Down Memory Lane

We’re currently studying memory in PSY 201, and just to make things interesting, I’d like for you to recall your earliest recollection and do some thinking about it.  Psychologists agree that most people are around two and 1/2 or three in their first memory, and that could be because that’s when your hippocampus, which is instrumental in episodic memory,  matured. 

How old were you? Who was there with you? Perhaps more importantly, who wasn’t there who  should have been? What was going on, and what was your role? Were you the center of attention, the big brother or sister,  the pampered one? What emotions were you experiencing? Big question: Do you think this early memory relates to your current lifestyle?

I’ll start. My earliest memory takes place when I was around three years old. My younger brother and I were sitting in the back seat of a car, and my maternal grandmother was in the front. My mother had darted out to a store and was only  going to be gone for a moment. I evidently knew this, but my brother didn’t, and he was quite upset when she walked away from the car. I remember trying to console him…as did my grandmother. Today I still look at myself as the “big sister.” I could provide more details, but that’s enough to get us started. 

Your turn. Please share your first recollection and how it might apply to your current lifestyle or self-image.

Hold That Thought!

I love cognitive psychology, not only because of what it teaches us about information processing and memory, but also because of its practical applications to our day-to-day life. A quote that I’ve often paraphrased in class is one by Norman Vincent Peale: “Change your thoughts and change your world.”  I am now the proud owner of  his best selling book, The Power of Positive Thinking, and I want to share two “rules” for overcoming what Dr. Peale refers to as inadequacy attitudes.

1. Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop this picture. Never think of yourself as failing; never doubt the reality of the mental image. That is most dangerous, for the mind always tries to complete what it pictures. So always picture “success” no matter how badly things seem to be going at the moment.
2. Whenever a negative thought concerning your personal powers comes to mind, deliberately voice a positive thought to cancel it out.

 What do you think about these “rules?” Do you think applying them could help a person develop more confidence?

Positive Reinforcement in Wal-Mart

We’ve been studying classical and operant conditioning for the past week or so, and I’ve stated in class that if a person could learn and correctly apply the principles of operant conditioning, then he or she would be a powerful person indeed. The problems arise when we reinforce for inappropriate behavior, use the wrong type of reinforcement or reinforcement schedule, or fail to acknowledge a behavior at all.

To illustrate how these principles operate in everyday life, I’m going to share an example that I read in a blog recently. The blogger stated that he thought the reason that women wear skimpy, revealing, and/or tight clothing is to attract attention (positive reinforcement). He then described a situation in a Wal-Mart checkout line in which he had the opportunity to test his hypothesis. Right in front of him were two young women wearing short skirts and tight tank tops. He (our blogger) deliberately looked all around him at other shoppers, the items on display, his shoes…at any and everything EXCEPT the young women. According to him, they continued to stand in line and chit chat after they had paid the cashier despite the fact that the transaction was complete. The blogger then gave them the reinforcement that he believed they were waiting for (an appraising look), and then they left.

What do you think? Do you think that they were waiting for positive reinforcement from him? Do you agree that people choose the clothing, makeup, hairstyles, jewelry, and so forth in order to receive positive reinforcement from others? What about you? Why do you wear the things you do? Does reinforcement have anything to do with it?

It Won’t Happen to Me

Here’s a discussion prompt that I recently posted on the discussion board of an online course: “A couple of things that I find a little surprising are that (1) one in four teens contracts an STD before leaving high school and (2) four in ten babies are born to single mothers. How do you think the personal fable  that occurs during the teen years might relate to this?

While reading the responses, it occurred to me that many of the adults I know must be still operating with the “personal fable” mindset, a view that what happens to them is unique and exceptional AND that they are invulnerable to the risks that affect other people. A teen might feel that he or she can engage in premarital sex because although other might get pregnant, “It won’t happen to me.” Similar thoughts include, “Others might contract an STD, but not me.” Or, “Sure, other people drink, drive, and crash, but not me.”

What about adults? I know adults who persist in smoking, overeating, failing to exercise, drinking, not managing stress, and so forth who continue to believe that nothing will happen to them. Despite information that warns them about cancer and heart disease being leading causes of death, they somehow don’t get the connection between that information and their own lives.

Have you seen evidence of this kind of faulty thinking? Do you think it’s a “grown up” version of the personal fable, or could it be more like cognitive dissonance?

Where’s Dad?

Here’s an interesting excerpt from the October 8 Chronicle Independent. In the “Noted and Passed” column, the editors say:

In reading the birth announcements in a recent edition of this newspaper, we noticed something that might have occurred before but which we hadn’t seen: Not a single of the babies listed was born to a married couple. Yes, we know that’s the way it’s happening these days, but it doesn’t make us like it. Kids growing up without a father in the home have sociologically recognized disadvantages that make their route through life more difficult.

What’s your reaction to this? My earlier background in sociology taught me about cultural universals, traits that are part of every known culture, and one common element among the dozens of universals is the family. Family functions everywhere include the control of sexual reproduction and the care and upbringing of children.

What has happened in the United States? Who’s raising America’s children? What might be some sociological, psychological, emotional, financial, and educational consequences for these children if this trend continues? Yes, I realize that’s a lot of questions. Just pick something and react.

Life’s Not Fair!

I read a great article in The State newspaper based on a book entitled  50 rules Your Kids Won’t Learn in School. The author, Charles Sykes, feels that parents are unwilling to tell their kids two things:  “No, and they’re not willing to tell them the truth.”  

Sykes says that parents need to teach their children that they need to take responsibility for their lives, and as starters we could begin with:

·        Life is not fair. Get used to it.

·        You are not entitled.

·        No matter what your daddy says, you are not a princess.

·        Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn’t

·        Life is usually more like dodge ball than your gym teacher thinks.

·        Humiliation is a part of life. Deal with it.

·        Life is not divided into semesters, and you don’t get summers off.

·        It’s not your parents’ fault. If you screw up, you are responsible.

Finally, Sykes says that many parents are so worried about being buddies to their kids and keeping them happy and entertained that they don’t concentrate on what’s important: raising responsible adults. They need to ask what it takes to make kids competent and independent and then do it. 

I’m curious about reactions to this way of thinking. Do you think we tend to coddle our children too much? Do we overly cater to their wants? Is being a helicopter parent, ever circling about and ready to rescue, a good thing?

Teens and STDs

We’re studying adolescence in my human growth classes this week, and as I was reviewing the information, I was reminded that one in four teens contracts an STD before graduating from high school. Astounding! What’s going on here? Is it related to the personal fable that’s described in the text? Is it cognitive dissonance? Does culture have anything to do with it? Would we see such a high incidence of STDs in other countries?

Anorexia vs. Obesity

In getting some discussion prompters ready for an online human development class, I came upon some information on eating disorders. I had planned to compose something about anorexia or bulimia when I read this startling (to me) statement: “Obesity is still the most important concern.” Is that because it involves more people and more types of people? While anorexia and bulimia affect more females than males and more younger people than older, obesity affects babies, children, teens, and all ages throughout adulthood. Plus, males are just as likely to be obese as females. I’d also venture to say that it crosses cultural, racial, ethnic, and SES lines. 

All eating disorders are unhealthy and potentially dangerous, and lately obesity is getting a lot of attention from the media. In fact, last week I heard a newscast from the coast in which concerned citizens were wondering why school children sold fattening candy bars to raise money in light of all the obesity buzz. Good question.

Do you agree that obesity is the most important concern (compared to other eating disorders)? Why or why not?

Making Friends

One of the things that’s so great about psychology is that it has applications in so many areas of our lives. From disciplining children to motivating employees, psychology offers insight into many of the challenges that confront us daily. As a quick example, I recently had a brief conversation with a man who’s sixtyish (not sure if that’s really a word) who was quite open and upfront about saying that he wished he had more friends. He has a faithful, loving wife and strong family connections, and yet he admitted that sometimes he feels a little pang of envy when he sees other guys hanging out together, laughing and having a good time.

“Well,” I said, “It’s not too late to change that.”

“How? I’m too old to change my ways.”

“No, you’re not. It might sound corny, but today is the first day of the rest of your life. Just being aware that you’d like to change something is the first step…and a good sign.”

“Naw,” he said. “I’ll just stay the way I am.”

Social psychologists have some answers for this man. So might developmental psychologists. What do you think they might suggest?

Obesity and Friends

Obesity is a hot topic in psychology today, especially in Human Growth and Development. In this course, we discuss the relationship between chubby babies and overweight children, and then as we continue our journey “from the womb to the tomb,” we touch on obesity in adolescence and adulthood. What causes it? What are the consequences? What can be done to curb this growing problem?

In class, we examine the role of genetics (is there a fat gene?), parents as role models, the media, sedentary lifestyles, fast food, video games, and just plain laziness as possible causes. Last week a new study revealed that friends have more of an impact on obesity than anything else, including family. If your friends are weight conscious, you will be too. If they exercise and watch their calories and fat grams, you will do the same. This is true even when friends are geographically separated. On the other hand, if friends follow their steak and potatoes meal with dessert, you’ll probably do the same…and you won’t do anything to burn off those calories.

What do you think? Do you think there’s some truth to this study?