cues From Romantic Partners and Strangers Influence Women’s Responses to Stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. doi:10.1037/pspa0000110.supp

Stress

--Original published at CurtisCollegeBlog

Stress is said to be a state of mental or emotional strain or tension from certain adversity or circumstances. Everyone on earth goes through stress at times, some more than others. How people deal with stress is a whole other different animal. In essence, dealing with and managing stress is generally the same across different cultures and things like that. I’m going to discuss the tips in detail for college students, athletes and teachers.

As a college student, the amount of stress you deal with daily can be pretty overwhelming. You have to plan out your time with some sort of schedule to stay on top of things. If you have a job, you have plan things around your work schedule. The 1^st tip is to prioritize your own health over other unnecessary things in your life. Staying healthy will keep you lively and energetic and with that your mind will also become sharper and able to gain and retain information better. Things like sleep, healthy food, and exercise all keep your health at a maximum level. Meditation is another way to deal with stress as a college student. Even if you don’t want to meditate like a monk, just simply relaxing and breathing will help your cortisol lower along with your stress. Planning helps a lot with stress, because it avoids the possibility of procrastination, which is a killer among students. There’s no need to be stressed about a deadline, if you have all your work done before then. Lastly, they say to be grateful for the life you live, because you’ll never know what could happen. Make sure you’re grounded as a person and maintaining homeostasis. As a student, you have to take care of yourself, so your performance in the classroom rises as well as your own health.

Athletes are some of the most stressed out people in the world, especially student athletes because they have to deal with all the pressures above and even more. Now, you have the pressure to perform day in and day out because of your coaches and teammates. They say athletes need a lot of rest because of the toll that they put on their body. As you sleep, the body naturally starts to restore itself, so you’re replenishing your health physiologically and mentally while gaining energy. Time management is a big issue for student athletes as well, you have balance all your sports stuff, with your day-to-day life. A positive attitude is something that is good to have as mentioned in the article. This is sort of in line with something called the Facial feedback theory. This theory leads you to believe a forced emotion, will lean you more towards actually being in the state of that emotion. If you’re smiling, you will be happier more likely than not. It’s recommended that athletes find some recreational activities. Something that can help you blow off some steam. This way you have more options to keep you sane or level-headed when you get stressed out. The last tip is to develop a support system. This could be any group of people you are around that are there for you and your well-being. This could be your family or a group of friends that you have that have your back no matter what. No matter how bad you play, these people are right by your side. It proves to you there is more to life than just sports.

Teachers get a bad reputation for having an “easy” job, but no job is easy all the time. Even though most teachers have summers off, it’s not always like this. Some teachers teach during summer school, but a lot of them just make lesson plans for the year and prepare. A lot of times, teachers are also coaches (usually at the high school level) which is a huge added stress. Breathing was a big option for teachers, meditated breathing can improve your life in a couple ways. Breathing will lower physical stress and helps you to regain control. A quirky method is to just embrace the stress, view it as something positive. Looking at stress constructively will cause your body to respond differently to it and prevents long-lasting internal physical damage. Teachers are supposed to remind themselves that they are not perfect, and perfection isn’t expected of them. Mistakes often happen, and they’re generally not a big deal. Teachers should try practicing emotional first aid on themselves, which sounds crazy at first. Essentially, it’s just repairing yourself from any mental and emotional strain that you are currently dealing with. Another thing is to work smarter not harder which will help you prevent straining yourself or spreading yourself too thin. When in doubt, ask for help, getting help from others doesn’t make you stupid or look weak, it helps get the job done properly. Teachers are told to develop some sort of close connection as well, whether it’s a deep friendship or love. I feel as though most teachers are married, but in that case it doesn’t hurt to make the bond you have stronger.

These three sources seemed as if they were credible. Most of the tips they gave were in the book’s stress management tips as well. For the most part, the tips seemed to be around the same too. Confirming that four different places lead you to the same couple of tips, seems to make them look credible. All 3 told their audience to connect with other people. Having genuine bonds with other people puts less pressure on you in certain situations. Positivity showed up in a bunch of them as well. That is partially backed up by the facial feedback theory. Pretending to be happy will make you happier. I thought that exercise was going to be put in for all 3 like it was in the book. I assume they didn’t have it in for athletes because they generally are getting enough exercise between their practices and games.

https://eduadvisor.my/articles/avoid-stress-college-7-stress-management-tips-students/ (College)

https://www.recruitingrealities.com/2012/09/25/5-stress-management-tips-for-student-athletes (athletes)

https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/9-stress-management-strategies-every-teacher-needs-know(teachers)

Spotlight Blog 2

--Original published at Caleb C's College Blog

Based on studies done on DARE, conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office, the U.S. Surgeon General, the National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Department of Education, they have consistently shown that DARE is ineffective in reducing the use of alcohol and drugs and can even be considered counterproductive. The whole DARE organization sounds like a good idea, and I grew up and went through middle school when the whole program was expanding to schools nationwide. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program is used in close to 80% of school districts in the US, and 54 other countries around the world, overall reaching 36 million students each year. Therefore, knowing its effectiveness is important when considering the massive footprint it brings every year.

DARE leaders, when criticized with empirical evidence, say that the DARE Program shouldn’t be judged similar to other organizations based on evidence, because they prefer to rely on feelings, impressions, and hopes. The DARE program and their leadership continually dismiss evidence which questions DARE’s effectiveness, they argue the program has no need to be evaluated because it’s based on educational theories and techniques. Even though this is the case, the research they are founded on include world renown psychologists, Carl Rogers, Maslow, etc., though these same researchers later admitted that the specific research done which is what DARE is based on was wrong and off-base. Bill Coulson, another well-known psychologist states that the program “is rooted in trash psychology.” It can be difficult to get DARE out of schools, even with empirical evidence to back up the criticisms, due to how parents simply like the efforts made to tell their kids to not do drugs. For example, MADD leadership points to surveys which asks students, parents, and teachers whether they like the program, and overall most people report satisfaction with DARE. The DARE organization then uses these feelings and surveys to avoid evidence based criticisms, even though the surveys don’t shed light on how the program is truly impacting the children.

When the National Institutes of Health/University of Kentucky found DARE to be ineffective, DARE’s leader responded with it being “academic fraud,” and claimed it was part of and anti-DARE vendetta by therapists. Furthermore, In Houston, a study showed a 29% increase in drug usage and a 34% increase in tobacco usage among students who participated in DARE. William Modzeleski, top drug education official at the Department of Education, says “research shows that, no, DARE hasn’t been effective in reducing drug use.” Overall, DARE has been proven to not work like we wanted it to, thus the program needs to be improved and continually tweaked through criticisms of studies to help establish a system which is proven to decrease drug usage in kids. DARE is “a fraud on the people of America,” says the mayor of Salt Lake City, stating that “for too long our drug-prevention policies have been driven by mindless adherence to a wasteful, ineffective, feel-good program.”

According to Scientific American, an article written by Scott Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz discuss why the “Just Say NO” method doesn’t work. This statement initially came from First Lady, Nancy Reagan in 1982, and following that adolescent drug prevention movements adopted this as their slogan. On the surface, these programs sound good considering how teachers and parents witness first hand how drugs and alcohol impact their children, though overall these programs have typically found to be ineffective across the board due to how they focus primarily on the educational aspect instead of emphasizing social interaction work. According to the article, a meta-analysis in 2009 of 20 controlled studies conducted by statistician Wei Pan, and Haiyan Bai of University of Central Florida, revealed that teens enrolled in the program were just as likely to use drugs as those who received no intervention.

I believe, based on my research done, that these abstinence programs should be removed from schools. Research shows they are ineffective and typically do not decrease the use of drugs or alcohol, and sometimes negatively impact children, enforcing behavior. On the surface, all these programs seem to be good and adults like that the “just say no” technique enforces an idea to kids that it is socially acceptable to say no to things such as drugs and sex, but in the end research shows that this does not work and ultimately could be enforcing the bad behaviors which we as a society are trying to mitigate.

Sources:

Hanson, D. J. (n.d.). Alcohol Abuse Prevention. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/alcoholfacts.org/DARE.html

Lilienfeld, S. O. (2014, January 01). Why “Just Say No” Doesn’t Work. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-just-say-no-doesnt-work/

Spotlight Blog post #2

--Original published at MaddiesCollegeBlog

Various individuals undergo the feeling of stress, It can affect all ages, cultures, and genders in many different environments. Stress is caused by a term called “a Stressor”, stressors are defined as an event or feeling that can activate a stress response. A stressor can vary from individual to individual, it all depends on how that person feels about events. It can be anything from an exam, to a big game, mental health concerns, or major medical issues. Stress usually does not have a time expiration, again it all depends on the person. Some people feel immediate relief once the cause of stress is over, or the stress can linger for the person for a long time. No matter how long the stress lasts, it is very detrimental to ones physical, emotional and mental health. Since stress can affect many different groups of people, for example, student-athletes, parents, celebrities, etc. there can be many coping mechanisms for those people to help them learn how to handle their stress better and not let it succumb them.

The first audience that I decided to focus on first, was one that I felt that I could relate to the most which is college student-athletes. Being a college student athlete is not easy at all, and the transition from high school to college was not easy for me personally. Here at college, I found that my high school did not prepare me at all for what college was going to be like academically wise. College is a lot of work, and especially being a biology major it is not easy, and very stressful at times. On top of having a lot of schoolwork and expectations from professors, having 2 hour practice 6 out of the 7 days a week added even more stress to my plate. After reading an article that provided ways that student athletes could de-stress, I found that I could relate to a lot of what he said to do. According to Jason Perry, A track and field athlete from University of North Carolina Asheville, He discusses how student athletes are more susceptible to anxiety and depression because of all the pressure they are put under by coaches, academics, and socially. He then provided 5 positive ways to manage stress, and reasonings as to why you should follow through with them. For example, one of them was talking it out. In class we discussed that this option is always good no matter what. Perry expressed that by talking it out, it allows the person it let out steam and for some cases, a good rant is all you need to make you feel a lot better. Another reason he said was to accept that bad things are going to happen, which I also found myself relating too. In the second week of preseason, I had hurt my knee extremely resulting to me being on crutches for a long time. It was very discouraging and at times I felt that there was no going back from here and that I should just give up, but I found that my teammates, coaches, trainers, and even professors told me that its one of those things that’s inevitable, I couldn’t control it, and I had to accept it and move on, in order to get better and back on the field. Perry exclaimed that nobody is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, but that is how you learn. As an athlete, sometimes you need to take a second to soak it in, and then let it go. After I read that, I immediately felt a connection because I often found myself doing that quite frequently. Another strategy he provided was getting a hobby. He stated after that sometimes it is very good to get away from your athletic life, and that it is good for you to find something where it can just be for fun and to allow you to get your mind off things that cause stress for you. Getting a hobby can also be good because there is no pressure that comes with it, and when you are a student athlete, sometimes it feels like pressure is all you know. So, it is good to get away from that feeling and focus on something more relaxing and enjoyable. I think that the five strategies that he stated are very beneficial and can be adaptive because they strictly target student athletes themselves, not just college students in general. Also, the article was written by a student athlete himself. So odds are what he is saying is factual, and at times I am sure that he sued these strategies to cope with his stress.

The second audience that I decided to focus on was the stress of parenting, I felt that parenting was just a common one that is a universal stressor. Many parents, especially with their first child stress about everything and anything, and feel that everything must be perfect. I remember my mom told me that she was the same way with me, she wanted to always be watching me and holding me to make sure I was safe and nothing could go wrong. I also learned this concept in my high school AP psych class, we talked about how this type of stressor is more biological and natural to stress over having a child because it is so new and life changing. After reading this website that provided 4 tips to help parents who are trying to balance a lot of new feelings and hectic schedules, I felt that the tips were very logical and seemed like it would be beneficial to parents. For example, the first tip was to seek professional help, psychologists have the best understanding of these things and can provide you with resources on how to help with specific concerns. In my opinion, that seems pretty reasonable to seek professional help. Another tip that they suggested was to increase quality time with family, but to also you need to make time for yourself. By doing fun activities with your child, it improves the parent-child relationship, but sometimes, you may just need some time to yourself as for most parents you are around your child 24/7 and some alone time is just what you need. I thought that this article did an exceptional job at providing tips for parents to take some stress away, though some of the tips were pretty obvious, I feel that it is still good to hear that some of the tips are just what you need to do to feel better. The author of this article is a professor of psychology at the University of Houston-Downtown, he is also a clinical psychologist. So I feel that the information that he is providing is professional and very evidence-based.

For my third audience that I decided to focus on was the stress that comes from being a teacher. I can relate to this type of stress because I encountered it everyday, not only did I observe it from some of my high school teachers that I was really close with, but also my mother. My mom is a 1st grade elementary school teacher, and some things that I have heard her have to do and endure over the past 27 years seems honestly brutal. I feel that many people do not realize the kind of passion and drive you need to be a teacher, and from what I can tell it is one of the most challenging occupations. From my personal opinion, saying that being a teacher is stressful is an understatement, and we do not give them the credit that they deserve. After coming across and article titled “5 proven stress management tips for teachers (backed by science)”, I found that the tips provided were actually legitimate and seemed like it would actually be beneficial to a teacher undergoing a lot of stress. One tip that I felt had the biggest impact on me was “Focus on What You Can do Something About”. I felt that this tip especially really affects teachers because their job is to solely make sure the classroom runs smoothly, and a lot of the time they spend time focusing on what went wrong more than what went well, and usually whatever didn’t go their way was out of their control. Especially with elementary school teachers. The other tips that were suggested are exercise regularly, set realistic goals, share experiences with your colleagues and practice mindfulness. I felt that all these suggestions and their reasonings behind them, all seemed like they would be beneficial to a teacher who is very stressed. I also feel this way because the article referred to academic studies that were conducted to provide evidence for their tips, which I found to be very impressive. I also felt that the tips were more focused on an individual’s health too, which I think is even more favorable for teachers who are stressing.

https://www.athletenetwork.com/blog/dealing-with-stress-as-a-college-athlete

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-race-good-health/201306/4-tips-managing-parenting-stress

https://truestressmanagement.com/stress-management-for-teachers/

Spotlight Post #2

--Original published at JD's Blog

Upon searching for different study tips I was definitely surprised at what results came up. Looking at the tips designed and guided towards each of the different academic levels, it was cool to see how certain points lined up and others were totally different due to the age gaps. The study tips designed for students attending college seemed to cover multiple aspects of college life as well as general study tips geared towards memory (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/08/study-tips-for-college-_n_709096.html?slideshow=true#gallery/10344/0).

The first tip they suggested was to alternate ones study spaces. This can have both positive and negative effects. There are many factors that could influence your study location. The first is the resources available. Is there a place to plug in your devices, how many different types of distractions are there, what the overall atmosphere of the area is and most importantly the other people who are there with you (http://www.takeyoursuccess.com/study-environments-affect-on-study-habits). It is very important to be in a good mindset while studying. State dependent learning suggest that you remember information much better if you study in an area that is similar to the place where you first learned the information (Gen Psych 105, Dr. MacFarlane). The website also suggests studying in groups. When it comes to studying, students can help one another understand confusing material and lighten the workload for one another by sharing it. Together, they can help each other develop retrieval ques to remember information better. Another suggestion is to take practice tests. This will help the student prepare for the actual test by answering similar questions and getting themselves into the proper mindset while relieving stress. An important one mentioned on this website was to refrain from studying one specific topic to in deeply. Instead, one should learn a little bit about all of the topics covered on the text or whatever needs to be studied for. In a study posted by the Journal of Applied Psychology, it was determined that kids who learn a small amount of many different subjects almost always perform much better those who only study one method or topic in depth (http://web.williams.edu/Psychology/Faculty/Kornell/Publications/Kornell.Castel.Eich.Bjork.2010.pdf) I think these are all great tips and actually implement most of them myself when studying.

The second website I looked up was geared more towards middle schoolers and focused on a much broader spectrum to aid with their study habits (https://studyskills.com/educators/middle-school/). This site stated that students should develop priorities prior to studying. They should determine which fields they have the most trouble in and devote more time to studying them. After this step is taken the student should set goals for themselves based on what they want to study. Both of these steps can be associated with priming. By exposing the student to a stimulus early and having them practice it, their ability to recall that information when confronted by the specific stimulus will most likely increase (Gen Psych 105, Dr. MacFarlane). It also recommended going to extra help sessions to be sure that the student understands the textbook or reading that are assigned to them. This would help them have the background knowledge needed to study. These tips may be helpful, but they do not focus a as much on memory and recall as the first article did.

The third article focused on tips for parents to help their kids study more efficiently. Many of the tips highly recommended cutting out as many possible distractions as possible. This will allow the student to focus completely on their task at hand. One thing they recommended that I was unsure about was to have them listen to music while they study. After several studies on little kids were conducted. It was found that they performed and remembered to the best of their ability when listening to soft and relaxed music while doing work. This was compared to listening to nothing at all and aggressive music. (http://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/11/10-1).

They recommended designating a certain space for doing homework and studying as well as keeping a schedule and giving your child rewards for completing their work. This will motivate the child to perform better and result in an increase in their memory’s recall when it comes to tests or assignments (https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/tips-for-helping-kids-and-teens-with-homework-and-study-habits/#.WtOxUGbMyfU). It also recommended that parents help them study and come up with retrieval ques such as key words or stimuli that will trigger their memory.

Throughout all three articles two ideas were common. Staying organized and taking good notes. You can remember things better where you first learned them (Psych 105, Dr. MacFarlane). By taking thorough notes the first time you learn new fact or concept it will aid in future recall by allowing you to refer back to the original ideas. Staying organized ensures that all of the necessary information will be available and helps prevent distraction from studying when looking for something. It will also ensure that no unnecessary information is learned that can draw away from the information needed. Organization also keeps students on track (https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2018/01/why-organization-is-important-in-college.php). This helps them know what and when they need to study and can relieve stress associated with academic challenges.

References

https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/tips-for-helping-kids-and-teens-with-homework-and-study-habits/#.WtOxUGbMyfU

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/08/study-tips-for-college-_n_709096.html?slideshow=true#gallery/10344/0

http://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/11/10-1

https://studyskills.com/educators/middle-school/

https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2018/01/why-organization-is-important-in-college.php

http://web.williams.edu/Psychology/Faculty/Kornell/Publications/Kornell.Castel.Eich.Bjork.2010.pdf

Spotlight Blog #2

--Original published at Hope's PSY105 Blog

“Now that we’ve discussed how memory works and you’ve had a chance to think about your own study skills, I want you to critically evaluate websites that give students advice about how to study. If you select this option, I want you to find three different websites that provide advice for studying: one targeted toward college students, one targeted toward middle or high school students, and one targeted toward parents. Evaluate the advice provided on each and compare it to what you know about how memory works (include sources), making sure to correct anything you think is bad advice. Be sure to include links to the websites you are evaluating.”

Some time management and study skills for those in college that are found on this website include making a weekly or daily to-do list, rewarding yourself when you complete all of the tasks, and setting aside study hours each day. There are also skills for note taking, reading, and test prep. I believe that a lot of this advice is very helpful. For note taking, it says to rewrite your notes after class, which I have found very helpful. By repeating the information, recopying it, and making flashcards, it allows you to continue to see the information and encode it into your long term memory.

https://www.lynchburg.edu/academics/tutoring-academic-support/top-10-study-skills/

Some of the skills used for high school allows for teachers to assist their students in setting goals, establishing priorities, speaking and listening effectively, and studying for tests. I don’t know that this website allows for effective study skills for high school students, but it shows how teachers can help the students in their classrooms.

https://studyskills.com/educators/high-school/

Skills to help parents ensure good study habits with their children include a regular time, place, and procedure. Things like making sure your child comes home and does their homework from 4 to 5:30 with five minute snack breaks in between each subject helps them want to study and remember what they are studying. They will enjoy it more, remember more, want to complete their work, and want you to help them with their work.

https://www.nd.gov/dpi/uploads/1311/guide.pdf

Spotlight Post 2

--Original published at *Psych 105*

Stress cannot be escaped. While this sounds severe, it is simply a fact of life. Stress is a constant force that can either drive you forward or hold you back. Positive and beneficial stress can result in the ability to push forward and obtain our goals. At the same time, stress has the ability to wear a person down until they crumble. This is where stress management and coping mechanisms come in to ensure that circumstances do not reach that point. Stress management looks different for each person, as we are not all the same and have different stressors that affect us all differently. In this post, we will be looking at three different populations: children, college students, and athletes.

It seems as though children have nothing to be stressed about, and in turn have no stress. This is a naïve observation that downplays the very real stress and anxiety that children can feel in their everyday lives. Home life and school have the potential to provide stress for a child. An influx of stress requires the utilization a stress management technique to maintain high quality mental and physical health, as well as a healthy self-esteem. In article powered by Nemours Children’s Hospital and Dr. D’Arcy Lyness, offers several methods for children to deal with stress. One of the first is talking to a trusted adult about how the child is feeling and taking steps to create a regulated schedule. Reaching out to for outside support employs the technique of emotion-focused coping, as explained on page 419, in Chapter 11 of the textbook. The act of reaching out allows the child to seek support through their stress while accepting that the stress is there at the same time. In the area of scheduling and time management, the child may not have control over their schedule, so this communication is key to minimizing stress. The changes in scheduling allow for problem-focused coping as the issue is faced head-on. The acronym SELF, or sleep, exercise, leisure, and food, is also included in this article. All the activities in SELF have proven to be positive coping mechanisms and can be used throughout the lifespan.

College has the potential to be one of the best, but also one of the most stressful times of a person’s life. A key step to ensuring that the college days do not become too stressful is employing superb time management. An article from the University of Michigan’s Campus Mind Works points out the fact that sometimes stress is good, but when the cons outweigh the pros it’s time to make some changes. Goal setting and healthy scheduling are two ways that a student can alter their external stressors. From an internal perspective, positive self-talk and validating one’s feelings and emotions can provide stress relief. Much like the examples given for the children, seeking outside support from friends or family is a viable option as well. Aerobic exercise can be a positive coping strategy as well. This relates back to what we learned in class about how exercise increases not only physical fitness but also reduces the likelihood of anxiety, depression and even Alzheimer’s disease. Though the age ranges are very different between the children and the college students, there are many similar methods of stress management.

Athletes tend to be individuals that have the ability to perform relatively well when under stress. This does not mean that they are immune to it. On the contrary, athletes must find various ways to relieve stress just like everyone else. Dr. Aaron C. Moffett of California State University, San Bernardino created a list of physiological, behavioral and cognitive coping strategies for the Association for Applied Sports Psychology. These coping strategies can be used for when the stress of sports and everyday life seem like they are becoming too much. Deep breathing is on the top of the list for physiological coping. Deep breathing allows for muscle relaxation and increased amounts of oxygen entering the body. This falls into the category of relaxation and meditation. The use of self-talk and positive affirmations, like the ones recommended for college students, are listed under cognitive coping strategies. Mindfulness meditation is a similar coping mechanism that also utilizes the different cognitive strategies that Dr. Moffett discusses. Mindfulness meditation allows the individual to take in their problems in a nonjudgmental and accepting frame of mind (DeWall, N & Myers, D., 2016, p.429). Behavioral strategies include exercise, goal setting and list making, which allow for the athlete to create realistic standards to achieve. Dr. Moffett also makes a point to speak about negative coping strategies, such as drinking and smoking. These activities can lead to unhealthy habits for any person, especially athletes.

After sifting through the various methods of stress management for the three different populations, I can confidently say that I agree with their findings. The websites were written and reviewed by educated individuals from prestigious universities and were made in conjunction with highly rated hospitals. Their findings and recommendations line up with the material discussed in class and the material that is in the textbook. These methods all target potentially positive coping strategies that have beneficial physical, cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Ultimately reduced stress, whether it be in the form of physical activity or a daily inventory of individual stressful thoughts, results in a healthy frame of mind and body. Stress is something that will be with us our entire lives, but with these healthy strategies, we can keep it in its place.

http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/resources/health-fitness-resources/stress-management-tips-for-good-health/

http://campusmindworks.org/students/self_care/managing_stress.asp

https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/stress.html

DeWall, N. & Myers, D. (2016). Exploring psychology. New York, New York: Worth Publishers.

General Psychology with Dr. MacFarlane

PSY 105 at Elizabethtown College

Tag Archives: Spring 2018