Tag Archives: psychology

Birth order and Awesomeness

I’m a psychology major and recently learned that birth order has an affect on a child’s overall upbringing. After being fed only one Powerpoint slide-worth of information, I still wanted to know more. I’m the oldest child of two, and, in all honesty, I find myself to be much more cooperative and respectful than my younger sister. However, I always figured this was just due to her lack of maturity, and that with time, those gaps would fill out just as they did with me.

However, after researching a bit, I now understand! This website explains it all.

A couple’s first child becomes a “trial and error”. Couples have the tendency to be strict, assertive, and attentive to this child, being that it is their first. However, when having their second, parents tend to become more lenient and less reactive. This may seem like no big deal to them, and many may believe that since the first child turned out fine, the second will simply follow in those footsteps. However, that is clearly not the case. Firstborns normally take on characteristics such as cautiousness, control, and reliability. They tend to be a bit more driven due to their upbringing. Last born children, however, inherit different traits. They tend to be more manipulative, fun-loving, and attention-seeking. This describes my younger sister and I perfectly. I don’t think she is in anyway rebellious or disrespectful, but I am clearly the overly-cautious while she is clearly the free-spirit.

I continued to research this topic and found an informative video breaking down the roles of each child.

I also found an article on CBS news’s website that shows how birth order could potentially affect relationships. This is fascinating to me, but I cannot say I’m too surprised. The article and video go into detail of the best and worst “matches” as well as prime examples. Take a look!

My concern is, even if parents tend to be less restrictive, if a younger sibling has older siblings that can guide them, do the younger siblings still embody those traits? For example, I try to help my sister as much as possible in all aspects of her life. I motivate her to do well in school and sports, I make sure I’m available when she needs to talk, and I try to set good examples for her to follow and demonstrate her right from wrong. Although I am not actually her parent, would these guidelines and protective manners help avoid the negative characteristics that younger children are in a sense “prone” to?

^^ My not-so-little sister & I

Can Your Childhood Socioeconomic Status Impact Your Brain Function? Part 1

Who Put That Gorilla There?

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I love everything about psychology. The study of how people function, think, and develop throughout life interests me beyond belief. One particular concept in psychology that I find fascinating is inattentional blindness. This is the idea that humans are actually unable to notice crucial changes in scenes, or the movements or changes of an object in their visual field, because their attention is focused on another task. I know some people are reading this thinking, “Well, duh? How can you notice a minor change in your visual field if you’re focused on something else?” I agree. However, these are not always subtle. Read more!

I never knew about this term until taking PSYCH 100 with Dr. Love. One day in lecture, he divided the room into sections. Half of us were assigned “white” and the other, “black”. He then put up a video on the projector and instructed us to focus on the individuals wearing the colors we were assigned for the entire video. Give it a try and see what you find!

If you focused on the individuals in white, you were probably able to count the total number of passes made. However, you may have failed to notice a significant change in the scene. If this is the case, try it again! This time, focus on the individuals in black.

Now you see what I’m saying! I was stunned when first taking part in this “test”. How could I have possibly missed that?! Well, according to Arien Mack and Irvin Rock, the two psychologists who discovered the instance, many people become “blind” of what is right in their visual field when participating in another task.

After learning about this, I was absolutely shocked. Although it is somewhat inevitable, I am now worried I’m missing out on so many changes throughout my day! What if I overlook my “Prince Charming” on horseback riding down Pollock Road because I’m too busy watching the Willard Preacher go on tangents?

Here is another test, try it out!

-JT

Do You Have Test Anxiety?

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Test anxiety is a bit of a buzzword in education nowadays. With everything becoming more and more standardized as a result of the No Child Left Behind act and AP testing, more and more kids are subjected to exams that will determine not only their future, but their teacher’s futures. Many parents are now claiming that their child has test anxiety, which is hindering their performance in class and giving up a disadvantage later on when it comes time to apply
for accelerated K-12 programs and college.

Does this freak you out? (Source)

Does it exist? According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, yes. It is a type of performance anxiety, something that results when an extreme amount of pressure and high expectations for a person comes from a single situation. A test would be one of those situations. Other examples of possible performance anxiety inducing occurrences would be performing on stage, or possibly sex.

It should be noted that most people do get anxious when presented with a test. Extreme test anxiety akin to a phobia should be treated by a professional.

I’m willing to bet a lot of you reading this claim to have serious test anxiety. This could stem from multiple things, fear of failure, you don’t study enough, or you just haven’t done well on tests before. That’s fine. However, you can treat your own test anxiety. Indeed, I’m willing to claim that unless you have an extreme phobia of tests, saying you did poorly on a test due to anxiety isn’t an excuse.

Here are some possible solutions to your test anxiety as mentioned in links above:

Study
Read the test over, in its entirety, before you begin taking it. Knowing what to expect will greatly reduce stress.
Stay focused, don’t stare at the clock or other people. You’ll lose time when doing that and that will lead to more stress.
Stay healthy. If people are getting sick around the time of a test, make sure to wash your hands often and avoid physical contact with other people.
Get a good amount of sleep. I mentioned in my last blog this varies by person, so make sure you get the amount of sleep you need to function the next day.
If you have a phobia of tests (just being afraid of them isn’t a phobia, by the way, this is an example of someone suffering from a phobia) go see a professional.
STUDY! If you know the material your confidence level will counter any potential anxiety you have about a test.

Psychology of Names

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I remember sitting in my AP Statistics class as my teacher fought to defend her case that certain names “bring out” certain traits in individuals. How could that be? How could all “Ashley’s” worldwide have distinctly similar qualities? This discussion took place two years ago, and since we did not come to a specific consensus, I stayed wondering from that point on.

I never thought I would be given the opportunity to present this question ever again because, quite frankly, it has nothing to do with anything I’ve learned in college, and I doubt anyone really cares. However, SC200 has given me the freedom to research something that interests me, no matter how useless and uninteresting others may find it to be. I am also a poet.

So, is it really possible that certain names or titles convey certain messages? Surprisingly, yes! It may not be as casual as, “All Ashley’s are alike,” but there are many instances in which “words convey symbolic ideas beyond their meaning”, as stated here! This website gives interesting scenarios of when certain words have the ability to shape our thoughts and perspectives. For example, the website shows the two pictures posted below then asks readers to label one as “maluma” and the other as “takete”. You try!

I would assume that most, if not all of you, labeled the left image as “maluma”, and the right as “takete”. This proves K�hler’s theory that words can potentially indirectly shape thought.

Some studies have shown that even certain pronunciations rub people different ways. As found through a study by David Oppenheimer and Adam Alter, companies with less complex names, and thus easier to pronounce, received the greatest “post-release bump” when compared to companies with more complex names.

On this site, I found information concerning proper names in particular, and their “fate”. Now, although this is not an entirely proven fact, many psychologists and researchers have looked into these possibilities.

What I find most interesting about this website’s information is that the topics presented can easily be explained through one of the possible correlations: direct causality, reverse causality, confounding variables, and chance. For example, one scenario explains how a study conducted in 2006 shows that individuals with initials early in the alphabet were more likely to achieve success. This “alphabetic discrimination” was said to be even stronger back in the day, when students would sit in alphabetical order. This could have unintentionally placed students with earlier initials in the front of the classroom, which would force them to be more attentive and behaved.

What is not too clear to me about this study is that the article does not present the possibility of direct or reversed causality, confounding variables, or chance. For instance, if students sat in alphabetical order by columns, the earliest initials of the alphabet would not necessarily be in the front of the room. In order for this idea to hold true, students would have to sit in alphabetical order across the rows, thus putting letters M-Z toward the back (stay with me here). If this were the case, then the success of the students with earliest initials in the alphabet would be due to mere chance.

So how much of an impact do names have on our shaping of thoughts, perspectives, and potential success? I think I’m more confused than I was before I began and if the alphabet initials idea holds true, I may be doomed.

– JT

Psychology of Color

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Who knew colors could actually provoke certain emotions, feelings, and tendencies? For example, have you ever noticed that most fast food restaurants utilize similar color schemes, such as yellow and red? Click here to see what I mean! It’s fascinating to think about; these colors actually generate feelings of excitement or hunger. It’s like we’re reeled in just by looking! According to the last reference, studies have shown that individuals are actually more likely to consume more food in a room filled with vibrant colors as opposed to blues, purples, and blacks. Even colors of certain foods arouse people and spark their appetites. For example, types of foods that are blue in color could actually make an individual less hungry! Maybe that’s the trick?

This website proposed alternate situations where color comes into play. Aside from food, colors tend to influence our perspective on every day things we see. For instance, we automatically associate the color red with danger or evil. If we were presented with two characters wearing identical super costumes, one in red and the other in blue, we would assume that the character in red represents evilness when compared to the one in blue. Why do we do this? Well, it’s instinct! There is a positive correlation between the color red and car thefts, as well as the color red and the responsiveness and arousal of males toward a females wearing red. Orange labels on expensive items indirectly make them seem more affordable. Writing down notes in blue ink helps remember them better. Our mind makes these decisions for us without our conscious realizing!

Your Self Control is Finite, but Renewable

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Peer pressure. We heard all about it in grade school, when our teachers droned on about the perils of drugs and alcohol right before we went on to middle school. We heard about it when our high school health teachers were giving us “effective” strategies on how to resist and react to it. I’m willing to bet somewhere around 95% (if not 100%) of the students in this class have been asked to participate in underage drinking with their friends. I’m also willing to bet a smaller, yet substantial percentage have been asked to participate in the use of illicit drugs. Being asked once isn’t much of an issue for those attempting to resist the pressure, but being asked multiple times or, indeed, being in an environment where one is surrounded by uninhibited illegal activity takes a serious toll on one’s self-control.

Research from the University of Iowa (found here) has found that the part of the brain that lets you know that what you’re doing can have negative consequences, the anterior cingulate cortex, is able to alert you to those negative consequences constantly and without limit. However, the part of the brain that actually manages your self control, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has a finite supply of chemicals that allow you to keep your actions in check. This means that your self-control can and will run out if you are constantly exposed to a situation that requires it.

What does this mean? While many college students are eager to jump into the party scene from the start, many aren’t, and many are hesitant to start drinking. We all have that friend who just doesn’t want to drink (hint: I’m that friend), and everyone who is that friend knows how hard it can get to listen to your anterior cingulate cortex. This means that, while someone can be fully aware that they’re breaking a standard they’ve set for themselves, it is completely possible for someone to give into peer pressure and drink before it’s legal simply because everyone else is doing it. Yes. That’s a valid excuse.

What else does this mean? The video I have linked above talks about this concept in the context of free-to-play video games. How many times have you been tempted to buy those extra five moves in Candy Crush Saga to finally beat that level you’ve been stuck on for a week? When constantly exposed to the option to buy your way out of a hard situation in a game, your brain becomes tired and more likely to do so. Yes, these games are exploiting your brain in order to take your money. It’s damn good business.

facebuko.me

Just like any tired muscle, however, your self-control can come back. Simply remove yourself from the situation that is exerting the pressure and your brain’s supply of the chemicals needed to exert self-control will come back. And then you can try level 172 on Candy Crush Saga again without worrying about spending money.

SiOWfa13: Science in Our World

Certainty and Controversy