PSA Success!

I watched multiple PSA's from both classes and the first one I watched was Katie Kirby and Alisa's PSA. I enjoyed this PSA because the girls made it from the point of view of a new family who had just moved to Ashwaubenon and what they liked about it. I liked that each "member of the family" was represented along with examples of programs that would benefit their developmental needs. This approach to the PSA was one that I had not thought of before and seemed to be realistic and believable.

Next was Michael, Jacky, and Tom's PSA. This PSA was run like a tour of the village, again another unique approach. It was funny overall especially when Tom was in the library and whispering the information. They included all the necessary information but shared it in a way that wasn't boring to listen to.

Lastly I watched Becky, Marin, and Chloe's PSA. This PSA was hilarious because it incorporated both acting and still photos. Even though the acting was funny, the PSA was still informative and got the point across that Ashwaubenon was a great place for all ages to live. The collective voices in many parts of the PSA were clear to understand and unique. The pictures all fit what they were talking about.

Overall, the PSA's that I watched, although all unique, were very informative and creative. I don't really have a favorite because each PSA used a different approach to share the information which made them all very interesting to watch. They all had a variety of problems and included all the necessary information.

Passing the tests... mostly

My 4 year old brother, Alex, can be useful at times it seems especially when I need to perform psychological experiments. After discussing Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development, I was especially intrigued with the preoperational stage (2-6/7 years old) since I live with someone who is currently in this stage. I wondered if Alex would be able to pass three seemingly simple tests I saw children in this stage fail but that he should be able to accomplish before leaving the Preoperational Stage.

1. Theory of Mind
Theory of mind is the ability to understand what others see/are thinking. To test this, I set up a divider between us and put a crayon and a car on his side and a book on my side. I asked him what he saw and he obviously said, "a crayon and a car." Then we switched sides and when asked the same question, he correctly said he saw a book. Then I asked the million dollar question, "What do I see from where I'm sitting?" to which he responded, "a crayon and a car."
Theory of Mind test - pass

2. Is this Fair?
The next psychological experiment I gave to Alex was a fairness test. I told him we were going to share these three chips fairly. I gave him one and took two for myself. When I asked him if this was fair, he gave me a frown and whinily said, "No! You have two and I only have one." Then I proceeded to break his chip in half so we each had two pieces. He was quick to point out this was still not fair because he really only had one chip.
Fairness test - pass

3. Conservation
After he passed all three tests, I was feeling discouraged. He's a smart kid but what can I say, I wanted to fool him. I poured equal amounts of water into two short wide cups and asked if these had the same amount. He said yes. Then I poured one of the glasses of water into a taller skinnier glass. I asked which glass had more water or if they had the same amount. He pointed to the taller glass and said it had more water. When asked why, he said it was because the water level was higher.
Conservation test - fail

I was expecting him to fail all of the tests, so the results surprised me at first. After thinking about it for a while, the outcomes made more sense. He is 4 - almost 5 as he is quick to tell everyone - which puts him in the middle of this stage meaning he should be able to complete some of the behaviors. Actually performing the experiments made the milestones more clear to me because children obviously develop differently and achieve different things at different times within the same stage...And should I really get this much satifaction from tricking a four year old... if you knew Alex you would say yes!

Ice Obession

Truthfully, at the beginning of the ice cube addiction simulation, I was skeptical. I couldn't see how being "addicted" to ice cubes would really allow us to experience how to be a real addict. However, if taken seriously, I believe the simulation is a great learning tool about how powerful and life changing addictions can be.

Here are a few glimpses into my days as an ice cube addict:
Feb 9, 2:42 p.m. : I have to work today at 3:45 until probably 7:30. I'm already feeling anxious about how I will be able to get ice cubes. I hope it's not busy so I can go into the kitchen a lot to sneak drinks. I hope my coworkers don't question me about it or my pink ribbon. AHH! So much to worry about...

Feb 10, 7:15 a.m. : My morning routine took longer and required more thought now that I need to pack ice and think about where my next ice cubes will come from. As I was packing my ice, my dad asked id it wasn't cold enough for me outside that I needed to pack ice. I didn't really respond. I don't like having to sneak around to get ice.

Feb 10, 12:26 p.m. : Tom just asked for some ice. I only have a little left but I gave it to him discreetly. I felt sketchy and could tell people in the class were watching me...

Feb 10, 3:39 p.m. : At talent show rehearsal. Ice is melting...getting nervous...What am I going to do? AHH.. I can't wait to get home to get more ice...I might need to go buy some.

Feb 10, 11:46 p.m. : In bed. Thought up ways to get ice if mine melted tomorrow at school...couldn't fall asleep for a while.

Feb 11, 6:56 a.m. : Put ice in my milk at breakfast. My 4 year old brother asked for ice too. He picked up on my habit after only two days. Oh no! I feel terrible..what if he gets addicted?

Addictions change and ruin lives.
By the way...Pagophagia is an actual term for being addicted to eating icecubes.

Boys and Barbies

America's gender roles seem to be deeply engrained.. especially for boys. It's socially acceptable for little girls to play in the mud, accel in sports, and wear "boyish" clothing, essentially to be tomboys. Why then is society still uncomfortable when boys play with dolls or play dress up in high heels?


This scenerio was recently addressed in an episode of ABC Primetime's What Would You Do? Two male actors, one playing the part of the father and another of a 5-6 year old boy, went into a toy store. The child immediately went to the shelf of barbies. In one scenario, the "dad" allowed the child to get the toy and in the next scenerio, he tried to convince his son to choose a different toy. The varous reactions evoked by people were suprising. Women were more likely to tell the dad to allow the child to get the toy and not to worry about it since it is probably just a phase. Most guys in the store seemed to not want the child to get the doll and helped the dad encourage the boy towards more "boyish" toys such as trucks and action figures.



The shows next scenerio took it further, with the child actor now wanting a barbie...while he was wearing a dress. Again, most women laughed this off while men could not accept it. They threw out words like "sissy" and other more offensive terms, toward this young child. I couldn't believe how strong some of the reactions were. It seems ridiculous to get so angry over such a silly thing. If the situation were real, the child would probably grow out of it, and if not, who cares. Diversity makes the world interesting right?



Also, recently on the news is a real boy who likes to wear dresses. His mom wrote a book called, "My Princess Boy," to raise awareness about how her son is just like any other 5 year old boy except that he likes to wear dresses. Is his gender identity confused or is he just having fun? I tend to believe he is just having fun. People need to back off and let children experiment because that is how they learn. Maybe the people with such negative reactions should read the book to gain a little more acceptance of people's differences.

Are teens to blame for risky behavior?

Talking about the brain this week really got me thinking.... In class we discussed the specific parts of the brain and their functions. The question was then raised if the cause of risky and impulsive teenage behavior was due to the fact that our brains aren't fully developed yet. I had heard this before but was interested in how exactly the adult and teenage brains differed and also if researchers believed teens should not be held responsible for their risky behavior.

Science Daily had an article last week discussing teen brains and the root of risky behavior. According to the article, researchers at the University of Pennsylania studied the neuron behavior in adolescent rats which they believe could reveal new information about teens and their decision making. The article says that after both adult and adolescent rats received stimulation in the reward centers in the brain, the adolescent rats acted with a greater sense of frenzy and excitement. Scientists believe this could explain why teens are more prone to rash behavior, addiction, and mental diseases than adults are. Although the adult rats processed their rewards with excitement, they also displayed control.

The orbitofrontal cortex is the brain region that weighs payoffs and punishment when planning and making decisions. The scientists believe that this is the part fo the region that develops slower than other regions of the brain. This slowness to develop makes teens vulnerable to risky behavior. Although this is the first study to record and compare the neuron activity in adult and adolescent brain, other research has been done on the developing teenage brain as shown in this video.

As the video shows, teen brains are at a crossroads in terms of development. They are stuck right in the middle of outgrowing the brain of a child and growing into the brain of an adult. Teens also have the greatest capactiy for learning than they will ever have again in their lives... depressing. But the researcher also makes it clear that at this stage, teens also make some not so smart decisions due to the developing brain meaning we can't be held completely responsible for our crazy teenage behavior... at least there's one upside :)