Dinner for the Privileged

Pictured above: dolsot bibimbap. This is one of two dishes I often get at a Korean restaurant. It's essentially white rice topped with veggies, choice of protein, dried seaweed, and spicy bean paste sauce.

My parents set a tradition to ensure the best of grades for my sisters and I.  At the end of each grading semester, my sisters or I gets to choose where to eat out for dinner.  Whoever has the best grades has the privilege to choose a place to eat out for dinner.  This way, the whole family gets rewarded for eighteen weeks of hard work.  My parents reinforced the behavior to motivate my sisters and I to compete for the best grades.  Factor in me as the eldest child, a senior in high school, and compare it with my sisters in the seventh grade; my job as a student gets that much harder.  Their use of positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of top notch grades with the reward of a family dinner outing.

In my recent years, I found grades go beyond choosing where to go for dinner. Rather, I motivate myself with colleges and scholarships.  I grew up accepting life as a student as my career.  It requires the dedication and diligence equivalent, if not higher, than any job accessible to a high school student.  I may not get paid for studying, but that will come with scholarships and college acceptances.

Curse of the Chair

It's Coming for You...

A dad loved to take his car to the car wash. The dad loved to take his daughters to the car wash and watch the whole cleaning process. One daughter was especially intrigued by an employee cleaning the car's rubber matts. The sun was out and shining brightly over a pleasant Sunday afternoon. As the girl watched from a her chair, she leaned forward. Wham! The girl started wailing for her dad. The result? A scraped elbow, a bump on the head, and a childhood trauma.

The girl only went back to the car wash place three times over the next several years. Even then, she refused to sit down outside and watch the men clean the different cars. The other customers sat peacefully in their patio chairs as they waited for the employees to clean their car. Yet this girl knew what caused her accident. She refused to sit in a patio chair and only clung to her father. The lawn chair that tipped would never look the same. Sitting in another one could do more damage.

One traumatic event for the young child stimulated a chain of extensive cautioned actions. Years later, the girl learned she fell because the lawn chair was perched on the edge of the parking lot curb (CS). With age as a factor, the use of classical conditioning taught her how to fear lawn chairs. An event that lasted only seconds created fear (CR). Reverse conditioning and the child's maturity helped her get over her fear of sitting in plastic patio chairs.

Subliminal Persuasion

1. Of the five factors mentioned in the Pratkanis report, which do you think is the strongest explanation  for why people fall "victim" to the so-called subliminal influence.

In past observations, I found people find themselves attracted to relatable topics. From a character with a relatable back story, or a news story that arouses a past memory, people will recall images  I find relating to present day issues the strongest explanation for why people fall "victim" to the so-called subliminal influence.

For example, citizens vote for presidential candidates they can relate to. Republicans vote for the more conservative candidate, while left leaning people will vote for the Democratic candidate. The candidates target the liberal and independent populous. By proposing policies relatable to the targeted audience, the candidates receive or lose votes.

In today's society, as people search for their own identities in a world surrounded by media, people are naturally attracted to topics they can relate to.

Through bottom up processing, the use of perception provides an advantage to advertisers.

2. Which factor do you think is the weakest of Prantkanis's arguments? Explain. why.

I think the Witch Test is the weakest of Prantkanis's arguments. Though the pricier an advertisement, the greater the output, his other arguments hold a greater merit. From a viewer's standpoint, people will question the validity of statements presented in an advertisement. The people with the common sense and educational background to differ wants from needs will not fall victim to the subliminal influence.

3. Do you believe subliminal advertising exists? Has Pratkanis influenced your opinion? Who or why not?

I believe subliminal advertising exists in select audiences. The use of subliminal advertising, to an uneducated crowd, has a greater effect than towards a cross of higher class. Through education, the subliminal influence in today's media can be avoided. Although Pratkanis did not influence my opinion, he research provided an interesting perception on the science behind advertisements.  Though I do not plan on advertising, I can pick out the various techniques used to attract consumers.

Beyond the Eyes

Sensation is the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. Perception is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

People can easily confuse sensation and perception for their similar definitions. Sensation refers to the sense receptors: what does one feel? taste? hear? etc. Whereas perception refers to the processing of senses sent to the brain from the sensory receptors. To remember, think S is for sensation as S is for senses. Likewise, P is for perception as P is for process.

The feeling of pain demonstrates a prime example of sensation versus perception. When walking down the stairs, a child steps on the pointy end of a top. Bottom-up processing, which analyzes information sent from the senses to the brain, informs the child's brain of the pain felt and a general idea of where the puncture wound occurred. After inspecting the damage, the child learns he stepped on a toy on the staircase. After the painful experience, the child will use top-down processing to ensure such a scenario does not happen again. Top-down processing consists of drawing from previous knowledge, such as past experiences, to recognize a pattern. The child notices that toys on the stairs will lead to injury. Therefore, he will act wisely to ensure nobody else gets hurt by making sure no toys are on the stairs and no pointy objects stay on the floor.

Phrenology: Skulls and Gall

"Appearance can be deceiving" -Aesop.

Before the age medical technologies of CT scans, MRI's, and PET's, psychologists believed in how the shape of one's head determines his or her intelligence. Psychologist Franz Joseph Gall promoted phrenology, the study of the shape and size of the cranium.

The practice of phrenology draws a red flag for me. Psychology, the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, goes beyond the anatomy of the brain to explain its functions and nature. Galls had reason for confirmation and expectancy biases. His childhood as not the smartest student in the class could have caused him to look for an excuse. Bulging eyes to any bright student can invoke hypotheses we see nonsensical. Today, technology reveals the in depth technology of the anatomical and the physiological aspects of the human brain.

However, we cannot completely discredit Gall's theories. Though phrenology currently lacks the ethos it once had, a correlation exists between the brain's anatomy and the brain's functions. The anatomy of the brain can help to explain an individual's cognitive and behavioral activities. When observing the evolution of the human species, the shape of the skull evolved from flat to more rounded. So much, it suggests a growth in the human brain.

At least of handful of my classmates will discuss Gall's nonsensical hypotheses. However, his contributions to psychology were not short. Rather than slowing the development of psychology, I believe his experiments and discoveries contributed to the development of medical technologies to digitally see the working brain.