Implicit Apperception Test #2

I took a second Implicit Apperceptuion Test. This one was the gay-Straight one. I thought this one would be interesting too. My results said "Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for Straight People compared to Gay People." I thought this was fairly accurate although I do think I am more neutral, but this is probably true. I have some family that are gay and I am very open to gays so I thought it would be interesting to see what my test indicated. Again, I would highly recommend taking these tests. They are very interesting. With this test I had to again sort good and bad words and then straight and gay images or symbols and then do both at the same time.

Implicit Apperception Test

I took the Implicit Apperception Test for Fat-Thin. I had to sort words like envy, joy, and laughter into good and bad categories first. Then I had to sort pictures of fat and thin people into fat or thin. And then I had to do both at the same time. It was an interesting test and I took it because it was going to supposedly tell me if I was more favorable to fat or thin people. I would like to think I am completely neutral to either. I was absolutely shocked to find that I had a strong automatic preference for thin people. It was very interesting to see that my results came up with that thought. My results said, "Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for Thin People compared to Fat People." I think this is interesting and I'm going to take another one now. I think we should all have to take some of these for class! it would be a great discussion topic and I'm glad I took it. It's making me think now if that is really true and what these results could be saying about my subconscious perhaps? It makes me ashamed to have these results though.

When it Comes to Pay, Size Matters

I read the article under the stress section about how size matters in the workplace and how it can affect your pay. It made a good point that in society today girls are supposed to be super thin and guys are supposed to be big and strong. This is reinforced through all types of media from magazines where super thin models are shown in the latest trendy clothes to movies such as Twilight where people like Taylor Lautner who plays Jacob is shown with rock hard abs. This idea of how we should look is constantly flooded into pour minds and because of this there tends to be unequal pay for people and preference for those who fit the societal image of how a person should look.

According to this article a study has shown that more obese woman especially have a hard time moving up in their career if they are over weight. This could also be partially do to self esteem and confidence issues I think. A slimmer woman who is more confident with them selves will be more outspoken and authoritative then one who is not. If a person feels they are not as pretty as others they may have confidence issues and be more shy. Also, if there's two candidates for a job that have the same credentials, the more attractive one usually wins the position. In addition to this, taller guys that are more average build tend to be paid higher whereas skinnier guys are paid less.

Stanford Prison Study and Groups

I found the Stanford Prison Study to be extremely interesting. All the videos we watched in class were super interesting and almost eerie. I would hate to have participated in that experiment. It really shows the power of the situation. It's like how you act, becomes who you are. Kinda how people say if you put your face in a weird way for a long time, it will stay that way.

I also liked the part about brainstorming in groups. We do this a lot in SADD and Student Council and just in most of my classes in general. Teachers always seem to think it works better than thinking on your own, but according to the textbook, it doesn't. Group work makes the ideas less creative and produces less ideas in general. I think brainstorming individually would work better because then you have your own mindset and aren't affected by what group members will think or say about your idea. Also, this ties in with social loafing where some group members don't do anything and let the rest of the group do all the work. This happens a lot to me and I always seem to be one of the people doing all the work in group projects.

Stress

This was one of my favorite chapters because I found it so perfectly relate able to my life. I have so much stress in my life especially now towards the end of the year with finals, and soccer season starting up and my end of the year piano exam and recital. It's a lot to deal with and this chapter pinpointed a lot of things I agree with and gave me ideas to deal with my stress.

I agree with the part that says writing in a journal can help facilitate emotional control. This really helps me if I write everything down. It's a way to organize my crazy jumble of thoughts and emotions. I also agree that stress affects the immune system. About two weeks before my huge piano exam at the University of Minnesota, where I have to go in a room with a judge for about an hour and play four songs from memory, and sightread a piece and play scales and analyze pieces and such, I got a super bad cold. I lost my voice and I had a fever. I definitely think this was due to my stress. Also, I found that exercise helps reduce my stress as well.

Flooding and Virtual Reality Exposure

This chapter was probably one of the hardest ones we've had to read so far I think, along with the disorder chapter. It was a lot to take in with all the different treatment methods and it was hard to remember because I can't relate to them. Learning about the actual disorders was easier because it was more interesting than the treatment.

The thing that I liked reading about the most was flooding and virtual reality exposure. I think this is a very effective treatment. I myself would like to try one of them sometime, especially the virtual reality exposure. Doing something to get me less afraid of spiders or really high heights would be interesting and scary, but cool if it worked to decrease my anxiety.

I think these treatments could be very beneficial for people as a treatment especially if you have a fear of flying because that's hard to simulate that exposure in real life. Virtual reality would be very effective in treating this fear and I know a lot of people who have a fear of flying, so it would be very helpful.

Treatment of Agoraphobia

To treat agoraphobia specific kinds of psychotherapy or meditation can be used. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on decreasing negative or anxiety-provoking thoughts has been found highly effective in treating this disorder.

Self exposure is also used for treatment. The person with the disorder either imagines, or puts themselves into situations that cause agoraphobic anxiety. They then use relaxation techniques in each situation to get over their anxiety.

Agoraphobia can also be treated with beta-blocking medications that block the effects of adrenaline on the body.

Both self exposure and psychotherapy can be done over the Internet which is good for people in rural areas.