The Chinese Bamboo

If you are lost, if you feel empty and as though you have not achieved anything...
Here is a great motivating video (notice that you can also watch it even if you do not feel the above ):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU8DBX_0Rvg&feature=player_embedded

questions: It what way was this Rabbi able to modivate the yound troubled man?

Do you think that is a good motivation method?- why?

Side point: Notice that this shows, that we must be careful in life since we do not always realize everything that is going on- especially when it is hidden from our eyes. Furthermore, we must always remember that every action counts and is important, and most importantly matters.

I hope I have motivated you to cherish your life, and live life to it's fullest :)

What really modivates you?

We have learned about the different things that motivate us, and I have realized that some of those things really are true and apply to me, but is it possible that some people are more motivated by some things while others are motivated by other things?
For example, someone studying for a test, is he motivated since he wants to get a good grade?
or is he modivated because he actually wants to know the material?
Is there a similarity between people? -Such as that teenagers have more similar motivations for doing things, and is there a way to measure this motivation and can it be improved somehow?

Jewish and Skinny

In chapter 12 we learn a lot about eating disorders. As I was googling eating disorders, a number of articles popped up that had to do with Jewish girls and eating disorders. According to Adrienne Ressler, an eating disorder specialist,"there has been a 500 percent increase in the number of women treated for eating disorders in the United States who identify themselves as Jewish." I found the numbers shocking and I started to think why this is the case. As we are all aware, there are MANY Jewish holidays. The first day back to school after Rosh Hashana everyone is always complaining how much they ate and how they feel absolutely disgusting. Not only are there so many holidays where we eat feast after feast, but every week (shabbos) we take part in multiple course meals where the food seems to be never ending. Some experts argue that the pressure of early marriages within the Jewish community also contributes to a girl’s fears of weight gain and her obsession over her body image. From this we can see that culture certainly does play a role in eating disorders and other motivational behaviors. It is sad truth that needs to be fought.
As a side note I would like to point out the need for sensitivity to this subject. Girls often make sarcastic comments about anorexia, obesity, etc. You often hear comments such as "that's all you're eating for lunch, you're so anorexic!" Although people are only kidding, I believe people need to be more sensitive to this subject especially because it is so prevalent amongst teenage girls.

16 and Pregnant

Chapter 12 discusses teen pregnancy and how it can occur. The reasons include ingnorance, guilt related to sexual activity, minimal communication about birth control, alcohol use and mass media norms of unprotected sex. Many teens simply do not know about ways to protect themselves from pregnancy or do not think they will become pregnant so they do not take precautions. If you think about it, it is seen as socially acceptable to have children on TV without being married or without a romantic relationship.
It seems crazy to me that girls would not try to protect themselves, if they knew that they might be at risk for becoming pregnant, but I was surprised to find how many people are not aware of ways to protect themselves in the first place.
The show 16 and pregnant came to mind right when I read this part of the chapter because it shows the lives of teen moms throughout their pregnancies and for the first few months of their child's lives. From this show it is easy to see that these girls have difficult lives. They have hardships because of school, their parents and their boyfriends. However, do you think that by putting this show on TV people will be lead to learn from this and stop getting pregnant? Do you think that these TV shows have any influence on people positively or negatively? And, is it possible to make people more aware that they need to use protection or are people just going to continue to get pregnant?
It seems to me that people need to be more educated, so maybe this show, or other shows that try to communicate ways to approach sex and teen pregnancy could possibly have an affect on those who would not learn about it any other way.

Motivation

The video we watched today with Mrs. Perl was very interesting. It said that people work better when they are given simple, straightforward tasks as opposed to rudimentary cognitive skills. This is true even when the pay is better for the cognitive skill. When people are given simple, staight-forward tasks they do well, but when tasks get more complicated and require conceptual, creative thinking, they don't perform as well.

People perform best under pure, undiluted autonomy. People are more motivated when they feel that they have a purpose. When people are motivated because they have a feeling of purpose, they work better and are much more dedicated.

At first, hearing this was surprising to me. I thought that people worked better when offered a reward, no matter what the task. It certainly seems that way. But when I stopped to think about it, I realized that I actually work harder when I am personally motivated to do something. There have been times when I have worked extremely hard to accomplish something because I was personally dedicated to the project, and wanted to feel the satisfaction felt when one does a job well done. For instance (and I know this a little different) play. At first I wanted to do well because we are expected to put on a performance. But I became much more dedicated after I realized that my motivation for joining the play was because I want to prove to myself that I can accomplish many things and want to know that I can do a good job. I don't even care about how well it goes, as long as I feel I am succeeding in my role. Yes, once I was purposefully motivated, my performance, I think, improved.

Have you ever had this happen? Being motivated to do something for your own reasons, and not because of the reward? Have you ever not been motivated even when money was involved?

Hello my dear fellow classmates,
So we just started chapter 12 about motivation today and watched a wonderful video. In the video there was one fact that simply baffled me. The video explained that when we are given a mechanical task, the greater the reward we receive the better our performance due to our motivation. However, for cognitive skills, the greater the reward the lower the performance. Isnt that interesting? why do you think that happens?
Furthermore, this reminds me of an article from the time magazine a while ago. The article spoke about anxiety and that some sort of anxiety is actually a good motivator for our performance. So do you think that perhaps the people mentioned before did so poorly because they were so anxious due to the fact taht there was such internal pressure on them to win that large amount? if so, why did taht not happen to those people who had to do a mechanical task?

What's My Beef?

"Standardized tests are believed to be one of the most effective tools for predicting student success in college." Whether you believe that or not, it’s a fact that many colleges require either the ACT or SAT before granting your admission to their schools and an impressive score on one of these tests is what ultimately sets you apart from other applicants. Every Wednesday on my dad's radio show, he has "What's your beef Wednesday" where listeners call in to express what is really getting to them. One Wednesday I would love to call in and discuss my beef with standardized tests. Why are they such a big deal? Why do parents pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for their kids to be tutored on the SAT/ACT, for a test!?! Many people say that the best way to study for these tests is to actually KNOW how the test works, not the material. After everything we have learned this week, we've realized that there is actually more to intelligence than just school smarts. You may get straight A's your whole life, but you may have no sense of communicating. I don't care if you are as smart as Albert Einstein, if you cannot have a conversation with someone then you probably won't be successful in life. My mom always tells me that it's so interesting to be a teacher because now that her students have families and are part of the working force, she can really see who is successful. She always tells me that people who were not necessarily the smartest in the class grade wise are now successful in all fields of life. So does it really matter what college you go to? I guess not. As long as you do well, you are bound to find success somewhere. I like hearing Mrs. Tsuna say that each year colleges are caring more about extra curriculars, volunteer work, etc. These are things that you are specifically talented in and colleges want to know that you have talents because grades and scores are not what sets you apart from everyone else. However, these scores are still extremely important, and if you have a low SAT score then you are almost guaranteed to be put into the 'NO' pile. It is a sad truth, but maybe in the near future there will be some other sort of test such as an emotional/creative/social test that can really show how successful you will be in life because colleges ultimately want students who will be successful and make a difference in the world.

Sensing Smells

Good evening my friends,
As I was reading through chapter 11, I found something funny that reminded me of our school. I find that I, and many other girls, tend to comment on the smells in school. Whenever I walk into a classroom it seems to smell different every time! Whether it is the smell of chulent cooking for mishmar in the halls, or the smell of coffee or dirty socks or anything, I notice the smell! Well, the section that discusses the gender differences mentions that girls are more sensitive to touch, taste and odor, along with many other things. I thought of our school right away and realized that this makes perfect sense! As the chapters go on I continue to find myself learning things that explain why I behave in certain ways.

Intelligence

Chapter 11 is all about intelligence. Before we started the chapter, Mrs. Perl asked us what we thought intelligence was. I said an IQ test, others said social intelligence and street smarts. After learning the chapter we know that there are different types of intelligence. You can be academically smart, creatively intelligent, etc. However, sometimes we look at someone and we think that they really aren't intelligent, not in the slightest.

Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using abstract language and abstract concepts. It is also characterized by restricted and repetitive behavior. To us, it seems that autistic people aren't intelligent in any areas.

The following is a video about a girl who is autistic, and her parents never gave up on trying to help her. For years, it seemed that there would be no improvement, and that she was "stupid." One day she went to a computer and started typing... Watch the video!!

It shows us that intelligence comes in all forms...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZVV4Ciccg

Psychology at the Zoo

Last week, I went to the zoo with a family and I realized that everything we learn in psychology pops in our lives. Obviously it does, and I know it does, but it was just so very obvious that I thought I would share my experience with you all.

The family has a daughter who is maybe two, and we were walking along when she asked if she could see the doggies. We went to the giraffes, and she clapped for the doggies. The zebras, elephants, bears and wolves were all doggies as well. She has not yet learned to accommodate the information that tells her not all four-legged animals are dogs.

Then, we went to the seal show, and I noticed that every-time the seal trainer made a certain hand motion, the seal would do something and then get fish. I watched and thought I was so smart because I knew that they had used operant conditioning to train the seal. Then the woman actually told the crowd they used operant conditioning, and she explained what it was.

Don't you think it is interesting how psychology class "lives at the zoo?"

Hello my dearfellow classmates,
so this week we are leaning about intelligence.
Gardener recently claimed taht intelligence comes in many diffrenet ways. Even if you score low on an IQ test you can still be considered intelligent. Although many people would state that Michael Jordan isnt intelligent unless he scored highly on the IQ test, theyre assumptions are inccorect. According to Gardener Michael jordan is actually highly intelligent, just in a very different way than the intelligent test tests. I am inclined to agree withz him. Michael Jordan is definitely a genius since he can play basketball better than alsmost anyone we know! My question is the following: Why do you think that so many people incorrectly assume that there is only a certain type of intelligence(mostly school intelligence)? Do you think its fair and accurate to emasure someones inteliigence based on an IQ test? If not, why do we do it?

Riddles, Framing...

Chapter 10 was one of many interesting things. We discussed language, cognition, and problem solving.

I will discuss riddles, ways to solve them, and framing. Here is the riddle: A group of people stumble across a body. After examining the corpse, the group notes that the body is missing internal organs, but maintains that the victim died a natural death. What is the people's occupation, and in what country did they find the body? (answer will be at the bottom of this post)

Now, how would one go about solving this? There are 3 different approaches when it comes to problem solving: Algorithms, Heuristics, and Insight. An algorithm is a methodical, logical rule that guarantees a solution. Would you use an algorithm to try and solve this riddle?

Heuristics are educated guesses made from experience. Most likely you decided that you wouldn't use an algorithm, so perhaps a heuristic is the way to go. Did you at first try to use an algorithm?

Next we have insight, which is an AHA! moment, where the answer seems to just come to you in a flash of genius. Maybe the answer just came to you?

Think- if you solved the riddle without peaking at the answer, how did you first approach this problem?

The answer is -the people are archaeologists in Egypt who have just found a mummy.

If you didn't get the answer- what stopped you? Were you so focused on it being what you thought, based off other experience, that you couldn't get it?

It is interesting to note that sometimes we try and overcomplicate- we might say that the police found a man who had died in sleep but was missing his kidney or tonsils. Or something. The way this riddle was phrased didn't give anyone reason to think of Egypt and archaeologists- we try and leap to something drastic. It is a dead body! The way we frame riddles, and other things in life, can change the outcome entirely. For instance, the riddle Mrs. Perl gave about the father and son in the crash, and the mother surgeon. She stressed dad and son, and because we already don't tend to think of women as surgeons, we never guessed the mom!

If you tell someone "You're idea is stupid and dumb, I hate it!" they might get mad, but if you say "Maybe we can do something a little different, because I disagree with the idea," the person won't get mad. A doctor should say you have 90% chance of living rather than a 10% chance of dying, because although it is the same thing, how we word things makes a difference!

Hello my dear fellow classmates,
so today we learned about certain things that will cause us to simply be unable to solve certain problems. One of teh reasons why we are often unable to solve a problem and come to a wrong conclusion is due to teh fact that we tend to stereotype. We tend to only think of certain prototypes in our mind and are therefore unable to come up with the correct answer. Today we were faced with a lovely little riddle and of course nobody was able to come to the simple and what in hindsight seemed like such an obvious answer. I decided to presnt you guys with another riddle that will cause you to try to not think in a stereotypical manner and will cause you to ahve to think outside the box. I think taht now taht its the second riddle you will find teh answer!!! let me know what teh answer is and why you might have been mislead in teh past had you not been exposed to this type of riddle before.
A father and his son enter an airplane. They get to go to teh front of the plain and see the pilot. When the co-pilot sees taht a child has come into the area where only the pilots are allowed to be he asks for an explanation. The pilot explains to the co-pilot:"do not worry, hes supposed to be here, thats my child who just wanted to say bye to me before i fly the plane." How is taht possible?

Problem Solving in SAT and ACT

In class we learned that there are different things involved with Problem Solving such as either guessing and checking or following a systematic way of doing it. When I used to solve problems such as in the ACT or SAT math, I always followed the steps that we learned it class (not being aware of them). Now that I have thought of it though, I realized that I follow these steps and I therefore think that most people do too( Tel me if I am wrong). Therefore I guess, if someone knows how to solve a problem systematically, he has learned from exerience how to do it, or remembers how to solve something like that since he has done something simliar to that before.
I now do not understand anymore, how the ACT or SAT can measure ones intelligence by looking at their past problem solving skills if that mostly shows if you have done something like that before (Which does not show much, but that you remember that you have done something like that before). Maybe we will learn this in the next chapter, since it speaks about inteligence, but do you guys agree with me, or want to enlighten me about something?

My Grandfather

Imagine sitting at your shabbos table with all of your friends and family around the table. Someone makes a joke, and everybody bursts in to laughter. Yet, the person at the head of the table sits there silently because he cannot hear. This is my grandfather, or pawpaw. My grandfather wears a hearing aid. When I went to Florida for winter vacation, I started asking my grandparents a lot about pawpaw's hearing loss because of my recent knowledge on this topic from psychology class. I learned that my grandfather has sensorineural hearing loss. This is hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves. Occasionally, disease causes sensorineural hearing loss, but more often biological changes linked with aging and prolonged exposure to ear splitting noise or music that culprits. I learned that my grandfather fought in the Korean War (1950-1953) and the frequent, loud gunshots damaged his cochlea's hair cells. Though I was sad to learn this, I was very pleased when we all went to a movie together and I saw all of the accommodations that are made for the hearing impaired. Listening devices are available at the theater for the hearing impaired, AND there is now a new device where the bottom is put in the cup holder and a black wire juts out with a screen. On the screen, the words of the movie appear. This way my grandfather can read the words and watch the movie at the same time. It was very cool, and he even made a lot of friends because people kept coming up to him and asking him what that weird looking device was!
When I got back home, I researched more on hearing loss caused by war. I found out that hearing loss is now a silent epidemic in U.S. troops. "Hearing damage is the No. 1 disability in the war on terror, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs." The military has responded recently with better and easier-to-use earplugs, greater efforts to educate troops about protecting their hearing, and more testing in the war zone to detect ear injuries. Hopefully through time, this issue will be resolved!