Defining Intelligence

Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences defines 9 different types of intelligence. I really enjoyed learning that this was an actual theory, and made me think of all the terms we use to describe different people. For example, so and so is 'book' smart, or 'street' smart, etc. What I also findd most interesting about this class in general  is how the material takes and defines concepts that are so familiar to us in our daily life.
I think that intelligence can be an incredibly difficult thing to quantify. Someone with dyslexia, for example, can be highly intelligent, and yet if not diagnosed and treated their schoolwork would certainly not reflect that. My moms cousin has a chromosomal disorder called Turner Syndrome. You would not know anything was wrong with her if you were to meet him, and in fact people often remark about how crazy smart he is. At age 9 she is reading at a 12th grade level. However, statistically about 70-80% with TS develop something called Non-verbal Learning Disability which, loosely defined, means difficulty with non-verbal tasks and spatial issues. So he might end up having difficulties with math, or reading body language. Either way I don't think that makes him less intelligent. Saying that someone is smart only if they meet one particular set of criteria is ridiculous. Therefore, I really liked Gardner's work, and how he changed that viewpoint.
I also love Gardner's belief that schools should teach to all intelligences, and not just the traditional ones. He believed that teachers should get to know each individual on their own intelligence profile, and teach to that. Now, if only that were the case! Think about how many more kids would excel at school. Maybe we can value education enough that it will be funded completely to allow that.

Difference in brain?

It was fun reading "What's the Difference Between Boys and Girls." This article had a lot interesting ideas and facts.  At the beginning she talks about her son wanting a barbie so he could chop her head off.  This reminded me so much of my childhood with my siblings. We are three sisters and one brother. We were all very close growing up, and we did everything together.  My sisters were girly-girls, loved playing with dolls, dress up etc. I on the other hand was a tomboy as a child. My brother was my favorite playmate. I remember one day, my brother took one of my sisters dolls.  they told him to bring it back and he told me he would. When he brought the doll back, she was blown to pieces, the hair is chopped off, the legs and arms were in the wrong places, at least they were still attached . But I still couldn't believe it.  I don't see what it is about dolls that make boys want to mutilate them once they get their hand on them?

"There's a straight forward reason why we are a male-female species: Reproductively, it works.  We are all born with bodies designed to be the same, and to be different." This is so true! We all breathe, have beating hearts, and a similar shape to us. Although, boys have sperm, girls have eggs, boys don't produce milk, girls do, girls have babies, boys don't. There's definitely a reason for all these similarities and differences, and maybe there is a reason boys and girls are so different growing up as well.

"Children are born blank slates to be influenced- or, worse, manipulated- by the adults around them." I also found this very interesting. I don't think that is true! Boys and girls are made different for a reason.  I think that it's a good thing that we are different, leads to some really interesting psychological reasons behind why we do what we do.

I wonder… how different are the brains of boys and girls?

Chapter 2

Personality is very unique, interesting, and important. Yet so hard to understand.

I personally believe that before you can define who you are and what your strengths are. You need to understand your personality. We all have personality traits and characteristics, and it varies from person to person. Also, different personality traits explains why there are so many similarities between groups of people. The more you have in common with someone the easier it is to get along with them.

It seems to me that we usually become very observant of people around us especially of those whom we want to interact with. I find that when we are trying to understand ones personality we automatically refer to a few things, such as, attitude, behavior, and character . Which can either be good or bad. For example, if someone's rude all the time then I personally just think they have an undesirable personality. While on the other hand if someone has admirable demeanor have a good personality.

There have been so many definitions about personality nowadays. It's so hard to understand the general concept behind it all.

Now, of course, there are many things that lead up to how our personality develops throughout our life. We are all born with that unique genetic blueprint, which lays out our basic characteristics as well as our physical health and appearance. Just Like the article sense of self states “Any parent knows that personality is not something that comes on gradually with age, but instead seems to be present from birth.”

As one is developing in the womb, biologically you are being created with not only specific physical characteristics but specific genes that you will carry on throughout your whole life from the moment you are born. Prenatal development takes an average of 38 weeks which are separated in three periods. In period one of pre-natal development, called the zygote, the egg is fertilized by the sperm and the two independent sets of 23 chromosomes are interchanged thus developing a new human being! Period two, called the embryo, occurs once the zygote is completely embedded in the uterine wall. This is when body structure and internal organs begin to develop as well as physical characteristics such as the eyes, jaw, arms, and legs. The last period, called the fetus, is the final phase of prenatal development in which the baby becomes larger and the bodily systems begin to work. During this last phase the baby becomes independent and well prepared to come into the world.

For nearly all of history, sexual intercourse was the only way for an egg and sperm to unite and begin the development of a new human being but of course times have changed and this is no longer the only way.  Not everyone is lucky to easily have a baby if they choose. Some people can get pregnant without planning on it while others try so hard, but fail. These people who “fail” usually cannot conceive a child for some reason or another and in my opinion I think that it is so great that scientists have found ways to help these people because not being able to reproduce can be very heartbreaking. The pros to the new ways of conception nowadays is that it gives everyone hope, such as in vitro fertilization, which I don’t think has any cons because there is no harm in taking an egg and sperm and uniting them in a petri dish then putting it in the uterus for the couple who cannot seem to concept through sexual intercourse. The only con that I could think of in other ways of conception such as a surrogate or sperm/egg donors are the people who actually help others. Those people later on might regret donating, thinking that it was “their” baby and belongs to “them.” Although I don’t think that these people should regret for they are doing something so wonderful, but not everyone will have the same mindset as myself and I have not been through it so I am not one to judge. 

Chapter 1

I always find interest in reading about  major life milestones and growing up, after all we humans are constantly changing and growing each and every day. I believe that major life stages such as adolescence and old age are where we are most likely to grow and change a lot in a short period of time. I also believe that we all change and grow up in our own special ways. Some mature faster while others grow to be 6 foot tall faster. Of course genetics has to do with some of these “changes,” but as the Biopsychosocial framework explains, there are many other factors as to how human development may be different amongst people.

In chapter one of the textbook, it states that scientists usually consider four interactive forces in human development. Biological forces, which include all genetic and health related factors that affect development. Biological factors can include maturation, wrinkling, puberty, and many more which can be determined by our genetic code but can also change depending on the effects of lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise. Psychological forces, which include all internal perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and personality factors that affect development. Psychological forces can include how we see the world and our self-esteem which relate to our beliefs thus influencing our behaviors and personalities. Sociocultural forces which include interpersonal, societal, cultural, and ethnic factors. People develop in all sorts of different environments, growing up with certain crowds and being involved in institutions that influences development such as school or watching television. “All of these people and institutions fit together to form a person's culture.” (Pg. 8) Life-cycle forces which reflect differences in how the same event affects people of different ages. Life-cycle forces combine all three of the first forces which can happen at different points in the life span.  For example, a particular event such as pregnancy may occur at different points in life, but how a person deals with it depends on their experience. Age, financial situation, and the social support systems change depending on your age. Combining all four of these developmental forces gives a view of human development.

Childhood has definitely changed since I was a kid. When comparing my childhood to my grandparents or even my older siblings, The world is continuously undergoing changes. I came to America when I was 8 years old, starting school here and learning English around the same time as other children did in America. I had to skip a few grades, of course this was a little more tough. As for my grandparents, by the time they were 12-14 years old, they were already cooking or learning how to sew. Both of my grandparents and my older siblings matured faster than me because of the environment in which they were growing up in. While I grew up going to school and watching cartoons, my grandparents were working with their parents trying to earn money. Sociocultural forces, I believe, are one of the greatest impacts on human development because we grow up depending on the people around us raising us, what they are doing, and what we think we should be doing. The reason my childhood was different from my grandparents is not only because I was in a different country where the rules and culture were different but because our financial situation was better, there were things such as media (television, music, computers), and I had other types of people around me.  As a child you grow up around these surroundings, making “growing up” take longer.

The Psychodynamic Theory, (Pg. 11) which proposes that development is largely determined by how well people resolve conflicts they face at different ages makes the most sense to me. It traces back to Sigmund Freud’s theory that personality emerges from conflicts that children experience between what they want to do and what society wants them to do. Erik Erikson proposed his psychosocial theory which consists of eight stages and that the order of the stages are biologically fixed. When challenges are met successfully at a certain stage, people are well prepared to meet the challenge of the next stage. This theory makes sense to me personally because I do believe that growing up has certain challenges that we need to overcome before moving onto the next stage. For example you can’t commit to another in a loving relationship if you don’t have a sense of self and who you are or what it is that you want. Until that goal is met, is when you can grow up into the next stage of life. This theory combined with the learning theory would make human experience a “holistic” perspective. The learning theory is based on the role of experience which in turn influences whether a persons goal is met in the stages of life.