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The piece of information that stuck with me in Chapter 9 is Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development. This topic was tremendously interesting to me as I learned about it, and I was constantly eager to learn more about it. Starting with Piaget's Four Stages of Cognitive Development, I appreciated how Jean Piaget categorized developmental stages into four distinct groups. I genuinely believe that people go through four phases of cognitive development and that all of the information provided by Piaget is factual.  As I learned more about cognitive growth, I discovered that I was relating to all of the examples in the book as well as some given by Mrs. Buchanan in the lecture videos. The first phase of cognitive development is the sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to approximately age 2 (in the textbook, page 294). On page 294, the textbook mentions that during the sensorimotor stage, babies form schemas through sensory and motor experiences. They also have not fully developed linguistic skills or a firm knowledge of object permanence at this stage. This description is vital if you want to understand what drives a baby's actions and how they perceive the world around them. According to the textbook example (page 294) under process diagram 9.2, children at this time like to explore and play with their food. That example alone helped me understand the entire sensorimotor period because I am always surrounded by babies who play with their food. Noah, my one-year-old nephew, smushes his food after finishing it and then throws it all over the table. I was constantly wondering what was going through his head whenever he did that, but I knew his actions were fueled by his high level of curiosity. Fortunately, I now understand why newborns behave the way they do and that this is simply a temporary stage. Moving on, object permanence is the understanding that things continue to exist even when not seen, heard, or felt (textbook page 251, process diagram 9.2). This concept has connections to my five-year-old niece Lauren, for the reason that she is well aware that I exist even when I am not in front of her at all times. She frequently asks her mother to FaceTime me and asks about my day. Lauren is at the preoperational stage and has progressed past the lack of object permanence that children in the sensorimotor stage still experience.

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Based on my score, I believe all of the characteristics given below are accurate. I spend a lot of my time motivating myself and making plans for my future. I keep track of my hectic schedules by jotting everything down in my physical planner and digital calendar. Keeping track of my everyday activities assists in the organization of both my academic and social lives. I feel motivated to do everything possible to make the most of this life. This is an example of self-actualization. On page 358 in the textbook figure 11.4, self-actualization is on the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualization was mentioned as the humanistic word describing our inborn desire to accomplish our fullest potential and cultivate all of our skills and capabilities.

This term precisely defines my motivation to achieve all of my goals, which are to attend college, obtain good grades, and be a good person overall. The textbook also includes the humanistic approach as one of psychology's seven modern perspectives on page 6, table 1.2. The textbook examines aspects of the humanistic perspective that correspond with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, such as self-actualization and the desire to reach one's full potential. Moving on, an important factor that contributes to my drive is considering how my efforts will benefit me in the long run. Attending college and getting good grades will hopefully encourage me to work harder and boost my chances of being accepted into my dream four-year university, which will further motivate me to continue my education and attend medical school in the future. The major reason I'm doing all of this is because I want to make an abundance of money while also enjoying my job. Extrinsic motivation is what drives all of this hard work (page 365 of the textbook). The textbook discusses extrinsic motivation as a particular kind of motivation for a task or activity that is based on external factors such as rewards or penalties. On the contrary, I'm working hard to become a physician one day because I genuinely want to pursue a career in medicine. I enjoy dealing with people and sincerely adore babies, which is why I am considering a career in pediatrics or OB-GYN. This is an example of intrinsic motivation: internal motives, like finding joy and personal fulfillment, drive people to accomplish a task or engage in an activity (page 365 of the textbook). Lastly, I believe that I have the perfect combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motives because I am enthusiastic about why I want to pursue medicine and why I want to make a lot of money.

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I scored a 69 out of 70! Confidence overload 😉

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Based on the results of the quiz, I am an extremely confident person. As I began answering the questions on the quiz, I had a strong feeling that I would score well. A lot of the people around me inform me that they feel my confidence radiate whenever I enter a room. I even had one of my good friends tell me that she knew that I was at a certain party because she could feel my aura in the room. That is crazy!! One thing to keep in mind is that I worked hard to develop the confidence that I have today. My high level of confidence did not just appear out of nowhere. When I was younger, I was put in situations that wrecked my self-confidence and made me despise myself for who I was. Growing up, I endured a lot, especially with all of the fabricated beauty standards that were embedded in our heads as a result of the overuse of social media. I was often comparing my 13-year-old self to Instagram models who had undergone various cosmetic procedures. This is a highly detrimental way to ruin your self-esteem, especially if you are going through puberty and are stuck between being a child and a young adult. Something that I believe is a major contributor to my confidence is my willingness to take on new challenges in life. I like to combat whatever obstacles I may be faced with and get over them. According to the MindTools source, I am showing high levels of self-efficacy. People with a high level of self-efficacy, according to the MindTools source, are more prone to perceive challenges as problems to overcome, therefore they are less likely to be frightened of new experiences. The previous statement properly characterized my attitude toward new challenges because I am a self-confident individual who knows she is capable of handling any challenge that comes her way. I have defeated all of my hardships and have proceeded to live life to its fullest.

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My score was a moderate internal locus of control. This indicates that I believe my fate is in my control, but I am also understanding when things don't go my way due to external factors. I heavily agree with this statement because I genuinely believe that I have control over my fate in terms of my grades and who I allow into my life. Studying for an exam is one example of my internal locus of control. I am putting in the hard work and effort to get a grade that I am satisfied with. If I were to have an external locus of control, I would pray to God that I pass and solely depend on the Lord. I am not saying that praying is not beneficial, but I am saying that certain scenarios require your effort for you to have complete control over your desired results. However, things happen that you did not anticipate to happen and over which you have no control. If you believe in the existence of God, you are more likely to impose an external locus of control because religious people have high levels of faith in their fate. I am one of them! As a pious individual, I believe that there are certain situations in life that you do not have much control over other than to accept and push through. According to the MindTools source under “External Locus of Control," if you have an external locus of control, you generally believe that what happens to you is due to chance or fate, or that it is determined by individuals in charge. This accurately describes why I show signs of an external locus. I believe in luck and fate only in situations that are far out of my control.

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One of the best pieces of information that I learned in Chapter 13 was about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In chapter 13, on page 446, it is mentioned as a psychological condition marked by continuous, undesirable, frightening thoughts (obsessions) and uncontrollable desires to engage in repetitive and ritualistic actions (compulsions). These compulsions are often used by people with OCD as an immediate treatment for the distress that their obsessive thoughts create, forming an endless cycle that may severely disrupt their daily lives. A good example of OCD would be excessively washing your hands to eliminate germs (example from Mrs. Buchanan’s lecture video). Such situations occur due to a phobia (anxiety disorder) a person may have of bacteria. As someone who has been clinically diagnosed with OCD, I can empathize with all of the urges that other people with OCD experience. I cannot concentrate in a messy or dirty environment; therefore, I end up deep cleaning my room before I begin studying. If I happen to see one candy wrapper on the floor, I will drop whatever it is that I am doing and go throw it in the trash. Another thing I can't stand is having a dirty restroom. I deep clean my bathroom three times a week to keep it bacteria-free. It is important to keep in mind that OCD is quite common among Americans, with over 200,000 cases diagnosed each year. There is nothing to be concerned about—not a life-threatening disorder. Another aspect of the chapter that caught my attention is the methods of what to do if you know a person who is showing suicidal signs. This is crucial, in my opinion, because the suicide rate is only increasing, which means we have a greater probability of encountering someone with suicidal thoughts. Chapter 13, page 455, under table 13.7, characterizes the methods on how to help a suicidal person into four categories.

1. When helping someone going through a suicidal crisis, it is critical to remain present and promote open communication rather than withdrawal. Be sincere in your concern and refrain from making up false promises that everything will be alright. Seeking support from parents, friends, or other family members is vital if you feel unsafe or unable to manage the situation on your own.

2. It is recommended to use Rogerian communication techniques, such as active listening, empathy, unconditional positive regard, and sincerity when speaking with someone who is depressed or suicidal.

3. It is crucial to restrict access to lethal weapons, particularly guns, as they play a major role in the suicide rate in the United States. If someone talks about suicide or you think they might be thinking about it, take away anything that could be dangerous and discourage substance usage while getting treatment as soon as possible from a professional.

4. Seek immediate help: help is available right away from emergency counseling facilities or hotlines like 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK. In an emergency, dial 911 or head straight to the emergency department.

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The most interesting concepts I learned!

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The most interesting concepts I learned!

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Firstly, I found the four parenting styles that were mentioned in Chapter 9, page 304, table 9.3, to be distinctively interesting. I liked how the textbook categorized parenting styles into four different groups, with their definitions, examples, and future effects that children may go through. The four parenting styles mentioned in the textbook helped me better understand myself by following the parenting styles that my parents used for me growing up. My parents displayed an authoritarian parenting style with a sprinkle of authoritative traits such as high control and high warmth. Both of my parents imposed more of an authoritarian parenting style, which can be somewhat extreme. Even if they seemed too much, their strict rules—such as my mother's severe warnings about household duties and phone usage—indicated authoritarian characteristics in their parenting style. Thus, the authoritarian parenting style may have led to my irregular moodiness due to the lack of emotional warmth. On page 304, table 9.3, the textbook mentions how children who grow up with authoritarian parenting styles are more likely to be moody. On the other hand, I feel like the sprinkle of authoritative parenting helped me more than authoritarian parenting. Based on the descriptions of the parenting styles’ “potential effects on children” (page 304, table 9.3), I truly believe that I fit into the authoritative descriptions. I am a very high-achieving and self-reliant individual, which means that I work hard on all my schoolwork and don’t depend on anyone for assistance.

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My five-year-old niece Lauren: She is in the preoperational stage and she has developed object permenance!

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My five-year-old niece Lauren: She is in the preoperational stage and she has developed object permenance!

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Secondly, I found Chapter 6's Classical Conditioning to be very interesting. Classical conditioning is fascinating because it explains how our reactions to things can completely change depending on the associations we establish. It's astonishing how we can develop these instinctive reflexes without even trying. Exploring this concept allows us to comprehend how our surroundings and experiences influence our behaviors in unexpected ways, which is incredible. Analyzing classical conditioning brings up a whole new world of discovering details in how our minds learn and adapt. In the textbook, on page 171, classical conditioning is described as a type of learning that occurs as a result of unintentionally paired associations in which a previous neutral stimulus (NS) is paired (linked) with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) to generate a conditioned response (CR). Classical conditioning is extremely relatable because it's similar to the way that a song you heard during a memorable event gets connected to that memory—unexpectedly, each time you hear it, you feel those same emotions all over again. Does that ring a bell, Mrs. Buchanan 😉? Mrs. Buchanan stated how she became classically conditioned to a song in discussion board #3. This song was Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra. Mrs. Buchanan explained how she did not react to the song before being classically conditioned and how she reacted to it once it was associated with her wedding. She further stated that the song gives her "warm and fuzzy feelings," indicating that she has a conditioned response. It's amazing how our brains can connect experiences with responses, causing us to react in unexpected ways.

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In all honesty, I enjoyed this course! I enjoyed the set-up of the class, the lecture videos, the Wiley Plus assignments, the Canva assignment, the two flip assignments, and most importantly, this Padlet assignment. Psychology was one of my favorite classes this semester, and I am so glad that I took this class with one of the best psychology instructors in HFC! This was definitely the one class that I looked forward to the most due to my strong interest in psychology and the simplicity of the assignments in Wiley Plus. I mostly enjoyed completing the adaptive practices because I would study for my upcoming exams with them after I completed the practice. That was one of the most effective studying methods for this class because the questions on the exams and the questions on the adaptive practices were significantly similar. I genuinely recommend that you advise your future students to study for their psychology exams using adaptive practices! On the other hand, I really disliked the time limit on the exams because I felt like the time was not enough. 50 minutes for 50 questions sounded quite overwhelming at first, but I tried my best to accommodate the class’s rules. The amount of anxiety I endured during the first exam had a lot to do with the time limit on the exam. My performance on that specific exam was not so good because the time limit to question ratio increased my stress levels. For your future classes, I highly suggest that you add at least an extra 5 minutes for the first exam so that they don't go through the same anxiety that I went through. Moving on to my favorite part, I really liked Mrs. Buchanan’s lecture videos. They helped me understand all the material on a deeper level, and they were quite enjoyable as well. I appreciate how Mrs. Buchanan would provide real-world examples of what happened to her. That makes her class very relatable and fun! Something else I really liked was the office hours. They were one of my favorite aspects of this class because you can join the Zoom meeting “just because.” I spent a lot of time speaking with Mrs. Buchanan during those office hours, and I feel like we have established a good bond. I will definitely miss this class and those nice old office hours. Last but not least, I would like to thank Professor Alison Buchanan for her hard work and dedication throughout the fall semester. I am very proud of you for teaching 7 classes this semester. Wow, we did it!

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To those who celebrate, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

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This is how I envisioned Mr & Mrs Buchanan at their reception

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This is how I envisioned Mr & Mrs Buchanan at their reception

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To start, I would like to make a statement that I abided by the HFC Academic Integrity Policy for this assignment and all the other assignments that I have completed throughout this semester. I am beyond proud of my hard work and I am also really excited to use this cool and innovative application!