Intro to Psychology (Psy 120)

Chapter 2  Why can a small glitch in the brain’s circuits be devastating to some people, whereas others can function with major damage? How do experiences in life alter our brains? To begin, experiences in life altering our brain is called plasticity. It occurs more prominently in childhood due to growth and experiencing many new and different things that they may have not experienced before. It is the brain's ability to change. Plasticity is when the brain reorganizes after being damaged or builds new pathways as you experience more in life. As you grow interests, practice a skill, care more about people that are important to you, or dedicate your devotion to specific ideas your brain changes in reflection to you and what or who you surround yourself with. Your brain continues to work and develop new pathways that correlate to your experiences. With this we as humans are able to adapt to the changes the world continues to bring. With all this growth and development the...

Chapter 1  Case studies are often enormously compelling, which is why talk-show hosts love them. However, they are often merely anecdotes. What are the dangers in using case studies to draw general conclusions about human nature? The reason case studies would be enormously compelling to talk-show hosts would be because the purpose of a case study is to examine an individual or a group of people in depth in hopes to reveal things true to all. Now in a talk-show it can merely go as finding out things of individuals that everyone can relate to or just vast entertainment hence why they are often just considered anecdotes. A lot of the purpose of a talk show is to invite guests to discuss personal experiences or areas of expertise. Keeping in mind that this is one individual's experience which is already conflicting to the idea that what they're saying or talking about would be the same for everyone. It could be a very vague discussion about their thoughts on "love at f...

Prologue I know very little about the subject of psychology. I'm not even sure I can define the term "psychology". The study of the human mind? That's the best I can come up with. So I would say what I hope to get out of this class is to come to a closer and more intellectual understanding of psychology as a whole and in terms of "occurrence and reaction". How we as humans behave, why we behave in the ways that we do. Why do I yawn when I see someone else yawn? Why do I always feel like bugs are crawling all over me whenever I see them outside or in movies? I would also love to come to a closer understanding with my mind as well after learning the material. In terms of knowing why I think the way that I think. Am I an introvert in an extrovert's body? Was there a significant event that happened in my life that effects the way I behave now? I have so many questions for this subject of science, I hope that I can find the answers to at least some of th...