Come to the Western Psychological Association and Talk to me about Google Glass
Here is what I am reading today:
“”The Squid and its Giant Nerve Fiber” was filmed in the 1970s at Plymouth Marine Laboratory in England. This is the laboratory where Hodgkin and Huxley conducted experiments on the squid giant axon in the 1940s. Their experiments unraveled the mechanism of the action potential, and led to a Nobel Prize. Long out of print, the film is an historically important record of the voltage-clamp technique as developed by Hodgkin and Huxley, as well as an interesting glimpse at how the experiments were done. QuickTime video excerpts from the film are presented here: Dissection and anatomy (J.Z. Young); Removing the mantle nerves (H. Meves); Cleaning and cannulating a giant fiber; Voltage clamping (P.F. Baker & A.L. Hodgkin); Injection & perfusion (R.D. Keynes).”
“That’s what researchers found when they played recordings of people for elephants in Kenya. Scientists say this is an advanced thinking skill that other animals haven’t shown. It lets elephants figure out who is a threat and who isn’t.
The result shows that while humans are studying elephants, the clever animals are also studying people and drawing on their famed powers of memory, said study author Karen McComb.”
“Semir Zeki is a well-known vision researcher who has made notable contributions to our understanding of color vision in primates. Since his original mapping studies, other researchers have made a few anatomical discoveries—in particular, the so-called color “globs,” which are millimeter-sized nodules in the part of the parvocellular (small cell) stream known as the V4 complex. Today Zeki has moved on to higher things and has just published a paper on the neural correlate of the experience of mathematical beauty.That may be an appropriate topic for a researcher at the apex of their career, but it seems we still have much to learn about the more mundane experience of color.”
“Every March, BAW unites the efforts of partner organizations worldwide in a celebration of the brain for people of all ages. Activities are limited only by the organizers’ imaginations and include open days at neuroscience labs; exhibitions about the brain; lectures on brain-related topics; social media campaigns; displays at libraries and community centers; classroom workshops; and more. Interested in getting involved? Visit Become a Partner for more information.”
“The paper, aptly titled “Blurred Lines? Sexual Aggression and Barroom Culture,” after the summer hit by Robin Thicke Kathryn Graham, was published earlier this week in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. “Its not a blurred line, its a pretty easy line,” says Kathryn Graham, senior scientist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and co-author of the paper. “The whole culture that thinks blurred lines is some kind of truth or inevitability, from our data, is a little bit astray.””
“Professor Karen Pine, a psychologist from the University of Hertfordshire and co-founder of Do Something Different, said: “Practising these habits really can boost our happiness. It’s great to see so many people regularly doing things to help others — and when we make others happy we tend to feel good ourselves too. This survey shows that practising self-acceptance is one thing that could make the biggest difference to many people’s happiness. Exercise is also known to lift mood so if people want a simple, daily way to fee happier they should get into the habit of being more physically active too.””
23 Comments
mackenzierowe · March 10, 2014 at 7:10 pm
Re: “The Key to a Happier Life”
I really enjoyed this article. In another Psychology class of mine, we just finished writing personal orientation papers and I discovered I am drawn to Positive Psychology, so maybe that’s why this article made me feel especially excited. I can speak for myself when I say I could develop a more self-accepting attitude; I should acknowledge and embrace my strengths on a daily basis. We all want to be happy. A tremendous amount of research, time, energy, and money is spent on discovering the true path to happiness, but perhaps it isn’t as difficult as we think. The “GREAT DREAM” acronym (while it may be a bit cheesy) is a fantastic way to think about the facets of happiness. Maybe focusing on a few key points at a time (i.e. Giving and Exercising) will make the task more manageable. Reading this article during the stressful period of Finals put things into perspective. Will I let a test score affect my overall happiness? Is that what’s truly important in the long run?
mackenzierowe · March 10, 2014 at 7:24 pm
Re: “Targeting Drunk Week”
The “Blurred Lines” experiment is fascinating, and I believe more of the college aged population should be aware of the findings. My girlfriends and I have witnessed many a drunk college boy attempting to hit on an intoxicated girl at a party. Usually, we think nothing of it. It’s simply part of the culture, like the article stated. It’s unfortunate how common and accepted this pattern of behavior has become. I would agree with the researchers’ findings that suggest the level of intoxication of the target might have more to do with sexual aggression. These drunk women are seen as vulnerable, or “easy” (I really hate that term) in the eyes of an aggressive, intoxicated man. Just like the article noted, a drunk man casually gropes a woman for his own gratification, the unsuspecting woman is never “asking for it.” And unfortunately (especially at college parties) there aren’t many sober bystanders to intervene if the situation escalates. Perhaps we need to target the binge drinking culture of college campuses in addition to educating students on the issue of sexual aggression and assault in order to change the behavior/norms.
Kelly Kreulen · March 11, 2014 at 4:05 pm
The “targeting drunk week” article was really interesting and the findings were almost pathetic and sad. The fact that sexual aggression comes from men and is related however to the drunkenness of the female rather than the male is totally understandable and makes sense but is also really sad. I personally believe that in a lot of cases it had to do with the drunkenness of both. This also makes sense in relation to our discussion about testosterone and how men are more likely to pursue one night stands rather than females. If they are more likely to pursue one night stands than women, it makes sense they would try to take advantage of less than fully conscious women.
Kelly Kreulen · March 11, 2014 at 4:17 pm
The “key to a happier life” was pretty interesting and I found that giving, as the number one thing that people do to make them happy was pretty surprising and unexpected. Some of the other ways like doing things to make yourself feel good or exercise because of all the positive endorphins and so you can feel good about yourself would strike me as primary ways to make yourself happy. The lack of self acceptance was not surprising because as the article mentioned with all the pressures of society I personally understand how that might be difficult but I do so its importance.
wesleychoy · March 11, 2014 at 6:51 pm
I found the article “the key to a happier life” was really inspiring and interesting to learn that the majority of people forget to include self acceptance into their daily habits. I found this inspiring in that, as the article stated, self acceptance is one of the biggest determinants in happiness and as many fail to practice it, their is hope for many of us out there who feel a little down. I also agree with the importance of appreciating the world around us to become happier. Often times today, kids from an earlier age are getting hooked on electronics when they should be outside having fun doing physical activities. I remember back in my Thanksgiving family party how all my little cousins in elementary school were glued to their ipads playing Minecraft. And here I was staring at my own outdated iphone. I digress, but it is true that people in general are becoming less connected to nature itself which can be evident here on campus where people walking around are either yapping on their phone, slapping some loud music, or even pretending to do something on their phone just to avoid eye contact with a stranger. More time appreciating the world and not artificial item is needed.
wesleychoy · March 11, 2014 at 7:18 pm
The article “Elephants that listen” was extremely interesting from the start. First of all, a smile came to face when I read the Horton hears a Who reference, but what was especially fascinating about the article was I never knew about the high level of intelligence elephants had. Often times growing up I had learned about the mental abilities of monkeys and dolphins, but it’s truly amazing the memory capacity elephants had. The fact that elephants could remember both the different genders and cultures of voices in humans is amazing. As stated in the article, elephants could have better memory than some humans, which would certainly hold true for me. I think the ability of elephants in memory is so advanced due to evolution and this ability has allowed elephants to better avoid the dangers of humans and other predators. This evolution by an animal is unlike any I have observed before, as I often had learned only about animals adapting to other animals and climate change. Though this notion is interesting, it is also quite sad that elephants would be forced to use such techniques to stay alive, meaning that the human race is disturbing and killing off the habitat and environment of the often time gentle giants.
Luke Simon · March 11, 2014 at 9:09 pm
The article called “The Key to a Happier Life” was very interesting and relative to my life right now. I have had a shoulder injury for over 2 months now, not being able to work out. My overall happiness has definitely taken a nosedive because of this. It is crazy how much my body needs exercise to feel happy! Also, I love how they point out that happiness is a mixture of helping and loving others, as well as helping and loving yourself. Confidence is a huge key to happiness.
Luke Simon · March 11, 2014 at 9:19 pm
Elephants are fascinating creatures. It is amazing how they can remember the tone of threatening voices and non-threatening voices, and react differently to them. This adaptation is highly advanced, as even humans get fooled by voices sometimes. Elephants have huge brains, which may account for their great ability to remember. The fact that they can distinguish between different male voices that are threatening and non-threatening is truly incredible.
eilamarinero · March 11, 2014 at 9:29 pm
The article “the key to a happier life” is very useful. It is good to be reminded how important it is to take care of ourselves. I am surprised with some of the stats and I wonder how similar or different the stats would be if the survey was done in the U.S. I know that we ultimately decide the way we feel because we have control on how to view life. However, it takes a lot of discipline to try to perceive unfortunate events in an optimistic manner. This is where acceptance comes in. I read a book called “Tuesdays with Morrie” and it really helped me come to the realization of how we can be in control of our feelings. I know I need to work on Self acceptance and I am glad that i came across this article.
lesliewong · March 11, 2014 at 9:47 pm
In response to “The Key to a Happier Life”:
It does not surprise me that “giving” is top on the list. By making others happy, you are more prone to be happy for doing this good deed. Seeing a smile on someone else’s face is such a satisfying feeling. To achieve that, I volunteer my time at local events around SLO (especially ones that allow me to interact with guests). On another note, acceptance of oneself is quite a difficult thing for many people, including myself. Being comfortable with your body, mind, spirit, etc. takes time. People always say, “You can’t love others until you learn to love yourself.” Because many people struggle to find that acceptance within themselves, it is hard to achieve a high level of happiness (which is why acceptance is so low on the list).
alexhertz · March 13, 2014 at 4:29 pm
“The Key to a Happier Life” article really forced me to reflect back on my own life. In terms of “acceptance” it talked about how people normally compare themselves to others when learning to appreciate who they are themselves. Then I found myself doing the same thing when I was looking at the averages for the “GREAT DREAM” acronym to see where my own personal results would relate to the “average.” People often say that you have to be able to love yourself before you can love others and I think that in terms of “acceptance” that really remains true here. We all get so caught up in what everyone is doing, the way they look and the way they act, that sometimes people can lose sight of their own identity in the analysis of others. Overall, the article was a nice reminder that we have control over our own happiness, but sometimes we need to work towards it a little more than we thought we would have to.
alexhertz · March 13, 2014 at 4:37 pm
I have always found elephants to be charming and graceful so I was extremely interested in the “Elephants that Listen” article. Elephants are often depicted as intelligent creatures – I’ve been to zoos where they have them painting pictures with their trunks. It’s fascinating how we have the tools to learn that they can distinguish between voices as well. Their ability to differentiate voices even when they are adjusted was interesting, it makes you wonder what else they can understand or if other animals can differentiate voices as well. The article ended with briefly addressing the clash between elephants and people, which was of course disheartening, but it was comforting that the elephants have at least some ability to distinguish who they should fear and who they shouldn’t.
jclary · March 13, 2014 at 10:34 pm
I found the elephant article to be quite interesting in regards to the fact that elephants can actually differentiate between male and female voices. This didn’t surprise me since elephants are in fact quite intelligent and I have heard that they have the same brain activity as a young child. It would also be beneficial evolutionarily speaking to run away from a noise that correlates with danger. The elephants that run away and can differentiate voices will most likely survive and pass on their genes over another elephant that is not as sensitive. What was more interesting though was the fact that the elephants were not tricked by the pitch which can even trick some humans when trying to guess the sex of the person speaking. Maybe the elephants listen to certain inflections in the tone rather than the actual pitch that varies between males and females. For further research, it would be interesting to see how far elephants can go in undertanding a certain language when doing certain neurological tasks.
jclary · March 13, 2014 at 10:45 pm
I felt like this article was obvious at first, but it sucks to know that it is actually scientifically proven. When going out, girls always have a problem with guys hitting on them and of course the males will move in when the opportunity is right. When a girl is more intoxicated her inhibitions are down and the guy is more likely to get what he wants, overall chances are higher. Therefore, it would be more productive for the males to go after women that are drunk. What’s also interesting is the fact that it is a cultural norm to act out more when intoxicated giving men an excuse with peers that will even support them to go after a girl. I like the idea of safer bars and bystander intervention, but it is very difficult to break social norms that are consistently ingrained in our heads.
nmarston · March 14, 2014 at 8:04 am
I found the elephants that listen both remarkable and sad. I was aware that elephants are one of the smartest animals but I wasn’t sure why. Why haven’t other animals developed as well as the elephant? Is it just due to brain size? I’m sure many other animals experience serious threat by humans, but it seems elephants have a stronger advantage over these threats due to their intelligence. Elephants can accurately distinguish voices, particularly language and gender differences, a challenge when voices and languages of similar tribes can sound identical. But it is also quite sad that elephants must resort to their abilities and pay very close attention to the human beings around them because they know their lives are at risk.
kdouglas · March 14, 2014 at 2:23 pm
The results of the “Blurred Lines” study are especially relevant to college students. The findings in this study are crucial to the understanding of partying behavior. If being drunk isn’t significant factor in unwanted sexual behavior, this shows that the situation calls for education. It is necessary for people to understand the physical and emotional repercussions of assault. I feel that sometimes, men assault women because society tells them that they must be dominant. However, bars and parties will not be safe for women until society changes to allow males to express their emotions constructively and reduce aggression. The findings in the study did not come as a shock to me, but they are a heavy reminder that something needs to be done to address this situation.
kdouglas · March 14, 2014 at 2:33 pm
I agree with the article on acceptance, however, acceptance of oneself is not easy. It is process. It is especially important for college students to discover who they are and accept themselves, but being in a rigorous college environment makes that very challenging. It is difficult to accept failures and weaknesses when society claims that the ultimate goal of every individual should be perfection. Some students at Cal Poly strive for academic perfection, only to discover that they are not being productive. However, it is a challenge to accept oneself and the current life circumstances one is in when he or she feels like they are not successful. To increase self-acceptance, we have to redefine success. Success should not be rising to the top in every area, rather it should mean that people do their best. Once people learn to compensate for what they cannot do well, and do the things they do best regularly, they will be able to accept themselves.
agarrett127 · March 14, 2014 at 5:34 pm
“The key to a happier life” article really opened my eyes and made me reflect on my own happiness. I found it somewhat sad and interesting that the lowest scoring average during the test dealt with self acceptance. This is one area that I feel most people struggle with throughout their entire lives. I definitely am guilty of being way to harsh on myself. I try to be giving, nice, and even make an effort to exercise on a daily basis. However, I find flaws in myself and get stuck on these rather than pointing out all of the good things going on in my life. This article made me take a step back and really see that I’m not as bad as I make myself out to be. The article stated that we should be treating ourselves how we treat others around us. This is something that I think will stick with me for a very long time. Working in the food industry, I was taught to have excellent customer service and being a leader in my sorority, I always am making a conscious effort to be kind to others, but I never thought that I also needed to be kind to myself.
Silvano J. Gonzalez · March 14, 2014 at 5:35 pm
I think “the key to a happier life” is fairly detailed and accurate in its discussion of happiness research. And I find that the research is pretty applicable to my life. Self-acceptance is probably the habit I practice least of the habits they list in the article. I like exercise, direction, and resilience, but probably should practice more relating, appreciating, and meaning. I took a class on personal development, and in this class we discussed some research on happiness. One thing that was said to greatly influence happiness is gratefulness. Gratefulness probably goes along with giving and appreciating, and even self-acceptance. I guess the only thing that would stop me from being more self-accepting is the idea that I don’t want to be satisfied with where I am because I just want to keep improving. This goes right along with thee quote in the article from Dr. Williamson. I think that it is a habit of humanity: to lack satisfaction in achieving goals when you can set higher goals and get back to work. Satisfaction with achieving a goal is temporary, because immediately you think of something higher, something better that you want to accomplish. This is probably positive and negative, depending on how it affects you as an individual. But we’re all different and we all have to figure out our own limits.
Silvano J. Gonzalez · March 14, 2014 at 5:37 pm
I really like the idea of having a brain awareness week. I think the brain is one of the most interesting things about the human body. Its capacity and complexity make it immensely intriguing to me. I was not exposed to research or any curriculum on the brain until I reached college. None of my biology classes really discussed the brain, even though I would have loved to study it in a classroom setting sooner. The main information I attained about the brain, I found through my own internet research on the subject. I think more high school and middle school kids should get the opportunity to learn about the brain. This might have many benefits. Simply teaching kids about how their brains develop (and especially that it’s not fully developed until age 25) might help change their perspective. I would think that something as important as the brain would get more attention in middle school and high school. I would even suggest taking it as far as having an entire class devoted to neuroscience. Maybe some schools out there are doing this, but I have a strong feeling that not enough are. Hopefully as we learn more about the brain, neuroscience will become an integral part of every student’s education.
agarrett127 · March 14, 2014 at 6:04 pm
The “Targeting drunk week” article was extremely disappointing yet interesting to read. First off, I think it was so sad that there were so many incidents of unwanted sexual behavior that was obviously observable in these bars. It worries me that this many people believe that it is “okay” to do these actions just because they believe they’re in a somewhat acceptable location and environment to commit these actions. It is sad to know that most of the harassment that took place was not due to a miscommunication or “blurred line,” but rather an intentional act. I really like that there are Safe Bars that are actively trying to make a difference to stop this type of behavior and those who are willing to intervene, especially when friends are even egging this type of behavior on. My only issue with this article was that the study may have had some flaws in experimental design. The data was based off of observations, which leaves a lot of room for error in misinterpretation, individual differences, etc.
eilamarinero · March 14, 2014 at 9:17 pm
Targeting Drunk Women Accounts for Sexual Aggression, Not “Blurred Lines”
I definitely agree men prey on women who are obviously intoxicated. I have seen and experienced these kinds of situations and they are not pleasant. If more bystanders took action I believe it would prevent a lot of unwanted sexual harassment and/or rapes. I hope that the whole “safe bars” program makes its way all around the world.
christinahenning · June 6, 2014 at 10:37 am
targeting drunk week: I found this article extremely interesting and current with up to date issues with college students. While I think no one asks for sexual assault, people can always take preventative measures, Tis article proves that those who are more intoxicated can be targeted more, since they won’t know what is going on. If people drank less, maybe they would know what was going on and there could be a decrease in sexual assault cases.