Internal Assessment - The Stroop Effect

The Stroop Effect is a very controversial and interesting effect first publishes by John Ridley Stroop in the 1930’s. Stroop at first created two classic experiments in the first he compared reading a list of words printed in black and reading the same list of words printed in different colored ink. Stroop found little difference in reading time between the two lists. Stroop then compared the naming of colors for a list of solid colored squares with the naming of a list of words printed in different colored ink. He then found in an average the participant took 74% longer to name ink colors for the incongruent words. This effect’s main purpose is to demonstrate the interference in which the brain experiences slowed processing time because it is trying to sort trough the information being received, meaning that the brain is trying to multitask. The Stroop Effect mainly consists of giving an individual a list of words printed in different color ink and asked to name the color of the ink used to print the word, not the word. When ask to do this the participant will experience a delayed reaction time because the brain is processing the conflicting information. The brain is trying to suppress the input or meaning of the word and focus on the ink color of the word instead.

The results of these two studies led Stroop to conclude that since people are more practiced at word reading than naming colors, there is less interference with word reading than with color naming.

Testing on the Stroop Effect is down trough Strop Testing and when one test is performed in a language learner beginner or a young children that still doesn’t know exactly how to read the participants have no problem quickly naming the colors of the ink. While people who have learned to read and analyze language had difficulty with the list of words. This happens due to the interference in the brain and the slowed processing time this causes.

Stroop Testing data is very easy to collect and can be collected on the basis of how long it takes for the participant to work trough the list of colored words. The effect is so strong and constant that Stroop Testing is used several times in psychological testing and assessment. People are often introduced to the test when beginning psychology class because they can easily learn and observe how the brain works and processes information. This test can also be used to Asses mental acuity for a job or after a patient has experienced a certain degree of brain injury. Many people are very surprised when they first see the Stroop Effect results and how a simple task like identifying colors is truly a slight complicated for the brain. The truth is the Stroop Effect demonstrates that if two pathways are active simultaneously and the pathway that leads to the response is stronger (naming words) there is no interference. Though if two pathways are active at the same time the pathway that leads to the response is weaker (naming the colored ink) and there is interference.

Even though the Stroop effect has been investigated ins several ways and replicated several times it is harshly criticized for being very strict or robust due to the fact that it only extends to color-related words and does not include words that sound like the colors word (wred.bloo). In summary the difficulty of removing the interference present in the Strop effect between a words name and meaning and the inks color has lead some researcher’s to claim that the brain is wired to recognize words unconsciously. This explanation is called the “automatic word recognition hypothesis” and can be classified as the only answer to the Stroop Effect.

Sources

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-stroop-effect.htm

http://www.rit.edu/cla/gssp400/sbackground.html

The Magic of the Placebo Effect

The placebo effect can be known and characterized as a sham or lie by several people when in reality they forget it's use is usually in benefit of society and natural cure. The truth is a placebo can be better defined as an effect that has a measurable or truly experienced improvement in health. A placebo effect includes no cure or treatment at all. A great and simple example of a placebo effect for medical purposes can be fake surgeries or pills. These pills or surgeries would produce an effect similar to that expected to be experienced by the genuine procedure or medicine.

This amazing discovery and effective idea was first reported by Henry k. Beecher in 1955. Henry first experimented with abut 800 different studies over time. One of his most famous controversial studies was done on patients that presented a cold. These patients were given a placebo and experienced an improvement in six days. However in general cases all patients of a cold experience an improvement in 6 days with or with no medication. Beecher did not report all of the data from his experiment and left out the fact that forty percent of the time the condition of the patients worsened.

In addition, the examination of Beecher's work determined that he reported only on the percentage of conditions that showed improvement from placebo, not the percentage that deteriorated. Yes, one-third of the time conditions improved while on, but not necessarily because of, placebo; however, about 40 percent of the time conditions worsened. Beecher did not report all the data. After this experiment people became very intrigued and Beecher along with researchers created another experiment on a group of three groups of patients. One group did not receive medicine, a second group was given a placebo and the last group received no treatment. The results of the placebo and no treatment groups matched 100 percent of the time. This proved the power of the placebo accompanied with imagination.

Even though placebo effects have been thoroughly and long studied many people still believe there is no adequate evidence from studies to prove that the new drugs are more effective than placebos. The reality of studies on placebos effect is very complicated due to the fact that a number of factors can affect many treatments and the evaluation of those treatments making hard to find out what produces or is perceived as improvement. Another factor that greatly affects this studies are the participants behavior and how in several cases they behave differently to please the researcher. Many researchers such as Dr. Hróbjartsson believe the reported high levels of placebo effects are in reality flawed research methodology. The main flaw is how many studies prove a surgery or a procedure or medicine is not necessary but don’t really demonstrate the placebo effect was indeed successful. The solution is using a third control group, which receives no treatment at all. If the placebo effect receives better results than the third group, then the placebo effect is proved effective. The biggest error in placebo studies are due to the small samples used and the participants who constantly try to please the researcher.

I personally believe even though many studies based on placebos effect have demonstrated great flaws the truth is placebo effects due have a great or very high rate of effectiveness. This is due to the power of the mind and the psychological factor in which our beliefs about what’s going to happen to us permits us perceive a deep transformation without relying on drugs. Many studies like the Sapiristein have even found 50 percent of the drug effect is due mostly to the placebo effect. A person’s belief and hopes on a certain treatment may have a significant biochemical effect. We can be conditioned to release substances as endorphins and adrenaline that will serve as a pain relief and will stimulate an improvement. Even though the placebo effect isn’t entirely psychology the majority f its effectiveness lies in the power of the mind and our ability to control it.

Sources:

http://www.skepdic.com/placebo.html

http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Debunking_the_Placebo.shtml

Are All memories Alike?

We sometimes wonder if all memories are alike and if so why are some people just better at remembering EVERYTHING. The question has been answered all memories are different and are triggered by the individuals characteristics, it's sex gender and its cultural background.

Psychologists Agneta Herlitz and Jenny Rehnman in Stockholm also wondered if one's sex affected it's ability to remember things. Trough certain tests they discovered that significant sex differences in episodic memory which is a type of long term memory that focuses on personal experiences. The findings discovered this memory favors women. Certain results demonstrated woman were significantly better in verbal episodic memory and in verbal episodic memory tasks such as remembering words or pictures. While men outperformed women in remembering symbolic and non linguistic information. Another test performed by the psychologists which involved presenting three group of participants faces found that women were able to remember the female faces more accurately. this concludes women are better than men at remembering faces especially female faces. Several other studies also demonstrated women are better at tasks requiring no verbal processing. The results suggest that the female gender hold an advantage in episodic memory demonstrating all memories are NOT alike.

Studies have found that not only does sex influence our ability to remember things but our cultural background does as well. Don't we all recall our childhood memories differently well researchers have found that the average age of difference in memory varies widely from person to person and that the average age of first memories varies up two to years between cultures. Michelle Leichtman, PhD, a psychologist at the University of New Hampshire who studied childhood memory states that the function of the meaning of memory or it's importance varies between a particular cultural system. The way parents and other adults talk or don't talk or recall memories influences the way children will later remember those events. People who grow up in a society that stresses personal history or focuses on family history will often have earlier childhood memories that people who grow up in cultures that value interdependence or talk little about shared memories and events. In 1994, psychologist Mary Mullen, PhD published the first research comparing the ages of first memories across cultures. in the study she asked more than 700 Caucasian and Asian or Asian-American undergraduates to describe their earliest memories. Mullen--a Harvard University graduate student at the time--found that on average the Asian and Asian-American students' memories happened six months later than the Caucasian students' memories. This doesn't mean Caucasian's have better memory it just means people have the type of memory that allows them get along better in their cultural environment.

Trough several studies performed in the last decade psychologists can prove that memories do vary depending on a persons sex and its cultural and environmental traditions and needs. This proves no memories are alike and we all view and recall our childhood and past memories differently.

Sources

http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/culture.aspx

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220104244.htm

Alzheimer's EVERYONES concern

I personally believe a big part of me, who I am and what I feel and think relies on my mind and especially my memories. These memories have helped and shaped my present personality and make-up my true essence. When I think back on my childhood or nice family memories I realize this are the memories that influence me daily these past experiences truly shape me. I can't imagine finding out progressively all these memories and important characters in my life will be erased because I’ll forget them and worse of all to find out there is no cure for the disease only pills that can slow the progress of it. I would feel so frustrated and powerless knowing my life and my identity would change so drastically. I believe one of the worse consequences of Alzheimer's is the drastic change in personality of the victims how many of them become very violent and easily irritated without really being aware. This change in personality not only affects the victim but in my opinion it deeply hurts the people surrounding them like family or old friends that have to watch the person's true essence vanish away. A great example is the video we watched during class in which a man suffering of Alzheimer was sent to a clinic and forgot he had wife and openly flirted with another lady. One day his wife arrived and had to endure watching him with another women. I personally can't imagine how much it must hurt and affect emotionally to watch the person you've known and loved for so long change so much. For reasons like this I believe one of Alzheimer's worse consequences is the change in attitude or personality as a consequence of a progressive decline in memory.

Alzheimer's is a disease that not only takes away your true identity and memories but completely ends with your independence and free will or liberty. Alzheimer's is a difficult disease that not only leads to death at a certain point but forces the patient to endure various pains and sufferings. Personally I believe Alzheimer’s is a disease that ends with a persons true identity and can be very treacherous. I would definitely not like to experience or witness anyone suffer from this disease due to the fact that it is not only very harmful but has little or no cure. As stated in the new research for understanding Alzheimer's posted in Time's there is little knowledge over what cause or influences Alzheimer's and there is little money being provided for research. The fact that there is no true cure for this disease is very frustrating and should be a concern for everyone because do to it's mystery and uncertainty we never know if we one day may suffer of it. Alzheimer's is a very hard emotional and physical disease to endure and it should be everyone’s concern.

Summary for Three Online Artciles

1) The first article I chose to write a summary on is based on the idea that short-term memory doesn’t grow more imprecise over the course of time but just shuts down completely. Weiwew Zhang, a postdoctoral scholar, and Steve Luck, a professor of psychology discovered this new idea trough a pair of tests which separately measured two main things the accuracy of short-term memory and the probability that the memory still existed. The tests were given to 12 different adults. The first test consisted of showing three squares each filled with different colors on a computer. After each square a wheel showing all spectrum of colors appeared on the screen and after the three squares reappeared. When the three squares reappeared they were colorless and one was highlighted. The individuals were asked to remember and click on he are of the wheel that matched the color of the highlighted square. They were asked to repeat the test 150 times. When subjects did remember the color from memory they clicked a matching color very close. The distance between the click and the actual color indicated the accuracy of memory for each individual. While in some cases when color disappeared from memory subjects clicked at random in the wheel. The second test was very similar but used shapes instead of colors. The study found that the actual truth is that individuals either have a memory or don’t have it. The memories did not gradually fade away. The findings and Luck explain how memories don't fade or become weaker but just shut down completely. This finding helps understand how important decisions shouldn't be based on weak and inaccurate memories.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429091806.htm

2) The second article posted in Science Daily talks and discusses how emotional memories and memories linked to any visual aids can be very powerful and extremely hard to isolate or forget. Keith Payne and former psychology student Elizabeth Corrigan found that any negative or even "mild" emotional events are very hard to erase. The article mentions how when individuals try to forget information they first need to mentally isolate that information and then block off the information they don't want to recall. Though emotion undermines these steps and makes memories hard to isolate do to their strong impact and how easily they can be accessed. The UNC study asked 218 participants to remember or recall photographs instead of text. The article mentions how a word murder may or may not create fear while a violent picture will create a more powerful emotion and impact. Researchers found that the individuals could not intentionally forget emotional events as they might easily erase ordinary events. A great example is how a rape or a violent crash will always be remembered and will form a big part of the victim’s life even though their desire to control and isolate the memory is very influential. The study findings can help understand how an emotion creates certain limits and boundaries on the ability to control the mind and its content.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070815105026.htm

3) The third article I read online in the Science Daily was actually extremely interesting and talked about how individuals are exposed to several marketing messages daily, the messages are presented in several languages but are most effective or have a greater impact in the individuals native language. The authors of the study Stefano Puntoni, Bart de Langhe and Stijn van Osselaer studied bilingual and trilingual populations in Europe tested different slogans with certain subjects and viewed the differences in how the messages were perceived. In general they discovered messages expressed in the consumers native language created a more emotional impact and as a result was more effective. The authors expressed how they believe the effect is not based on the difference of language but how the individuals associate their native language to certain memories. For example the hearing or reading of a word in one's native language may unconsciously trigger a memory. During there study they also discovered that the effect was more present in women than in men. They believe this is due to the fact that women have a stronger memory for emotional events. The results demonstrated how it is more effective to communicate a message in the subject’s native language due to the fact it will create a greater impact trough emotion. This study may help international companies willing to expand and grow their incomes in new lands. For example if Forever 21 was opening a store in Honduras to have more effective publicity they should communicate trough the population’s native language which is Spanish.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215111433.htm

What is MEMORY? How does it WORK?

1) Sensory memory is the first level of memory that retains the brief impression a sensory stimulus or any of your five senses may cause.

2) A clear example is when you see a dog-running trough the street and then it disappears even though the object disappears it may still be vivid in your memory.

3) Sensory memory is extremely short and lasts about four seconds while visual information fades away in less than a minute.

4) Short-term memory is a system or capacity of temporarily storing and managing information required to carry out basic functions such as learning reasoning and comprehending. Short-term memory involves the selection and encoding of information. It is believed to last and estimate of 2-7 seconds.

5) The magical number is referred as seven plus or minus two this is also known as Millers’ law. Miller is a cognitive psychologist which argues that the number of objects an average human can hold in working memory is seven plus or minus two.

6) Chunking refers to a strategy in which individuals record and encode important information or data in order to remember and use more efficiently short-term memory.

7) Two, three and six has been referred as the ideal number for chunking for letters as well as numbers.

8) Short-term memory is believed to rely more on acoustic code for storing information and to a lesser extent visual code.

9) Long-term memory is believed to be able to store large quantities of information for unlimited amount of time (a whole life span). For example a seven-digit number we can only remember for a short time while trough repetition a telephone number can be remerged for years by storing it trough long-term memory.

10) The Atkinson-Shiffrin Model is a psychological model proposed in 1968 by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin. The proposal focused on how the human memory involves a sequence of three main stages. The three stages are:

Sensory memory (SM): sense organs have ability to retain information in a sort of unprocessed way trough a stimulus for less than a second. 
 Short-term memory (STM): allows us to remember information long enough to use it 
 Long-term memory (LTM): provides the lasting retention of information

The model is an explanation of how memory processes work. For example you hear, see and feel several things, but only a small number are truly remembered.

11) One of aspects most criticized in the Akisnson-Shiffrin model is the fact that it is considered to be to linear in structure and never includes some subdivisions the levels of memory may include. When it mentions sensory memory it never acknowledges the neutral activity, which occurs between a neuron and a motor end plate. An example of this is when individuals use sensory memory for physical processes and once an action is performed it is remembered for three seconds and then begins to be forgotten or decays.

12) Levels of Processing are an influential theory and model proposed by Craik and Lockhart in 1972. They reject the idea of dual store model memory. The theory stated that the characteristics of a memory depend on its location (short term store, long term store etc), but instead Craik and Lockart believed information could be processed and remembered in a number of different ways. They stated that the durability of the memory depended on the level or depth of processing involve. (Shallow to deep continuum). This duo also distinguished between two kinds of rehearsal, which are maintenance, and elaborative rehearsal.

13) Maintenance rehearsal is a technique or process, which involves repeating several times certain information or data. Trough maintenance rehearsal your short-term memory can be increased from about 20 seconds to 3 seconds. A clear example is when you call the operator and ask for the phone number of a pizza delivery restaurant, you will repeat the number long enough to remember it when you place the call and order but it wont be stored into long term memory.

13) Maintenance rehearsal is a technique or process which involves repeating several times certain information or data. Trough maintenance rehearsal your short term memory can be increased from about 20 second sto 3 seconds. A clear example is when you call the operator and ask for the phone number of a pizza delievery restaurant, you will repeat the number long enough to rebember it when you place the call and order but it wont be stored into long term memory.

Read more:http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Maintenance%20Rehearsal#ixzz12rc2CSC8

14) Elaborative rehearsal is a memory technique that involves thinking and analyzing the meaning of a term or definition so it can be rebembered instead then simply repeting it over and over again. This memorizing tecnique is more efficient and allows information to be stored in the long term memeory. For example when you are studying a new term in bilogy you research the terms definition analyze it then investigate how it relates to your life trough a graph and all of this processing (rehearsel) will help you store the term for a longer period of time.

15) Fergus Craik and Robert S Lockart developed the Levels of Processing Model and the concepts of maintenance and elaborative rehearsal in 1972.

Sources:

http://penta.ufrgs.br/edu/telelab/3/levels_o.htm

http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Maintenance%20Rehearsal

http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/308677

How our Memory Wokrks?

Trough the film watched in class focused on memory and its main functions I personally learned in a deeper and a more profound method the importance memory plays in our daily life. Memory not only allows us to remember but contributes to creation of a sense of self. Remembering is a simple task we all do without truly realizing but little do we know this simple task influences ALL aspects of our life and personality. Memory truly shapes who we are and our identity. A clear example of his is how unconsciously your brain interacts with your physical environment and stores experiences that later make up your mind and thoughts. Trough connections and reactions your brain cells respond record and then create new memories. Memories not only allow us to recall our past but give us the ability to speak and understand a language and most importantly give us a sense of character and a truly unique personality. A clear example of this is Childhood Amnesia, which refers to how adults can’t remember clearly memories from when they were three or six because their memories have been modified trough experience and little bits of the original memories have been lost. Another example of how memory shapes identity is the example shown in the video trough John’s lifestyle, which explains how trough premature births the memory circuit, can be damaged causing the individual to adopt amnesia. Amnesia enables the human body to remember the past, create new experiences and imagine a future. It is not until something is lost its true value is appreciated and that is exactly what occurs with memory. The human race functions daily depending and based on their ability to remember and retain information.

The famous Stroop Effect is named after J Ridley Stroop who discovered this controversial phenomenon in the early twentieth century. This experiment consists of the individual reading the color or ink of the word instead of the word. A good quality example is the word "RED" printed in yellow ink. The individual should say yellow instead of red. This exercise becomes so tricky for the mind due to the fact that the words themselves have a strong effect on your ability or effectiveness to say the word. The interference or confusion between the information your brain receives causes a great confusion. Due to this great confusion two main theories have been developed the theory of speed processing and selective attention theory. The speed processing theory consists of the fact that words are identified and processed quicker than color so when you are instructed to read the color your brain processes the information slower. The other theory that was developed due to this effect consist of the confusion occurring because it requires more attention to identify colors and name them than just reading words, this theory is known as the Selective attention theory. As the mind becomes more developed and reading becomes more of a daily activity, this experiment confuses the mind even more. If this experiment were to be conducted on an illiterate person or a child that does not know how to read at a decent level this experiment would come very easily to them since colors are easier for them to recognize than words.The confusion in the brain occurs in the cingulate area. This area of the brain lies between the left and right portions of the frontal brain and is responsible for some of the thought process and emotional responses.

Source: "Neuroscience for Kids" / http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html

The Myth of Multitasking-Christine Rosen

Why is multitasking considered by many psychologists to be a myth?
Multitasking is considered a myth because psychologoists have discovered multitasking is just a natural response to the hyperkinetic enviorment in which we live and in which there is always something constantly ocurring. Multitasking ccan be defined as task-switching that leads to a less productive individual.

To what does the term "response selection bottleneck" refer?
This response refers to a situation in which the brain is forced to respond to several activities at once. As a result of this task-switching time is lost in considerable amounts due to the fact that the brain takes longer to choose what task to perform first.


David Meyer has found that multitasking contributes to the release of stress hormones and adrenaline. Why is this important?
Contrary to other psychologists Meyer believes individuals can train their body to multitask. Though he found trough this constant task-switching the brain releases stress hormones and adrenaline which can contribute to long term health problems. This realease of hormones should be controlled due to the fact that it can also contributes to the loss of short-term mmeory. In a world so bust multitasking can sometimes become unvoluntarily and highly risky.

Explain what Russell Podrack found regarding multitasking.
Russell discovered trough study that multitasking severly affects you learning skills make them less felxible or more specialized. Even though you retain certain information it is then harder to retrieve or rebember the information. He then concluded humans are not built to live such a busy lifestyle and become less efficent in the long run even though they appear more efficent.

What does the author conclude could happen to our culture as a result of increased multitasking?
The author mentions how we will probably naturally adjust to our busy enviorment which may lead to long term health problems or a decline in productivity. Our future cultures
will become aware of several things but wont be able to really process or learn them leading to a culture weak in wisdom but big in information.

The Story Mbuti Tribes

Times, people, society and technology change and evolve but a tribe that has remained loyal to their roots and beliefs has been the Bambuti tribes. This African tribe is classified as pygmy hunters that live in the Congo region of Africa. This tribe is considered one of the oldest indigenous society in Africa. The Bambuti tribes are characetrized for being very solitary individuals and like to travel in small bands of 15 to 60 people. This small group is then divided into four different cultures which are the Efe, the Sua, the Mbuti and the Aka which is consideres the smallest group or divison. This people are caracterized for living under a very strict set of rules and traditions one of their strongests beliefs consists of family unit. Each house in a village holds a family unit. These houses are temprary due to the fact that Mbuti people are considered hunters and gathers so as dry season arrives they miggrate closer to the rain forest. The Mbuti tribes are self sustainable and famous for their wide range of variety in goods and food. Such an intresting tribe called the attention of the famous British anthropologist Collin Turnbull. Collin observed this tribes in their native area for long period of times and decided to change things up a bit when he took one of the few Mbuti translators with him on an expedition and was astonished by the small and restriced perception of the world the Mbuti posessed. This translator was in shock when he was able to view large areas of land without trees due to the fact that he was so acucustomed to an area filled with trees and restricted view or panaroma. The translator from the Mbuti was also surprised when he observed bulls running towards him and perceived their change in size. The translator was tricked by optical illusion. These were some of the small but significant discoveries Collin achieved troughout his extensive study of the Mbuti tribes. Collin helped modern society understand how these pymgies have such a small understanding of the modern and outside world they view something as common as optical illusion as magic.

The Great Colin Turnbull

Turnbull was born in London and became an outstanding student focused on philosophy, politics and music. As he ended his studies he decided to join the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. This reserve focused on Indian religion and philospohy in India. After his ingression to the Reserve Colin worked with an expert in Pygmy tribes and became very intrested in African tribes. He then took a motorcyle trip and focused his interest in the Pygmies. Colin visited Africa and the Pygmies a total of six times, he studied their religion, language and native music. After his acquired experience with African tribes Colin created several documentaries and work focused on African tribes especially the Pygmies. During one of his visits Colin fell in love with Joe Towels, a poor african man. They moved together to New York and started an open gay relationship. After Joe's death from AIDS Turnbull decided to experience life as a Buddhists munk to reach inner peace after obesrving the rituals of several African tribes. Turnbull finally died of pneumonia but troughout his life African roots, traditions and tribes were always present in his books, daily actvities and most of all his legendary work and research.

"colinturbull.com"

"minnesotastateuniveristy,mankato"

Likes and Dislikes!!

I LIKE:

1. Pasta: My mom used to eat tons of pasta when she was pregnant and that influenced my taste and favoritism towards pasta

2. Gym: I'm very lousy at school sports so going to a gym is a way of exercising in a relaxing style for me.

3. Sleeping: I recently read sleeping keeps you young and skinny so sleeping at least eight hours is a must in my daily life.

4. Jeremy: Jeremy is my two and a half year boyfriend he brings peace and love into my life and reminds me of fun and emotional memories.

5. Getting a manicure: I love feeling groom and getting a manicure is a way of tretaing myself and it helps me feel clean.

I DISLIKE:

1.Toxic: The song Toxic my Britney Spears reminds me of when my friends got into a fight with me and would not let me practice dancing Toxic with them. Toxic reminds me of a tough period in which i felt excluded.

2. Being Late: For me inpuctuality is something unacceptable and means goign to staurday suspension

3. P.E. : P.E. brings back memories of my childhood and how I had a hard time jumping the rope and was humilitaed infront of all my classmates.

4. Food: I hate not knowing what to eat it frustrates me and upsets me very easily because it reminds me of my friend Helene and how she hates not knowing what to eat too.

5. Disney: disney is supposed to be happy but for me its a place where everyone looks sweaty and smells bad. Ive gone 19 times to Disney and extremely dislike it

"OUR" PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD

Perception can be refered as the process in which our mind identifies, organizes and interprates senosry impressions and images and then gives them a meaning according to our surroundings. That is why we all have our own idea of the "real" world. Internal factors such as our personality and mood influence our perception. A clear examples can be our eyes and how we receive colors and how we interpret them and may like or dislike them. A colorblind may find a painting or sketch completely different that a completely heallthy person. Another example can be our habits I personally like to do homework watching T.V, while someone else might find that completely distracting. This habits makes me a multitasking individual. Knowledge can also become an internal factor due to the fact that our acquired knowedge becomes part of our daily activities. A person who knows about the columbian exchange and slavery can relate the present demography of Mexico with the past. Perception is not only affected by our inside mind and our mood but our surroundings and our roots. These are the experiences that will influence your perception. The religion we all learned and truly believe and follow affect our view of the world even how we should dress and what we should eat. Muslim religion demonstartes this very cleary,muslim women should dress strictly conservative and being able to see their legs or arms is perceived as an insult. This is completely different from a jewish or catholic view of women. Another external factor can be your friends. Friends even though unaware play a humongous role in what you like to do, hang out and even wear. For example my best friend loves going to the gym and she would make me go with her even though I hated exercising, I soon started to enjoy going to the gym and it is now part of my daily routine. Our perception of the world is influenced by many things that can be divided into external and internal factors.

Perception IS Reality

In a society so violent, overwhelming, modern and full of turn moil, the phrase perception is reality is completely true. As we grow up and become developed human beings determined and 100% sure of what we want and what our goals and expectations in life are our point of view or perception becomes our reality. The majority of our life time we experience and live in this constant struggle and fight to achieve our goals and pursuit our dreams. This struggle we live in daily becomes our lifestyle in which we experience and even learn from our previous mistakes. It is due to this amazing journey, childhood background and fulfilling experiences that we develop unique opinions on EVERYTHING. We don´t only develop unique opinions but tastes, choices and even images of life. This perception or point of view comes from a certain lived experience or a peculiar memory that has shaped up how we think and that way of thinking has become so important in our life its is now part of our reality.

A great example is Fransesca, one of my best friends. As a small girl Fransesca loved eating seafood until she got food poisoned in a seafood restaurant and ended up being hospitalized and was about to experience death. This traumatizing experience has led her to hate or strongly dislike seafood she cant even tolerate the smell and she strongly believes seafood contributes to the cruel death of millions of anaimals and is harmful for the human health. Fransesca´s cruel experience with seafod has led her to believe seafood is not beneficial and actually harms the human health this point of view has become her reality because she now has a completely different diet plan. The truth is your perception on various things in life is so strong it unconsciously becomes part of your reality and your way of life.

WHY PSYCHOLOGY?

Why Psychology? That is the question various people have asked me...well the awnser is very simple I LOVE psychology. Psychology can definitely classify as a passion in my life, last year I discovered how psychology does influence every aspect in your life. It not only influences your life but troughout history it has drastically helped people change and have a better grasp of themselves and their true behavior. Psychology has drastically impacted society due to the fact that thank's to psychology's existence humas are aware being different and reacting different is actually normal and completely acceptable. Psychology has created a different reality for every mind, soul and character.