Study Skills

For the past week, I have been trying out the new method of studying for both tests and as a means of delegating homework throughout the week. I have found that this method needs some tweaking for different learning styles. For instance, if I get bored of working, I often get a rhythm going after reading one more page. The studying method requires you to stop after one more page, no matter what. I believe that it is beneficial for me to continue working if I get a rhythm going. I am more productive if I am interested in doing the work, which also helps me absorb more information. The aspect of the method that requires you to increase the amount of work you do each day seem to helpful, however, I altered the system so can get more work done. Instead of only working a bit each day, I decided to take a break for one hour before recommencing my studies.
This method has proven useful thus far, but real results will depend on my test and assignment marks. It has proven to be most valuable in studying for Word Within the Word and essay writing. Using this method with my modifications, it has allowed me to maintain my focus and productivity for extended periods of time.


Studying is almost like driving. There are hundreds of different cars, just as there are hundreds of different ways to study. Both are meant to get the driver from point A to point B with minimal damage. It frequently appears that the more money you put into a car, the more benefits you can receive. With studying, it often seems that the more time you put in, the more prepared you will be. However, you must occasionally stop to refuel and give your engine a break before you can continue to your destination. If you don’t stop, your car will. This causes a less productive outcome since you must push your car. Small breaks enable you to avoid a breakdown.

Awakenings

In the movie, hospital patients, including Leonard Lowe (Robert DeNiro’s character), are in a catatonic state that impedes their abilities to talk and understand others. They were described as being ghosts; their bodies are present but they are not. They appear to be completely unresponsive until Oliver Sacks (Robin William’s character) realizes they can catch items that are dropped or thrown at them. They were also found to be responsive to things such as music.
I found this interesting because it means that some things that we learn can be reached in our subconscious. Acts that have been learned and become somewhat of a second nature were more easily accessible, like walking and catching something that has been thrown (reflexes). Things that required even higher-level brain functions were not as easily reached however.
In examining the brain, it would appear that certain areas of the brain in the catatonic patient’s are not functioning or were at least dormant. The Occipital Lobe would be working, since the patient’s could see. Broca’s Area was not functioning properly because it is associated with speech and facial nerves. I believe a portion of the Temporal Lobe was working because they did not show emotion or recognize language (Wernick’s Area) but they did show recognition of sounds (Primary Auditory Cortex). I also believe only a part of the Parietal Lobe was working since the patients could control movement and orientation but other associated functions were lacking. The motor control part of the Frontal Lobe was working more than the problem solving, reasoning and emotional areas. Lastly, the Neurocortex, which I don’t believe was working properly since it is involved in higher-level functions such as: conscious thought, spatial reasoning and language.
If areas of the brain can shut down due to whatever ailment the patients in this story were suffering from, it makes me wonder what other afflictions have similar effect.


The brain is similar to a computer. It is comprised of a series of parts to achieve multiple functions that often intertwine. You have an area for memory, processing, power, etc.
If a few parts of your circuit board fail, the computer can still function, not as well though. If our computer stops working, you take it in for repairs. This is similar to going to the doctor. It is also similar in the sense that computers can update with new software. This is comparable to a human learning something new.

My First Psychological Experiment

Learning about classical conditioning this past week has forced my to look back on an event that took place the summer before last, during my vacation to Nova Scotia. I was staying at my grandmother’s house with my dad and brother; it was raining outside (as it often does out East) so I decided to watch TV. A familiar commercial appeared advertising a brand of cat treats called “Temptations”. In this commercial the cat owner shakes the Temptations treat bag and the cat would run through any obstacles to get to the treats. Since my grandmother had a cat, though mildly obese, and some Temptations I had to perform an experiment of my own to see if there was even the slightest bit of truth to that commercial. The first few times I shook the bag, the cat (Bobby) did nothing. I tried again the next day, since it was still raining, and got positive results. By the following week my cousins and I used this new knowledge as an attempt to give Bobby some exercise.
Looking back on this experience I now realize that I was merely recreating Pavlov’s experiment, though with a fat cat instead of a dog. The Temptations were the primary stimulus and the bag shaking was the secondary stimulus. The first few attempts, the bag was neutral stimulus since it had not been associated with the food. After the cat realized that the bag shaking was related to the treats, it became a secondary stimulus and thus, conditioning was occurring. By the next week, conditioning had fully occurred, Bobby would run toward the sound of any bag shaking, not just the treat bag.
When we began using the treats as a means of exercise, temporary extinction occurred since we would shake the bag without giving Bobby a treat (giving a treat would be counterproductive to the attempt at exercise). Bobby began to ignore the bag shaking noise, thus extinction had occurred. This was short lived, however, because my grandmother doesn’t quite understand that the treats aren’t healthy!
This was my first psychological experiment, even though I was unaware at the time.


This form of learning is comparable to a flower. Planting a seed is like planting an idea. As time progresses, the plant (idea) grows and will grow even larger with additional water and sunlight (stimulus). If you keep feeding the plant, then it will eventually bloom, which symbolizes the learning curve. However, if you stop feeding the plant it will eventually wither and die.