# data[].attributes.body
I was a member of my high school track team and participated in the triple-jump event. This event consists of three jumps, each occurring in immediate succession. When considering practicing parts of a skill, segmentation is practicing individual parts so that after each part is mastered, it can then be practiced together in combination with the next part. This concatenation of parts continues until the entire action can be combined and practiced all together. While training for the triple-jump, my coach implemented this technique of segmentation. We divided up each of the three main parts of the action and practiced each individually. Focusing on each small segment of this event before attempting to complete the entire process was an effective strategy for mastering this task. After learning each individual segment, we were instructed to slowly combine each action. First we combined the first and second jump, after mastering this behavior we added the final jump. Eventually each segment of this task was combined into one smooth and steady motion. Application of the segmentation technique made it relatively easy to conquer a task that may have initially been challenging.

# data[].attributes.body
Stimulus response compatibility is the extent to which the stimulus and the response are associated in a "natural" way. The naturalness of the association between stimulus and response is an important aspect of many daily activities. Driving is one task in my life that heavily depends on this compatibility for smooth functioning. This is true for millions of Americans and even more all around the world. Having a car can be beneficial, as I use mine relatively frequently to run errands. But, it could turn into a big headache if an accident were to happen. Paying for car damages or increased insurance rates from accidents is most definitely something I strive to avoid every time I drive. Luckily, there are mechanisms in place to help us out on the road.  Most traffic signs attempt to achieve high stimulus response compatibility when considering their placement. For example, many intersections have specific lights to indicate when left and right turns are allowed. The placement of these arrows along the horizontal traffic pole often aim to produce high stimulus response compatibility. Arrows that indicate the allowance of a left turn are generally placed at the leftmost end of the pole, while arrows indicating the allowance of a right turn can be found at the rightmost end. This arrangement is a good example of how placement is important to inducing a natural response. If the placement of these arrows was inverted the consequences could be expensive or even deadly. Traffic lights are important not only for me in my life, but anyone who drives or commutes on the roadway.

# data[].attributes.body
I worked at Planet Fitness over the summer and frequently had to assist customers with questions about membership benefits and our facilities. Aside from in-person questions, I was also tasked with answering and addressing phone calls. This life experience put me in situations where multiple stimuli would compete for control over my brain's single information processing channel, as was first thought by Welford in 1952. Occasionally, while speaking with a customer at the front desk, I would also receive a phone call. The single channel hypothesis, which is similar to  bottleneck/filter theory, is an attempt to account for psychological refractory period. If stimulus one enters the single channel, then processing of stimulus two can not occur until the channel is cleared.

As the hypothesis states, since the information processing channel in my brain is structured as a single channel, I was only capable of directly dealing with one stimulus at a time. The first stimulus was the curious customer at the desk and the second stimulus was the phone ringing. Unable to address both the customer stimulus and phone call stimulus simultaneously, I was forced to make a decision. I could either ignore the call and continue speaking to the customer, or ask the customer to wait while I answered the phone.

# data[].attributes.body
I have many friends and family in my life who are interested in fitness and healthy living. I’ve always been thankful for this, as it always presents me an opportunity to learn from them based on their lifestyle or ask them questions. Today at this stage of my life, I have come to appreciate the benefits of healthy living and fitness. Being a college student with a job and many responsibilities, it is necessary to have sufficient energy and motivation to get through the day. For me, staying in shape and working out keeps me feeling good and energized to conquer whatever the day has in store. This has developed my love for training. I can attribute this mindset to the help of my friends, who give me feedback on workouts and motions performed during exercises to optimize my time spent in the gym. This is a form or augmented feedback, which is information provided about a task that is supplemental to, or augmented, inherent feedback. In this situation it comes from a source external to me, who is performing the task. I’ve found this augmented feedback to be both essential and enhancing. It is essential in times where I lack any experience in the task, like a new workout that incorporates movements I have never done before. The feedback is also enhancing in times where I can do the motor skill myself, but it allows me to learn the skill more quickly and perform the movement at a more advanced level. The augmented feedback provided to me has been crucial in forming my love for fitness and healthy living, both in the gym and out.

# data[].attributes.body
Since I was about 4, I’ve loved sports. Whether it be watching professionals play, playing in my backyard with friends, or listening to sports on the radio ate my grandma’s house or during car rides, they have always grabbed my attention. Growing up I played a wide variety of sports whether it be competitively or just for enjoyment. Some of my favorite sports to play were always basketball and volleyball, and being a tall kid always had its advantages to these sports in particular. Many years ago I realized that being a good player in one sport, or a particular skill in that sport, often meant that the same player was good at another sport that used the same skills or components. For me personally, this was blocking a shot in basketball and blocking a hit at the net in volleyball. At a young age this skill was probably purely due to the fact that I was taller than the other kids my age, but after playing these sports for number of years I become highly skilled at these tasks. This skill involves timing the jump properly, having coordination to place my hand directly on the ball, and being controlled enough not to foul or touch the net during the action. After learning about some concepts in Kinesiology this semester, I became aware that the concept of Identical Elements Theory may be the reason to explain my performances in the two sports! First theorized by Thorndike, it states that positive transfer can occur because of similarities of skills and context components. Years of playing these sports have developed this skill set, and every time I played and practiced this specific skill it has allowed me to be better in both sports, even if I am only playing just one currently.