Formal Blog 13

In the asch experiment students viewed four lines. One line was by itself and the other three were labeled A, B, and C. The students were asked to decide which line, a b or c, was the same length as the line by itself. In the experiment one student had no clue of the experiment and the others knew. At one point in the experiment the students who knew about the experiment purposely guessed the wrong line. So when it came the one student's turn he to guessed wrong even though he probably knew what the correct answer was. It is interesting how people's answers and thoughts can be changed just because of what majority says.
The prison experiment was also very interesting. It's mind blowing how people can get into their roles so much that they become their roles. I was shocked to learn that the students pretending to be prison guards actually started to be like real guards. It was surprising to learn that the guards humiliated and tortured their fellow students. It's crazy how people can become what they are pretending to be.
The milgram experiment was interesting because it showed how some people do things just because an authority figure told them to. I guess it depends on what the figure asks you to do. I like to think that I wouldn't do anything outrageous, but who knows until an authority figure asks.

Social influence occurs when an individual's thoughts or actions are affected by other people. This happens to everybody one way or another. I know that I am socially influenced all the time. Sometimes a bunch of people will guess one answer and I will have another one, but of course I change mine just because the majority says otherwise. I like to think that I would stand up and say my own answer but I just want to blend in with the other people so I take their answers.

One of the most interesting things I learned during this class was learning more about myself. This class gave me an opportunity to understand why I do many of the things that I do. I now understand more about my social behaviors for example. I understand more about why I choose the answers that other people choose even if they are not the answers that I believe. I am glad that I could learn more about the mind and why we do the things we do.
Thank You for teaching me.

Formal Blog 12

I do not believe that people who act abnormally should be diagnosed with a psychological disorder. Not right away, at least. Sometimes those who act abnormal do have psychological disorders but others who act abnormal just act abnormal. Some time people try to act like they have a disorder just for attention. Just because you act the way you do, doesn't mean you have a psychological disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexciting state of mania. This disorder was once called manic depressive disorder. During the manic phase, the person is typically over talkative, overactive, and elated. They have little need for sleep and show fewer sexual inhibitions. During the depressive phase the person feels useless and sad. They do not feel the sense of life or the need to be there. I believe that bipolar disorder wouldn't be as bad to live with as some people make it seem. I would have my ups and downs but I wouldn't have to worry about multiple personalities or the antisocial serial killer problem.

I found it very interesting to learn about the different psychological disorders there are. I am glad that I got to learn more about bipolar disorder. This also gave my friends an opportunity to learn about, so now they can stop calling me bipolar whenever I have a "bad" day and then have a "good" day. If I truly had bipolar disorder my "bad" day would last a much longer period as well as my "good" days.

Formal Blog 11

Some of my positive traits include kindness, fairness, faithfulness, loyalty, and tolerance. These traits are positive because it is good to be kind and treat people fair and equal. Also it is good to be loyal those that are close to you. Some of my negative traits include stubbornness, pessimism, and being picky. Being stubborn is a very negative trait of mine because I'm always picking fights with people and insist that I am right, even though I know that sometimes I am wrong. I guess it can be considered slightly positive because I don't give up and show weakness. Pessimism is also negative because I am always pointing out flaws in everything that I see. For example if there was a book that I was reading, I would talk more about why the book was bad and where it needs improvement, instead of saying what I enjoyed about it.

Like I said before I can be quite pessimistic. Although I can be pessimistic I don't think that I fit into a particular category. I am both optimistic and pessimistic. I am optimistic when I try to encourage people. I try to help other people see positive points of problems that they might be facing. When it comes to myself, I can be quite pessimistic. I often find fault with myself and tend to feel ashamed and disappointed with myself. Being pessimistic and optimistic both impact my life because it shapes me as a person. Negative feelings may hold me back but it a way they can help make me stronger. For example the death of a family member may make me feel very sad and I might complain how everything around me is depressing or that I don't like anything anymore. This will make me stronger once I can get past the sad feelings. I will mature and become stronger when facing death or other sad events. Positive feelings of optimism will help me move forward. I will feel unstoppable, like everything is going right for me. Pessimism and optimism play an important role in my life.

My personality changes from situation to situation depending on my mood. I may react a particular way in one situation and, if my mood changes, a completely different way even though it is the same situation. One day I might look forward to going to Psychology class and a different day I might dread going. It might depend on how my day was going earlier or it might depend on the topic of discussion for class. My personality might change when meeting knew people. I might be shy and sweet to a person that I just meet, but I will joke around and be loud with a friend that I have known for a long time. The reason my traits change is possibly because I am unfamiliar with some surroundings and I am not sure how to act. I might not trust the surrounding so I will be quiet and keep to myself. My traits are shifting depending on my surrounding and what is happening around me.

Some defense mechanisms that I use include displacement and denial. I believe that I use displacement because I have a temper and often take my anger out on objects. I have been angry enough do break a cabinet mirror by slamming it shut. The reason I slammed the cabinet shut was because I was running late for school and I could not get my contacts in. I am very, very ashamed of my temper and I do not like to talk about it. This is where denial comes in. I often deny having a temper because I do not like to talk about it. Other times I get frustrated because of a bad day and I argue and flight with my family.. Being angry embarrasses me and makes me feel like a bad person so I try to ignore and forget about it.

Formal Blog 10

After reading chapter 9 I learned about how our brains develop allowing us to think and comprehend. I enjoyed reading about how we learn language. We start in the babbling stage at about 4 months of age. During the babbling stage we spontaneously utter various sounds that are unrelated to the household language. When we are about 10 months old our babbling starts to resemble household language. The next stage is the one-word stage which occurs when we are about a year old. During this stage we speak using one word. The next stage occurs when we are about 2 years old. This is the two word stage which consists of two word statements. When we are older than 2 we start using more words. Our language develops rapidly into complete sentences.

Creative Intelligence is demonstrated in reacting adaptively to novel situations and generating novel ideas. Creativity is the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas. Sternberg came up with 5 components of creativity. They include:

Expertise - a well developed base of knowledge, furnishes the ideas, images, and phrases we use as mental building blocks.

Imaginative thinking skills - provide the ability to see things in novel ways, to reorganize patterns, an to make connections.

A venturesome personality - seeks new experiences, tolerates ambiguity and risk, and perseveres in overcoming obstacles.

Intrinsic motivation - is being driven more by interest, satisfaction, and challenge than by external pressures.

A creative environment - sparks, supports, and refines creative ideas.

Many people assume that I am creative just because I am good at art. I believe that creativity and artistic talent come together. I do not find myself creative because I can never come up with an idea for an art project unless someone provides one for me. Sometimes I wish that I could come up with wonderful project ideas, but usually I think too hard about a project and nothing creative comes to mind.

The most important thing I read from chapter 10 was the different types of intelligences. After taking the 80 question intelligence test I discovered that I was most intelligent in music. I kind of agree with that because I really enjoy listen to music and playing the piano. I find listening to music very relaxing and it can help me to be creative. I enjoyed taking the test because it gave me an opportunity to learn more about myself and what I am intelligent in.

Formal Blog 9

Memory is very important because with out memory we wouldn't be able to do anything. We wouldn't remember how to eat, how to talk, how to walk. We wouldn't be able to do anything. Everyday would be new. Clive Wearing is a British musician who suffered a viral encephalitis attack in 1985. For 22 years Clive has been unable to make new memories because of his case of amnesia. Clive's wife has stayed by his side for these difficult years. Other than his wife all Clive has is his music. Friends say that Clive is his music personality is the same as it was before the attack. It is unbelievable that his wife stays by his side and helps him through each day. She knows that he needs her. She is a familiar face among hundreds of strangers that he encounters. I don't know what I would do if the person I loved couldn't make new memories. I wouldn't know unless it had actually happened to me.

Before reading this chapter. I didn't realize how easily memories can be changed in your mind. It was interesting learning about how memories can be created just because your family talks about an event and shows you pictures of an event. It was also interesting learning about how using certain words can alter a person's memory. For example when asked how much glass there was at a accident scene, the amount varies when the accident was explained differently. One might say that there is a lot of glass if the would crashed is used to explain when the cars hit each other. One might say that there is very little glass if the word bumped is used to explain the cars hitting each other.

I found it interesting reading about deja vu. Deja vu is French for already seen. It is an eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience. Some people conclude that deja vu happens because of reincarnation or precognition.James Lampinen suggests that a situation feels familiar when moderately similar to several events. You might recognize a person or feel like you've seen a person before, because of seeing the person's family before meeting them. Another theory is attributions to dual processing. If there is a slight neural hiccup and one track's signal is delayed, perhaps it feels like a repeat of the earlier one, creating an illusion that we are now re-experiencing something.

Formal Blog 8

Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events. An example of classical conditioning is Pavlov's experiments. Pavlov presented a neutral stimulus just before an unconditioned stimulus. The neutral stimulus then became a conditioned stimulus, producing a conditioned response. Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher. An a example of this is Skinner's experiments. Skinner designed a box called Skinner's box. Inside the box, the rat pressed a bar for a food reward. Outside, a measuring device records the animal's accumulated responses. Classical conditioning deals with stimuli, but operant conditioning deals with organisms and their own actions/ consequences. Both of these relate to my life. Classical conditioning relates to my life because if I hear something in the kitchen I usually assume that it is my mom cooking so I get hungry. Operant conditioning relates to me because the more I complain the quicker my parents will make decisions.

Positive reinforcement is increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response. Negative reinforcement is increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. Punishment is an event that decreases behavior that it follows. An example of positive reinforcement is that when I was younger I had some classes that if I would do good in class and participate I would receive candy or some sort of reward. An example of negative reinforcement would be when I hit the snooze button on my alarm. An example of punishment is when I would receive a spanking for being disobedient or naughty.

It was interesting learning about both classical and operant conditioning. After reading about classical conditioning I learned about Ivan Pavlov and his experiment with dogs. Before using the bell and the food at the same time, the dogs did not produce saliva unless food was presented. Once Pavlov started presenting food at the same time he rang the bell, the dog would produce saliva every time it heard the bell. After reading about operant conditioning I learned that it was about the organism being in control of their own actions and consequences. It was interesting learning about the rats that have been trained to find land mines. Once the rat finds the land mine they receive a bite of banana. It's neat how we are examples of both conditionings. An example of classical conditioning, if we hear a school bell ring we know that class is over and we can get up and leave. An example of operant conditioning is that if you want your parents to give your an answer to you question, faster, you can whine alot. Usually your parents won't want to listen to you whine because they don't want to deal with it and they will provide a quick and short answer.

Formal Blog 7

I would explain that sensation is when you use your senses, such as sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Sensation is a mental process resulting from external stimulation. Perception is awareness. You will be aware of heat or cold. I believe that sensation and perception are very alike and work closely together.

I enjoyed learned about the eye and ear. I learned how many parts there are for each and what each part does. The eye consists of the pupil, lens, retina, iris, cornea, fovea, the optic nerve, and the blind spot. The pupil is what light passes through. The lens is located behind the pupil and focuses incoming light rays into an image on the retina. The retina is the light sensitive inner surface of the eye. The iris is the ring of muscle that adjusts light intake. This is the colored portion of the eye that you see. The fovea is the central focal point in the retina. The optic nerve is the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain. Your blind spot is the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye creating a blind spot. I also learned that the ear consists of many parts. I enjoy learning about how things work, so it was a great opportunity for me to learn about how the eye, hear, and brain all work together.

I read the article Best Optical Illusions Online. The writer of the article claimed how they had gotten into an arguement with another person about an illusion. The illusion was a woman going around in one direction, but then unexpectly goes the other direction. The writer talked to a women who believes that she cannot trust what she is seeing if her brain is going to lie to her. She believes that the illusion actually switched directions, but it didn't. The writer tried to explain that it was just an illusion and she was thinking about it too much, but she insisted that she was right. She questioned everything. She wondered about her eyes and what her brain was doing when it tried to make sense of everything. I thought it was interesting because it was a story and personal experience which always makes reading articles or papers alot easier. This article makes me wonder if some people do have problems where there brain will "lie" to them or if people can't understand the point of illusions.

Formal Blog 6

During the interview with my great-grandmother, I learned that her high school wasn't a whole lot different from ours. She completed subjects such as English, History, and even typing just like us, except she used a typewriter instead of a computer. It was also exciting to learn what they did for casual activities. She told me about how she attended dances, went rollerskating, and went to movies. I learned alot about the dance hall that she went to. This dance hall was located on top of a tavern located near Wausau. you could get to the hall through the tavern or up a flight of stairs on the outside of the building. The two separate entrances were for those who went to the tavern or those who weren't old enough to drink. She also mentioned that there was a rollerskating rink located in the back of a tavern. I am glad that I talked with her because it was great learning about past teenagers and what it was like for them growing up.

I wasn't able to access the video at home or at school but I can still describe my time as an adolescent. I was never top of the class nor the bottom and I may be an average student but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be average all of my life. I believe that your adolescence does impact your adulthood, but not entirely. I made the choice not to try early in my high school and a regret that alot. I could have been ranked alot higher in the class, but I never realized how important it actually was to work hard for a great future. However I can still be as successful, even if I'm not starting out as far ahead as some students. I can change, I consider my college a fresh start. I have a chance to show my intelligence to others. I will make the right choice for college and the rest of my future. I am going to be a successful person regardless of my choices in high school.

After reading chapter 4 I learned alot about genetics and how the environment impacts us. I was very interesting how separated twins often think alike. They have the same interests, names for pets, and sometimes even the same name. For example the story of Jim Lewis and Jim Springer was interesting to read about because they had the same name, same name for a child, same name for a dog, and the same interests. What makes this so extraordinary, was the fact that they had never met each other before this. I also liked reading about how we react differently to different things because of how and where we were raised. A teen raised in the city and in a rough neighborhood is more likely to commit crime than a teen raised in a proper, well kept environment. I found chapter 4 very interesting to read and learn about.

I learned about infants and young children after reading chapter 5. I learned how different an infant's brain and a child's brain work. I did not know that on the day you were born, you had most of the brain cells that you would ever have we couldn't use them because it was our nervous system that was immature. After we are born our nervous system eventually enables us to walk, talk, and remember things that happen around us. It was neat to learn about how infants are fascinated with mirror images because it is so true. As a baby know that I was fascinated with a mirror image of myself. I know this because my mom had taken a picture of me staring at myself. It was a cute picture. This was a very interesting chapter to read because learning about brain development is quite fascinating.

Formal Blog 5

I learned many new things after reading chapter 5. I learned that separated twins often have similar interests. I thought it was interesting how both Jim Lewis and Jim Springer had the same names for their son and dog. What makes this so strange was the fact that Jim and Jim had never met each other before the name taking had taken place. Both Jims named their son James Alan/Allan and their dog, Toy. In another case of twins, twins Lorraine and Levinia were driving to deliver Christmas presents to each other and ended up colliding.

I also learned that fraternal twins are different from identical twins, regarding DNA. Fraternal twins actually do not share the same DNA making them nonidentical, while identical twin do share the same DNA. Identical twins develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two. They are genetically identical. Fraternal twins develop from separate fertilized eggs. They share the same fetal environment, but they are no more identical than normal brothers and sisters, genetically speaking. I found out that the Olsen twins are not identical, but actually fraternal. Until reading this chapter I believed that the twins were identical. I believe that they look identical because they share the same hair cut, make up, and similar styles.

The final topic I found interesting was the topic of parents and early experiences. This section explained how experiences fill in the details in our brain's architecture. Mark Rosenzweig and David Krech raised rats alone, with-out playthings and with other rats, that live in an enriched environment. Rats that lived in the enriched environment had more cerebral cortex than those in the impoverished environment. In my opinion this experiment explains how children that are raised properly and socially active, will most likely be smarter and more active than those who were raised in an impoverished environment.

Formal Blog 4

I read the article What? Me biased?. In my opinion, the article is very true because, as Americans we do have an image of the average American in our heads. Usually it is a white person, not an Asian , Hispanic, or African American person. I think we feel this way because most people in America are white and that is what we are used to seeing everyday. It's true that people feel that racial differences make a person less American, just because they weren't the first to come to America and establish cities and because there are more whites than there are other races. Different races are out numbered so they appear as if they are foreign or less American. It's not always true, but that's just the way that some Americans see things. This affects me because if I put myself into their shoes, I would feel uncomfortable.

After reading this chapter I was surprised to find out how many different theories there were to dreaming. I always have wondered why I dream, but I never realized that there were so many possibilities of why I was dreaming. There is Freud's wish-fulfillment, Information-processing, Physiological function, activation-synthesis, and cognitive development. I guess that I assumed I dreamed because of the kind of day I had, but I didn't know that dreams may actually be making me smarted. I thought the dream section of chapter 3 was very interesting.

I agree with the Information-processing theory of dreaming because, I find it true for myself. I may being having a stressful week or day, and dream that I am trying to run from something. May dream may explain that I am stressed or worried about something and that I am trying to get away from that. Dreams are an interpretation or what is going on around us. Also dreams may fall under Freud's wish-fulfillment theory. I may desire something for a long time, and eventually dream about getting that or something similar to it. It is amazing how our minds and dreams work.

Formal Blog 3

I viewed Contrast/ Color "Illusions" and Seeing more than you eye does. Contrast/ Color "Illusions" was weird because, A and B looked like different shades. A looked darker than B did. Also on the colored cube middle block on one cube was a completely different shade than on the other block, but once they were compared side by side, they were the exact same color and shade. Seeing more than your eye does was also weird because, when you covered one eye and moved closer to the point, it really did disappear. Those activities were very interesting.


I learned how your brain makes an "informed guessed" about the intensity and wavelengths of light coming from points between edges. Sometimes visual tricks cause your brain to make a guess and you see things that are not actually true.


I was shocked that I saw two completely different shades of color, when they were actually the same. Also it was strange how your blind spot can make a dot, the size of a fingernail, just disappear.


I can use what I learned after reading, Seeing more than your eye does, by making sure that I check my blind spots. Blind spots are very important to check, especially when driving.


It makes me wonder if my brain misinterprets many of my surroundings. If I am not able to realize that two colors are the same, it makes me wonder how many other things my brain makes an "informed guessed".


After reading this chapter I was able to learn more about the nervous system and the endocrine system. There is more to the nervous system, than just the "nervous system", there is the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, the somatic nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system, and the parasympathetic nervous system. I also learned about the different glands such as the adrenal glands and pituitary glands, which are part of the endocrine system. It was interesting learning about these systems, their jobs, and how they affect us.

I thought it was weird that a man could live with his brain split into two. It was interesting how he was able to simultaneously draw two different shapes. It is also interesting how the right side and the left side of the brain control different actions. Like the artistic side is in the right side and speech is in the left.

Formal Blog 2

Research is important because, it helps us increase our knowledge. You start with something simple, but once you look into it deeper and deeper, it's so much more complex. You research this simple topic and find out about its past, where it began or why it's here. Research is important in our lives because, it leads to discoveries, such as vaccines and medicines, which are important for our lives.

After reading the article, The Hidden Workings of Our Minds, I realized how true it is. We can problem solve or use our imagination for creativity, and not even know how that idea came about. Sometimes the answer can just "pop" into your head. A scientist may simply "have a hunch" or an artist's picture may just "form in their mind", without any idea where it came from. I think that this is true because, an idea for an art project or words for a paper or poem might just pop into my mind. These ideas keep coming, but I'm not sure where from.

After reading, I learned many things including, the processes that psychologist undergo during research, how cultural differences shapes people's understanding of social behavior, and how scientists study animals in order to help humans. Psychologist take many steps towards solve a problem. They must do research, form a hypothesis, and set experiments in order to thoroughly solve a problem. Psychologists study how cultural difference make an impact on socialization. Greetings or customs that may be common to you or I, may be odd and shocking to foreigner. Also a psychologist's study of animals is important to humans because, research and experiments lead to the discovery of medications and other life-changing discoveries.

Formal Blog 1

Before attending this class, I assumed that psychology was simply, the study of the mind. When I would hear the word psychology, I would picture doctors or therapists studying human behavior in a office type setting, such as a therapy room. Now I know that there is more to psychology. After reading chapter one I realized that psychology is not just the study of the human mind, but also our curiosity, our need to know what is happening around us, as well as behavioral differences impacted by culture.

Psychology affects our life because, doctors are constantly researching the mind. They discover why certain people act they way they do and how they were impacted. With this reasearch it becomes easier to better understand ourselves and why we act the way we do. Psychologists study animals as well. Because human physiology resembles many other animals, vaccines and other medical possibilities are now available.

I found the picture of the duck/rabbit interesting because, when you look at this picture you may see a duck, or you may see a rabbit. Depending on how your mind works you may see the picture differently than another person. You might see a duck, while someone else might see a rabbit. I also found it interesting how many psychologist study animals and compare their behavior to humans. Insulin for diabetes, vaccines to prevent polio and rabies, and organ transplants are all possible because experimenting and researching animals.
I learned that psychology isn't just the study of the human mind. It's the study of both human and animal behavior, to help us better understand the world around us.

Introductory Post

Hello, my name is Maryel RayAnn Schoenfuss. I am 17 years old and I attend Stratford High School as a senior. I believe that I am alot like my father. We are both kind, caring, headstrong and stubborn.

Pyschology - Study of the mind. I believe that studying psychology will be very important because it will give me a better understanding of the human nature. I will have the opportunity to learn how the mind works and why people behave the way they do.