There's a First Blog for Everything

I just want to start with saying that I am very excited to learn about psychology, the first reading assigned was very interesting to me and I can’t wait to learn more! I’m expecting AP Psychology to be very difficult on the workload and pace, but I know it will be very interesting at the same time. I’m really excited to learn about what goes on inside of our brains to cause us to act and feel certain ways. I am someone who sits back and watches the reactions of people around me. It is interesting to see how people change what they are saying or how they are reacting to fit with what other people are saying and how other people are reacting. I’m expecting this class to be more difficult than my other classes this semester but I am ready for the challenge!

The prologue introduced where psychology started, and all of people along the way that helped the subject grow into what it is today. It also explained the three main levels of psychology. I learned that each level alone is helpful, but not enough. To fully understand, you must know all three. There are many different subfields of psychology, which makes it a perfect job choice for many people.

Chapter one focused on how psychologists think and the questions they ask when testing the theory. Psychologists use the scientific method to test their theories. First they have their idea that turns into a hypothesis, which requires experimentation and results, providing a conclusion. The best way to conduct an experiment is with a double-blind procedure, when neither the researchers nor participants know who is getting treatment and who isn’t. If the researchers know who is getting treatment, they may see effects that aren’t occurring because they are so excited and want so badly for this new drug to work.

There was a question at the beginning of the chapter about first-born children and if they are more likely to be successful. I always wondered this because I have a younger brother and just in school, I seem to be the more successful one. I found an interview with Dr. Kevin Leman the author of First Born Advantage where he tells about how the order in which children are born affects their outcome in life. Enjoy!