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When examining two variables is often easy to assume, they’re related in some feasible manner.  Many often believe any two given variables are related, given a relationship in which there is an inverse or direct correlation, even if there is no correlation whatsoever. A great example of this phenomena are superstitions.  Superstitions are defined as an unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event.  This belief tends to influence people’s decisions regarding a possible future event.  Beliefs, such as these, are most commonly seen in the professional sports world.  If someone’s favorite team is playing that person might feel the urge to wear the jersey he or she was wearing for their last win.  The jersey and the outcome of the game have absolutely no correlation whatsoever.  The players’ performance won’t change based on one fan wearing a specific shirt, however that fan believes it does.  This incorrect correlation occurs due to prior bias and stereotypes, based off past experiences.  I had my own superstitions which were also based off bias from past experiences alone.

Throughout my entire childhood I played football.  Throughout all my years I always had a pregame ritual, although it would vary year to year depending on what I though worked best.  If I missed any part of the ritual, I would blame any mistake I made on my failure to complete my pregame routine.  In high school, the routine started during the night before the game.  Every Thursday my dinner would consist of some type of pasta, accompanied by a Bodyarmour sports drink.  After I ate, I would drink a Gatorade and take an ice bath while listening to a specific playlist.  The next day the only music I would listen to was from that same playlist.  Once I got out of school, I would eat a chicken dinner with another Bodyarmour.  I would then change into the same shirt I’ve been wearing for games since middle school.  Finally, I would listen to a different playlist before going out on the field.  This most likely seems very extravagant; I was well aware of that.  In addition to its extravagance I also knew it didn’t affect my performance whatsoever.  However, I continued to do it because it worked in the past so why change anything.  This experience is a prime example of illusory correlation; all those different variables have nothing to do with my performance in the game.  Although, they worked for me in the past which prompted me to continue to do them.  Just because two different variables have a relationship that doesn’t provide valid date for correlation.

Remember back when the ice cream man used to drive around, and play a song so all the children knew he was coming. Children, or at least I, would almost salivate at the sound of that song because I knew I would be eating ice cream in a few minutes. While this is not an accurate example of behaviorism, it helps one comprehend what behaviorism really is. Behaviorism is when external stimuli trigger mental events – the ice cream song triggers children to want ice cream. A more serious example would be how the sound of an explosion can trigger PTSD for soldiers or anyone who experienced war. Behaviorism is described as the scientific analysis of observable behaviors, and emphasizes the outward behavioral aspects of thought and dismissed the inward experiential aspects. 

It took my family about ten years to convince my mom to tolerate a dog, now she is so extremely attached to the dog, but that is besides the point. When we finally got a dog we had to potty train him quickly because he enjoyed going to the bathroom inside the house. Our dog trainer said it is common for owners to teach their dog to ring a bell attached to the door when the dog needs to go outside. We started to have my dog ring a bell with his nose every time he went outside to use the bathroom. Eventually, he figured out he has to ring the bell when he needs to go to the bathroom. We thought this was so fascinating and that our dog was so talented, until it began to backfire. He was still a young puppy, and would have some accidents in the house if we were gone for too long; however, most of his “accidents” were not accidents. We realized that whenever he heard a bell go off he thought that meant it was time to go to the bathroom, which was not true. Therefore, everytime a phone alarm went off, the oven timer beeped, or something sounded like a bell to him he would go to the door to be let out. Sometimes we would see him standing at the door and take him outside, but other times he would decide to go to the bathroom inside the house. Needless to say we abandoned the bell idea, and normally potty trained him after that.

In this example, my dog would hear the ring of a bell, an external stimuli, and it would trigger his bladder to need to be released. This is an example of behaviorism because an outside or physical event evoked an inward or mental event, which caused my dog to pee inside the house. This example happened to be one where we trained my dog to react a certain way when he heard a sound, but behaviorism can occur naturally or subconsciously without any training involved. 

Sources

Kevinbinz. “An Introduction To Behaviorism.” Fewer Lacunae, 7 July 2017, kevinbinz.com/2016/10/29/behaviorism/.

Graham, George. “Behaviorism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 19 Mar. 2019, plato.stanford.edu/entries/behaviorism/.

Our central nervous system is comprised of a complex set of nerves that carry messages from the brain/spinal cord to be sent to the rest of the body. The peripheral nervous system consists of the autonomic and the somatic nervous system. These two main systems (central and peripheral), both play a roll in the anxiety many of us experience. Primarily, the autonomic nervous system is what produces the physical symptoms that anxiety causes. The autonomic system controls many of the bodily functions like digestion, heart rate, respiration, urination, and sexual arousal. The sympathetic branch of the autonomic controls the arousal of the nervous system, often triggering the “fight or flight” response (pictured below).

The sympathetic nervous system operates through interneurons which are found primarily in the peripheral nervous system although some are located also in the central nervous system. The fight or flight response is activated through a series of communication between neurons and receptors, causing chemical synapses.  Eventually, noradrenaline and adrenaline bind onto tissue, causing the physical effects of the fight or flight. This causes pupil dilation, increased heart rate, blood pressure spike, sweating, and rapid breathing. (Below is a picture of a chemical synapse)

For many people, the fight or flight response can become a vicious cycle. Often times, when a person notices a symptom of anxiety, such as difficulty breathing, this can trigger the sympathetic branch of the peripheral nervous system further. This is something I’ve experienced before and it’s very difficult to overcome. For me, once I notice a difficulty in my breathing, all my thoughts turn to why I can’t breathe fully and I continue to try. This causes chest tightness, pain, rapid breathing, and excessive gasping for a deep breathe. I’ve learned that this symptom is simply my sympathetic branch controlling my respiration. The fight or flight response is constantly in effect, when it should only be activated in desperate situations. Psychotherapy is effective at reducing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and instead increasing the activity of the parasympathetic system which focuses on “rest and digest”. Psychotherapy works by recognizing how the body is fighting itself and coming up with logical reasoning to why it’s happening. Therapy is more of a long term approach where as some short term treatments include meditation, exercise, and quitting smoking. (Below is a picture which shows the different effects of parasympathetic and sympathetic on bodily functions)

As you can see, parasympathetic focuses on slowing down bodily functions, where as sympathetic speeds them up.

 

Links:

https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-the-Nervous-System.aspx

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-fight-or-flight-response-2795194

http://www.softschools.com/difference/sympathetic_vs_parasympathetic/143/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/sympathetic_nervous_system.htm

My topic is selective attention. Selective attention is a part of attention. When selective attention has happened in the brain, it has the ability to focus on only some stimuli. It explains how some people can “look” but not “see”. It has to be due to mental effort. It also has to be a natural side effect of mental efforts. But, it’s also effortless. In this way, mental effort either is or requires attention. I have a good example of selective attention. Here at Penn State, I don’t partake in a lot of clubs or organizations. However, I am in Blue Band. In Blue Band, we have to play music, obviously. Whenever I have to play my part, I can only focus on one area of it at a time. I can only work on my own part. I have to focus on either counting to come in at the right time, playing the right notes, or articulating in the correct spots. A lot of the time, our section is told to “blend together”, but that is hard for me because I have to concentrate on more than one thing at a time. Everyone around me is making as much, if not louder, noise. I have to be able to blend my sound and play the right notes at the right times with the right articulation. This is an example of selective attention because I am only able to concentrate on one task at a time, but my brain is trying to choose the task to concentrate on the most. If I am concentrating a lot on the notes, I will do better there than anywhere else in the music. Eventually, my brain is able to adapt to these separate tasks because of Brain plasticity. My brain makes it easier for me to do at the same time; blend, play, count, and articulate.

The Sympathetic Nervous System

The Autonomic Nervous System is apart of the Nervous System and is split into two divisions; The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems. The Autonomic Nervous System works without requiring a person’s conscious effort. It is known for regulating certain body processes like breathing, our heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature etc. The Sympathetic Nervous System is known for arousal within the body while the Parasympathetic Nervous Systems calms the body back into its normal state. I am going to be focusing on the Sympathetic Nervous system which many other people simply know as our “fight- or- flight” response. The Sympathetic system function is to stimulate the body, preparing it for action. It helps prepare the body for behavior, which is typically caused by stress or fear. When the Sympathetic Nervous system is activated, your adrenaline starts to kick in. You begin sweating, breathing heavy, heart beat rapidly increasing, and your pupils begin to dilate to let more light in. All of these actions happen because your body is trying to prepare you for reaction you are going to take towards the situation you are in. “Fight- or- flight” moments occur every day for varying reasons depending on the individual and what position you’re placed in. 

The one time I activated my sympathetic nervous system was when I went over to a family friends house for a Super Bowl party. I was about 7 and my mom brought over a cheese tray for the party. I wanted to help, so my mom put me in charge of carrying the cheese tray in and told me if I dropped it I was going to be in trouble. I walked in confidently attempting to prove to my mom I was more than capable of carrying the tray until a huge black rottweiler locked eyes with me. It started coming towards me. As a tiny little 7 year old, I ran back out the door still holding the cheese tray (AKA what he wanted). Still to this day I don’t think I have ever ran that fast. I was too scared to drop the tray because of what my mom said to me before we got there, but eventually threw it behind me in hopes of stopping the large dog’s pursuit. 

My story of being chased by a rottweiler and the sympathetic nervous system are very much related. When the dog and I first made contact, I felt my heart rate increasing and debating whether I should run and try to save the tray, or drop it in the house. My intense fear of watching the dog come towards me is what triggered my “fight- or- flight” response. When I started to run, my adrenaline kicked in and I began sweating from the nerves and fright of what might happen to me if I didn’t escape the dog. I was able to run significantly faster because of the sympathetic nervous system being activated. My body released all my stored energy so I could use it to get away. After I realized he was about 3 houses away from me eating up the cheese tray, my body finally started to calm down back to its normal state through the Parasympathetic Nervous System. I think my story displays the purpose of a “fight- or- flight” response because it narrates a moment when I had to respond to a fearful situation that my body would not have been prepared for if I hadn’t experienced the natural effects of the Sympathetic Nervous System. 

“Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System – Brain, Spinal Cord, and

               Nerve Disorders.”  Merck Manuals Consumer Version. Merck Manuals,    

               n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2019.

Wede, Josh. “Psychology.” Psychology. Affordable Course Transformation:

              The Pennsylvania  State University, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2019.

 

 

Empiricism is the concept that knowledge is gained through experiences and senses; it is often referred to as “healthy skepticism.” This idea emphasizes the idea of experience and observation rather than listening to past traditions. Empiricism has often been contrasted with Rationalism, the idea that we learn through intellectual reasoning rather than sensory experiences. It is also part of the idea of nature versus nurture which contrast the ideas between genetic or learned influences. Empiricism is the concept that focuses on the learned influences rather than the genetic ones.

An example of how I have used this concept in my own life is learning that fighting with my brother is wrong. If me and my brother got into an argument when we were little, whether it was verbal or physical, our parents would punish us and tell us that fighting is wrong. Through the experience of my parents disciplining me and being scolded for fighting, I learned that this action was wrong and I should not do it. Before my parents punished me for fighting with my brother, I would not have thought this was wrong to do. It is not in my genetics to know whether fighting is right or wrong, but it is definitely something I learned from actually doing.

Another example of my own experience with empiricism is knowing that my mother is a caring woman. I have learned this through experiencing her kind and caring actions towards my brother and I and it has allowed me to make the conclusion that she is a caring woman and mother. If I did not know her, I would not be able to make this conclusion, but through the personal experience of her caring actions for my brother and I, I have learned what type of person she is. People only know what they have personally experienced and this is how they make their judgements about other people and things in their lives.

Links:

http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-empiricism-and-skepticism  

https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_rationalism.html