Blog 10:
My initial course expectations are pretty on point with the actual outcomes. The content has been even better than I expected. I feel that I have fully achieved the majority of the course objectives so far. We’ve gone over procedures social psychologists use, how people perceive and understand others, formation of close relationships, the effects of discrimination, and we have made connections to other courses and outside experiences. Over the course of this semester, I have realized how much I like social psychology. Although I am not going further than a minor in Psychology, I feel like social psychology would be an area I would like to focus into if I had chosen to major in psychology. My attitudes haven’t necessarily changed because I have always been interested in the topic.
When it comes to what I would do if I took this class over again, I feel like I have put all of my effort into being successful in this class. With that being said, there is always room for improvement. I would probably study more and use more of the additional resources like the “related videos” in each of the module sections. One way that I have grown academically over the last few months would be my ability to relate course content to other courses. I feel like the knowledge I have gained about emotional intelligence will benefit me in the future and in my professional life.
Representative Visual Image: Making Connections
I chose this image because it represents how I have gotten better at relating course content to other courses and to the outside world. This class had several different assignments where we had to relate content to other things, whether it be our own life, other assignments in the course, or other classes.
https://scopells.weebly.com/reading-log-blog/making-connections-due-friday-92818
Blog 9:
The first topic that stood out to me was when we took the love styles quiz for assignment four. I wrote about it in the assignment 4 takeaway that is in my eportfolio. The second topic I really liked was when we learned about emotional intelligence and self-regulation for blog 7. I enjoyed taking the emotional intelligence test so I could apply what we learned to my own life. The third topic would be the content of chapter 12 on well-being. I have already started learning the content of this chapter because I am doing an honors project for this course and the topic is well-being. It will be included in my eportfolio by the end of the semester. I really enjoyed these topics because they are all things that I can take and apply to my life. It was interesting taking the love styles quiz and the emotional intelligence test to see how accurate they were. I am big on self-reflecting so I liked how I could do that with each of these topics.
I can relate blog 7 to assignment 4 because the content of both can relate to relationships. Blog 7 deals with emotional intelligence which I would say is a very important factor in relationships. If two people in a relationship have a higher emotional intelligence, they may be more successful keeping up with a relationship because they will be able to communicate better and work through issues. Assignment 4 was about love styles and we took a quiz for that as well. I think people’s love styles may have a correlation with their emotional intelligence. For example, I would associate the love style having to do with manipulating your partner with a low emotional intelligence.
The topic of blog 5 reminded me of an assignment I did in my nutrition class. For blog 5 we had to find examples of a credible source, non-credible source, and an attractive source. For nutrition we had a discussion board assignment called “nutrition misinformation” and it was about finding red flags in sources online. The contents of these assignments are similar in the way that it contains information on what makes a credible source and what makes a source unreliable.
Representative Visual Image: What I’ve Learned
I chose this image because it shows what I wrote down as I was deciding on the three topics that stood out to me the most. The topics from my honors project, assignment 4, and blog 7 were the ones that stood out to me and interested me the most.
Blog 8:
Sexual conflict is definitely evident in all kinds of mating relationships in one way or another. I noticed it a lot in high school relationships with myself and with friends. I would notice that a lot of my guy friends weren’t as picky about who they would date or hook up with compared to how my girl friends were about picking a boyfriend. I feel like this could have to do with girls maturing faster than boys, although I have seen older men who are not picky about who they date. I would agree with the statement in the article that says, “men want to pair widely, whereas, women want to pair wisely.”
Men upset women when they are misogynistic and do not take women seriously solely because they are women. Men upset women when they expect the women to do all the housework and child care. Men upset women when they lie. Men upset women when they talk down to them like they are inferior to them. Women upset men when they don’t please them sexually. Women upset men when a woman intimidates them with their intelligence. Women upset men when they don’t allow themselves to be controlled. Women upset men when they don’t subside to societal expectations.
Representative Visual Image: Sexual Conflict
I chose the first image because it represents men upsetting women. The protests in the image are a result of men being misogynistic. I chose the second image because it represents women upsetting men. It shows a man and woman in a business setting. The man is noticeably upset with the woman and the woman is trying to block it out. This represents what I said about women upsetting men when they don’t let men control them and talk down to them.
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/entitled-how-male-privilege-hurts-women-kate-manne
Blog 7:
I personally think the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-regulation go hand in hand. Emotional intelligence deals with the emotions people feel and self-regulation deals with rational thinking. Every person has both of these. As discussed in the youtube video, rational thinking is done in the neocortex and is greatly affected by excessive emotional feelings that occur in the amygdala. To me, emotional intelligence is how you can handle yourself emotionally in relationships, in the workplace, and in all different kinds of social situations. If your emotional intelligence is low, you may not be able to practice self-regulation as well either. The video gave different ways someone could control emotional thinking and regain rational thinking and the examples include breathing techniques, body scans, and being aware of the negative thoughts or emotions. I feel like I have improved my emotional intelligence a lot since my relationship with my boyfriend started almost three years ago. Towards the beginning of our relationship, I would react immaturely when he would make me mad or if we got into an argument about something. Throughout the years I have learned to communicate my emotions like an adult and not react out of anger. I am able to combat my emotions with rational thinking.
Representative Visual Image: Emotional Intelligence Test
I chose this picture as my visual image because it shows the results of my emotional intelligence test that I found online. It shows that I have the highest scores in self-management and social awareness. I have the second highest score in self-awareness. My lowest score is in relationship management. This makes sense because while my emotional intelligence has gotten better in relationships, it still has areas of improvement.
Blog 6:
I really enjoyed watching this Ted Talk because the speaker, Jean Kilbourne, brought up so many important points regarding the sexualization of girls and women in the media. Prior to watching this video, I was already well aware of this issue. I have definitely noticed how companies use women’s bodies to help sell their products. It has also been evident to me how young girls are being portrayed more sexually now in the media than ever before. This issue was being brought to light in the Ted Talk in 2014, but the use of young girls and women being objectified and sexualized in the media has only gotten worse. With that being said, I think more attention is being brought to this issue and more people are taking action against it than in the past. This video contributed to a new understanding of differential gender representation by laying out the facts and showing examples of how women are portrayed in the media compared to men. While men still have unfair expectations against them on how they should look and act, society has always expected more from women.
Representative Visual Image: 5 Advertisements
I chose these 5 advertisements as my visual image because they show a combination of issues that were touched on in the Ted Talk. The ad with the pear on it is representative of society’s expectations on how a woman should look and how they expect a perfect shape. The two bottom images have really young girls in them. The one on the left portrays a young girl who is dressed up to look a lot older and the one on the right shows how the expectation for girls to have the “perfect shape” begins at a very young age. The PETA ad uses a woman’s body to draw attention and refers to her as an “animal”. The ad that says “You mean a woman can open it…?” is representative of how advertisements often degrade the ability of a woman compared to a man, these ads were more common in the past.
Blog 5:
The first picture is of a Cerave advertisement and I chose it to represent a credible advertisement. One reason is because Cerave is known to be the #1 dermatologist recommended skincare brand. This gives the product credibility because it is approved by experts in skincare. I also watched a video of the advertisement and they talked about how the ceramides in Cerave products help restore your skin’s natural barrier and prevent dry skin. I thought it made the advertisement even more credible since it gave a scientific explanation behind why the product works so well.
The second picture is of an advertisement for Himalaya Herbals and I chose this one as a non-credible source. I think this advertisement could be considered non-credible because it has claims like “Keep away oily skin and pimples” and “Keep your skin pure” without any scientific reasoning behind how the product does this. It also does not mention if the product is backed up by a professional or a dermatologist. The small print on the advertisement claims this product will keep your skin “problem-free” which seems like a claim that is too good to be true.
The third image I chose is an advertisement for Sugar Bear Hair and I chose it for the attractive source. This brand is known for getting some of the biggest celebrities to pose in pictures with their products and promote them. The image I included shows three advertisements, one from Kim Kardashian, one from Kylie Jenner, and one from Khloe Kardashian. I personally don’t find the attractive approach as effective advertising because I would rather see that the product was approved by a medical professional. I think this approach can definitely be effective for some people. If they see their favorite celebrity posing with a product they would probably be more inclined to try it.
Representative Visual Image: Three Advertisements
Blog 4:
I received a 100 on Exam 1, however, there were some questions that really made me think. The question I remember having a hard time on was, “One evening, after seeing a ________ at the Cineplex, you are on your way home. You drive into a store parking lot, where another driver grabs a parking place you had spotted and were waiting for. You perceive the behavior as very ________”. I often have a hard time answering scenario based questions because I feel like there are several ways to interpret the situations. For note taking, I typed important points from each chapter as I read and I also typed out the Jeopardy questions to review. I reviewed the study guide as well. I will probably end up keeping my studying habits the same because they worked really well for me.
Representative Image: My notes
I chose this image because these were the first notes I took for this class for chapter 1. This was the start of my note taking and how I found the best way for me to take notes.
Blog 3:
Music is a big part of so many people’s lives. Most people listen to some type of music each day. I think there can definitely be a connection between music and relationships, but I don’t think it is the most important connection to be made between people. Having the same taste in music could definitely make it easier to initially connect with someone because you would already have a way to relate to each other. I have noticed a similarity in music preference between my boyfriend and I, as well as my friends and I. I have a pretty wide variety of music that I will listen to, but country was one genre I did not like. My boyfriend loves country music and when we started dating I began loving country music as well. We both also enjoy listening to other genres such as rap, rock, and alternative. I have two really close friends and they both have a very wide range of music they listen to which was something I could relate to. A lot of songs that we like in common are not very popular and it was surprising to me to find out that they liked some of those songs. I definitely think I share similar ideals with my boyfriend and my close friends. I think we would still be close even if we didn’t care for a lot of the same music, but it definitely helps during car rides to be able to listen to songs we all enjoy!
Representative Image: My Soundtrack
The image I included is a list of my soundtrack and the person or thing in my life that the song reminds me of. Each song I chose for important people in my life were chosen for a reason. The song deeply reminds me of the person or displays how I feel about them. The song I chose about my hometown resonates with where I am from because I am from a very small town and I will always feel at home there. The song I chose for my outlook on life is very relevant to how I am feeling currently because I am in college and still figuring out what my future is going to look like.
Blog 2:
One thing I have always been proud of is who I am as a student. My mom is a second grade teacher and I think she is a big reason why I enjoy school so much. I have always liked staying busy so doing schoolwork and focusing on what is going on at school has always made me happy. The qualities I have as a student would be studious, responsible, and very organized. I have always strived to get A’s in my classes and I have been pretty successful. Since beginning classes at Old Dominion University, I have had the goal in mind to get into the dental hygiene program. I have worked tirelessly the last year and a half to get A’s in my classes so I can be a competitive applicant to the program.
My confidence levels as a student have always been pretty high. Currently, my confidence may not be as high as it usually is. I think this is because I am awaiting a letter to find out if I have gotten into the dental hygiene program or not. I have worked extremely hard and my grades have shown the work paid off, but I am nervous that it still won’t be enough for me to get accepted. To increase my confidence, I think I should practice thinking more positively about myself. I need to remember that I have been working as hard as I can and haven’t slacked off. Coming up with back up plans has also increased my confidence because I know I have other choices if I do not get in.
My score on the self-efficacy test was a 33. This means I have a generally higher self-efficacy. I believe this is true because I normally am pretty confident in myself and my ability to accomplish goals that I have set for myself. I don’t think I am all the way at 40 because there are times where I doubt myself. Overall, if I set my mind to something I am going to work until I accomplish it or figure out an alternative plan.
Representative Image: Dean’s List Certificate
I chose this image because it is a symbol of my hard work as a student last semester. I have been awarded with being on the Dean’s List each semester I have been at ODU and it feels good to be recognized for my hard work.
Blog 1:
The course objectives for Social Psychology will stick with me and benefit me in future classes. Learning the procedures used by social psychologists to test hypotheses about the behavior of individuals and of groups of people could help me in the future if I wanted to do my own research or experiment involving social psychology. It could also help when researching other areas of psychology. Other objectives in this course include: how people perceive things, how attitudes are formed, and why people behave a certain way. These will be valuable to know in life when dealing with different social situations. This knowledge would help when it comes to understanding why a friend or family member may feel or think a certain way. Another important objective would be discussing the origins and effects of prejudice and discrimination. With everything going on in the world today, this topic is especially relevant and important for people to be educated about. Overall, the objectives in this course will help in better understanding my own social relationships with people as well as helping with future research in psychology.
In this course, I am hoping to enhance my knowledge in the area of social psychology and be able to apply it in real life situations. I have always been interested in the way a person is affected by the actions of other people and groups. I think a lot about the way people make me feel and how different social situations make me feel. It would be interesting to learn more about how other people feel in the same situations. Learning about perception and why people behave a certain way will help me understand. I really enjoy psychology and applying it to social problems so I look forward to doing this more in this class.
To ensure my success in this course, I intend to do the best I can and stay as organized as possible. This is the first class where I have had to make an ePortfolio, so it is definitely taking some getting used to. I am generally a very organized person and keep all of my due dates in a planner. For this class, I have put all of the assignments into my planner along with planned days for note taking. I will spend an adequate amount of time studying and preparing myself for exams in this class. Doing well on the assignments and really paying attention to what they ask of me should help with exam taking. Like any class I take, I will put forward my best effort to earn an A in the course and obtain as much information from the course as possible.
Representative Image: Social Conformity
I chose this image because it is a satirical twist on the saying “If all your friends jump off the bridge, would you do it too?”. Throughout this class we will learn about how other people’s behavior can affect someone. This can include how a group of friends might cause somebody to act differently and conform to things they wouldn’t normally do.
https://sites.google.com/site/jonsclassisawesome/psychology/sociocultural-level-of-analysis