AP Psych Expectations and Chapter One

Going into AP Psychology I have a lot of expectations not only of myself, but of the class as well. I am very excited to learn more about the way people behave and why they behave that way. I find psychology ridiculously fascinating and there is not one thing in this class that I am not looking forward to learning about. However, I think I will find personality, emotion, human memory and social psychology to be especially interesting. My goal is to come out with a solid A in the class and pass the final AP exam with at least three points, if not more. Next year, I am going to college to major in psychology, so I am really hoping to start next year out with a few credits already under my belt. I am a bit nervous about the amount of reading and other work for this class simply because it is not the only AP class I am taking at the moment. I know what it takes to do well in an AP class and although balancing my time with other classes will be a challenge, I think it is doable. 

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The prologue gave a broad overview of psychology and it's history. It stated that the most controversial question still around today is Nature vs. Nurture. Chapter one went on to talk about all different types of research, and biases in research. It went through case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation, correlation and experimentation. All of these are ways in which information is gathered and organized. They can all be applied to the Nature vs. Nurture debate, but at the end of the day people are still torn on the issue. I was able to find a video on YouTube that talked about Nature vs. Nurture and I found it interesting because it took a somewhat different approach compared to what I had heard before. It talked about how our genes help to interpret our environment. Their big question was, which genes are triggered by our environment? And does it matter which genes are triggered by our environment? Apparently, it all depends on which genes our minds turn on and which genes our mind turn off. Different circumstances cause our genes to turn on and off, but according to the researchers in the video, they have yet to figure out those circumstances. Some believe that children receive a stronger social influence from people other than their parents. Other researchers believe that children live in separate worlds and that not much is carried over from world to world, but anything that is carried over is going to be genetic. Judith Rich Harris, a developmental psychologist, believes that how well, or not well, a child turns out is up to the child, not it's parents. Many, however, disagree with her. Researchers continue to do genetic research and observe people in many different ways, but no one has quite been able to clear up the debate of Nature vs. Nurture. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aNaMlSc3Ag&feature=plcp&context=C3ef4464UDOEgsToPDskKMEvbONU1nxq0hzuhX2iUe

I also was able to find a video about two identical twins that were separated at birth to become a part of a twin study. Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein grew up in completely different places and had completely different families. Both of them went through most of their lives feeling like they were missing a part of themselves. One of them had decided to contact the adoption agency to find out more about her birth mother. In response, she received a letter saying that she had a twin sister. The two of them ended up getting together and catching up on things only to find out that they have the same mannerisms and did many of the exact things up until this point in their lives. Their story, along with a few others, has proven that nature beats out nurture in the Nature vs. Nurture debate. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gwnzW4jOMI