Hello fellow classmates and Dr. MacFarlane,

I’m Brian Escamilla and I’m a second semester freshmen. I chose Austin College because of the classes and programs they have here. I enjoy hanging out with friends and also being on my phone.

I chose to take this class because it fit best with my schedule. I also don’t know much about psychology and I’m looking forward to learning the material. I associate “why people do what they do” with psychology. What seemed interesting to me in the sylabus was conditioning, drugs, alcohol, and the brain, and personality theory. These three popped out to me and I can’t wait to learn about them because they relate to everyday college life.  I find all the topics interesting and am excited to learn more about them but find research methods, neurons, and sleep to be the least interesting of the topics.

One question I would like to have answered before leaving this semester is whether a person is born with their personality or if personality is developed over time?

This semester should be interesting and can’t wait to learn new things.

Hello my name is Devon Graves, and I am a freshman here at AC. I was born just outside Wichita Kansas but I’ve lived in Texas longer than I can remember.

I chose to take Psychology because i didn’t do so well when i took it my first semester and Ian is my mentor so I figured he could keep me on track with due dates and what not and I have always been interested in the field. (even though I don’t plan to peruse it in the future)

I also have always had an interest in psychology just because whenever I think about “psychology” I think about being able to read expressions on people to determine how they feel or think. Yes I know I’m not walking out of this class as a mind reader, but it is nice to have the idea of understanding the world/people around me.

For my I see disorders, sleep and alcohol as interesting topics because they all heavily impact the brain. That if I could place a bet on it, I guarantee I’ll leave this class knowing that someone in my outrageous family has soooooooooomething going on upstairs.

Honestly I am not too worried about anything in particular in the curriculum, however i am worried about my dumb self procrastinating and falling behind. I know it seems like an issue thats easily fixed but I don’t think anyone understands the level at which I procrastinate, I’ve been working on it and i think this will be a huge improvement on my part.

By the end on the course the only question that will remain is: Will this be the semester where I get clean up my act and have a good semester?

Hey everyone! My name is Reggie and I am a freshman football player here at Austin College. I was born in Oklahoma City but have lived in the Carrollton/ Farmers Branch area for the last 15 years or so.

I chose to take this class because psychology was one of the few classes back in high school that really sparked a new interest for the brain and how it works. Psychology is one of the three minors I hope to pick from. I love biology and seeing how the body works and clearly the mind is a huge part of that.

When I hear the word “psychology” the main thing that pops in my head is “study of the mind and its functions to situations in life.”

The three topics I find the most interesting are “Drugs, Alcohol, and the Brain,” “Emotion,” and “Mental Illnesses” because they’re all things I wonder about concerning different members of my family.

The three that I’m not so excited about would probably be “Classical Conditioning,” “Operant Conditioning,” and “Observational Learning” because these are all things I have learned about throughout high school classes and college biology.

The big question that I plan to have answers at the end of this class is: Can I see Psychology as my minor for college?

Salutations! 

My name’s Stephanie Austin, a freshman, and a lover of people and all their complexities. It’s for this reason that I was genuinely excited to take Psych 101! I didn’t have time to take the subject during high school—blame the Colorado school system—so I’m very thankful for the opportunity. Even if it’s intimidating, I’m planning on having a great semester!

When I think of the word psychology, I think of mental illness. Clinical psychologists. Lounge sofas. Freud. All the basics. I also think of my grandfather, who studies psychology in his retirement with a particular interest in the junction between philosophical inquiry and neuroscience.

He finds a way to bring up the brain every time we talk.

A question I’d like answered: why do we have personalities? What makes us us?

An natural extrapolation is I find the concepts of personality, intelligence, and social roles/conformity the most interesting. The first because I’m an explorer, and part of that exploration should naturally include myself. I’m looking forward to learning about why we are who we are on a personal level as well as taking quizzes and assessing their accuracy. Included in this curiosity is the theory of intelligence. What types of intelligence are there? How can and should we measure it? What kind of “intelligent” am I? Isn’t it all relative? Social roles and conformity appeals to me since I’m an eclectic person who tends to stray from her family’s preconceived “norm.” On a personal level as well as on a larger scale, I’ll be thrilled to hear this topic. It doesn’t get too much limelight in high school.

As for least interesting, my forte is most defiantly not anything regarding research. I like being in the field, but learning things like “research methods” and “experimental design” are just the nitty gritty parts of a science class you just sort of have to get through. Ah, and then the ubiquitous scientific method. Again, it feels like a bit of a rehash. Of course, I can’t know for certain if it’s not different in psychology.

A fun aside: my hobbies include doodling, music, wikipedia surfing, and rollerskating. I’m a very social person most days, and I love the sound of my own voice… So—please—call me out if I’m being irrelevant or annoying! My favorite domestic animals are cats, and my favorite color is—in general—a nice peacock blue-green. I have a dormant passion for acting; my party trick is doing the perfect little kid’s voice; I sign my name with a heart at the end; and I almost got put in a special school for figure skating way back when.

Anyways, thank you for reading! I know it’s long! Here’s to a great semester!

My name is Tiffany Litton, a current freshman and student athlete at Austin College. I plan to major in English with a minor in exercise sports science, eventually leading up to earning a masters degree in education. Eventually, I hope to become an English teacher and basketball coach at the high school or college level. I am a native Texan, born and raised in Austin.

This blog and it’s postings relate to my psychology class here at AC. Thinking about psychology in general, what comes to mind right away is the brain, it’s thoughts, how it works, memories, actions, etc. which is what also interested me to take this course. Additionally I am interested to learn about myself and others at a deeper level. From the course syllabus the three topics that are most intrigue me are Concussions, Personality Assessment, and Treating Mental Illness. Concussions interest me because athletes are often put in situations that concussions likely occur in. In the past I have learned about concussion prevention, how bad a concussion is, etc. but I have never known what actually goes on mentally when a concussion occurs. Personality assessment is interesting because I have always been into personality quizzes, personality types, and other peoples personalities and compatibility with my own. Lastly, mental illness in general has been an interest of mine for a long time, ever since I began volunteering at an Alzheimer’s home during my high school career.

The three topics that seem the least interesting to me are Scientific Method, Research Methods, and Neurons. I am not a “sci-ency” person, if you will, so these terms just bring confusion and blank thoughts to my head. Assuming I will have to take science classes later on, and the fact that this information is obviously important to the class material, I am confident I will benefit from and enjoy learning these topics once we actually get into them.

By the end of the class I hope to answer the question: What are possible advancements for psychology in the future? What more research is there to be done?

The whole reason for me taking this class is because I need a psychology class for the teacher program so this will make things easier, either it will cover it or it will make the other psych classes much easier when it actually counts, plus it’s a breadth requirement. For me, the word “psychology” means the study of the mind and how it works, like being able to tell what might trigger someone’s reactions to things and what not. I guess the three topics I most look forwards to are Moral Development, Personality Theory, and Mood Disorder & Anxiety because I have always kind of wondered what causes these things in people. The three topics I least look forwards to are Social Roles & Conformity, Stereotypes and Discrimination, and Brain Structures because I feel like I either already kind of know how some of that works or it just doesn’t look that interesting to me. One question I want to be able to answer by the end of the semester I guess would be why some things that should phase me or get some kind of reaction from me simply don’t.

Hi, I’m Zoe. I am a biology major and a english and music double minor. I am on the volleyball team for Austin College as well as in the A Capella choir. I am a sophomore and I live in Houston. I just returned from the Hawaii Jan Term and I recommend that if you haven’t been there you need to go. If you are reading this, you are either in my psych 101 class or lost somewhere on the internet. I choose to take this class for two very simple reasons: first of all, psychology is an interesting study and everyone should learn about it; and second of all, it will help me with my major. It is basically a fun class that interests me but will also benefit me in the long run. Bonus!

When I think about psychology I remember a saying my father always said “Individuals are smart, but people are stupid”. It makes you think about people as individuals and how their actions and behaviors make up what is the entire human race. Given this, I would like to learn more about how the society affects the individual and how the individual affects the society. I am really looking forward to the blogs because I have never done one before and I think it is a good way to write down your thoughts for the world to compare. I also find the pop culture research to be a refreshing assignment that will give me a chance to set down my history books and take a look around the present. It’s neat to know instead of studying ‘what was’ I will be reviewing ‘what is’. Lastly, I can’t wait to jump in and learn about memory so that I can improve my own as well as help others! I am not so excited for weekly quizzes simply because I don’t like them and I’m not sure how I feel about the online lectures yet although they do free up class time. The blog comments aren’t going to be my favorite either because I don’t like criticizing other viewers thoughts, beliefs, and ideas. I leave that to the professors.

At the end of this semester I would like to know: Does the knowledge of psychology change the way that individuals view the world?

My name is Kelly Lynch and I am a freshman here at Austin College.

I play basketball here for the school

I’ve lived in Houston my whole life.

I decided to take this class because the way the brain works and why certain people do certain things really intrigues me. When I think of the word psychology I associate it with the way the brain thinks and reacts, and analyzation of why we do certain things. The three topics that look most interesting to me are the personality assessment, the memory encoding and brain structures. I feel as if my personality differs from the average person, i want to have a better understanding of how the brain is structured and why some people can remember twice as well as others. None of the topics on the syllabus look uninteresting to me. I’m exctited to gain a better knowledge and understanding of what I already do and don’t know.

One question I would like to know the answer to by the time this class is over is.. Why does the brain sometimes stay 100% with age,but other times people lose their mind with age, and how to sustain the normal brain activity.

Hello fellow classmates and Dr. MacFarlane,

My name is Veer and I am currently a second semester freshman attending Austin College. Before coming up to Sherman to attend this fantastic institution, I lived in Mansfield, TX; a town about the size of Sherman an hour and half south of here. I am taking Gen Psych to complete a breadth requirement and to learn the inner workings of the human mind. When I think of the word “psychology” I associate it with analyzing and understanding human thought processes and behavior. Psychology allows us to understand what makes every human unique and what makes them unique. Of the many topics we will cover this semester the 3 topics that interest me the most are “Coping With Stress”, “Theories of Motivation”, and “Drugs, Alcohol, and the Brain”. The first two topics interest me because as a college student stress and lack of motivation is my biggest downfall and maybe after covering these topics I will be better able to handle these issues.   The topic of “Drugs, Alcohol, and the Brain” will better help me understand why certain drugs have certain effects on the mind. The 3 topics I’m least interested in are “Neurons”, “Obedience”, and “Cognitive Development”. I don’t know why I’m least interested in those topics but most likely because they seemed the most boring. One question I would like to be able to answer by the time the semester is over is: “Which learning technique is best for me to succeed?”

Hello, my name is Anna Centala. I am a freshman at Austin College and the reason I’m taking intro to psychology is because I like to explore my options as a student. I am undecided in my major and therefore am experimenting with subjects that I may find interesting. When I think about psychology, I think about how the mind works and how complex my brain and thought processes are. It’s quite fascinating and slightly overwhelming. I’m most excited about studying memory, personality, and stress. Memory blows my mind and I have a hard time getting my head around why and how some memories stick and some fade away. Personality is interesting because, to me, it seems to be very dependent on a person’s surroundings and I’d like to know the extent of that. I’m excited to learn about stress because it is so present in my life and the lives around me and I’m curious to know more about why and how it has such an impact on everyone’s life. Scientific method, research method, and experimental design seem like the least interesting to me because I’ll be so ready to get to learning about my mind and how it works. I have very little knowledge about what psychology is and how it explains so much about myself and the people around me so I’d like to come out of the class with at least a basic knowledge of how it works.