Blog Post #7

I would explain sensation and perception by saying that sensation is how we obtain information: through our senses. Perception is how we interpret and feel about those thing that we sense.

The most interesting this I learned in this section was by far the fact that pain can be treated both physically and psychologically. I found it extremely interesting that by just making people in pain believe that they were given pain-relieving medication decreased their pain. I also thought it was interesting that pain can be reduced by simply distracting the mind to think about something else other than the pain. This makes me perceive pain in a different way. Pain is not just physically felt, but mentally enhanced. Pain becomes worse the more we think about how much it hurts. I believe that this will greatly help me in my everyday life because now I know what makes pain worse (thinking about it). Whenever I am in pain or if someone else is in pain, I will try to distract myself or the other person to help. By doing this, that pain and overall stress will be reduced.

I read the article "Is Sacrifice in Relationships Related to Commitment and Functioning?" This article was about the two different ways sacrifice is perceived in a relationship. Sacrifice can either be perceived as a good thing, a way to show your commitment, while the "feminist" perception of sacrifice is that sacrifice is something you do no matter what, therefore does not show commitment. Research suggest healthy relationships are not by how much a couple sacrifices for each other, but rather how the sacrifice is perceived. I though that this was a very interesting point. This changes the way I view a healthy relationship. I key concept to a healthy relationship is simply mindset and how you perceive things. This will help me in my everyday life because I will be more sensitive to how I perceive my sacrifices in my own relationships. I may also be able to recognize other's sacrifice perception in their own relationships and may possibly be able to help them.

Blog Post #6

My interview with my grandpa was very interesting. I learned so much about his past and life as a teenager. I also learned how life was as a teenager sixty years ago, which is quite different from our teenage life today. I was very surprised when my grandfather told me that he completed two grades in one year! Now I definitely know where our family's "smart gene" came from! In terms of physical labor, my life as a teenager was so much easier than my grandfather's. His mother died when he was nine and therefore had to do all the chores and had no time for extracurriculars. There was one aspect, though, that was exactly the same: my grandfather never got enough sleep because he was up all night doing homework! He was always low on sleep, which is not good on a person's body. I have the exact same problem! I believe I could have been a teenager at the time because I don't mind physical labor, but I do not think that I would like it as much as I like my own life now.



I believe the "Parenting and Adolescence" video makes some extremely good points dealing with adolescents. I found it interesting how Donna Gaines perceived adolescents as poor people, who have no rights, no civil liberties, and are controlled by adults because I believe that this is how a lot of "rebellious" teenagers see themselves as this, while parents and other adults simply see teenagers as younger who still need guidance before they are able to become 100% responsible for themselves. I believe this is a huge factor in adult-teenager conflictions. I really like the advice the video gives to parents to protect and guide their teenager, but to let them express themselves and do things (as long as it does not conflict harm, or serious results) that they want.





My time as an adolescent has been amazing! My teenage years has been a great roller coaster ride, with several ups and downs, but I would not change it for the world. Overall, my experiences have been filled with fun and memorable times, but I am still thankful for all of the bad experiences and choices that I made. All of my mistakes and bad times have helped me and made me stronger. I've learned several things over my teenage years, which will stay with me as I become an adult. I believe that is exactly what adolescence is all about: make choices and have experiences (as long as they do not cause harm or damage). This is the time to make mistakes, while we still have a structured life at home. As we grow older, we look back at our adolescent days and realize how stupid we were for the things we did, but how would we know they were stupid if we never did them?



In chapter 4 I learned that an enriched environment and experiences contributes to enriching our brain cells to have a heavier and thicker cortex. I thought this was really interesting because if you think about older people, they are wise and have more knowledge because they have so many more experiences than younger people. I can apply this in my everyday life by realizing that I need to experience as many things as possible to be wiser and to have "better brain cells."

In chapter 5 I learned what the stages of cognitive development are. I find these very helpful in my life because I never really knew what should happen when in a child's development. With this knowledge I can observe and realize what stage a child is on and whether they should be on that stage. By doing this one may also be able to identify problems in a child if they are greatly ahead or behind the correct stage(s) for their age.

Blog Post #4 - Part 1

I listened to the NPR broadcasting of "Teens and Sleep." The broadcasting touched on percentages of how many teens get enough sleep each night, percentages of how many parents realize if their teenager gets enough sleep, the causes of sleep deprivation, how sleep deprivation effects teens, and how to solve this problem.

I thought that this broadcasting was extremely interesting because it pertains to my life one hundred percent. I only get about 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night and I wish I got more, but other commitments keep me up at night. I found it extremely interesting that 90% of parents thought that their kids got enough sleep every night! The broadcasting made the point that most parents are in bed before their kids are, which is true in my household. I am always usually the last to go to bed and about one third of the time, I am also the first one awake. Why? My problem is my busy schedule. I am constantly doing something dealing with homework, sports, clubs, or volunteering. The broadcasting also talked about the consequences of sleep deprivation: short attention span, health problems, low concentration, and constant drowsyness. I can relate with these consequences. I passed out in the shower once and my mom took me to the clinic. My doctor told me that it was my body's way of telling me to slow down, relax, and get more sleep.

I also learned why we dream, the in depth facts about hypnosis, and the effects of drugs on an individual. The middle topic was extremely relative to me because I have been hypnotized twice and I have seen at least five hypnosis shows, all by Dr. Jim Wand. Just through attending the shows and being hypnotized myself, I have learned a lot about hypnosis. I beleive it is extremely interesting and surprising that a person can improve him or herself by posthypnotic suggestions. When Dr. Jim Wand began college he was very overweight and had low self-esteem. A friend referred him to a hypnotist. Dr. Wand refused for the first few months, but then agreed. Dr. Wand lost 150 pounds and had kept it off ever since. It was from that moment on that Dr. Jim Wand changed his major to psychology.