The cocktail party effect is a phenomenon in which an individual is able to focus their attention on a particular conversation at hand despite being in a large group of people. However, if this individual happens to hear their name being spoken at this event, they will be able to recognize and turn their attention to that individual. I believe this effect is prevalent in every day life as it pertains to each of us. I know that this instance has happened to me before at a particular event, in which I was able to turn my attention to where I heard my name come from. This phenomenon directly correlates with selective attention; which is your ability to focus on some sensory inputs by tuning out others.
Month: October 2019
Mandela Effect
The Mandela effect is a popular conspiracy theory that has spread throughout the internet. Due to people’s false memories of certain events, they have created crazy ideas to explain why history itself has changed. A few examples of this are people’s belief that Jif peanut is actually called Jiffy. The main example is people’s belief that Nelson Mandela died in the 80s when his actual death happened in 2013. Many people were surprised to hear he wasn’t already dead. The truth is that “The Mandela Effect” is both caused by faulty memory and our lack of understanding of memory. People believe that memory is a record of history when in reality our brains take in bites of information to form memories. Those bites of information don’t stay the same over the years. Information we gain after the event can change past memories. Another reason for the Mandela effect occurring is that our brains naturally fill in the gaps in our memories. This is the main reason eye-witnesses arent taken to seriously. Often during events with multiple witnesses, there are conflicting details between witnesses. People spreading these false ideas of events can also prime people to believe that false idea. This is called priming. Suggesting an idea to someone can alter an existing memory in someone’s head. This idea affects one’s ability to recall the event. People put too much value on the brain’s ability to recall events, so they take the thing they recall as fact. Even some of the examples of the effect related to me. As a child, one of the children’s books I loved to read was the Bernstain Bear’s. I always thought the books were spelled the Bernstein Bears. I specifically remember it is spelled this way cause I always thought it was spelled like my last name, “Stein”. When I found out about this, I almost started to question if maybe the crazy conspiracy theorists were correct, but it turns out my idea of memory was flawed.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-mandela-effect-4589394
Cuncic, Arlin. “The Mandela Effect and Examples.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 17 July 2019, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-mandela-effect-4589394.
Blog Post 2: Visual Imagery
Blog Post 2
Donald Shaffer
Visual Imagery:
To fully understand how a person uses visual imagery, one must understand how the memory process and information processing works. Beginning with sensory memory (a brief recording of sensory information), the encoding process takes places moving this information into the working memory. This is where we obtain the information we use and apply it to the outside world. Within working memory, information is either stored in or retrieved from the long-term memory. More specifically, visual imagery plays a big role in the storage and retrieval of memories. Visual imagery is the practice of using mental pictures as a powerful tool to help in effortful processing. However, even though visual imaging helps mainly in the retrieval process of long-term memory, it works best when used with semantic encoding. This means that when information is in our sensory memory, it is best to connect the meaning of that information with a past mental image that’s already embedded in your long-term memory. Visual Imagery has played a large role in my college life. To be more specific, I truly struggled with the learning of a different language last year and I needed to find the best way to memorize Spanish vocabulary. I spent countless hours staring at flash cards trying to force hundreds of foreign words into my long-term memory, but it just was not working. After communicating with my instructor and doing some research, I began to use visual imagery. With every new vocabulary word I encountered (as it just entered my sensory memory), I would stop and try to connect the word with a past event, picture or just any memory that could be connected with the definition of that word. For example, take the word “el pastel” meaning cake in Spanish. When I first encountered this word, I pictured colorful pastels being used to draw a delicious looking cake with marvelous colors that really makes the icing stand out. I continued to use this process and it greatly helped my effortful processing.
Word count: 331
Growing Up with Authoritative Parents
In class, we discussed three child-rearing practices that parents use when raising children and exerting control over them. These parenting styles are authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative. Parents using the authoritarian style set rules for their children to follow and expect them to obey at all times. Permissive parents do not set rules for their children to follow and instead do whatever their children want to do. Parents following the authoritative style of parenting lie in between the other type styles. Authoritative parents set expectations for their children, but they also listen to their children and respond to their needs. Comparing the three child-rearing practices, authoritarian is too hard on the children, permissive is too lax with the children, but authoritative is just right. Of the three styles, authoritative is the most ideal parenting practice to follow because it best prepares children for the future. While many factors contribute to a child’s characteristics, the authoritative parenting style often positively influences a child’s self-esteem, independence, and social skills.
I was raised by parents using a mostly authoritative parenting style. While I did have guidelines that I had to follow, my parents were also willing to hear my thoughts and opinions on things and respond to each situation in a reasonable way. This meant that I didn’t always get my way on things, but I knew that my parents heard my feelings on the matter and were acting with my best interest in mind. Sometimes this didn’t help at the time, but looking back, it makes sense. For example, I wanted a cell phone in elementary school. I argued that many of my friends were getting them, so I should too. My parents heard me out, but determined it wasn’t time yet. We talked about it and determined that I would get a cell phone once I was in middle school and would be further from home and more likely to need it to reach them between classes or after school. While it didn’t seem fair at the time, in retrospect, it really was for the best, as we didn’t need that added expense and I didn’t need that added responsibility at the time.
Encoding and The Study Cycle
Encoding is the process of getting information into the memory system in your brain. You are constantly encoding information every second, with billions of neurons firing in your brain to make this happen. The question of if you remember that information though, is dependent on many things. Were you paying close attention? Were you actively thinking about what you were perceiving? Did the situation remind you of anything you previously remembered? All these questions and more will play into if you remember that moment in time distinctly. This can be related directly to studying and the usefulness of the study cycle. Before coming to college, I never had much of a reason to study as I miraculously did well in all of my classes. Coming to college and having to straight up learn how to study is tough, and there are many things that factor in to if you are studying correctly and in a way that will prove useful to you. I’m in the drumline for the Penn State Blue Band, and there’s a lot of music I have to learn and memorize for every show we do. When it comes down to it, memorizing music isn’t much different than studying. If I sit down with the goal of memorizing the music, it simply will not happen. However, if my goal is to learn to play each rhythm perfectly, to get the right tone out of the drum, or to improve my technique, then memorizing is no problem. Think about how that kind of thing can apply to studying. Sitting down and only trying to memorize your notes is just not effective. In order to get good results from studying, you have to put active thought into the information you want to learn. Just like learning music, repetition is key. You have to study consistently over the course of the week in order to really be on top of your classes. It’s short and to the point, but studying effectively really isn’t that complicated. You just have to have a goal to reach, and actively try and reach it.
Memory in school
I have recently joined a club at Penn State that requires me to memorize lots of information about the club that I am quizzed on it each week. I must write the information word for word and they are very and complex long terms and definitions. I knew this would be a challenge and I was very worried at first. But, Dr.Wedes mini lesson on how to study more effectively came at the most perfect time for me.
Dr.Wede talked about two strategies that will successfully help you commit certain information from your short term memory to your long term memory. Short term memory holds a few items for a short period of time and long term memory is relatively permanent and has limitless storage. The two strategies we discussed in class were 1) distributed practice and 2) retrieval practice.
To help me remember the information that was on these quizzes I practiced one definition each day. I spaced out my learning so I did not have to cram all of the definitions in at once. I also practiced retrieving the information by saying it aloud and writing it down whenever I had free time. I also made connections to help me remember using elaborative rehearsal. Elaborative rehearsal happens when information from short term memory is transferred into long term memory by making the information meaningful. This can be done by relating the information to prior knowledge and making it personal. I would make up a story or an event that went along with the definition which helped me retrieve the information. Lastly, I had intense study sessions where I would focus on one definition at a time for a few minutes then take a break and try to retrieve it. I would write the information on paper going by memory. I was able to space these study sessions out so I was effectively making connections with each definition so I would not get mixed up.
Dr.Wedes helpful methods really improved my performance with these weekly quizzes that once gave me so much anxiety. I can now effectively study the terms and I actually still remember all of them even two weeks later!
Perceptual Constancy
Perceptual constancy is when your retinal image changes, but the percept surrounding that image always stays the same. An example of this is when you see a black dog in the distance that looks like your aunt’s German Shepard. The black dogs begins to run towards you and even though you see the dog change shape as it appears closer to you, you still perceive it as a dog no matter the distance, lighting, or view. While in the distance the dog also appears to be smaller, I still perceive it to be the exact size I know it is up close. This could be for any object that you are familiar with. Like a car, bus, bug, person, etc. You associate these objects as having a familiar shape, color, size, or even location. Therefore, no matter the perspective, lighting, or even distance, you will still see that familiar object.
In my own personal life, I use the CATA buses in State College quite frequently. So, when I see a bus turn the corner to head towards my bus stop, I know it is a bus because it has a color and shape that I am familiar with. No matter at what angle I view the bus or if I can truly see the colors, I still am able to associate some type of constancy with it, like color or size. If the weather is inclement and I have little visibility, but I can still see the shape enough, I am able to recognize it as a bus. I also associate the location with the bus. This means that I would not expect to associate these buses with another town or even in a place where such buses do not exist. Furthermore, even though I know that a bus turning the corner appears as smaller in my perception, I fully know that it is not truly smaller.
Linear Perspective
They way we see certain things is due to how we perceive them. There are many different types of perception. Some include figure and ground, Linear
Perspective, depth perception (both binocular and monocular) and others. The perspective that I would like to discuss more in depth is Linear perspective. Linear perspective is when two parallel lines of a picture or in the outside world appear to come together with distance. If the parallel lines continue far enough, it appears that the two lines completely align. In other words the more the lines come together, the greater the distance is perceived. Linear perspective is considered a monocular cue and is one of the many forms of perception that Artists use to portray depth within their paintings and to allow for more texture within their work.
During the summer, I am a camp counselor at YMCA camp Kon-o-Kwee Spencer. The way our summer camp is set up is to be, in a sense, aesthetically pleasing for the campers and their families as they enter the camp. The road of the camp was designed to portray depth and as they are entering they are getting closer and closer to the end. The less the parallel lines converge, the distance is perceived as shorter and shorter. The did this on purpose to make this feeling towards the campers that they are getting closer and closer to camp. The drive down the famous path lined with parallel lines of pine trees is notorious around the camp. The designers used linear perspective to draw attention towards one place on camp. At the end of the path is the dining hall. The less the lines converge, the closer the dining hall gets, and the less distance there is between the camper and their family and sign-in. Shown below is a picture of what the entrance to my camp looks like from the beginning of the parallel set of trees.
As you can see in the picture, the two lines of trees appear to converge which creates this perception of depth within our minds. As you drive down the road the two lines begin to get further apart until they no longer converge and you can reached the end of the road.
“Logan’s Love.” Logan’s Love, https://loganslove.org/logans-love-foundation-for-a-better-world/camp_road/.
Mood = memory
When we talked about emotions effecting memories in class, it really stuck with me. I didn’t realize that this actually had a name, mood congruence. This phenomenon is described as mood having a direct effect on memories able to be retrieved. In the past, I have noticed that when I am in a bad mood or feeling particularly negative I can only remember negative memories. Ones where I knocked on the rugby ball in and important game, missing tackles, failing exams and quizzes. I get stuck in a rut of perpetual negativity. But once I get back to a happy and positive mood all of the types of memories change. They go back to when I scored a winning try in a game, got A’s on exams, having great adventures with my friends. My mood and the outside world directly effect which memories I’m able to access. Some of these are mood dependent memories, where I can recall memories depending on my mood, but some of these are mood congruent where it is easier to recall memories when I feel a similar way to how I felt when the memory developed. Emotions effect memories greatly and can effect how many and which are able to be retrieved. This is something I have to keep in mind in the future as some memories may continue to put me down on hard days and I have to remember that they are temporary and only feel so prevalent because of my current mood.
Retrograde Amnesia
Retrograde amnesia is the loss of memory from the past, due to some type of trauma in the brain. This damage would be found in areas other than the hippocampus, because this part of the brain is involved in encoding new memories. The severity of this amnesia is dependent on the severity of the damage in the brain. This damage can be due to a traumatic brain injury, illness, seizure, stroke or degenerative brain disease. Although there is a loss in previous memory, the person still has the ability to create new memories. Also, retrograde amnesia can be temporary, permanent or progressive. This means that over time, the amnesia could fade out, stay the same, or get worse. The memory loss involves forgetting facts rather than skills. These memories are called explicit memories. Explicit memories are memories that are declarative, because you can consciously recall and explain the information. These lost explicit memories are usually episodic. These explicit memories requires a conscious effort to retrieve, so people with retrograde amnesia cannot access certain parts of this memory. Implicit memories can be procedural, meaning they are memories that are not consciously recalled and are produced indirectly. An example would be how to tie a shoe. These memories are not impacted in retrograde amnesia.
After my second concussion in soccer, I experienced retrograde amnesia. This concussion was more severe than my previous one, and all I remember is falling to the ground. I cannot remember two weeks prior to the incident, although sometimes I remember bits and pieces of the information since the injury. These episodic memories from two weeks prior seem to be permanently lost. Because of this amnesia, it predicted that my recovery would be slower. Although I can remember episodic memories from my past, I have a two-week gap in my memory. The only information I have on those two weeks is what my parents and friends have told me. Although, I can still remember implicit memories like tying my shoes and riding a bike because these memories processed in the cerebellum are not effected by this type of amnesia.
https://www.healthline.com/health/retrograde-amnesia
https://www.verywellmind.com/implicit-and-explicit-memory-2795346