Blog:

Perception

Perception is tricky to the brain. We use perception in order to differentiate our environments and surroundings. Video games have lots of examples of perception within the game. The artist makes object shades and sharper in the foreground and shades darker and less detailed in the background. The closer you get to an object in a game (Let’s just say any open world game such as Cyberpunk, Legend of Zelda or even horror games) the more it appears to be right it fronts of you. It’s funny because your entire computer screen is just a bunch of pixels and we found out how to create depth and value (realistically) in a video game.

Gestalt laws of perceptions based on proximity, similarity, continuation and common fate. In cyberpunk 2077, we may get close to a character and see all the details on their face, this in an example of proximity and similarities. Just like how we humans have similar characteristics of a person and knowing we are people, but we have different features the closer we get to each other. We see more of the detail on each person (nose, hair, mouth shape, dimples etc.)

Another great example of perception would be looking at the newer Tron movie. In the movie, they have lots of similar shapes and details around the open video game world. Everything was connected and showed continuation is the suits, cars, and lights.

My personal experience of perception happens daily. I can see if there is a stump in the ground so I can cross over it safely without tripping. At night my perception fades, because I can not see in the dark as well and everything glosses over into a pitch black darkness ( until my eyes get used to the dark.. I guess)

Goldstein, E. Bruce. Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Cengage, 2018.

Kendra Cherry, Mse. (2023) How does perception work?, Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/perception-and-the-perceptual-process-2795839 (Accessed: 08 July 2023).

Blog #1 Attention

During this whole lesson, I was reminded of this kpop song by New Jeans called Attention. The song is based on getting attention from a crush. I think the song fits right along with our topic in this blog. Such as the cocktail party theme (based on attention), when someone calls your name in a crowded party it catches your attention. The same thing could happen if it were to be your favorite song. If someone were to play your favorite song in a club after hearing mediocre music, you may perk up and listen to the song… and enjoy yourself more.

Attention is based on stimuli and how it can reach a certain level of processing (Attention Theory). This theory could be selective as well by physical characteristics, sounds and syllables and messages. I’m pretty sure if someone you care about told you “I love you” for the very first time, it would capture your attention and your emotions would process faster. Think of a high school crush confesses in this situation.

My personal experience with attention theory would be: whenever someone calls my name very loudly. I could respond or I can choose to filter out and ignore. My name has been called out so much that I sometimes zone out. If someone were to throw a pen at me in the middle of my trance, I would snap to attention so fast. However, others can not say the same to this. There are many people that have disassociation disorders, that cause them to zone out. Nothing can really knock them out of their zone until they snap out of it themselves. Many people are known to say their name repeatedly or do a little shake to break out of their dissociative state. It contradicts.

Goldstein, B. (2021). Cognitive Psychology Connecting mind, Reasearch, and Everyday Experience (pp. 192-224). Cengage. 

Halajidan, H. (no date) Consciousness, attention, and conscious attention, Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-consciousness/201506/consciousness-attention-and-conscious-attention (Accessed: 08 July 2023).

Blog #3

Languages.

Before I joined the military, I spend my time learning languages as a kid. I could sit in my room for hours and study/ watch different shows in the language to practice my pronunciation. As a Cognitive psychologist (psycholinguistics), the way they view languages is based on functions of the brain. Each part of the brain has a function for speech comprehension and speech production.

As I got older and soon went into the military, I learned that it was more difficult to spend more time learning languages. My adult brain could not grasp and pertain any information with languages. However, I did move and live in another country for a few years and things have changed.

During my time overseas for the last few years, my family and friends did notice a slight change to my voice and the way that I speak. I was surrounded by many cultures and different type of languages that it affected my ability to speak English perfectly. It was almost as if I reversed my speech habits from native to a intermediate level of speaking.

However, I would mix up words while speaking English and my speech patterns began to fizzle out. I would find myself relearning grammar and basic English skills, because my brain suddenly forgot the right way of saying the perfect tense of a word.  My sentences were filled with “ums “and “hmmms” due to the phonemic restoration effect. “The phonemic restoration effect shows the influence of top-down processing of speech. We use the random noise to fill in the missing phonemes based on the context of the speech signal.” (Lesson 11) . It’s almost like I have to retrain my brain.

These were my cognitive experiences with languages.

Blog Post 2- 

Effective studying is one of the most important methods to have when you are attending a school. In our text for class, we learned ways to effectively study, like being organized and taking breaks. There is also a specific process we use when studying to have new material we have learned go into long-term memory. Elaborate is the terminology used to have information transferred to long-term memory. For example, when reading text, you tend to give what you have learned a meaning behind it to remember. In modern day today there are so many ways to effectively study there’s smart pads where you can digitally upload your notes to save them for class. There is also having the ability to study on the go by having E-books where you can highlight important notes. Do you think that technology will continue to advance with effective studying? or do you think that we are at the height of our advancements?  

In the Science Daily, there was an article I came across about learning being more effective when you are active. I thought it was interesting because it reminds me of the effective studying techniques we learned in class. Based on the article, it states that when students are engaged in activities linked to the lesson, academic performance increases. This method also shows a positive response to social support, meaning students want to be involved in the classroom. Which method do you think is more effective? 

References  

Carnegie Mellon University. (2021, September 30). Learning is more effective when active. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 8, 2023, from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210930140710.htm 

Goldstein, B. (2021). Cognitive Psychology Connecting mind, Reasearch, and Everyday Experience (pp. 192-224). Cengage. 

The Creative World of Daydreaming 

Daydreaming is one of the most common habits that people do from day to day. There are so many people across the world that daydream and some may not realize for how long they tend to daydream (Goldstein 2021). Studies show that there are not just downfalls to daydreaming such as, someone that may get frustrated in mid conversation, if they catch a person daydreaming while conversing but, there are also positive results in daydreaming (Goldstein 2021). First, we will define what exactly daydreaming is and why exactly people daydream. Second, we will also investigate how day dreaming can be associated with negative effects. Lastly, we will go into how daydreaming can inspire creativity.  

Daydreaming is common in modern day society, but what exactly is it? According to the text titled “Cognitive Psychology Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience”, daydreaming also known as mind wandering, is defined as thoughts that come within a person that are mostly unintentional (Goldstein 2021). Why do people daydream? People daydream and do not realize that they daydream (Goldstein 2021). There are so many things that a person can daydream about (Goldstein 2021)? A person could mind wander about their future or even about their day-to-day task. And it can take place during conversation or even by yourself (Goldstein 2021). A person can experience this matter when reading, which they call mindless reading (Goldstein 2021). This matter takes place when reading can interfere with productivity (Goldstein 2021). But why do people daydream? No one truly knows why exactly it happens at unexpected times. (Goldstein 2021).  

Daydreaming can be associated with negative facts like mindless reading or even caught with not being attentive (Goldstein 2021). There are some negative effects associated with daydreaming such as the case study that took place with COVID 19(Tuominen 2023). There was a case study done about COVID19 being linked to negative effects experienced mind wandering and daydreaming (Tuominen 2023. It is no mystery that the pandemic has affected so many lives but, there was a study conducted on how COVID 19 has affected our daydreaming or mind wandering (Tuominen 2023). There were 172 participants, 1,722 dream logs, and 1,496 mid- wandering logs from 152 participants (Tuominen 2023). On days when people reported higher levels of negative affect and lower levels of positive affect during mind-wandering, they experienced more worry (Tuominen 2023). Which means just because you are mid wandering, doesn’t mean it is always positive it can be associated with a traumatic event like COVID19 (Tuominen 2023). They also discovered the less sleep an individual receives can cause a person to potentially experience nightmares (Tuominen 2023).  Lastly, daydreaming can potentially cause creativity (Goldstein 2021). Activities such as walking or even taking a shower can be associated with creativity with mind wandering (Goldstein 2021). According to the text over 60% increase in creative activity compared to a group that was seated compared to a group of undergraduates that were walking (Goldstein 2021), its especially important that an individual pays attention to what ones’ thoughts are when they are mind wandering or daydreaming (Goldstein 2021) Either way daydreaming is not always necessarily a bad thing, sometimes it can enhance the creativity in an individual (Goldstein 2021).  

References 

Sikka, P., Tuominen, J., Ezquerro Nassar, A., Kirberg, M., Loukola, V., Revonsuo, A., . . . Noreika, V. (2023). COVID-19 on mind: Daily worry about the coronavirus is linked to negative affect experienced during mind-wandering and dreaming. Emotion, Doi: HTTPs://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001255 

Goldstein, B. (2021). Cognitive Psychology Connecting mind, Reasearch, and Everyday Experience (pp. 192-224). Cengage. 

Understanding the Retrieval Process While Expanding Vocabulary 

There are many ways children and adults learn in everyday life. Whether it is in the classroom or learning a life skill. Education or learning a trade are an essential part of investing in one’s future or being in the workforce. In class, we learned about the retrieval process and how a person retrieves information (Goldstein, 2021). Expanding one’s vocabulary is a very important skill to have to communicate and also be familiar with current terminology. Have you ever wondered what is the most effective way in storing information and expanding one’s vocabulary? There was a case study conducted that proved that step wise multiple choice is an effective way to improve one’s vocabulary (Broek,2023). First, we will take a closer look at the retrieval process. Second, there will be more information on how the case study was conducted. Lastly, we will discover the end results of the case study and what exactly this means for the advancement of learning.   

In the textbook titled “Cognitive Psychology Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday Experience” in chapter 7 there is a vast amount of information on the retrieval process (Goldstein, 2021).  Retrieval is the process of having to remember information that has been stored in one’s long-term memory (Goldstein, 2021). To reinforce the process of retrieval there are also retrieval cues in which a person can use a specific word or even an object to help a person remember information stored in their memory (Goldstein, 2021). To be able to learn and develop new skills it is important for a person to have the ability to retrieve the information that is learned (Goldstein, 2021).  Retrieving information is also important and a vital part in developing new vocabulary (Goldstein, 2021).  

There was a case study that was conducted that consisted of standard multiple-choice questions but also had what is called step wise multiple-choice questions (Broek,2023). These questions were presented to children and adults (Broek,2023).  A step wise multiple-choice question according to the study is when they would take four seconds to view a question and then the answers of multiple choice would be presented (Broek,2023). According to this study, step wise multiple choice in children and

adults seemed to lead to more successful vocabulary learning versus asking standard multiple-choice questions (Broek,2023). There are also factors that can take part with conducting multiple choice exercises such as the quality of the question or even the quality of the answers (Broek,2023). Depending on how the question is presented would help a person retrieve vocabulary learned (Broek, 2023). The step wise multiple-choice option is a successful way to offer practice to a child or even an adult in retrieving information that is learned (Broek,2023). 

Lastly, knowing that stepwise multiple choice can enhance vocabulary can certainly expand opportunities with learning being more accessible such as on computers and even cell phones (Broek,2023). Instead of having standard multiple choice it would be remarkably interesting for teachers to practice the step wise multiple choice for classwork first to see if there is improvement in grades on classroom assignments. I certainly believe this tool can be used in the advancement of learning.

References 

van den Broek, G. S. E., Gerritsen, S. L., Oomen, I. T. J., Velthoven, E., van Boxtel, F. H. J., Kester, L., & van Gog, T. (2023, July 6). Optimizing Multiple-Choice Questions for Retrieval Practice: Delayed Display of Answer Alternatives Enhances Vocabulary Learning. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000810 

Goldstein, B. (2021). Cognitive Psychology Connecting mind, Reasearch, and Everyday Experience (pp. 192-224). Cengage. 

As we’ve learned about the processing and recall of memories and the various types of memory, I’ve wondered how these processes occur similarly and differently in someone with adverse experiences or circumstances. For instance, a common symptom in neurodivergent individuals includes the recall, or even processing, of memories being in the third-person perspective. Within a first person perspective of a memory, an individual recalls the memory just how they experienced it and visualized it in the first person. However, during a third-person perspective memory, the individual recalls an outsider perspective visual of themselves and the self taking part in the event from a distance when it was initially perceived (Bergouignan, 2021). 

In the earlier studies of third-person perspective memories, Freud noted that the majority of memories recalled from childhood were reported to be viewed like they were observers. One third of spontaneous recalls in adults included a third-person perspective, however, increased frequency of third-person perspective recall has been linked to major depression, anxiety, borderline disorder, schizophrenia, mood disturbances, and psychological distress. The perspective is typically associated with memories that had high emotional intensity, high level of self-awareness (pride, humiliation, etc.,), low vividness and weak mental imagery, longer times between encoding and recall, self-change or discrepancy between recalled behavior and present self, or construal level and processing style (Bergouignan, 2021). This experience is also not exclusive to negative or positive experiences, but either and both.

According to the University of Alberta, this observer perspective requires the activation of different areas of the brain than when adopting a first-person perspective (Brierley, 2020). The difference leads to increased connection between the anterior hippocampus and posterior medial network. It appeared from their research that such a phenomenon could be a therapeutic coping mechanism that allows the individual to look back on their adverse experiences without feeling as bonded to and emotional about the event (Brierley, 2020). 

References

Bergouignan, L., Nyberg, L., & Ehrsson, H. H. (2021, September 30). Out-of-Body 

Memory Encoding Causes Third-Person Perspective at Recall. T&FOnline. 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20445911.2021.1958823

Brierley, C. (2020, August 13). Recalling Memories From a Third-Person Perspective 

Changes How our Brain Processes Them. NeuroscienceNews.com. 

https://neurosciencenews.com/third-person-memory-recall-16821/

Have you ever taken the time to realize that when we make decisions, and we take certain steps for those decisions? Most likely you don’t even realize that you are doing it as it has become part of your everyday decision-making routine. The first step we take is generally called “set or revise goals”. In this step, we view the goal that we want to achieve, and we plan for that goal. In example of this would be wanting to lose weight, and we decide from that moment that we are going to watch what we eat and set an exercise regimen to obtain that goal of losing weight.

The next step one would take to complete or obtain that goal would be gather information. During this step, we take any information we can from different workouts, or gather information on diet that we feel might be best, certain foods that might help pre workout and post workout for recovery. Gathering information could be viewed as the most important step of the decision-making process, as without this step, you don’t have enough information to make a well-informed decision. Another step that is part of the process is make plans. During this process, we understand the goal, but we have made a plan to obtain that goal. This could be a certain time you plan on eating, or a certain schedule that you are following when it comes to working out whether that is morning or night, or cardio and strength training. Once you have made plans and gathered information, you can structure the decision based on the information you have and make the final selection that you know after having knowledge of how to obtain your goal, you have gone through the correct steps of how we make decisions and how we can process the information.

Utility theory.. What are your thoughts? What does it mean to you? Or what comes to mind?

The utility theory is any normative theory of utility that attempts to describe rational or optimal choice behavior. This theory is one of the ways in which we make various decisions. This is how we rationally make decisions by debating into weighing the probability of the outcome, especially when we cannot predict the outcome.

For example, while you are walking on a busy block and or a side walk, you stop and see $500 lying on the ground, what would you do? Would you ask around to see who’s it is? Or would you just keep it to yourself? You begin going through scenarios. For example, you begin looking around to see if anyone is looking for the missing $500. Then, the next scenario pops into your head, if you ask around someone may lie and state that they were in fact the person that lost their $500. That they had it in their pocket and it must have fell out while they grabbing their phone. All of these scenarios come with an unpredictable outcome.

With this there is something that we call the prospect theory. Prospect theory states that the decision-making depends on the choosing among options that may themselves rest on biased judgments. In this case, when we think of gaining $500 or loosing $500 we are relying on the prospect theory. This is because we are weighing the options, and are biased on what will benefit us, and not the other person.

What would have you done if this were to have happened in real life? For myself, I’d automatically go with the prospective theory. I’d see the benefits in keeping the $500, first thing that comes to mind its groceries. Since everything is expensive in Illinois, I would choose to keep it to myself.

Speech segmentation, in today’s world, plays a vital role in various aspects of our lives. With the widespread use of digital technology and the rise of social media platforms, speech segmentation has become increasingly important for effective communication, information dissemination, and content moderation.

First and foremost, speech segmentation is crucial for improving communication efficiency. In a fast-paced world where time is of the essence, being able to quickly identify and extract key information from language is essential. Automated speech segmentation tools help in breaking down audio recordings into smaller, meaningful segments, making it easier to analyze and understand the content. This is particularly relevant in areas such as customer service, call centers, and transcription services, where timely and accurate information retrieval is critical.

Moreover, speech segmentation is essential for information dissemination. With the rise of podcasts, webinars, and online lectures, people are increasingly relying on audio content to acquire knowledge and stay informed. Efficient speech segmentation allows users to navigate through lengthy audio recordings, quickly locate specific topics or sections of interest, and consume information in a more personalized and convenient manner. This enables learners and knowledge seekers to maximize their productivity and extract relevant insights effectively.

Speech segmentation is also crucial in the development of voice-based technologies, such as virtual assistants and voice-controlled devices. These technologies rely on accurately understanding and responding to user commands and queries. By segmenting speech into meaningful units, these systems can better interpret user input, leading to more accurate responses and enhanced user experiences. This is particularly relevant in today’s world, where voice assistants are integrated into various devices, including smartphones, smart speakers, and even vehicles.

In conclusion, speech segmentation is an increasingly important aspect of today’s world. Its applications range from improving communication efficiency and information dissemination to content moderation, voice-based technologies, and advancements in natural language processing. As technology continues to evolve, speech segmentation will play a vital role in enhancing our ability to understand, navigate, and derive value from the vast amounts of spoken language data available to us.