Module 3 Experiential Task

This was an incredibly fun and enlightening project to do. It is easy for me to get sidetracked with everyday life, responsibilities, and tasks that I forget to cherish the days I have. Finding pictures for the "Past" opened my eyes to the fact that I have been on this earth for twenty years! So many milestones have happened during this time that I have forgotten about all of them until I began this project. The "Present" pictures reminded me that I look best with a smile on my face. I have been blessed to have friends and family by my side who continue to give me reasons to smile. The "Future" pictures warm my heart. It was fulfilling to see my dreams laid out in front of me. It gave me motivation to continuing to persevere through school. In all these, though, I see a God who has been ever-present in my life. He has blessed me with a happy life, great friends, and uplifting family, a loving dog, and has fulfilled to me His desires for my life. Reliving my life, in a way, has been eye-opening and is something I am going to strive to do more often in order to better appreciate the life I've been given.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9qz7yofzfM

Personality Assessment

Personality assessments measure personal characteristics. These assessments portray statements which you, in return, rate on a scale of "likely" to "unlikely" based on knowledge of oneself. The assessments seek to define specific traits, to measure them objectively, and to relate them to socially significant aspects of behavior. 



The personality assessment I took related to the Five- Factors. This report estimates the individual's level on each of the five broad personality domains of the Five-Factor Model. The description of each one of the five broad domains is followed by a more detailed description of personality according to the six subdomains that comprise each domain.


MY RESULTS:

Conscientiousness = 66

Self-Efficacy

84

Orderliness 73

Dutifulness 67

Achievement- Striving 73

Self- Discipline 41

Cautiousness 34

Agreeableness = 89

Trust 81
Morality 90
Altruism 89
Cooperation 83
Modesty 47
Sympathy 77

Neuroticism = 6

Anxiety 46

Anger 1

Depression 3

Self- Consciousness 30

Immoderation 3

Vulnerability 57

Oppeness to Experience = 29

Imagination 51

Artistic Interest 70

Emotionality 61

Adventurousness 19

Intellect 59

Liberalism 1

Extraversion = 47

Friendliness 74

Gregariousness 24

Assertiveness 59

Activity level 20

Excitement- Seeking 23

Cheerfulness 84

I agree completely with my Conscientiousness results. However, I expect myself to score higher on Cautiousness.  I consider myself I fairly cautious person. I believe a more relatable score for this section would be at least a 50. 

I also agree with my Agreeableness score. I have a compassionate heart and I find fulfillment in helping others through difficulties. 

I found the Neuroticism questions and explanation very interesting. I was unfamiliar with the term prior to this test. I didn't realize I was being tested on the level of my unpleasant emotions. I find this part of the test incredibly useful because it is common for many people to not associate themselves with mental illnesses. In reality, though, everyone has some degree of mental illness, rather small or large, and we should all be aware of this truth.

I disagree with my Oppeness to Experience score. I consider myself full of adventure. I would much rather experience new places rather than stay home. However, this score does insist that I am down- to -earth, practical, and conservative. With that, I agree.

My Extraversion score indicates that I enjoy both time with others and time alone. This is definitely true. This is the most accurate out of all the Big Five. 

Nature vs Nurture - Week 5

The Nature vs. Nurture Debate has had psychologists, scientists, and the general public in dispute for years. This debate discusses wether specific characteristics and personality traits of people are acquired through nature or through nurture. In other words, does your specific personality develop through genetics or through learning. Nature is thought of a pre-wiring, destined, and is influenced by biological factors. Nurture is thought of as the product of exposure and experience. To begin, lets discuss nature. People who believe this point of view believe that characteristics which are not present at birth become present later in life due to maturation. They believe maturation governs not only puberty but also attachment as an infant, language acquisition, and cognitive development. On the other hand, those who believe in nurture believes that mind begins as a blank slate and is "filled" as a result of experiences. Nurture governs the psychological significant aspects of child development, while maturation only affects biological development.

Nature vs. Nurture remains a debate due to the studies expressing both nature and nurture as results. For example, take alcoholism or drug addiction. Studies show that addiction can reoccur in families and certain passed down genes can have an effect on how alcohol tastes or how the body adapts to it. However, studies also show that ingesting copious amounts of alcohol or drugs will likely lead to addiction as well. Therefore, studies show that character results due to both nature and nurture. Some traits, though, lean further to one belief than the other. Due to this, the debate Nature vs. Nurture continues to leave psychologists and scientists alike hunting for the correct answer.

Examples: 

1. High Blood Pressure and Obesity.
Nature advocates argue that genetics have a high impact on obesity and high blood pressure. Nurture proponents point to the poor eating habits that cause obesity and the limited ability to regulate personal habits that lead to high blood pressure.


Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJToniYy3Ew




2. Schizophrenia

Nurture advocates argues that studies prove if people have a single genetic risk factor alone or a traumatic environment in very early childhood alone, they may not develop mental disorders like schizophrenia. Nature advocates claim findings also suggest that someone who carries the genetic risk factor and experiences certain kinds of stress early in life are 80% more likely to develop the disease. Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJnlYcp-Qt4

3. Addictions

Nature advocates exclaim studies show that addiction can reoccur in families and certain passed down genes can have an effect on how alcohol tastes or how the body adapts to it. Nurture advocates state studies show that ingesting copious amounts of alcohol/drugs or using these cope with emotions to will likely lead to addiction as well. Video: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-16854593



4. Anger 
Nature advocates believes temperament is passed down. In addition, anger is the pre-wired way the brain reacts to stress. Whereas, nurture advocates believes people can be taught to be angry. Video: http://interventionsinc.com/2015/08/28/am207-1-anger-nature-vs-nurture/

5. Athletic Ability 
Nature advocates claim the genetic model argues that a predetermined set of genetic traits predicts athletic potential and success. Nurture advocates argue physiological adaptations, diet and nutrition, and socioeconomic factors are all worth equal consideration in the development of superior athletes.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC0USNlcRyA

My Refection:

I believe the self is a result of both nature and nurture. However, I also believe specific traits are in large due to one to the other. For example, I believe one's overall ability to be good in school subjects is due to nature. In addition, I believe one's interests in specific tv shows is due to nurture. Both nature and nurture play a large and important part in child development. I don't believe development could be complete without both playing roles. 

Teen's Brains vs. Adults

It is no surprise that teenagers have a reputation of making bad decisions. Why, though, do all teenagers at some point fall victim to bad decisions? Is it just part of life or are there scientific reasons as to why? Psychologists claim that, yes, there is scientific reasoning as to why teenagers make bad decisions. Physically, the frontal lobe in teens is disconnected. The frontal lobe is where humans decipher the possible consequences of their actions. Because of the disconnection, teens are slow to accessing this part of the brain. Therefore, they don't think their actions through. It is not until the early twenties that the brain is fully developed physically and mentally. When interviewing my parents they definitely were surprised to learn about the physical development of the brain through teen years. However, they didn't agree that the frontal lobe is solely the only reason teenagers don't think their actions through as well as adults. Their outlook was focused on parenting styles. They believed that bad actions are a result of how the parents discipline and raise a teenager. For example, when I got my license my parents were constantly referring me to videos of awful car wrecks or of people texting and driving, etc. Watching those videos undoubtedly was the reason I try to be extra observant  when driving. I do believe that if I had not seen those videos that I would be an avid "texter and driver." I agree that parenting styles are more of an influential factor than physical brain development regarding this topic. Both together, though, have an impact of the way a teenager makes decisions. I believe that curiosity is another factor. You can raise a child up in the way they should go but that doesn't mean curiosity won't get the best of them from time to time. As a teenager you are introduced to many knew things physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is by exploring some of these areas that teenagers develop their attitudes and beliefs. It may take a few bad decisions to learn right from wrong and in return gain wisdom. Psychologists have done a great job at retrieving information in order for everyone to better understand the brain in both adults and teenagers. Despite what you believe the leading factor is of teens making bad decisions, it is through emotion and cognition that teens are less likely to make the decisions that we as adults regret.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV3ErK3hsyU&t=1s

Sensation and Perception

To begin, I am going to provide you with the definition of both sensation and perception. Sensation is a physical feeling or perception resulting from something that happens to or comes into contact with the body. Perception is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. It is with these two abilities that the body can react to its surroundings accordingly. However, despite how keen your sensation and perception is it can easily be fooled by optic illusions. An optic  illusions is simply something that is incorrectly interpreted by vision. What are some examples of these illusions that fool the brain? How, also, is the brain so easily tricked?

Optic illusions cause your brain to ultimately focus falsely on objects. Because we have two eyes in different locations, the image focused on each retina is from a slightly different angle, providing us with our perception of 3D space (Privitera 2). The 3D perception is what is fooled in street art illusions. These illusions consists of painting graffiti along either sidewalks, walls, or streets. The illusions must be viewed from a specific angle in order to completely fool the brain. 
    

Another example of an illusion is the famous magic trick. Magic tricks fool the brain by telling the eyes to focus on a specific object. Once the eyes are focused on said object the magician distracts the eyes with other objects to focus on while the main object is changed or altered in some way. However, it seems as if the main object is being changed before your eyes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j417h2Nw02U
http://illusionoftheyear.com
  

The last illusion I will discuss is called an ambiguous illusion. An ambiguous illusion is a type of drawing, sketch, or painting that takes on the image of multiple things. Your brain is tricked into seeing multiple images from one piece of art. However, most of the time it isn't until someone sees a different image than you that you recognize the art contains two images.




The first image can be viewed as either two old couples looking at each other or a man serenading a woman with a guitar. The second image is either a human skull or a couple kissing. The last image is either a side portrait of a face or the word "liar." 

The way our perceptions and sensations can be fooled is both impressive and aggravating. The brain, though, is what also is being fooled. It was made to interpret what we see correctly in order to benefit the body. For example, if you see your favorite dessert, your brain recognizes it then checks to see if the stomach is hungry. If the stomach relays back to the brain that it is hungry than the you "crave" the dessert. However, these optic illusions are in no way beneficial. Your brain will look at graffiti illusions and tell the body to "avoid the giant alligator" or "you must walk around or on the bridge in order not to fall to your death." In addition, magic tricks temporarily distract in order to change the bigger picture. This leaves the brain puzzled. Ambiguous illusions force your eyes to see two separate images at the same time. Illusions bring truth to the phrase, "Things aren't always what they seem." Even some of the most trustful things, your eyes, can be easily deceived!


Other videos related to the topic:

https://hsutx.instructure.com/courses/3079/pages/week-4-readings-sensation-and-perception-3?module_item_id=89229

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miym86d-w4I

Citations
“Best Illusion of the Year Contest.” Best Illusion of the Year Contest, 2017, illusionoftheyear.com/.
Sensation and Perception Powerpoint

Privitera, A. J. (2015). Sensation and perception. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. DOI:nobaproject.com. 

Brain & Behavior-Content Reflection Blog

How does cognitive thinking lead to the perception of self? In other words, how does the brain recognize the body's identity and character everyday without fail? The brain has been studied for ages and it continues to leave professionals struggling to understand its complete ability. More specifically, how the brain acknowledges the reality of self or, in other words, one's consciousness. Thankfully, due today's age technology gives us the ability to visualizes the neuron pathways within the brain. These pathways relay messages to and from the left and right hemispheres. The messages sent contain all sorts of information. For example, pain, emotion, the current state of the body, health, how fast the heart should beat, body actions, etc. Interestingly enough new brain connections are formed every time a memory is made. It is what sparks these pathways, though, that specifically give the body the ability to regain consciousness after awaking from a deep sleep. 

 

In order for the brain to re-identify one's self it must go through the same discovery process everyday. Once the brain and body fall into a deep dreamless sleep the realization of self is lost. The brain loses the ability to make mental images which results in temporary memory loss of self. People are able to awaken from a deep sleep because of the process typically called "regaining consciousness". To begin, the retina receives ⟲an image. This image is then sent ➥to the frontal cortex, which basically gets the brain up and running 🔛. The frontal cortex then sends⇒ messages through the neural pathways to the➜ rest of the brain that interprets the image. The neurons then are able to evaluate what you are seeing, the last time you saw this image before going to bed, where you are, and eventually follows to the ending million dollar question, who you are. This process takes part within the left and right hemispheres. It begins in the right hemisphere which acknowledges present moment and present time. The messages are then sent through the left hemisphere which is responsible for remembering the past and focusing on the future. After the brain has acquired the past knowledge and memories from the left hemisphere neurons travel back to the right hemisphere to focus on the present moment and relay to you your identity. It is truly astonishing to imagine this process takes place at least once a day. 

However, as you may know, there are incidents which leave the brain unable to recognize self. Pictured below is the brain stem. Within the brainstem is the tectum. Damaging of the tectum results in temporary or permanent coma or leaves the body in a vegetative state. When one of these outcomes takes place you are unable to access feelings of your own existence. This results in the disappearance of one's self. The brain does not recall memories and ultimately doesn't regain complete consciousness because it is unable. When a coma occurs, both your left and right hemispheres shut down. When you are in a vegetative state then your left hemisphere is shut down but your right hemisphere continues to function. This means past and future are irrelevant. The brain only focuses on the present. 

As explained, the way the body and brain identify self is quite extravagant and intricate. The work your mind goes through just to remind you who you are is not the easy cycle I had previously thought of before acquiring this knowledge. I had always assumed that the idea of self was always embedded in the mind. I imagined, like a file cabinet, there was a drawer specific to one's self. Or that there was a pocket in the brain that contained only this information. Boy was I wrong. There much to regaining consciousness than pulling out a file. However, to wrap up, I'm going to leave you with this quote by neuroscientist Anil Seth, "Without consciousness there would be no access to true happiness and even to the possibility of transcendence."

If you happened to be as fascinated as I was with this knowledge then definitely consider viewing these websites to receive more information on this topic! 
https://interestingengineering.com/35-year-old-man-in-vegetative-state-regains-consciousness-after-15-years

https://www.ted.com/talks/antonio_damasio_the_quest_to_understand_consciousness?utm_campaign=BeepBeepBites%20-%20Nieuwsbrief&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--bAgBKS5Bl54fx_gbHA5wyekpzYxpUVyJMxBiTZaU86_kexEeMvmqxtaP5omwxGwMnET3c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjfaoe847qQ