Eye Witness testimony is key for the criminal justice system, but sometimes it has it’s down sides. I had to watch an eye witness video for my psychology class and it was about a woman named Jennifer who was raped, but then sent the wrong man, Ronald Cotton, to jail for 11 years. She went to the police and was given photos of suspects, and Cotton was one of those photos. After 5 minutes of studying them she picked Cotton as the man, and then during the photo lineup, she picked Cotton again. After she identified Cotton twice, they told her that he was the same man that she picked in the photos, and Jennifer thought, “I got him.” That reinforcement was key. During the trial Jennifer looked Cotton in the eye, pointed at him and said, that’s him, he’s the one who raped me. Cotton was them sent to jail for 50 years to life. Years later another inmate who looked similar to Cotton came to the jail, his name was Bobby Poole. People started to mistake Cotton for Poole in the prison. Finally Cotton heard that Poole was overheard saying that he was the one who raped Jennifer and another one a few years ago. Cotton got a retrial with Poole in the room, but Jennifer still identified Cotton as her rapist. Finally 11 years later Cotton gets another retrial and this time, he has DNA on his side. The sperm showed that Poole was indeed Jennifer’s rapist and Cotton was innocent all along. How could Jennifer sit in the same courtroom with both men, the one who raped and the one she accused of rape and still get them confused? How could she pick someone who wasn’t even her rapist and accuse him of raping her? Part of this was that Poole was not in the picture pool of suspects, so Jennifer naturally picked the guy who looked almost identical to her rapist. Then during the lineup when she picked the same man again she was reinforced that this was her guy so during both trials without DNA she always picked Cotton because he was the guy she was picking all along.

It’s scary to think that sometimes our own memory can play tricks on us, and that it isn’t always reliable. Eye witness testimony is used in courts because it has an impact on the jury. It is someone saying they were there and this is what happened. Just picture yourself in that courtroom with Jennifer so confidently pointing at Cotton saying this is the man who raped me.   “Memory is malleable, full of holes, easily contaminated and susceptible to suggestion” (CBSNEWS, 2009). When looking at lineup photos of suspects if you are 100% sure the suspect is in those pictures memory recognition will kick in, in 5 to 6 seconds. When Jennifer looked at those photos it took her 5 minutes to pick out Cotton. That there is a key part as to why Cotton was not the rapist, because Jennifer did not instantly recognize him in the photos. Now what they are starting to do at some police stations is have a computer system do the lineup and show only one photo at a time. Also during the lineup they want the person conducting it to have no idea who the suspect is so they don’t have an influence on the victim. Jennifer was reinforced at the lineup that Ronald Cotton was indeed her man, by one of the officer’s on the case.

Our memory can play mind games on us. Sometimes when we recall certain event we may change a few details and not even realize it. Our memory is never perfect and can be tricked based on other factors. There was a study conducted at Stanford where participants had to look at a car crash and whenever the word “smash” was brought up they said that the participants said they saw broken glass on the ground when they did not. (Stanford). Multiple factors can influence and that is something that needs to be taken to heart in courtrooms across America.

Work Cited:

http://agora.stanford.edu/sjls/Issue%20One/fisher&tversky.htm

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/eyewitness-how-accurate-is-visual-memory/5/

Right shinguard first, then left, then right sock then left. Same seat on the bus, same songs on repeat, same color pre wrap. This was my routine for every high school soccer game I ever played. It’s not much but it was my routine, my superstitions. I also kept my same banged up cleats that I had since 7th grade because I didn’t want to get new ones senior year and then not play how I wanted to, how I was expected to, they were my lucky cleats. Most athletes and sports fan have their version of superstitions, that they carry out of game day. If your favorite team wins then you might do the exact same thing every game day, or wear the same jersey, hat, or t-shirt every time they play. Athletes sometimes don’t wash certain things if their team is on a win streak (sometimes it’s underwear, but hey if you winning, to each it’s own). But why do we do it. Wearing a certain article of clothing or going the same route to the rink every day has no effect on how we play, but yet we think in our minds that if we do just the slightest thing different, the world will come crashing down.

Superstitious behaviors often include rituals (an action that is repeated because of “symbolic nature”) to give us the outcome we desire (Whitbourne, 2014).  This explains why we do certain things. Since rituals are symbolic, athletes and fans do them to symbolize winning, but why does this at times ludacris behavior make us think that? Whitbourne explains that it has something to do with operant conditioning. “When an action causes a desired consequence, we repeat the action,” (Whitbourne, 2014). An example would be if you’re taking a test and use a pencil designed with soccer balls on it, and then get a 100% on that test, for every other test, you’re going to want to use that same pencil because it was part of that 100% and you think if you use a different one, you will do far worse.

There was a study done at Kent University where they wanted to find out, “the notion that when people are unsure about an outcome, they try to find a way to control that outcome,” (Whitbourne, 2014). They said that one reason could be since the fans themselves can’t control the outcome, they believe their superstitions can, and that in return will reduce their anxiety. It makes them feel a since if control in an uncontrollable situation. Wilson goes on to say that the sports fans who identify strongly with a local team are the ones who engage in the superstitious behavior because they are invested in the team, win or lose. They feel that their activities can help the team win. I know during the Penguins Playoff run I wore only my Malkin jersey because they won the first round and I thought if I changed it that they would lose (which they ended up doing anyways).

A CBS article says that over 50% of Americans believe in superstitions (knock on wood, don’t open an umbrella indoors, good luck charms, etc), while only 40% believe in evolution (CBS, 2012).  “The mind just registered that when he put his socks on that particular day, something good happened. And therefore that becomes hard to ignore,” (CBS, 2012). Gilovich says our brains our wired to believe our superstitions because of “cause and effect.” Another scientist, Whitson also says that superstitions help reduce anxiety when we are not in control of the situation.

So overall while these superstitions may not actually work they do reduce anxiety. They are like a placebo, they don’t actually work in a scientific sense, but  you believe that they do and it helps.

Work Cited:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201410/the-psychology-behind-our-common-superstitions

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/superstitions-why-you-believe/

A hot topic lately has been the legalization of marijuana in a few states across the U.S. The group that seems to most support this issue is young adults, like us. While I know the benefits of medical marijuana and am totally for that, I am not so sure about it being legal for recreational use. I grew up in a family where drugs were not an option and not even allowed a second a thought. I was lucky if I saw my dad once a month growing up because he was in and out of rehab dealing with his drug abuse struggling to stay alive. You don’t know the struggle as kid and every time you hear the phone ring you run to hoping it’s your dad, just so you know that he is alive, and only to listen in on your mother’s conversation with his sister saying he’s back in the hospital, they thought he was a goner for sure this time.

Addiction is a brain DISEASE (a lot of people say it isn’t but it is), because the drugs change the brain’s structure and how it works. Addiction is different for everybody some people could go years without suffering but for others they can get hooked the first time. When you use drugs, you are receiving higher levels of dopamine in your brain, which causes pleasure and then makes your brain crave more. In Maslow’s Pyramid Hierarchy food and water are the basic needs for survival, but when you become an addict, you can add drugs to the list. Since your brain’s structure is changed you also have changes in your judgement, normality, thinking, and behavior (Drug Abuse and Addiction, 2014). I can attest to this because the last time I talked to my dad, he was high on the phone and I could within a second. At times he wasn’t making sense, and was talking about throwing some kind of party and having the whole family (including his ex wife and son who did not speak to him), there. Also calling your daughter while high is probably not the best decision you should make. When you are an addict, it is hard to admit it. Everyone around you will see but yourself because your mind will tell you others because it depends so much on the drugs. It took my dad a while to admit that he had a problem again, and it took him even longer to admit it to his kids.

Marijuana is from the Cannabis Sativa hemp plant and is a mixture of green and brown dried flowers, seeds and leaves from the plant. The chemical that makes it addictive (yes it is addictive people) is tetrahyrdocannabinol, otherwise know as THC. THC goes after the cannobid receptors in our brain and over activates them causing our coordination to be impaired, not being to think/problem solve normally, and having troubling learning and remembering. Marijuana has a similar effect as drinking does, meaning when you’ve had too much you better not drive. The common user of marijuana is teens/young adults, and they are the ones who it affects the most. When you smoke weed daily, you affect your attention span, capability to learn and verbal communication skills (and all for the worse might I add). Teen Marijuana users are also more likely to be depressed and have suicidal thoughts (Above The Influence, 2014). Given all the facts it is totally up to you if you wanna roll up a joint or not, I personally don’t do it, but do not judge others that do because it is a real problem that society does not take seriously.

I feel like Drug Addiction is kind of like the Monty Hall Problem, no one knows why it happens. Drug Addiction is like the the 3 doors, the two goats represent you becoming a drug addict and the car is the prize, when you can smoke all day long and not become addicted. Monty opens one door and it’s a goat. You either switch and have a better chance at the car (or not being an addict) or stay on your path keep your door. A lot of Americans stay on the path they are on and don’t go for the other door when they are addicted because they are already in too deep and just don’t get the concept that when you switch, you win.

Work Cited

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/drug-abuse-and-addiction.htm

http://abovetheinfluence.com/drugs/marijuana/#facts

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drug-abuse-addiction

The discussion about sugary drinks in class sparked my attention, since I have been known to kill a bottle or two in a few days time. I consider myself a caffeine addict, and when I don’t have my fill by a certain time of day, I start to suffer from withdraw headaches. I could quit at any time, I just don’t want to. Anyways, I thought for a minute about switching to diet pop, but then I remembered hearing stories on the news and health channels about how diet pop can lead to cancer, and if you ask me, I’d rather be fat than have cancer. I decided to take a more in depth look at the situation to see if there was any truth to this or not.

If you drink 2 or more diet pops a day, you chances of being obese go up 57% (Chavarria, 2013). So if you are an avid pop drinker, like myself, what’s the point of switching over when you still have over a 50% chance gaining weight anyway. The only time diet pop actually helps you loose weight is if you drink a glass or less a day. That’s not really worth it for the people that are considering switching over because they most likely are already over weight and there chances of becoming even more overweight are still significant even when drinking diet pop.

The ingredient being called into question on whether or not diet pop can cause cancer is aspartame. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener. It is made when amino acids, aspartic acids, and phenylalaine are joined together. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar, and lowers the calories of the drink (cancer.org, 2014). To determine if a substance causes cancer, two types of studies are done. One is an experimental lab study, where animals are given large amounts of the substance to see if it causes health concerns. The an observational study when you look at two groups of people, one would be the group who drink diet pop and the other would be people who don’t and you see the cancer rates of the two groups. In the lab studies done, researchers could not find any health concerns to the animals when they were given aspartame in amounts greater than 4,000mg/kg per day. But the site does say that two italian researchers published studies showing that high amounts of aspartame increased rats rate of getting blood cancers. The FDA and EFSA called the studies into question based on the lack of important data (cancer.org, 2014). The observational studies in people mostly concluded that aspartame does not link to cancer. The only significant one was how the high amounts of the chemical in men linked to the cancer, lymphoma, but they ruled that by chance.

So overall the risk of diet pop is pretty much the same as regular, unless you decide to drink less than one cup a day. If you only consume one glass of pop a day, I would suggest you go diet, but if your like me and that one glass a day doesn’t cut it, I would continue with regular pop since you still have a chance of gaining weight from diet pop as well. The Italian study that was mentioned earlier does spark some interest because it doesn’t say what data was not included in the study, and such. As we all know a lot of times when something bad happens, people like to cover it up, and who knows this could be the Beverage Association protecting themselves and their profits. If you are still scared of the risks of diet pop I would stick to regular but then this chemical has been around since the 1980’s and no one has died from it yet.

Work Cited:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/diet-soda/faq-20057855

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweetener

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/aspartame

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/20939173/diet-soda-dangers-new-study-may-link-aspartame-to-cancer

 Everyone has questioned whether the feeling they have towards their significant other is either love or lust. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference, especially at the start of a relationship. Luckily for us, some researchers have done some digging, and can tell if your partner loves or lusts you.

Students at the University of Geneva, were part of a study that determined eye movement shows exactly what your romantic interest is after. The study showed this, “People  tended to visually fixate on the face, especially when they said an image elicited a feeling of romantic love. However, with images that evoked sexual desire, the subjects’ eyes moved from the face to fixate on the rest of the body. The effect was found for male and female participants” (Ingmire, 2014). So now you can tell that if you significant other is looking at your face, then he/she is interested in love, but if his/her eyes start to wonder then you know their is no future there, The hope for this study is to help couples when they go to therapy because the clinicians can study the eye movement of the couple.

There are other ways to tell if your partner is looking to rush to the alter with you or not, some of them are if they stay the morning after, and just hit it and quit it. If someone is looking for love then he/she will stay and if your lucky, cook you breakfast in the morning. Also the person you love should want to have a conversation with, meet your family/friends, and spend time together. A person who lusts after you, just wants to spend quality time with you in the sheets and not the streets. A lot of times when we lust after someone, we get a feeling in the pit of our stomachs that something isn’t right, if you ever have that feeling, run with it because it most likely is true. You need to be able to feel comfortable with who your with and be able to trust him/her.

It is hard to tell the difference between love and lust. As we learned in class our intuition is lousy and we can see faults in other people more than we can see faults in ourselves. It is easier to look at someone else’s relationship an tell them what is wrong and what they should do to fix it, but when it comes to our own, its just not that clear. Humans are more prone to looking past their own faults and see themselves as perfect or at least pretty darn close to it. That is why it is hard to tell if the person you are with loves or lusts after you because you don’t want it to be the latter. All the signs can be there but you just don’t want to believe it because if you, it’s a game changer.  Just how we learned in class about the millions of galaxies out there and how the Milky Way might collide with one in about 4 billion years, if the milky way can find another galaxy in the 100 billions of them out there, you can surely find someone in this world as well.

Sources:

http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2014/07/17/eye-movements-reveal-difference-between-love-and-lust

http://www.eharmony.com/dating-advice/relationships/is-it-love-or-lust/#.VDRUDvldUy0

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/emotional-freedom/201108/lust-vs-love-do-you-know-the-differenc