Course Overview

As this blog comes to a close, I would like to wrap things up with a summary of everything that I learned over the last semester. It's been an interesting journey of self-discovery as well as the exploration of the psychology of relationships, society, and of the world. I've highlighted my favorite topics that we've covered.

Module 1: Week 1 & 2 Getting to Know Me, YOU & PSYCHOLOGY

In my very first blog post, I described my life as a small town girl and what makes me, well, me!

The following post goes into the details of my favorite field of psychology, Personality Psychology. I already knew a lot about Personality Psychology before taking this class, but there were a few new things that I learned as well (which I will get into in the description for module 3).

Module 2: Week 3 & 4 - Brain Sensation, & Perception 

This module was all about how the brain perceives the external world through the bodily senses. It was interesting learning how much of the true world we see, but also how big our blind spots really are.

What I liked studying the most in this module was the effects of synesthesia on someone's senses (hence why I focused my blog post on this sub-topic). Getting to learn more about synesthesia helped me in my own life since my mother has ordeal-linguistic synesthesia and I have more clarity on what she is experiencing when she spells words a certain way or how she reacts to certain sounds in speech. I also thought it was fascinating how synesthesia relates to music (since I and a music major). Musicians with grapheme-color synesthesia, like Adam Neely, associate colors with certain sounds, thus every song has a certain color scheme and creates unique visual art for the synesthete.

This module had some of my favorite activity submissions. There was an activity in which children were asked to build a model of the brain out of play dough, being taught by the conductor of the task about the different functions of all the parts. It was a personal project, showcasing the learning abilities of young children and the sentimentality of teaching people close to you. I enjoyed watching Desiree Melendez work with her daughter for the project because of how close they are.

Module 3: Week 5 & 6 - Developmental Psychology and Personality

In week five, we covered Developmental Psychology, the study of how a person's psyche develops over the course of their lifetime. In one of the videos for the module, we watched how kids of different ages were able to solve problems. Younger children usually aren't able to perceive three-dimensional maps in their minds very well so they couldn't remember the locations of all of the items on a map like teenagers could, etc...

The following week, we discussed Personality Psychology, my favorite field of psychology

I was intrigued by the personality analysis blogs of my classmates, especially the ones of people that I am friends with. For example, Christian Fortner is a music theory & composition major like myself. He did his personal blog over his girlfriend and music education major, Kara Litton. I am friends with her as well, so it was interesting to see the process Christian took with analyzing Kara's personality. Even though he had known her for 6 months, he wasn't able to guess her type 100% correctly. It just goes to show that even if you spend a long time with someone, you will most likely never know their whole essence or being in your lifetime.

Module 4: Week 7 & 8 - Learning and Memory

Learning psychology is all about how people process information and use gained knowledge to adapt to their world. We learned about the different kinds of conditioning (Classical, Operant, Etc..) and about experiments using conditioning to affect human and animal learning behaviors (like in Pavlov's dog experiment).

In week 8, we covered the concepts of Memory. There are many different types of memory (explicit, implicit, sensory, short-term, etc..) and different types of amnesia (retrograde, etc..). We also studied how Alzheimer's affects memory in elderly people.


Module 5: Week 10 & 11 - Motivations, Emotions & Social Psychology 

In week 10, we studied the causes of motivation and the process of emotional responses. Both are caused by the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system, hence why they both have the Latin root meaning "to move".

Module 6: Week 12 & 13 - Psychological Disorders and Therapy

This was one of my favorite modules simply because I've always had an interest in the abnormality of psychological disorders. There are people in my life who have such disorders, and learning how they operate so that I can understand them and help them correctly is essential to my relationships with them. I already previously knew about the disorders that we covered but learning how they function on a deeper level and hearing the stories of those afflicted gave me a different viewpoint than I had previously held.

What I learned the most about in this module was all of the different types of therapy used for the treatment of these disorders. I didn't know there is such a variety! First of all, there are three major categories (Talk, Behavior, and Biomedical). Within those categories lies many subfields used for a variety of situations (from phobias to schizophrenia and beyond).


Module 7: Week 14 & 15 - Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology is one of the most practical subfields of psychology because it can be used in everyday life. It is the field of psychology that goes beyond solving someone's problems, elevating someone into a state of flourishing by using one's gifts for the good of themselves and others. I enjoyed getting to practice the effects of Positive Psychology through simple activities and receiving the rewards of such actions.


For one of the activities, I had to write encouraging messages on sticky notes and then place them on the front windows of cars. Even though I didn't get to see the reactions of the recipients, I still had a genuine sense of joy by doing the act alone.

My blog on Positive Psychology actually was combined with elements of Personality Psychology. I took the VIA strengths test to determine some personality strengths of mine that can be used in everyday life. In this exercise, I was able to utilize my top five strengths of (1) Forgiveness and Mercy, (2) Judgement, Critical Thinking, and Open-Mindedness, (3) Modest and Humility, (4) Industry, Diligence, and Perseverance, and (5) Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence in order to bring positivity into my life. Part of the reason why I have a passion for Personality Psychology is that if someone understands their personal strengths and weaknesses, they can use their strengths to improve their lives and the lives of others. I just didn't realize before this class that such a practice would be placed under Positive Psychology (I didn't even know it was a field of Psychology before!).


Extra Thoughts

My favorite student-led activity out of all of them was the one for Positive Psychology. As I've previously stated, the activity involved the created of good messages on sticky notes to be placed on cars. It was a simple task that brightened my entire day and kept me thinking about what good I could do in the future.

My favorite module task was #PsychStory. For the task, we had to write down a true story of great social connection and individual inspiration that broke the bounds of cultural constraints and other restrictions. I wrote a poem about my experience with my speech delay when I was younger, and how it has affected my entire life. Speech problems can happen in any culture and it's important that people understand what someone goes through in such a situation and how they can help make things easier.

My favorite blog post was the personality analysis. I was able to collect data on a close friend of mine, learning more about them in the process.

As for who I thought had the best blog posts in our class, I honestly do not have an opinion. I always chose to read a different person's blog for every assignment. Sure, I have read some of the same people do a different couple of posts, but I didn't watch the progress of anyone closely. I gave everyone that I could some feedback and I didn't limit myself.

I didn't receive very many comments with criticism, so it's hard to say who has given me the most advice on my blogs. I did enjoy reading comments that connect personally with what I was discussing in a post. For example, Christian Fortner and I were able to discuss Myers Briggs personality test in the comments of my second blog post:

Again, what I thought was the most useful and personal topic covered in this entire course would have to be Positive Psychology. It is applicable to everyday life and it provides the tools to steady improve someone's overall quality of life.

I have used the principles of Positive Psychology to improve my own life. By using my strength of forgiveness, I've learned to let the mistakes of others and take more responsibility for myself because I'm not focused so much on judging others. I've used my humble nature to give others the chance to shine and for me to be a dreaming observer.

VIA Strengths Test

Positive Psychology seems to me to be one of the most useful subcategories of psychology. According to Positive Psychology.org positive psychology is "a science of positive aspects of human
life, such as happiness, well-being and flourishing".

An aspect of this achievement of happiness is utilizing your strengths for the well-being of others and for yourself. This can be achieved through testing as tests have an introspective quality about them that helps someone examine themselves (if they are honest about their true state of being).

I recently completed the VIA strengths test and I have used my top three strengths to improve my life and the lives of others in various ways.My top three strengths are (#1) Forgiveness and Mercy, (#2) Judgement, Critical Thinking, and Open Mindedness, and (#3) Modesty and Humility. I was surprised that Forgiveness and Mercy made up my first strength because I feel like I hold bitterness towards people sometimes (maybe it's because I don't externalize this?).

I used my top three strengths over the last few weeks to make a positive impact on my own life and the lives of others.

#1: Forgiveness and Mercy

1. I had to cover a shift for one of my co workers about two weeks ago. It was about an hour before her shift was supposed to begin that she texted me the question. I had just finished my induction ceremony for Sigma Alpha Iota, so naturally I was crunched for time to go back to my room, change, and come all the way back to work. My co worker apologized for the inconvenience, but I simply forgave her and moved along. Although it had been a slight hassle to cover for her, I don't hold a grudge against her for the last minute request. 
2. I was supposed to meet up with one of my classmates to work on music theory homework that was due last Thursday. I had asked him on Monday to let me know when a good time would be to meet with him that week and I even reminded him a few times. He never did get back to me, but I wasn't upset with him at all. I forgave him in my heart for breaking his promise to meet up with me because our friendship isn't based off of expectations. 
3. Not only did I use this strength for other people, I also used it for myself. In Cowboy Band, we have been going through the process of drum majors auditions. Every rehearsal, the candidates are expected to conduct the band through a selection of specific music. As one of the candidates, I had to prepare a piece to conduct during last Friday's class time. I didn't do as well as I had hoped, and I received a good amount of criticism from the band. Even though I was upset by my shortcoming, I kept telling myself that I had done the best that I could have done. I forgave myself and let myself be at peace with what happened because of the efforts that I had made. It doesn't do me any good to dwell on my mistakes. 

#2: Judgement, Critical Thinking, and Open Mindedness

1. I have been thoroughly examining all of the aspects of the drum major audition process so far. I thoroughly analyze the feedback from the band and come back the next time with a changed perspective. They have told me that I have improved tremendously, meaning that I have been willing to change my style in light of new information.
2. During political discussions, I try to see the debates from all different sides (republican, democrat, etc...). I don't find any particular party to be correct in all of their policies, and I usually fall somewhere in the middle. I don't care for labels, but you could say that if anything I'm a libertarian. 
3. A few times last week, I found myself listening to someone say bad things about someone else (basically pointing out their mistakes and flaws). I never judge anyone by the words of someone else and I thought about not making a judgement on the subject of the conversation, but rather the conveyor of the words because of their bitterness.

 #3: Modesty and Humility

1. Going back to the drum major auditioning process: I have received many compliments on my efforts in the competition. I have found it very difficult to accept this praise, so I usually say thank you and change the subject. The compliments are genuine and I appreciate them, but I keep a perspective on what I can do to improve as to not get a big head on my shoulders. 
2. Last Sunday, I had to get ready for a formal for Sigma Alpha Iota, an organization that I have recently become a member of. One of my "sisters", Leigh Wilson (my friend from my very first post!) was doing my makeup. She would keep giving me compliments such as "I only would like to use natural tones on you because you are already naturally beautiful" and "Your cheekbones are gorgeous." I found myself giving compliments back to her because she was also getting ready for the formal. I would things like "you're so fancy" (I'm not too good at giving out compliments, but I try!). It also happened throughout the night with the other sisters. They would compliment me as a sign of greeting ("Ohhhh look at you girl!", etc..) and I would attempt to reciprocate a similar response to balance out the positive energy.

Mental Health Interviews

For this project, I interviewed two people who have and are experiencing the effects of Bipolar Disorder. The first person I interviewed was an old friend from my high school, Tisha Stanley. The second person I interviewed was one of my cousins who lives in Cedar City, Utah. Both of these interviews were conducted via electronic messaging. I will be uploading their pictures once I find suitable photos.

BIPOLAR DISORDER

Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness where the subject experiences alternating periods of euphoria and
depression. These mood shifts cause tremendous stress on the subject, resulting in distress in the individual's daily life.

Manic Episode: A state of euphoria characterized by exceptional energy, restlessness, trouble concentrating, risky behavior, and a poor sleep schedule. Symptoms are extremely obvious and hospitalization may be required during an episode. This kind of episode is rare.

Hypomanic Episode: This is a  less severe form of a manic episode. Symptoms are not as obvious and may take some observation to notice, although they still interfere with normal functioning. This kind of episode occurs at a moderate rate.

Depressive Episode: A state of depression that is characterized by tiredness, irritability, trouble concentrating, changes in sleeping habits, changes in eating habits, and even thoughts of suicide.

Bipolar Disorder is categorized into multiple types:

Bipolar Type I: For diagnosis, you must have had at least one manic episode, with a depressive episode occurring before or after the manic episode.

Bipolar Type II: For diagnosis, you must have had a major depressive episode lasting at least two weeks and a hypomanic episode. Euphoria is not as severe as in type I, but depressive episodes are
significantly more persistent and last much longer.

Cyclothymia ("Bipolar Type III"): For diagnosis, you must have experienced hypomanic and depressive episodes consistently for a period of at least 2 years. Symptoms are definitely milder than in the other two types, but they are chronic instead of temporary.


INTERVIEWS

Name: Tisha Stanley

Age: 18 (senior in high school)

Type: Bipolar I

1. What are the symptoms that you have experienced?

Well, in my manic state, I'm usually restless. I can't keep my mind in one place for very long and I find myself rapidly daydreaming about things that don't matter too much. I usually can't sleep, and if I do, it's not for very long. When I'm in a depressive state, I'm just drained. I can't find the motivation to get out of bed because I don't have the energy to. I tend to eat a lot to try to fill myself up.

2. When and how did this diagnosis happen?

I didn't realize that I had symptoms until my junior year, but my mom tells me she noticed something was off about the time I was about to leave junior high. I remember times when I would only get about 6 hours over 3 days because I was too hyper to stay asleep for long; I would horribly on tests because of the lack of sleep and I couldn't focus, especially in my Chemistry class! My mind would just be bouncing between thoughts that didn't make much sense, maybe like how cheese is made or all of the junk that I could spend my paycheck from my part-time job on. I would even leave the room unexpectedly sometimes because I just needed to walk around to get my hyperness under control.

There were also times where I couldn't get myself ready for school. I have a good amount of absences from skipping 3 or 4 days in a row because I was too worn out to even get out of my room. If you walked into my room at those times, you would find me curled up in my bed with bags of Lay's potato chips and my dirty laundry on the floor. I had to take summer school because of all of the days that I missed. 

Near final exams at the end of the school year, I was in a dangerous manic episode (although I didn't know it at the time). I had decided to run out onto a busy road during lunch, causing cars to swerve. Someone had informed the police and I was taken to the station. My parents have informed soon after and they came to pick me up. I was taken to a hospital in Dallas for an evaluation where we found out about my disorder. 

3. What has been the biggest challenge of dealing with bipolar disorder?

How out of control I feel sometimes. I find it discouraging when I have to cancel plans because I'm stuck in depression or when I have to run outside to get rid of my extra energy instead of resting. I wish I could control the plans that I make. 

4. What is it like to live with bipolar disorder?

Well... I think I can deal with it better than before my diagnosis, but it's still hard to handle sometimes. My family tries to help me when I'm in a mood episode of any kind, and that makes me feel guilty.

5. What are some treatments that you have used?

I've tried medication and therapy. I haven't had this diagnosis for long, so I'm still trying to find new ways to deal with it. 

6.Which of these treatments were successful and which ones didn't work well?

I don't like taking medication... I've tried a few mood stabilizers, but I get stuck in a feeling of tiredness, like, I can't shake myself into feeling peppy. I'm okay with therapy though. I meet with my therapist every couple of weeks to track my progress. It's nice to talk things through. 

7. Are there specific people who have helped you along the way?

My family for sure, especially my mom. She's the one who encourages me when I'm tired. She helps me take care of myself and she spends time with me so I'm not overwhelmed by feeling so hollow. 

8. How is your quality of life now that you have undergone these experiences?

I feel like my life is better now that I know what goes on inside my head and how to deal with my extremes. I have people who support me when I'm not doing so well. 

Name: Anthony Jackson

Age: 29

Type: Bipolar Type II

1. What are the symptoms that you have experienced?

In a hypo manic state, I find myself being excessively social and goal oriented. I feel incredibly confident, so I tend to enjoy speeding on busy roads, especially on my motorcycle. I've gotten a good amount of tickets that way. I've also been caught gambling with lottery tickets and I used to drive all the way to Las Vegas to gamble there.

When I'm in a major depressive episode, life doesn't really matter to me. I can't enjoy the little things in life, the gifts that I've been given. I used to slice my wrists just so I could feel a sensation, feel like I still existed (thankfully not anymore thanks to my different coping mechanisms). I would think about my death, all of the ways it could have to happen. I'm grateful for making it through those thoughts. 

2. When and how did this diagnosis happen?

It was during my college years, I believe the second year of my undergrad degree. A few of my friends during that time noticed that I was exhibiting some unusual behaviors. I was starting to have periods of time where I would be extremely talkative (I'm actually quite reserved and have been my entire life) and I would be actively goal-oriented to the point where it interfered with my friendships and relationships. I couldn't keep a girlfriend for long because there were many times where I would become hyper and work motivated so I wouldn't spend much time with my girlfriend... it, unfortunately, didn't affect me much since I was so elated.

I think it was my depressive states that really caught everyone's attention. I got my undergrad degree in graphic design, so I had to work on numerous art projects. The art file on my laptop has a record of my art, and I found a pattern where I would turn in rather... violent pieces. Even though most of my projects were supposed to be advertisements, there would be a period of a few weeks or so where all of my work would feature graphic elements like scarring skin, splatters that looked a lot like blood, you know, things like that. I felt like I had to do that, go to the extreme to make up for the emptiness inside myself. My professor noticed my unusual work (as did my peers) and she had a serious talk with me one day after class. We talked through some of my issues and I even got the courage to show her the cuts on my wrists. She was the one who helped me find a psychologist and get my diagnosis. 

3. What has been the biggest challenge of dealing with bipolar disorder?

Learning how to manage it so that it's not so unpredictable. College became 10 times worse when my symptoms first showed up because I couldn't stay consistent with anything. I've had to learn how to plan extra time for my mood cycles.

4. What is it like to live with bipolar disorder?

It's a learning experience, definitely. I've faced challenges with dealing with my mood swings. I plan on giving myself plenty of time to get my homework/projects finished in case I end up in a depressive state for a few days. 

5. What are some treatments that you have used?

I've seen a few therapists off and on over the years and I've tried different medications.

6.Which of these treatments were successful and which ones didn't work well?

I don't really have any complaints about the treatments that I've used. The combination of weekly consoling sessions and the use of lithium has assisted me.

7. Are there specific people who have helped you along the way?

My professor has been the most significant person in my journey. If she hadn't said anything to me about her concerns and help me find my way to recover, who knows where I would be right now.

There's also my friends from college for sure. They were there with me when I was going through the process of dealing with my newly found disorder. 

8. How is your quality of life now that you have undergone these experiences?

My life has improved now that I know how to handle my Bipolar symptoms. I have friends and family that support me and I have the knowledge to combat my ups and downs. Life's pretty good. :)



SOURCES

Differences Between Bipolar I and Bipolar II Disorder 

Bipolar I VS. Bipolar II

Cyclothymia

#PsychStory

This is a set of poems that express my experience with having a speech disorder growing up. It was a struggle for me in numerous ways to cope with such a setback early on in life, and I am fortunate enough to have made a recovery. 

My heart goes out to the people who wrestle with speech delays and disorders, those who are bullied and shunned for the troubles that they can't help to endure. They are much stronger than they believe themselves to be and they have talents beyond that of mere words. 

Having difficulty with language is burdensome to a person of any culture so it would be beneficial for people all over the globe to understand this barrier and how to assist those who face it.

3-5 YEARS

A room doused
In Green

Carpet of a Forest Floor
And a Pastel Lime aura circling us

That's right.

A woman is with me.
A therapist, my mother had said

The therapist with a vague face
With a rememberable voice
Steady as she commands
With a sharp sliver of silver
Rolling in her slender fingers:

"Thumbtack"

I'm supposed to echo those words
But they rise from my throat as oil
Vile, undesirable
And they ooze from my lips
Splashing into a terrible mess

The therapist doesn't spit the words back in rage
She simple cleans the spill
And tries again.

And Again.

And Again...

"Thumbtack"

6 YEARS
My mother went to speak 
To my Kindergarten teacher
Ms.Stacy

Oh, Sweet Stacy
With a kind heart
Told my mother 

"The girl may need help...
She needs more attention
Than I can give."

My mother was silent
Special Education??
For a little stutter??

"No," my mother said,
She believed in me
Even though I fell

A   y e a r   b e h i n d

10 YEARS

We moved
Hundreds of miles
From Utah to New Hampshire
And there is no one here
For me

My tongue gets caught in my throat
Whenever I dare think
Of trying to say hello
To the strangers
Who never smile

















They drift away
As if I am the Plague
Personified

I can only bite my tongue
And hope a nothing escapes
To make an even bigger fool
Out of myself

Let me read my stories,
Let me scribble in my notebooks,
Just don't let me
Say a word...


14 YEARS 
I've flown to the South
A little closer to my origins

I'm still as reclusive as ever,
But words don't matter
As much as they used to

I slip into the band hall
And speak through my clarinet

I write in the language of music
I compose symphonies
Only the future can hear



I hide in the library
Living through my favorite stories
Learning to create my own

When my peers call me
"Stupid"
For being a sloppy speaker
Or when they say
"Retarded"
For refusing to respond
I remember the

EXPRESSION

I have with music and writing
How I don't need to speak perfectly
In order to be human

18 YEARS

I've grown
In my courage

Strong enough to be a leader,
The president of the Marching Band

I am in charge of so much
I am trusted with so much

To love all of the people
That I care for now
To communicate my trust
In them




Music is a language
That spans across
Nations and Cultures

It is music
That speaks
When words fail

Therefore I dedicate myself
To this discipline
That has given me
The gracious gift
Of a voice

My mother believed in me
For a reason such as this...

#PsychStory

Memory Project

For this psychology project, I interviewed Aaron Hunt, a friend of mine from Hardin Simmons. We explored the capabilities of human memory with a game! You can check out the videos down below to see footage of the interview. 









I tested Aaron's ability to recall memories by reading two lists of words to him, then asking him to write down as many words as he could remember. The lists are as follows:

Given List #1

Thread	Point
Pin	Hurt
Eye	Knitting
Injection	Prick
Syringe	Thimble
Sewing	Haystack
Sharp	Pain

Given List #2

Bed	Rest	Drowse	Dentist
Awake	Blanket	Nurse	Physician
Tired	Doze	Sick	Patient
Dream	Slumber	Lawyer	Stethoscope
Wake	Nap	Medicine	Curse
Snooze	Peace	Health	Clinic
Snore	Yawn	Hospital	Surgeon

Aaron's First List

Thread

Pin

Haystack

Pain

Aaron's Second List

Sleep	Hospital
Snooze	Nurse
Bed	Pillow
Blanket

Thoughts...

 

Thumbs up with Aaron Hunt! 

By taking look at the given lists and the lists written by Aaron, you may have picked up on a few interesting insights. 

In the first list, Aaron was able to recall the first and last words. These are prime examples of the "primacy" effect (remembering the first item of a sequence) and the "recency" effect (remembering the most recent item of a sequence).

In the second list, you can see that Aaron wrote down a few words that were not even on the list! He added the words "Sleep" and "Pillow" (not "Snooze" like I had accidentally stated in the video... whoops!). 

This is an exhibition of the "false memory" effect (a fabricated memory that distorts someone's view of reality). This effect can be minor (remembering a word that was not said, remembering an item being in a different place than it is, etc...) or it can be serious (believing oneself was abused by someone else when they were not, believing oneself has committed a crime when they have not, etc...). 

It is clear that memory can be both helpful and harmful for understanding the world around us. It can aid in having a recollection of the past, but it can also warp our perceptions of history and the present.

Learning

The psychology of learning has multiple facets that have been explored over the last two centuries. Today I'll be focusing on Classical Conditioning, the earliest theory of Learning.

Defining the Theory

Dogs and People are similar in their susceptibility to
Classic conditioning.

Classical conditioning happens when an object that is usually not associated with a certain sensation
becomes connected through repetitive presence with that sensation.

Ivan Pavlov performed an experiment for testing how much dogs salivate when they receive. He discovered that the anticipation of the food was enough for the dogs to salivate before they had actually received the food. Pavlov wondered if he could associate nontraditional stimuli with the food to trigger a similar response as with the natural stimuli. For his new experiment, Pavlov would pair the normal procedure of giving food to the dog with the sound of a bell each time. After this process was repeated frequently enough, Pavlov took away the food and began just ringing the bell, finding that the sound of the bell was enough to induce a salivating response from the dog.

Another experiment that shows Classical conditioning is the infamous "Little Albert" experiment, in which Dr.Watson conditions a child (named "Albert") to fear things that he once deeply loved:

The Model

There are specific terms that are used in this theory that may help novices understand it better.

• Neutral Stimulus: A stimulus that is ineffective at provoking a response (the bell before the experiment began)
• Unconditioned Stimulus: A stimulus that causes a natural automatic response (bringing the food to the dog)
• Unconditioned Response: A natural response to a stimulus that requires no training (salivating at the sight of food)
• Conditioned Stimulus: A neutral stimulus that is connected to an unconditioned stimulus through a repetitive presence (the bell after it was paired with the food)
• Conditioned Response: An artificial response that is constructed from a conditioned stimulus (salivating at the sound of the bell)

Personal Opinion

It is evident that the evidence backs up the science of this learning theory. I can also see examples of its occurrence in the real world, so I think it would be difficult to argue against it.

I notice that when I hear the sound of someone's ringtone on their cellphone that is the same (or even similar) as my own, I will automatically go to my bag to check for my phone even if the sound is coming from a distance.

Real World Application

The aspects of Classical conditioning can be used in the real world to teach children right from wrong. Just like the dog in Pavlov's experiment could be trained to salivate at the sound of a bell, children could be taught to respond positively to certain stimuli in a similar fashion. For example, if you always give the child a treat every time they clean up their messes, they will be quick to clean any type of mess at the sight of a treat even before you have to ask them to do so.



Sources

Canvas Chapter PDF

Personality Analysis Project

I recently completed a personality experiment (for Psychology's sake) and I will be going into the details in this post. I wanted to take someone who I have known for a while and make predictions about their personality in a variety of ways.

For this project, I interviewed a friend of mine from Hardin Simmons (who wishes to go by "Sasha" for the sake of anonymity). For starters, I asked them some straight forward questions in order to understand how they view themselves.

Questions

Sasha hides from conflict to avert
aggression.

1. What is one thing that you believe sets you apart from people your age
1. I think I am abnormally high in agreeableness for my age, to a fault even. I typically prefer to avoid conflict so much so that I will sometimes lie or concede my position when I am in an argument just to get it done and over with. The positive part of this is that I am very flexible and can work with most people I come across and I consider beyond the bottom line when people fail, like that someone may just be having a bad day or something along those lines.
2. What are some traits that you believe you share with your parents or your siblings? What are some traits that you don't share with them?
1. Much like my father I am quite carefree and friendly as we both will often become familiar with random people around town, however I am not as assertive as my father. In fact, I have basically inherited everything about my stature from my father. I got my deep voice from my mother (no she does not have a deep voice, her father did) and my nose likely comes from her. Beyond that I am uncertain what exact physical traits I have inherited from her. I can say that my sister is a lot like my mother, in that both are introverted unlike me, although both me and my mother enjoy being alone from time to time. I am a good student like my sister but not nearly as good of a student as my sister. 
3. What is one social/emotional problem that you faced during childhood? Do you have a similar struggle in the present?
1. When I was in elementary school I was bullied by the other kids, I was only able to find friends amongst a select group of people who unfortunately moved away one by one. I remember the other kids be quite unkind to me but of course I also remember being rather annoying little boy in some ways so I sometimes think I understand why they were not exactly kind to me. Another trait that I had was a short, I would sometimes become so angry that I would scream at the other kids. But I by no means have a similar struggle today. The remnants of that may still remain. For instance, I would not be surprised if my agreeableness came from the bullying, but I am certainly not bullied today and like I said I get along with most people.

Other Accounts

A friend of both me and Sasha, Nora, gave her two cents about Sasha:

"For starters, they're definitely one of the friendliest people I have ever met. The strange thing is that they are also introverted. When I see them, they are very friendly, but they're usually doing solitary activities. They also have an interesting taste in music.. Weird Al Yankovic?"

Sasha is known for their warmth and their cheer.

I can say that Sasha's answers and Nora's account seem to be true as far I can tell for as long as I have known them. In addition to the previous observations, I would like to include some information about their life choices. Sasha is a psychology major who hopes to have their own private clinic someday. I have personally known them to be very objective and logical, even in social settings (also possibly correlated with their inclination towards a scientific field of study). Sometimes, however, they can expose their goofy side. They are cheerful most of the time. Sasha will avoid social interaction if they are in a bad mood. 

There are some aspects of Sasha's personality that I can infer from these statements. I will make some predication of what Sasha could possibly score on certain personality tests based on my research. If you are unfamiliar with  the following test, click on the title of the section to find out more information.

Five Factor Model

There are the obvious aspects that would correlate with a high score in agreeableness. For starters, Sasha is not assertive or aggressive, even to the point of avoiding conflict entirely. This makes for great social skills, yet it doesn't help with problem solving skills if a problem does occur in a friendship/relationship.

They could possible score moderate-high in openness. The avoidance of conflict could make them more susceptible to a variety of experiences because they are not grounded to a specific view strongly enough to object an opposing one, therefore, they are more willing to try new things.

Sasha has a free spirit, flowing through life like the ocean.

I would say that their extroversion is about average with a slight lean to introversion. Caroline Beaton, journalist for the Psychology Today website has stated that numerous psychological studies have concluded that the majority of the population is neither extroverted nor introverted (they would be called ambiverts). It is clear that my friend has social tendencies because their agreeableness makes it easier for them to get along with people. They have also stated, however, that they do enjoy having alone time (which is also backed up by Lane's statement).  

As far as Neuroticism and Conscientiousness are concerned, I have little evidence to support either side of those spectrums. I could guess that Sasha has a moderate-low Neuroticism level considering their statement about being "carefree" (although saying that they have a low score is a stretch simply because there is not enough evidence to support an extreme association with the trait). Conscientiousness is possibly moderately-low for the same reason (being "care-free").

Conclusion

I found that analyzing the personality of someone close to me has made me more mindful of other people's uniqueness. I enjoyed getting to know my friend on a more analytical level than before. 


Sources

"The Big Five Personality Traits" by Kendra Cherry

"The Majority of People are not Introverts or Extroverts" by Caroline Beaton