Stages of Development:

Psychology was more interesting this week in my point of view.  To keep it general; we learned about the developmental stages of a child.  Jean Piaget was a powerful contributor.  He developed the theory of object permanence.  This is when a child cognitively knows something still exists, even when they cannot see it.

There are 4 stages leading up to a child achieving object permanence.  The first stage is when an infant cannot follow an object in front of their face with their eyes.  The second stage is when an infant can follow an object with their eyes.  Although, if they can't see it, they do not know it still exists.  The third stage is when a child will search for an object where it usually is kept.  It can cause the child to become confused if they do not find it.  Lastly, the fourth step is when the child reaches the object permanence level.

Piaget also created the 4 stages of cognitive development.  From birth to 2 years is the Sensorimotor stage, or stage one.  This is when a child's thinking is displayed in their actions, like using their senses to judge.  From 2 to 6 years is the Preoperational stage, or stage 2.  This is when language first appears in children.  They also use representational thinking, like drawing pictures.  From 6 to 12 years is the Concrete operational stage, or stage 3.  This is when children are able to imagine events occurring outside of their lives.  They are also able to think about past, present, and future times.  Finally, from 12 years to adulthood is the Formal operational stage, or stage 4.  Teens and adults are now able to think abstract and hypothetically.  They form their own personal ideals, values, and can use logic to solve problems.      

  

In Sociology I learned about Erik Erikson.  He gave a different view point of how children develop.  If you're interested, you should check out this website [http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/erickson.shtml] and tell me what you think!

Questions?  Comments?  Concerns?  Post your thoughts!

Brain Disorders:

This week in Psychology we continued learning about the brain, but we focused on brain disorders.  A brain disorder is an abnormality in the brain that results in impared functioning or thinking.  Brain disorders are very common, and usually occur during development in utero, or after a serious head injury.

I realized I knew more than I thought about brain disorders as each group presented.  Epilepsy is the disorder my group presented.  It was very personal to Alyssa and I.  We each have a family member with the disorder, so we had a bit of extra information rather than just research.  In brief, Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder.  It occurs when the brain sends electrical impulses quicker than normal, which triggers unexpected seizures.  Other than Epilepsy, I found Synesthesia to be a very confusing, yet intruging disorder.

Synesthesia is a disorder when a person's sensory organs pick up more than one sensation.  For example: A person with Synesthesia could smell images, taste words, or even hear colors.  It is thought that Synesthesia can be hereditary, yet it is more common in women.  It is also a thought that many famous people from our history had this disorder.  Below is a picture showing what color each person saw while playing the piano.

      

After doing a little more research on Synesthesia and seeing this picture, I realized many talented people had a brain disorder and still did impressive things.  Each presentation in class also showed me that all brain disorders aren't bad.  Savant syndrome is a disorder that gives people intense concentration so that they can focus and basically become a master at something that really interests them.  Most savants still suffer from poor social, comprehension, or communication skills; yet they have amazing memory, artistic, or even musical skills.  

Questions?  Comments?  Concerns?  Post your thoughts!

Memory:

This week in class we focused on the brain; its multiple parts, and its complex functions.

The image on the right shows the major parts of the human brain.  Each part controls specific functions of our bodies.  One of its most important functions is creating and storing our unique memories.  The power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained is a specific definition of memory.  Memory can be categorized into three basic stages, including: Encoding- transferring information so the nervous system can process it. Storage- the process by which information is remembered over a period of time, and Retrieval- the process of obtaining information that has been stored in memory.

Memory can also be categorized into three types, including: Sensory memory- very short memory storage immediately following initial stimulation of a receptor.  Short term memory- the capacity for holding a small amount of information in mind in an active, readily available state for a short period of time, and Long term memory- the storage of an unlimited amount of information over an extended period of time, perhaps even forever.

I found an online memory test that will unknowingly test you on the stages and types of memory, while incorporating a Christmas spirit.  If interested, take the test at:  http://en.nienteansia.it/tests/visual-photographic-memory-test.html.  Let me know your results!

Questions?  Comments?  Concerns?  Post your thoughts!