Overconfidence: This is the best article ever

It has got to be one of the most interesting topics in psychology, and one of the most truthful. Everyone thinks that their situation is better than everyone else's. When someone asks you to put on sunscreen most of us think, "I never get sunburned." What is it about humans that makes everyone so confident about how their situation is?
A couple of classic examples. For some reason and I do not know why, everyone thinks that their baby is the cutest thing in the world. The baby could look like Francesca Schiavone and the parents would still think it is cute. He could be fat, have one eye, and one leg really fat and the other regular sized yet the parents still call it cute. I do not get it. The reason is because overconfidence. When the parents look at their baby, it looks better to them then to other people. You know what else I find. Everyone thinks they are good looking. Its like when they look in the mirror they see a different person than themselves. Overconfidence. When people look at their fantasy football team, it looks better to them than to anyone else. Overconfidence. When people eat their food they think it is better than it really is. Overconfidence.
I still do not know why in every case, without fail, people think they are better than they really are, but it is a phenomenon that I will never be able to comprehend fully. Oh yeah, and one of the best examples is driving. Everyone thinks they are a better driver than they really are, and that is one I really do not understand because there are so many accidents that happen on the streets these days so someones got to be a bad driver.
I wonder if Moshe Rabbeinu had to deal with the problem of overconfidence. They do say he was the most humble person ever.
An experiment was conducted by Ohio State University psychologist Phillip Tetlock in which he brought in a bunch of experts to predict the future for the next five years in South Africa and the Soviet Union in terms of military, politics, and economy and he also asked them to put how confident they were that this would happen next to it. After five years, Tetlock invited the experts back to explain their prediction and he found that the ones who felt 80% confident or more about the situation were right less than 40% of the time. Despite the fact that everyone did not do so well on this test, the ones who got it wrong felt as if they were almost right.
We do not really know what the reason is for overconfidence (it probably is just something most of us are born with) and it is also possible that is something we just can't rid ourselves of, just ask Ethan Cooper.

Hindsight Bias

Ethan Cooper

A Young Money Militia

Hindsight-Bias: The Phrase I was Looking for

     I would be the first one to admit that I was terrified coming into this AP. I did not fear the difficulty or rigor involved in taking the course, nor did I believe I would fail to keep up my solid GPA. What I failed above all was that this course would be too much work for what it really is, a fairly simple AP (yes I am saying this as a student who hasn't taken the AP before). A few weeks ago, I opened up that awe-inspiring email dubbed "AP Psychology Summer Work" and immediately thought to myself, "This woman is out of her mind." However, after three hours of mere boredom of working on the assignment, I came across a vocabulary phrase that had me jumping with joy. The phrase I came across was "Hindsight-Bias." 

     This concept has been on my mind for years; however, I had always struggled to fit it into a phrase. Hindsight-bias, the "I would have done that" phenomenon, can be described in the following story: Rick Rescorla, the head of security at Morgan Stanley in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, immediately became aware of the destruction of North Tower. However, basic protocol stated that when one tower was in danger, do not evacuate the other tower. Rescorla did not heed to this advice, and evacuated the South Tower, saving over 3,000 employees at Morgan Stanley. Unfortunately, Rescorla did not make it out. 

     I share this story with you for two reasons. First, people need to know Rescorla's story, for it is incredible and motivational. Second, everyone I shared the story with gave me the exact same response: "What's so crazy about with Rescorla did? Obviously I would have evacuated the building." All of these "haters" I have shared the story with fall victim to the concept of "Hindsight-bias." They are under the impression that in the moment, they would have acted the same way. However, the only reason they would act this way is because they have seen the way it played out, and they would believe that they would do the same. This concept also deals with the idea that humans are overconfident, and tend to think they are always right and bound to make impeccable decisions. 

     I have enjoyed AP Psych thus far tremendously. Concepts like hindsight-bias and overconfidence are two terms that I have run into thus far that have had me excited for the year.

One last note: I was reading the rubric to the blogging grades and I think there is something seriously flawed. I respect proper grammar and diction; however, giving students a grade on matters as trivial as that discourages creative thinking (because students will not write as much and be forced to re-read what they have written to make sure its grammatically sound). I feel more inclined to share my ideas when I am not graded on them. Just a thought. 

Falling for psych

I always looked at most sciences from an evolutionary viewpoint. That is, I see the sciences as constantly developing and improving, much the same as evolution works on the natural world. Yet, I never really thought of psychology like that. In fact, I never really thought of psychology as a science at all. I always assumed that if one goes into psychology, the only place you would end up would be in a shiny, lacquered leather chair asking, "So, how does that make you feel?". During the summer while working in DC I figured I would read the summer assignment as I made the commute every day, eventually finishing the work after a couple weeks train rides. I could not have been more wrong. From the moment I opened the document I was intrigued, fascinated by the multifaceted field of psychology. I've always had an interest in psychology and knew that Freud wasn't the "inventor" of the field, yet I never gave much thought to what happened before him. Yet when reading and learning in class about how the leading thinkers of philosophy, for instance a TIME 100 Most Influential Person of All Time Socrates, had really started the entire study of the human mind. However it was only when we glanced at the full breadth of psychology, and the long process that it took to get to where it is now, that I truly fell for it. The far reaching intellectual fingers of psychology that reach into every nook and cranny had caught me as well. I was surprised to find out that psychology had applications in the evolutionary and neuroscience field. It was a shock when, in class, I realized that most of the class was not actually going to be how people think but rather more biological or neurological topics. With its great diversity of subjects, psychology had me as a fan.

The Nature-Nurture Debate

We've been back in school for barely two weeks, and already some of the things I've learned in this class has made my head spin. For instance, when I first read about the hindsight bias, it blew my mind. It actually made me think about several instances where the hindsight bias may or may not have affected my judgement. However, the extra push of excitement was provided to me by the details of the nature-nurture debate. What I loved about it was, here are all of these famous philosophers I've been learning about since the 7th grade, and they're still influencing how I view not just history but the present world thousands of years after their ideas have either been disproven or expounded on. I loved reading about the different theories regarding whether ideas are inborn or developed; it got me to thinking about if I share some of the ideas my parent's have because they pass them on to me or if I developed them because I grew up in their household. It also had me asking theoretical questions, like about how somebody like Socrates or Aristotle viewed the world now that their theories have been disproven. For example, I read in Unit 3A that Aristotle believed the mind was in the heart. We all know nowadays that the mind is in the head, so when we think, we feel like we're thinking with our head. Did Aristotle feel like he was thinking with his heart? These ideas and the questions they present, both theoretical and substantial, have me psyched (get it?) for what may come our way throughout this course.

Psychology is so much Biology

I was very interested by something one of the PHDs at Hope College spoke about in the Chapter 1 video we watched in class today. The man spoke about how so much of psychology directly involves biology. And it is true. I had never really thought about it that way, but in fact every time you have a sensation or perform an action, it does not just happen magically. All of our behaviors result from functions happening inside of our bodies.

I read in Chapter 3a of our book how the nervous system works and how people react and respond to stimuli. The central nervous system is composed of the spinal cord and the brain. Neural fibers ascend and descend through the central nervous system. I had never considered all the biology that is involved in how people react. But I found out that reactions are caused by a process where sensory neurons sense something externally, then the information ascends and descends neural fibers, and the result is a reflex triggered by motor neurons. A specific example is the knee jerk response. When your knee is tapped, that feeling sensed by the sensory neurons, the neurons that carry incoming information from receptors to the brain and spinal cord, is sent up through one simple neural pathway. Then, your knee jerks due to the action caused by the information being sent through your motor neurons, which are the neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands. In the end, reflexes do not just "magically happen."

So in essence, by signing up for AP Psych this year I simultaneously signed up for a biology class.

Welcome to AP Psychology 2012-2013

Welcome to AP Psychology 2012-2013.

Below is the Blog Post Rubric for our class blog...

Blog Post Rubric

In an effort to encourage collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking, each week you will be responsible to write one new blog post and to respond to one blog post from your classmates.  In order to hold you accountable, you will be graded on these posts!

If there is a prompt on the blog, you will be required to respond to that particular prompt in your post (the prompt could be a video, article, question, cartoon etc.). If there is no prompt, you can be creative in your post and can bring in your own thoughts or resources concerning the topic that we are studying during that particular week.

I look forward to using this blog as a means to share ideas and reflections as we embark on our study of Navi.

You will be graded according to the following rubric:

BLOG REFLECTION RUBRIC

OUTCOME ASSESSED	Beginning	Developing	Proficient		Strong	WEIGHT	VALUE
	1	7	9	10
Overall Use of Blogs	Blog entries are few and generally simple retellings of personal events. No comments are made on blogs of others.	Almost all required blog entries and comments have been completed.	A blog entry and comment is submitted, though not all of them may give evidence of a substantial contribution.	A blog entry and comment is submitted, both of which are substantial. Beyond the required post, your blog includes many more reflections.		40%
Intellectual Engagement with Key Concepts	Blog entries make no reference to issues raised through readings and/or class activities.	Blog entries make some reference to issues raised through readings and/or class activities.	Blog entries demonstrate awareness of most of the key issues raised through readings and/or class activities.	Blog entries demonstrate engagement with the important issues raised through readings and/or class activities.		25%
Personal Response to Key Concepts	Blog entries show no personal response is made to the issues/concepts raised in the readings/activities.	Blog entries convey little evidence of a personal response to the issues/concepts raised in the readings/activities.	Blog entries convey evidence of a personal response to the issues raised in the readings/ activities, and demonstrate that the author is capable of reflecting on learning, technology, and society.	Blog entries convey extensive evidence of a personal response to the issues raised in the readings/ activities, and demonstrate the author's growth through reflection on learning, technology and society.		25%
Engaged Writing	Blog entries use incorrect grammar and syntax consistently, making it difficult for others to follow.	Blog entries demonstrate some evidence of correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. Audience will have little trouble reading your blog.	Blog entries show a good command of Standard English. No problems for your audience.	Blog entries show a very good command of Standard English and have some flair and originality.		10%

Social Facilitation

There are 5 tics left on the clock and your team is down by one point. The coach calls a time-out and goes over the last play of the game. The coach tells you he’s going with you! It’s in your hands! The whole season comes down to this one basketball game, to this one final play. Win here and your team goes on to the next round in the tournament. Lose here and the season’s over. The crowd is going crazy. Both benches are on their feet. Finally, you get the ball and nail the shot!

Haven't you ever wondered how basketball players can undergo so much pressure and yet still pull through?? I always tell my parents not to come to my basketball games because it makes me too nervous, and then I just throw the ball in the air. This brings us to social facilitation. These professional basketball players are so talented that the crowd and the pressure actually help them!! However, I wonder if there is a difference between the crowd being on your side or against you. Aside from being physically fit and strong, I'm sure these players also have a lot of mental toughness. They don't freak out every time they miss a shot, they just move on and wait for their next open shot. They have to reassure themselves that it is okay and that they are still a great player. So why do people 'boo' the opposing player shooting the free throw? I actually have no idea. If all the fans took Mrs. Perl's psychology class they would know that their 'boo''s and distractions are only helping the player make the shot! Poor fans..

Finished! What I liked...

This week, something exciting happened- we took our last chapter test and finished the book! Now all we have  to do is study for the AP, which is one week, and then we are done. Since we are reviewing all chapters now, I decided that I would share just a few of the things that I found interesting when we learned.

1. The Nature Nurture Debate: I liked chapter 3 because I really liked reading about the adoption studies and the twin studies, and the twins who were separated at birth. The book talked about a few different cases of identical twins who never knew each other but were living very similar lives. I particularly liked the following story: One of the brothers explained his obsessive cleaning by saying that it was in reaction to his adopted mother, who was a complete slob. The other brother explained his obsessive cleaning by saying that it was because of his mother, who was a complete neat freak. Genetics at work... :)

2. I liked chapters 5 and 6, because although at the time it was all very confusing, it's actually really interesting to know how we sense and perceive the world around us. Now we know all about wavelengths, frequencies, the color spectrum, pitch, and things that we are actually doing in Dr. Braby's class! Also, I just find it fascinating that we can perceive so much and without effort.

3. I loved learning about the psychological disorders, because although they are weird they are all fascinating.

4. I liked learning about operant conditioning, because one week later I went to the zoo and I knew how they trained the seals to do the tricks at the seal show.

5. I liked chapter 18 because it's all fascinating, the bystander effect, the chameleon effect, social loafing and social facilitation...

We learned so much, and in one week we are going to take an AP and get 5s!!! School is almost over :)

Stereotype

We have learned about stereotyping that it is a kind of prejudice where you form an attitute towars someone or some group before even knowing anything about the person, or generalizing it.

I was always wondering what a reason could be for why people tend to stereotype all the time.

One reason that I was given through my learning psychology is that we do not like those who are different than us, the "out group" therefore we tend to form attitutes about these certain kinds of people saying that they are all that way since we also judge them from their doings (since we do not know them) and not from their personalities.

I still do not understand, how humans are very aware of this fact that we all stereotype and that it is mostly false and ridiculous,(It is in our psychology book so it must mean that people are aware of it) yet we still tend to stereotype and do not learn from this idea.

Why is that? Is is because we are predisposed to do some, and from and evolutionary perspective this helps us survive and beware of the unknown, or is it just ignorance, that people simply enjoy stereotyping and disliking people who are not like them?

hello my dear fellow classmates,
so today i read about the effects of attribution. When we observe actions of strangers, we often attribute it to their internal personalities rather than to the situation. This can cause consequences and effects to arise.
Conservatives will look at the poor and simply judge that they situation is due to their personality. They are lazy and dont try to do anything in order to improve their lives. Liberals are more prone to say that prejudice, inequality, and poor education that is the cause of their poverty. The situation causes them to be poor, not their personality.
I found it so interesting that certain people can misattributed certain situations. It just shows us how careful we need to be in order to give a person the benefit of the doubt and not automatically assume that peoples flaws and bad situations are due to their personality.