Psychology in My Life Blog

Amelia Long

Introduction

Hi! My name is Amelia Long. I am from Chapin, South Carolina. I am a freshman at Presbyterian College and I plan to major in elementary education. My hobbies are hiking, water skiing and shrimping.

Connection 1: Reinforcement

What is reinforcement?

Reinforcement is a type of operant conditioning. When something special is added to an action, that is considered positive reinforcement. This is usually a reward for doing something correctly or a good action. Getting a lollypop at the doctor’s office for good behavoir is positive reinforcement. When something unpleasant is taken away or it is something an individual wants to avoid, it is considered negative reinforcement. This is usually avoiding an action you do not want to do.Not having to wash the dishes because you made good grades on your report card in negative reinforcement.

An example of reinforcement that I have encountered:

I do not remember a lot of things that happened when I was two years old. My parents tell me stories and I see pictures, but my memories before I was two are not many. I do however remember being potty trained quite clearly. I am the second child. I have an older sister. My parents used the same technique to potty train me as they did her. There was a big and clear plastic container on the back of the toilet. It was filled with Teddy Grahams. My reward for using the bathroom was an example of positive reinforcement. I was positively rewarded with a cookie when I used bathroom and did not have an accident. Some people may not like Teddy Grahams but I liked them a lot when I was two years old. I still like them today. My parents were reinforcing or rewarding my good behavior by giving me something special. 

What about this example demonstrates reinforcement?

My reward for using the bathroom was an example of positive reinforcement. I was positively rewarded with a cookie when I used bathroom and did not have an accident. Some people may not like Teddy Grahams but I liked them a lot when I was two years old. I still like them today. My parents were reinforcing or rewarding my good behavior by giving me something special. 

Connection 2: Classical Conditioning

What is Classical Conditioning?

Classical conditioning is when behavior is learned when a neutral stimuli is connected to a positive stimuli. Pavlov’s experiment with dogs is the well known example of conditioning. Pavlov trained his dogs to expect food (positive stimuli) when they heard a bell (neutral stimuli). He recorded/observed the Unconditional Stimuli (US)/ food triggered the Unconditional Response (UR)/salivation. Dogs would salivate when they saw the food. He incorporated the Neutral Stimuli (NS)/bell which created the Conditional Responses (CR)/salivation when the bell rang. By ringing a bell the dogs began to associate the sound of the bell to food or being fed. The dogs became conditioned to salivate when a bell was heard.

An example of classical conditioning that I have experienced:

My family is very predictable. We all go to school and work at a certain time, come home at the same time, eat at the same time, etc. You get the idea. We have a cat named Java. She is a brown cat and that is why we called her Java…. like coffee. My senior year of high school, I had study hall my last block and was able to leave early. I would be the first one home. Java would greet me at the door. She would weave around my ankles but she would not meow. My mother would come home next. She usually had groceries with her. She would tell the cat to stop walking through her feet as she carried the groceries to the kitchen. She would tell the cat, ”You are going to trip me!” Again, she (the cat) did not meow. When my father would get home, she heard his truck pull into the driveway. She would hop drown from the sofa and run to the door, knowing he was getting ready to unlock it. You could hear her meowing away. She would weave through his feet meowing the whole time until he went to the kitchen and gave her her food.

Why is this an example of classical conditioning?

Just like Pavlov’s dogs, my cat learned to associate the sound of my father’s truck pulling into the driveway with her dinner. She did not meow or expect food when I came home. She did not meow or expect food when my mother came through the door. But she heard and still hears his truck and she begins to meow and expects to be fed. It is funny to see when my father is on a different schedule and she has already been fed, she still meets him at the door, meows and follows him to the kitchen. She will circle her bowl even if it has food in it. She has been conditioned to soon be fed when she hears the sound of his truck. My dad has also been conditioned. He feeds her when he walks through the door!

Connection 3: Sympathetic Division of the Peripheral Nervous System

What is the peripheral nervous system?

The peripheral nervous system is the sensory and motor neurons that connect to the Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord). The Peripheral nervous System is either somatic or autonomic. The Somatic Nervous System controls our voluntary muscles. The Aotonomic system controls our involuntary muscles. The Auotonomic Nervous System has a sympathetic and a parasympathetic division. The Smpathetic Division controls our “fight or flight” responses. It gets our body ready for action. The Parasympathetic Division “calms our body.” It is what controls things like digestion. 

An example of the Sympathetic Division of the Peripheral Nervous System that I have experienced:

When I was a Junior at Chapin High School, I was in a very bad accident. I did not see a truck driving fast down the highway, and I pulled out in front of him. I was trying to cross the road. I did not see him at all, but he hit my car straight on the driver’s door. He was traveling 45- 50 mph. All I remember was a big bang and the smell of gunpowder. I do remember when the car stopped moving. All I could think to myself is “I need to get out of this car.” That is when my Sympathetic Divsion of my Peripheral Nervous System kicked in. I managed to free myself from the seat that had been pushed into the center of the car. I climbed out through the passenger side of the car. I was completely unaware of the pains on my left side. I had burns on my arm and face from the air bags and a knot on my arm and thigh from the impact. I know what is meant by “fight or flight,” because I truly felt it. It was an out of body experience as I was looking for safety. 

Why is this an example of the Sympathetic Division of the PNS?

This is a classic example of “fight or flight.” My body prepared itslef to take action when I was hit by the truck. My heart was racing, I started to breathe faster and I had an adrenaline rush that I will never forget. My body responded to the accident by allowing me to escape from the car as fast as I could without feeling any pain. I did not even have to think about what I was doing. I  escape from the car without even thinking about the steps I had to take to get out. It took awhile but when the adrenaline rush wore off, that is when I noticed I had been injured.  

Connection 4: Hindsight Bias

What is hindsight bias?

Hindsight bias is a reason we cannot trust ‘common sense.’  People often believe they can predict an outcome even though they do not do so. You often hear people say, “I thought that was going to happen.” 

An example of hindsight bias that I have experienced:

This one is very easy. I experience hindsight bias everytime I get one of my tests back. I often look at a problem that I did not answer correctly and say, “I knew that.” Obviously I did not know it or if I did know it, I forgot that I knew it. I often think I know the material well. I study for a test and I review all my notes but I still do not make a good grade. I think maybe I have my information memorized but when I have to apply it, I am not 100% sure about the answer. Once I know the answer it is easy to say “I knew that.”

Why is this an example of hindsight bias?

This is an example of hindsight bias because I did not really know or truly understand the information. I knew the correct answer once I heard it. That is why a bias like this is considered non- scientific. You cannot be 100% sure if the person truly knew it or was just saying that because they knew the answer once they heard it or saw it. 

Connection#1-Reinforcement

What is reinforcement?

xample of reinforcement that I have encountered:

I do not remember a lot of things that happened when I was two years old. My parents tell me stories and I see pictures, but my memories before I was two are not many. I do however remember being potty trained quite clearly. I am the second child. I have an older sister. My parents used the same technique to potty train me as they did her. There was a big and clear plastic container on the back of the toilet. It was filled with Teddy Grahams. They were one of my favorite snacks. They a little graham cracker cookies shaped like teddy bears. They had several flavors. My favorite was honey grahams. If I used the bathroom and did not have an accident, I was rewarded with the cookies. Of course it was after our hands were washed. I also got a cookie for doing that correctly. 

What about this example demonstrates reinforcement?

My reward for using the bathroom was an example of positive reinforcement. I was positively rewarded with a cookie when I used bathroom and did not have an accident. Some people may not like Teddy Grahams but I liked them a lot when I was two years old. I still like them today. My parents were reinforcing or rewarding my good behavior by giving me something special.