Drugs and Treatment

Using the drug you were assigned today in your group, research an article detailing treatment options for those who are addicted. You should summarize the article in your post and link the article. Please respond by Sunday (4/22) evening. 

Also, if you are using twitter, send a tweet using  #APsyIHA and/or @WrenPsych to share with the class. (If you have protected tweets, please email me proof of your tweet after you send it). 

Sleep Disorders

There are many common sleep disorders affecting millions of people. We've discussed Insomnia, Narcolepsy, Sleep Apnea, Parasomnias (e.g. Sleep Terrors, Sleep Walking), and Restless Legs Syndrome. Research one of these disorders (or another one that we did not discuss) that interests you and find an article/website offering suggestions for those who suffer from your chosen disorder. Post a brief summary of some of the suggestions (3-5 sentences) with a link to the full article for the class. Respond to this thread before 10:10 on Friday 4/20.

AP Exam Review Videos on You Tube

People to Know: History of Psych

check out the other videos on YouTube to help you prep for the exam 

Synesthesia

I just wanted to post this link here because we were talking about it only two days ago and this was posted on Aol.com from the Huffington Post just this morning...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/synesthesia_n_1404106.html?ref=science&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl22%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D149434

What is Beautiful is Good

The attractiveness stereotype suggests that people assume the more attractive one is, the more positive qualities they possess. This idea dates back as far as Edward Thorndike's work in the 1920s on the "halo effect."  In 1972, Dion, Berscheid, and Walster published a critical study on the attractiveness stereotype: What is Beautiful is Good. 


After reading the study, What is Beautiful is Good, what are your reactions? Have you witnessed this theory at play in your own life?  Blog about your reactions to this study. 


Then, search for another article or study that relates to this topic. How do we continue to see this stereotype at play today? Has it changed? Write a brief summary of your article and provide a hyperlink (go to insert link in your reply so it is an active hyperlink) to your article in your post. (If you download an article from Ebsco and cannot post a link, give us the full APA reference and bring in a copy to class). 

References

Dion, K., Berscheid, E., & Walster, E. (1972). What is beautiful is good. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24(3), 285-290.

Violate a Social Norm

Most of us follow social norms unconsciously, but if asked to break one, have a very difficult time. In order to understand how powerful these norms are, I challenge you to break one! Consider any of the following norms (feel free to create a new one!): board a public bus and sing out loud, get into an elevator with other people and face backward, join someone who is sitting alone at a restaurant, wear your clothes backward. This website offers a great list of common social norms to break.  

Describe your initial feelings; the events that occurred; others’ reactions to you; and your own reaction. 

After your experiment, describe your opinion on social norms? How do they affect society as a whole? Do we need them?  It will be uncomfortable, but fun!

• NOTE— please do not do anything illegal or unsafe (e.g. walking through a drive-through is creative but dangerous).  

Please write your post by Tuesday 3/27/12

Psychopaths Everywhere?

I'm sure we have all called someone a psychopath or referred to someone as a "psycho". Whether it be an ex-boyfriend, a teacher, or even your parents. But do these people really meet the criteria? Are we misdiagnosing people based on interactions that we have had? Are we passing judgment based on their true character or just on the situation that we have had where the person acts a little crazy or doesn't agree with us? (Oh yeah, I can be deep) :)

If you want here's the article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dirty-minds/201203/psychopaths-everywhere

It Is Motivating to Belong to a Group?

As we all know, since senior year is coming to and end, most of us are having difficulty making ourselves do homework or study for a test. It seems now more than earlier, that some people are putting things off to the very last minute.

The article I found asks if it's motivating to belong to a group. Do you think working in groups motivates you? Or are you better working alone? Are you a procrastinator, and if you aren't, what do you do to get your work done on time?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201203/it-is-motivating-belong-group

"Energy Vampire"

Aside from the vampires in movies, have you ever met an 'energy vampire'? How'd you deal with it? Did you agree with the author's advice and descriptions of an 'energy vampire'? How will you approach the "energy vampire" in your life next time?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201203/dealing-people-who-drain-you

What Exactly Are Dreams?

Have you ever been curious about what dreams are or where they come from?  It has been said that people who have studied both myths and dreams have become aware of the similarities between them.  For example, both situations involve narratives about a hero.  In the myth of the creation stories God is seen as the “creator” who creates the world and life as we know it.  This can relate to our everyday dreams where we are seen as the creator.  As the creator of our own dreams we are allowed to create anything that we want, even those things that go against the law of physics.  So with this said, what really is a dream?

So I ask you: Do you believe that dreams are similar to myths?  If so, why?  Do you ever feel like the hero in your dream?  Do you ever feel like you create an alternate life in your dreams because they may not be appropriate?  

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dream-catcher/201202/myth-and-dream

What's wrong with me?

Have you ever felt a cold coming on after a long week and instead of going to a doctor you self diagnose yourself with the flu? Or do you have a friend that has all the signs of being depressed

but refuses going to a psychologist? In the article "The Dangers of Self Diagnosis", it talks about the ups and downs of people being self diagnosed vs diagnosed by a doctor and their fear of being labeled by others.

Have you ever not went to a doctor for something and what happened? Do you think self diagnoses is a dangerous thing? Have you ever self diagnosed yourself and if so what happened?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201202/the-dangers-self-diagnosis/how-labels-help-and-harm

You Don't Have To Be Popular

Have you ever watched a TV or a movie and right away figured out the "popular cliché?" In the article You Don’t have to be Popular, talks about how an adult reflects on her childhood  to figure out she was that "popular" kid in high school. Everyone always wants to fit into society. Nobody wants to be the outsider, especially in school. It says that like beauty, popularity is in the mind of the beholder. There was also a study done that showed that kids who felt good about their social life believed that they were "popular."

Do you agree that popularity is actually defined to that person by the beholder or the peers around them? Can you think back to middle school and remember the "popular" cliché and if so, what were they like? Have you ever done anything that was against your beliefs just to fit in? 

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/valley-girl-brain/201003/you-dont-have-be-popular

(Posting for Jessica because her's does not work)

Dating: How Much Do We Follow The Crowd Over Our Own Judgments?

For MaryGrace Orlando (Hers wasnt working):

Have you ever really liked a guy, but you won’t act on your feelings until you get a confirmation from your friends that they think he is cute too? In the article The Context Dependence of Hot Guys (and Girls), Sam Sommers explores the importance of context in dating by conducting an experiment and coming to the conclusion that girls are more attractive to the guys that other girls find attractive. This only occurs however, when the girl deciding whether or not she likes a guy, sees girls that she likes fawning for him as well. I would think that this was more competition than anything else; every girl fighting over the hottest guy. However, it goes much deeper than that. This study concluded that even our instincts and most natural perceptions are influenced by context.

Do you agree with Sommers in his findings? Have you ever had an experience like this? Do you think that where we are and who we are with influences our own discernment all the time or only in certain situations like in dating?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/science-small-talk/201201/the-context-dependence-hot-guys-and-girls

Facebook Friends?!

Let's face it, most of us LIVE on Facebook. In the span of a week we rack up more hours mindlessly wandering through Facebook than doing our homework and as pathetic as it sounds, it is how we keep our social lives functioning, but is it a bad thing? With over 400 million Facebook users, people are concerned that we are making a dangerous transition into a world where our current generation and future generation will not know how to interact face to face, a world in which we cannot navigate through communication and ultimately world in which people will not really have "real friends". In "Friending and Unfriending: A New Social Order?" written by Larry Rosen, Rosen brings up the question about whether or not our Facebook friends can be considered real friends and what that means for society.

So I ask you - Do you consider your "Facebook Friends" to be your real friends? How do you think Facebook is changing the way we interact and build relationships? Do you think that there is a negative side and an ultimate downfall? and How if possible do we go about "fixing" this problem to ensure that our future generations still maintain some sense of real communication while embracing new things like Facebook?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201201/real-connection/friending-and-unfriending