fandomhigh | Psych 101 (Thursday, (02/16/2006, 5th Period)

CLASS IS CLOSED FOR GRADING.
"Cognitive psychology? Covers thinking. Well, that's the simplified version. It's a little more broad than that. It covers the basic mental processes that underlie behavior, and that means cognitive psych can go into thinking, reasoning, and decision-making--as well as memory, attention, perception, knowledge representation, and problem-solving. Ulric Neissner came up with the term in the last 1960's, and he had a pretty good--if pretty complex--definition too, which I've copied onto the board."

...the term "cognition" refers to all processes by which the sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used. It is concerned with these processes even when they operate in the absence of relevant stimulation, as in images and hallucinations... Given such a sweeping definition, it is apparent that cognition is involved in everything a human being might possibly do; that every psychological phenomenon is a cognitive phenomenon. But although cognitive psychology is concerned with all human activity rather than some fraction of it, the concern is from a particular point of view. Other viewpoints are equally legitimate and necessary. Dynamic psychology, which begins with motives rather than with sensory input, is a case in point. Instead of asking how a man's actions and experiences result from what he saw, remembered, or believed, the dynamic psychologist asks how they follow from the subject's goals, needs, or instincts.

"Cognitive psych is like behavioral psych, in that it uses the scientific method. Unlike Freudian psych and other schools of thought, introspection is not considered valid as a method of investigation. However, it differs from behavioral psych in that it doesn't posit that all motivations are a result of behavioral stimulus-response factors.

So. Interestingly enough, when we talk about recovered memories, reincarnation, Satanic ritual abuse, and alien abduction, we're often talking about cognitive psychology and how real memory is or is not.

Well. Unless we're talking about real Satanic rituals. Those guys are icky. Or reincarnation in its real format, which, hey, has been known to be out there. ~~Hell, everything else is real in the Buffyverse, why not reincarnation?~~ Or possibly real alien abduction. Like I said, I've never met an alien. But anyway, it's a huge debate.

Why? Because memory is a matter of recreation, not just recall. You can't remember everything exactly, so when you do try to remember something, you play fill-in-the-blanks. Memory can therefore be affected by expectation, emotions, a misinterpretation, or even just plain ol' wishful thinking. Here's a handout on False Memory Syndrome. I'm sure you guys can guess what our topic of discussion for today is."

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{{OOC: OCD comment threads ~~going up shortly~~ are up.}}

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...

Elizabeth signed in.

Krycek signed in.

Stark signed in.

Jaye signs in.

Reading through the handout, Elizabeth eyed the alien abduction example, but willed herself not to skip ahead to it.

Memories of a dark room seem to return (which dark room? When she was held by the Genii? Before then, back on Earth? When would that have been?) and she feels almost claustraphobic. Her pen is tapping on the table, increasing in speed, but she barely seems aware.

"Elizabeth?" asks Jenny. "You okay? You seem a little distracted."

"Hmm?" Elizabeth automatically looked up at the sound of her name, almost surprised to see that she was in class. "Oh, I'm fine. I think. Just," she half-laughed. "Memories. Or at least, I think that's what they are."

Jenny grinned. "Putting classroom lessons to practical use already?" she asked.

"Not by choice," Elizabeth admitted. "I've just been having weird dreams lately, most of which are memories."

"Weird dreams?" Jenny tilted her head. "You know, you might want to start keeping a dream journal. Especially since next week we'll be doing a unit on dreams."

"A journal that others would see?" Elizabeth started to panic inwardly. Because her dreams would be so much fun to dissect in class.

"Not all of the dreams," said Jenny. "But one of them, chosen by you, sure. And really, examining your dreams can be a valuable tool for psychological growth."

"Um, okay then," Elizabeth said, hoping that she would have one dream that didn't involve highly classified material.

Jenny hoped that Elizabeth didn't just make up a dream to go in the journal. That would ruin the point of the exercise.

"You know, Elizabeth, if you ever want someone to talk to that would be a pretty impartial listener, I'm around," said Jenny.

Elizabeth managed to smile. "Thanks for the offer, Professor," she said. "I'm actually heading home this weekend, to see someone there, so hopefully that'll help. But, if I do need to talk, then I won't hesitate to come to you."

Krycek read the handout, thinking out loud a bit. "Given how little we know about the universe in, probably, any reality you could name, it'd be difficult to say for certain that an alien abduction memory is blatantly untrue. But of those that might have actual memories of true events, there's probably many more of the ones who are just crazy or attention-seeking."

"Totally not discounting the possibility of real aliens," said Jenny. "But even if they're real? I doubt everyone out there who says they've been kidnapped by little gray guys is really telling the truth. If aliens even are little gray guys."

Stark did not smirk at all when Jenny said again that she'd never met an alien, only because he wasn't prone to smirking. He did smile, a little, but it definitely wouldn't be considered a smirk. He did wonder what this teacher would do if he pointed out that he was an alien, but he wasn't feeling that adventurous today.

"Sometimes I know I remember things that aren't mine to remember. If it is so easy to create a memory of things that never happened, how can you ever be sure of what you remember? And if you can't be sure of that, how can you be sure of who you are or who anyone is?"

"Most of us just trust our memories," said Jenny. "They can be faulty, but they're not faulty a majority of the time. Or you could be paranoid and write down everything that happens to you as it happens. That'd take care of the problem right there."

Jaye spends way too long trying to figure out what she can blame her crazy on. Aliens sound good. Maybe she'll use that....

OOC: Have I mentioned that we will be covering abnormal psych and psychological disorders this term...

Psych 101 (Thursday, (02/16/2006, 5th Period)

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Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Cognitive Psych & False Memory Syndrome

After Class

OOC