Extra Credit: Psychology Pumpkins!

Looking for some Halloween fun with psychology? Or just some extra credit points to prop up your grade after sub-par test performance? Why not carve a PSYCHOLOGY PUMPKIN!

Next week you can bring your creation in to share with the rest of us. Just be sure to read through the rules. Don't leave your pumpkin here to rot in the warmth of my classroom. Ewwwww.

After all, you want to impress your Trick-or-Treaters with your psychology knowledge! And nothing is as scary as a Sigmund Freud face on a Jack-O-Lantern!

Psych Club Meeting Tomorrow!

Hey, Psychology Club members! Due to my absences last week (darn you, H1N1!), we were not able to hold our October meeting. This is a situation we must rectify, because I had some really cool plans for us, including making Brain Cupcakes!!! (See photo...)

Since I still have the supplies, we'll meet THIS FRIDAY instead. We'll do some brain trivia, make cupcakes, and hopefully plan some fundraisers so I don't have to keep paying for our supplies out of pocket...

Also, T-SHIRT MONEY NEEDS TO COME IN! I have a number of folks who haven't paid for their awesome club shirts, and I need to get it before I can place the order. I had originally said last week Friday was the deadline, but since I was out sick I'll take $ through tomorrow.

See you at the meeting! Friday, Lunch B!

Study Guide to Accompany Textbook

I'm reposting this information about the textbook study guide for the benefit of some parents/students I talked to tonight at conferences.

As I mentioned, the school does not provide these for students because they are consumable (you write in them) and not all students would elect to use them. However, many students do find them quite useful in preparing for quizzes and tests.

Personally, I think it's a good choice. I used one in my Intro Psych class in college and found it useful. But not everyone does, and that's why it's up to you.

If you choose to buy one, I would recommend shopping at a used-textbook website since you can get them dirt cheap (though this will require help of a parent or someone with a credit/debit card, generally). A quick glance at some of the usual sources revealed that there are a lot out there, costing anywhere from .75 (used) to $28 (for a new one).Here are some links to copies for sale through the indicated online seller:

Half.com
Amazon.com
AbeBooks.com

Be sure to note the condition of a used study guide before buying it! The seller should tell you if there is any damage or if there is writing in it.

If you wish to search for the study guide through any other service, it helps to have the ISBN handy: 0-7167-5288-3 . Also, I have one copy in my classroom if you would like to take a look at it before purchasing.

Evolutionary Psych and Kids

Today in class we will be discussing the evolutionary perpective in psychology: the application of principles of natural selection to our understanding of human behavior.

One potentially controversial issue we'll encounter is the notion that the idea that having children will make you happy may be selected for, even though lately research has suggested it's not true.

Happiness researchers have been telling us for some time that the impact of children on their parents' happiness is neutral at best (sure, parenting is stressful, but there are good things about it too), but lately researchers, including Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling On Happiness, have been telling us the non-parents are actually happier than parents. Shocking, since most parents are passionately devoted to their children and love them intensely.

Gilbert offers an evolutionary explanation for this: the illusion is persistant because those humans that don't buy into it...don't reproduce. We are all offspring of those who believed (even if it's not true) that we would bring them greater happiness.

This idea is explored more in a recent article from The Psychologist: Think Having Children Will Make You Happy? The author explores possible cognitive roots of this phenomenon.

(Keep in mind, I'm not anti-kids!!! I'm not trying to persuade you to make decisions about your future families! But I think this idea is interesting. Any other possible explanations for this phenomenon besides an evolutionary approach?)

Nature and Nurture Prezi

Psych Club T-Shirts

I've posted a preview widget so you can get a final look at what our Psych Club t-shirts will look like when you visit the blog. Unfortunately, I can't embed it in a post, so if you are reading this in your email you won't be able to see it. Just direct your browser to www.pumaattack.blogspot.com and the final version will be visible on the top left side of the page.

Money ($16 per shirt) and Orders for T-shirts will be due Friday, October 16th. Sign up in rm 136 and be sure to indicate your size.

October 16th is also our next Psychology Club meeting, and my current plan is to make some sort of food related to the brain...perhaps brain cupcakes?

YouTube Alien Hand Video

For those of you who can't get enough of Alien Hand Syndrome information, here's a YouTube clip posted by a sufferer of the disorder. If you actually go to YouTube and read the comments below her post, she reports that the condition has diminished somewhat since this video was made.