Blog Post #7

Sensation is what we sense in our environment. We use all of our senses (hear, feel, touch, smell, see) in this process. Our nervous system plays a big part in sensation, having our sensory receptors telling us to respond to whatever we sense. Perception is taking what we sense in our environment, and breaking it down into what it really means. For example, we could sense that something is brushing up against our body, but it would take perception to figure out just what the thing is.

Even though I've learned about this in previous science classes, I think it's always intriguing to learn more about color vision. The example given in the book shows us how a tomato really is everything but red, because it rejects the long wavelengths of the color red. The book also mentions that we can discrimante about 7 million different colors variations-that is absolutely crazy. But about everyone 1 in 50 people is color blind. It's usually a male that is affected, because this defect is sex linked. I also learned that according to the Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory, our the retinas in our eyes contain three different color receptors, and when they are stimulated in any combination, we can percieve pretty much any color. Learning about this helps me to realize why we visually see things the way we do.

I typed in "sensation" and read the article "Seven Ways Music Influences Mood." Having a strong sensation is one of the top reasons. It says that music can provide deep, thrilling, emotional experiences, especially if you are performing. Also on the list was entertainment, revival, diversion, discharge, mental work, and solace. Altogether these seven objectives have a main goal-to control and improve a mood. I can totally relate to this article. I have a very big passion for music and I resort to it in pretty much any situation. Music is a way for me to relax and just think about something else for the time being.

Blog Post #6

While interviewing my Grandma for our "Historical Perspective on Adolescence" assignment, I was very surprised by the fact that she said she never had homework in high school. I can't even imagine my life without homework, since it pretty much takes over my life. I think life is easier now with all of the technological advances we have, but at the same time, we have so much more stuff to learn about these days, that the actual schooling is harder, in my opinion. I like being a teenager this day in age so I don't think I would go back. Adolescence will always be a hard time in your life no matter which era you live in.

I'd say I've lived up my "adolescent" period. There has always been drama, but when the going gets tough-you just have to be tougher. I think the video was good at pointing out that parents should be close with their kids, but not too close, they need to keep a distance. I agree with this concept, and this is how my own parents are, for the most part. I tell them what's going on in my life, and in return for my honesty, they trust me to go out and make responsible decisions. Because of this, I believe going into adulthood will be an easy transition for me. I have always been dependable and liable and I don't see that changing in the future.

I found it interesting in Chapter 4 of all different kinds of norms from all over the world. We even discussed some of these in class and I was just so confused as to why some countries would allow people to do such things! For instance, the example in the book shows that in Scotland you can leave your baby in its stroller outside a store if you go shopping. To me, that is absolutely outrageous!! I could never ever do this to a kid close to me, let alone my own! As for Chapter 5, I learned the basic levels of moral thinking. I did my Go! Animate video on this topic. Preconventional morality occurs in children, often before age nine. They only obey rules if they know they'd get punished otherwise, or if they'll be rewarded. Conventional morality is the next level, in early adolescence one focuses on caring for others and laws and rules, simply because it is a law or rule. The final level is postconventional morality, where people's decisions and actions are based on what they think is ethically right.

Blog Post #5

I learned from Chapter 4 things I learned in my Biology class, such as DNA, chromosomes, and genes. I learned the difference between fraternal and identical twins. Fraternal twins are from different fertilized eggs, while identical twins develop from a single fertilized egg. Shared genes can lead into shared experiences. For example, if one twin has Alzheimers', the probability of the other twin developing the illness is extremely likely. I learned that each cultural group has a norm, or rules for accepted and expected behavior. A norm mentioned that I thought was odd, was that the British have a norm for waiting in line. I also learned that human males and females ten to be more alike than different, and I never really realized that. We have the same senses and a very similar genetic makeup. As always, I was intrigued to learn all of these new things, it's very interesting to see just how unique we humans are.