Blog 10
I chose this photo because it was the last time I was around so many people of different backgrounds and mindsets. We were all from different parts of Virginia and had different attitudes about certain things, but in thinking back, we all thought about things in the same way. During that one week at Girls State, I learned a lot about myself and how other people think. The growth I experienced during that week is similar to the growth I’ve had during this semester.
For my first blog entry, I thought about the course and its content in an almost mechanical approach. I thought that the information would be outlined in the way a science or math class is organized; I thought it would be questions with clear answers. The actual course turned out to be more like a social science with questions and ambiguous answers that require layers of understanding. Through this course, I was able to gain an understanding of how the human mind works and why we are motivated to act the way we do in social contexts. I’ve been able to apply what I’ve learned in actual interactions with people and observations of others.
One thing that I would have changed about the way I approached this course is that I would have reviewed and tested myself more before the exams. I had a good understanding of basic concepts, but the exams required deeper knowledge. Because of the amount of work this class required, I learned a lot about time management and planning strategies. I was able to get a job and continue to complete all of my assignments during the latter half of the semester because of the academic skills I learned from this course. This course taught me a lot about how people think and why they think that way. I can use that knowledge in my interactions with patients as I move onto my career in nursing to help them feel cared for.
Blog 9
Throughout this whole semester, I have found that social psychology is of great interest to me. I have used what I’ve learned in this class to explain and understand the behavior of people I’ve interacted with or observed. One thing that particularly interested me while reading was the way that psychologists study implicit biases like racism using the bona fide pipeline technique. I also found the chapter on attraction very interesting. The idea that similarity and proximity are essential for attraction makes so much sense, but I never really thought about how big of an effect those factors have on the people I decide to associate myself with. Finally, the factors contributing to social influence like conformity, compliance, and obedience were of great interest to me. People always assume that they can resist social pressures but don’t realize how much of an effect social conditioning has on their decision making.
Blog 3 and Assignment 2 were very similar in content. They both required a great deal of introspection and made me look into who I am as a person in terms of my relationships with others. I took the assignment in more of a practical way, looking into who I am in relation to others, while I saw the blog in more of a poetic fashion since it dealt with music. Both assignments required me to look at my own self concept and decide who I really am.
Mirror neurons are discussed in both this course and physiological psychology. This course explains them in terms of prosocial behavior and copying good models, as well as their connection to emotion and empathy. My physiological psychology course discusses them in terms of connection to other brain structures that deal with emotion and emotional recognition like the amygdala.
Blog 8
Upon reading the material concerning conflict in mating practices, I began to think of the different patterns I have seen among my peers concerning this topic. Many of my peers have entered into relationships for different reasons; men tend to look for something fun and temporary while women will look for a long-term or even permanent relationship. There definitely are deviations from this norm, but this is the standard I personally have noticed. In addition, men seem to have less hesitation when it comes to forming a sexual relationship. Whether this is due to societal expectations of women or the evolutionary model where women seek stability in a partner before mating depends on individual situations, and is often a combination of both factors.
I chose this representative image because it was a stock photo that became a viral meme for a period of time. It was used to represent the subject of the meme (the man) focusing on something they weren’t supposed to (the woman in red) rather than something they were supposed to be doing (the man’s girlfriend). This image shows how men may look for multiple partners and how women seek committed relationships.
Blog 7
Emotional intelligence is the way we are able to express and control our emotions and the way we navigate emotional situations. Self-regulation is the ability to maintain and control our mental state including our emotions. The two concepts are very related in that if one’s emotional intelligence is low, they are unable to effectively self-regulate because they are unsure how to correctly identify and therefore regulate those feelings.
My emotional intelligence score (53) shows that I still have some things to work on when it comes to self-regulation. I could use some grounding exercises and stress management techniques to help me control my emotions before they reach a point where they can negatively affect me.
Blog 6
While watching this video, I was quite surprised by how widespread the sexualization and stereotyping of women is in advertising. Growing up, I knew this was a problem, but I pay attention to so few ads nowadays that I had forgotten about this issue. I have seen similar issues recently in social media portrayal of people’s images, however. The same issue advertisements face with photoshop and photo editing is present in social media, and many people are sexualized by followers. As she discussed in the video, there is more gender equality in terms of this issue in recent times. Unfortunately, more men are being sexualized in advertisements and people do not seem to see an issue with it as they do with women.
The first ad I chose is a representation of the sexualization of women in advertisements. The second is an example of the use of photoshop to make women look more “perfect” in the media. The Calvin Klein ad shows how men have also become sexualized in ads. The fourth is an example of an ad that encourages women to be the skinny ideal. I chose the fifth ad to showcase how the media is becoming more inclusive and accepting of real images of women. The URL of each advertisement is shown in order from left to right.
Blog 5
The Colgate ad maintains credibility for a number of reasons. They use the opinions of professionals to state that their product is the best. Because the product is for dental hygiene, it goes against dentists’ potential to make money off of bad teeth, therefore they have no stake in stating these opinions.
The “got milk?” ad is not credible. It was sponsored by America’s Dairy Farmers and Milk Processors, who stand to make a profit from milk consumption. Though the ad campaign promoted the health benefits of milk, these claims cannot be considered credible since the sponsors have personal stake in the industry.
The Pepsi ad with Kendall Jenner is the attractive ad. Typically, such an ad would be successful because viewers see an attractive celebrity consuming the product and hope to emulate them in purchasing said product. However, this particular ad received a lot of backlash because it combined the attractiveness tactic with the promotion of the Black Lives Matter movement. By showing Kendall Jenner as somewhat of a leader of this movement in the ad, it effectively trivialized the actual hardships that leaders of the movement face.
Blog 4
Over the course of this unit, I spaced out my reading and review time adequately. I took adequate notes while reading as well. However, when it came time for the exam, I failed to review the recent material satisfactorily. Although a B is an okay grade, I feel that with better preparation I could have gotten a better grade on the exam. Many of the questions I answered incorrectly were simple recall that I should have been able to answer correctly. Before the next exam, I plan to review more so I can be more prepared for the test content. The first test is also always the most difficult because I am still learning the format. I will be more prepared for exam 2 because I know what to expect from the difficulty and format of the questions.
Blog 3
Throughout my life, I have found that music is a huge part of the way I make associations between certain people, events, and feelings. The people closest to me and I influence each other’s music preferences through recommendations and playlists we share. Just this morning, my friend sent me three new playlists he’s been working on. We also tend to share similar values and beliefs. Though the music was not a reason I consciously chose these people to be in my life, the associations with certain values probably did influence my relationships. I also tend to listen to a lot of new music when I am going through a new phase in my life, so I begin to associate that music with that phase. For example, at the beginning of the pandemic, I started listening to a new artist, and now, whenever I listen to them, I think of that time of my life.
Soundtrack
Me – fever dream (mxmtoon)
The first time I heard this song was when I was done with high school and graduating during the pandemic. It’s about how you have to be active in your life to enjoy it, so I try to live that every day of my life.
Sister – Empty (Kevin Abstract)
I heard this song before my sister played it in the car, but I was very surprised that she knew it, so every time I hear it I think of her.
Friends – short kings anthem (blackbear)
I formed an association between this song and a few of my friends because the first time I heard it, I was out with them for a conference with school. It’s very high energy and it reminds me of better times.
Significant Other – wachito rico (boy pablo)
This song is very fun and upbeat and the first time I listened to it was with him over facetime. We also danced to it in the park and have a lot of jokes around it.
Faith/Religion – So Will I (Hillsong Worship)
I was playing keyboard for my church when I first heard this song. It really captures how I feel about my faith and I just felt so whole while playing and singing it.
Life Outlook – Do Not Wait (Wallows)
I listened to this song a lot before it really struck a chord with me. During the end of my senior year when things got really hard with the pandemic and coming to terms with adulthood, I really listened to the lyrics of this song and realized that making mistakes is okay and that I will be okay no matter what, so whenever things get hard I listen to this song.
Blog 2
I believe that I am a very good student and have always had the grades to back that up. As a high school student I was always in Advanced Placement and honors classes, and I graduated with a 4.8 grade point average. I began college with 28 credits thanks to my diligence as a student in high school. After my first semester of college, I had a 4.0 GPA. In my second semester, I am already a sophomore by credits.
My confidence in school is due to my ability to read and retain information quickly. This tactic has not yet failed me, although I also implemented better study habits to increase that confidence. I anticipate that the confidence will dwindle once I am in nursing school, but I plan to join study groups to help me remain confident.
My General Self-Efficacy Scale score averaged 3.7. I think that I gave myself such high scores because I have a lot of self-confidence especially when it comes to my productivity and measurable successes.
Blog 1
The course objectives outline expectations for the class, but the principles discussed in the objectives will be helpful to have in the future. Through an increased understanding of how people think and reason, I will be equipped to deal with patients and families in my career as a nurse.
I hope to gain knowledge of why people do the things they do in social contexts so I can apply it to interactions with people in my career as well as in my personal life. In order to succeed in this course, I plan to take notes on each chapter as I read and read the lecture notes. I will also try to apply the knowledge I acquire in the course to my life in order to increase my understanding of the course material.