Author Archives: Lauren Ruth Moyer

Shaping

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Have you ever had a pet and wanted to teach them to perform a trick or do a certain behavior?  Shaping is an excellent method that’s used for these tasks.  Shaping, as defined by Professor Wede from class, is a technique used to guide a certain behavior closer towards the desired behavior.  Many people associate this type of teaching with pets, usually dogs.  For example, if one wanted to teach their dog to roll over, they first need to get the dog to sit, then lay down and then ultimately roll over.  A type of reward should be used in order for the dog to understand that they are doing something that is pleasing to their owner.

Last summer, my parents and I got a new puppy, Sophie.  Since Sophie was still so young when we first brought her home, we did not really focus on teaching her tricks, rather we focused on simple commands like coming when she is called and to sit.  After the housebreaking process, Sophie was able to let us know when she needed to go outside.  Since our yard does not have a fence, we still take her out on the leash so she does not get too far from the house.  The sight of the leash is really exciting for Sophie, so she tends to jump up and bite the leash while we try to hook it to her collar.  In order to try to stop the jumping, we tell Sophie to sit by the door.  When she would eventually sit, we give her some sort of reward, usually a treat or a small piece of cheese, and then praise her for sitting.  Now, after Sophie has told us she needs to go outside, she immediately goes to the door to sit down and wait for us to the put the leash on her collar.  I will admit, she still gets pretty wild when she sees the leash, but she calms down enough for us to be able to easily put on the leash.

Shaping is a very helpful and easy method to use when it comes to training animals.  Positive reinforcement is also used in shaping because the trainer is using positive stimuli to increase a specific behavior.  When Sophie would successfully sit when we asked, we would reward her with food.  This presentation of a positive stimuli teaches Sophie that sitting is a good thing, and she will increase performing that specific behavior in the future.

Encoding and Maintenance Rehearsal

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There have been many times throughout my college career when I wished I had a photographic memory.  I would be able to look at something one time and remember it perfectly.   Unfortunately, photographic memories are not very common.  College students have to rely on studying to be able to store and then recall the information.  The memorization process can be compared to the different parts of a computer.  The first step is encoding the information, or getting it into the memory system.  Encoding can be compared to a keyboard; the information has to first be inputted before it can be stored.  Next, the information must be stored somewhere, like on a floppy disk or flash drive.  Finally, the information must be able to be recalled or retrieved.  This action is similar to a monitor of a computer.  We can bring information from the storage area of the flash drive onto the monitor where we are able to see it again.  I think the encoding process is the most important step because this is only way information is stored in the memory.  Without encoding, information would never get stored in the short-term or working memory.

One of the hardest things about being a college student is trying to find a good study method.  Many students, including myself, practice maintenance rehearsal.  This method involved repeating information over and over again to keep it in the short-term memory.  There is a possibility that this information will eventually get stored in long-term memory, but it is unlikely.  Maintenance rehearsal is a common way of studying because it is so easy to use.  When I study for exams, I usually make flashcards and go over them again and again until I feel I have memorized the information.  While the information is stored in me short-term memory, I have not really understood the information.  If I tried to connect the information to something meaningful in my life, I would be practicing elaborative rehearsal, which is a much more effective studying method.  Elaborative rehearsal leads to much stronger long-term memory storage, making it easier to remember.

Laboratory Observations

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In psychology, different research methods are used extensively.  All of the ways to test and conduct research can be broken down into three categories: descriptive research, correlational research and experimental research.  I will be focusing on descriptive research.

Within descriptive research, there are different ways to conduct tests, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.  There is naturalistic observation, laboratory observation, case studies and surveys.  All of these types are important in psychology, but for this article, I will be discussing laboratory observation.

Laboratory observation is pretty self-explanatory.  The researchers bring in people to be participants in their test, which takes place in an environment controlled by the researchers, and will make the test as similar to a real life situation as possible.  During my freshman year here at Penn State, I was enrolled in a biology lab where we performed different tests on each other.  One test we did was to assess how physical activity affects the human body.  I volunteered to be the test subject for this lab.  I was to run on the treadmill for as long as I could and at a constant speed.  The incline, however, was increased every three minutes.  While I was running, I had different physiological aspects measured, such as my heart rate, skin temperature, breaths per minute and oxygen intake.

An advantage to laboratory observations is that the researchers who are conducting the test can control certain aspects and have all the necessary specialized equipment.  For example, there was a specific treadmill I was to use.  One disadvantage in a laboratory observation is that the behavior of the participant might not be the same was it would be in a natural setting.  For example, I did not have the opportunity to drink water while I was being observed.  If I had been in a natural gym environment, I would have had a few sips of water every few minutes.  Also, because I had to breathe into an apparatus every three minutes, my throat quickly became dry and irritated, causing me to tire faster.

Laboratory observations are very useful when it comes to studies related to psychology.  Even though there are a few disadvantages, I believe the benefits of the advantages are more important.