Week 14 Post 2

While reading chapter 22, I found the section called "Caregiving" to be very interesting. Caregiving includes not only meeting another person's physical needs but also fulfilling another person's psychological needs. One study concludes that the time and energy required to provide emotional support to others must be reconceptualized as an important aspect of the work that takes in families. Caregiving must be managed, focused, and directed so as to have the intended effect on the care recipient. Caregiving includes responding to the emotions of people who need a confidant, cheerleader, counselor, and close friend. Parents, children, and partners care for one another and oftentimes, neighbors, friends, and distant relatives are caregivers as well. Most families have a kinkeeper which is a caregiver who takes responsibility for maintaining communication among family members. The kinkeeper has lots of responsibilities such as gathering everyone for holidays, spreading word about illness, relocation, or accomplishments, buying gifts for special occasions, and reminding family members of birthdays and anniversaries. All the family members become generative as they are guided by their kinkeeper. The best caregiving is shared work and shared caregiving is generativity. Generativity can take many forms but its chief form is establishing and guiding the next generation, usually through parenthood. Many adults pass along their values as they decide how to respond to the hundreds of requests and unspoken needs of their children each day. 

week 14

I decided to comment on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. In the text, the first is physiology: the need to satisfy hunger. Second is safety: the need to feel that the word is organized and predictable and the need to feel safe, secure, and stable. Third is love and belonging: the need to love and be loved, to belong and be accepted and the need to avoid loneliness and alienation. Fourth is success and esteem: the need for self-esteem, achievement, competence, and independence and the need for recognition and respect from others. Last is self-actualization: the need to live up to one's fullest and unique potential. I work in a hospital and I have seen some older adults (not elderly, that's not what this chapter discussed) in very ill conditions. I believe the first emotion is depression that I see a person express when they are not their normal environment and stuck in a unit like ICU. The next is the desire for water, that meets the first hierarchy need. Second, would be that the person does not want to fall, so we offer assistance or a walker for when the patient gets out of bed or when they fear their condition could turn. Third, would be when all they want to do is see their spouse. Fourth, and this usually comes from someone who is in the hospital for a prolonged period of time, they fear that they would be let go from their job and they worry about what could happen to their family. Last, and this goes along with success and self- esteem, a patient can worry about what would happen to their family if they lose their job or they feel that they are at blame for what is wrong with their family.

Not every patient is in the hospital long enough for all of these stages to be seen. For these to be seen in such a short time of a hospital stay, a patient would have to be really sick. We do not usually have patients who stay longer than a month, but on rare occasions, we have patients who are there for a long period of time and these stages of Maslow's can definitely be seen in adult hospital stays.

Week 14 Post 1

While reading chapter 22, I found the section titled "Personality Throughout Adulthood" to be very interesting. I have never learned about personality theories before but after reading this section, I have developed an interest in this subject. Although genes, parental practices, culture, and adult circumstances all contribute to personality, genes is probably the most influential. Since genes do no t change over the life span, scientists confirm substantial coherence in personality. There are five clusters of personality traits called the big five which generally remain stable throughout adult life. The five clusters are openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. They correlate with career choices, health habits, education, marriage, divorce, and intelligence. In adulthood, people choose their ecological niche which is their particular social concept. The ecological niche may explain why ages thirty to fifty are marked by more stability of personality than are other periods of life. Before age thirty, many people make various life changes while afterwards, they make fewer changes. Adult traits are not immutable. If individuals are surrounded by people who behave in a certain way for a long period of time, they may begin to act similar to those people and lose some of the qualities that they do have. In addition, new events bring out old personality patterns. A massive study found that agreeableness and conscientiousness increased while openness, extroversion, and neuroticism decreased. Many researchers who study personality find that people tend to adapt their traits to the culture in which they live, expressing them differently. 

Week 14 Post 2

Another thing that was new to me while reading Chapter 22 was the term “fictive kin”. Berger (2010) mentions that this refers to someone who overtime becomes accepted and part of a family despite them have no blood relation to the actual family. I can totally relate to this and that’s why I found it so interesting to learn that there is a term to describe this person. When I was in middle school my older brother’s best friend moved in with my family. At first my whole family thought it would only be a temporary stay. I didn’t mind that he moved in with my family because he was always at my house anyways that it really didn’t feel like that much of a change. He lived with us for two years until him and my brother both graduated from high school. Yet, he still came back for the holidays and whenever his college was on break which meant he was with us throughout the whole summer. My parents never minded that he stayed with us because they knew he was more than just a best friend to my brother, he was like the brother my brother never had. Likewise, he was like another son my parents never had and he was like another brother for me and my sister to have. Till this day, I still refer to him as a brother because he means as much to me as my actual blood brother. Even now my family still spends time with him.

Week 14 Post 1

While reading Chapter 22, I really enjoyed learning about familism. Before reading this chapter I never even know there was such a term. According to Berger (2010) familism is the belief that all family members should support one another. Family members support each other by sacrificing individual success as well as freedom to preserve family unity. Personally, I believe that family members should not be forced to act this way rather family members should want to forgo their own desires if it better benefits another family member. Looking back, I feel like my parents made lots of sacrifices in their lives so that they could spend more time with me and my siblings. In addition, they also took time out of their schedules to take us to different activities and events that we wanted to go to. As I think back to this time in my life, I begin to realize that familism is easier for parents to do than for children to do for their parents or for siblings to do for other siblings. I remember having to miss one of my friend’s birthday parties because my family and I were away on our annual family vacation. However, now that I am older I realize that family is more important than anything else and should really come first. That being said, I believe that familism should be equal between family members and family members should want to make personal sacrifices if they know it will truly benefit another family member. 

week 13 post 1

During this chapter it touched bases on the three form of intelligence by Robert Sternberg.  According Sternberg intelligence can be categorized in analytic intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence.  These are the three fundamental categorizations that can actually be tested scientifically and present results of some significance. Analytic intelligence means that it’s a form of intelligence that involves such mental processes as abstract planning, strategy selection, focused attention and information processing, as well as a verbal and logical skills. Creative intelligence is a form of intelligence that involves the capacity to be intellectually flexible and innovative. When speaking of practical intelligence one must keep in mind that it is the intellectual skill used in everyday problem solving, its sometimes called tactic intelligence practical intelligence. When one’s trying to understand practical intelligence one must grasp the idea of the adaptation of someone’s capacity to change their behavior to a given situation. That includes understanding of what’s expected of them. It seems as though one only really uses analytic intelligence during high school and college years. Which actually makes perfect sense those are after the years which we are challenged the most academically and critical. Cramming vast amount of information that we have to regurgitate it back on the various amount of test.

Week 13 post 2

For my second blog post this week, I would like to discuss the theory that was developed by Paul and Margaret Baltes. The theory that the two individuals developed is selective optimization with compensation and the theory is “people try to maintain a balance in their lives by looking for the best way to compensate for physical and cognitive losses and to become more proficient in activities they can already do well” (Berger, 593).  I found this theory very interesting and true since individuals who are getting older want to be able to perform the same activities as they did when they were younger but have to do it in a “different” way to be able to improve their abilities to get to that stage. As the text points out that younger people are a little more motivated to achieve success than older adult but it does not mean that they cannot achieve what they would like to be able to do. One example of this theory put into action is when things are happening around an older adult such as while driving a car it is harder for one to react. Say the person is talking to a passenger in the car and all of a sudden the traffic is coming to a complete stop is takes a few seconds longer for them to be able to grasp what is happening which then could lead to an accident. For a younger person they might be multitasking and see signs that they traffic is coming to a stop and react faster or in a different way. The level of intelligence in an older adult is not necessarily declining but has changed and areas that one may have stronger skills than others.

Week Thirteen Post Two

While reading chapter twenty-one I really found interest in the section on optimization with compensation. In 1990 Paul and Margret Baltes developed a theory called selective optimization with compensation. This theory describes the general process of systematic function. People try to maintain a balance in their lives by looking for the best compensate for physical and cognitive losses and to become more proficient in activities they can already do well. The main idea is that people seek to optimize their development, looking for the best way to compensate for physical and cognitive losses. An example that should be familiar to most is multitasking. Multitasking becomes more difficult with every passing decade. An obvious example is when people drive a car while talking on the phone. This is particularly dangerous for older drivers because their less flexible brain focuses only on the conversation making it hard to perceive what the eyes see. Some jurisdictions require drivers to use hands free phones, as if the potential problem originates in the arms. Although traffic accidents have not reduced, because the problem is the multitasking brain not the arms. Resources of the brain, as well as material resources, may be increasingly limited with age, but compensation allows optimal functioning. Many adults have learned they must be selective, compensating for slower thinking by concentrating on one task at a time. I enjoyed this section because my mother is always yelling at me for talking on the phone while driving, yet she does it her self. I know have proof to present to her that it is more dangerous for her to do it than me. I never realized the brain became less flexible with age and I know she wouldn’t realize either.

Week 13, Post 1

In the book it explains being an expert. Selective expert is someone who is notably more skilled and knowledgeable than the average person about whichever activities are personally meaningful. Some things could be someone who cooks, or repair a car. though as people develop expertise in some areas, they pay less attention to others. Some experts are not necessarily those with rare and outstanding proficiency. Sometimes the term expert connotes an extraordinary genius, to researchers it means more-and less - than that. An expert is not someone ho knows more about something.The quality as well as the quantity of cognition is advanced. An expert is intuitive, automatic, strategic, and flexible. Someone who has intuitive can rely on their past when a problem comes up. Someone who is automatic, is someone who can think on the dime, someone who is quick on their feet. Strategic is someone who has good strategies when a problem comes up. Finally someone who is flexible, they can think of different ways of coming up with a solution to a problem. Someone who is an expert will have all four of those qualities.

Week 13 Post 2

I found the section called "Two Clusters of Intelligence to be very interesting while reading chapter 21. Before reading this chapter, I had never heard of fluid intelligence or crystallized intelligence. Adult intelligence is grouped into these two categories. Fluid intelligence is quick and flexible; therefore, it enables people  to learn anything, even when things are unfamiliar and unconnected to what they already know. People who have high fluid abilities can draw inferences, understand relations between concepts, and readily process new ideas and facts. They are also quick and creative with both words and numbers and enjoy intellectual puzzles. Puzzles are often used to measure fluid intelligence and if they have speedy solutions, they are given bonus points. People high in fluid intelligence were more often exposed to stress but were less likely to suffer from it. Crystallized intelligence is the accumulation of facts, information, and knowledge as a result of education and experience. It is indicated  by the size of a person's vocabulary, the knowledge of chemical formulas, and the long-term memory for dates in history. The questions used to test crystallized intelligence may seem to measure achievement more than aptitude which is because these two are connected. High crystallized intelligence in early adulthood predicts a high IQ later in life. Fluid and crystallized intelligence must be measured to reflect the total picture of a person's intellectual aptitude. 

Week 13: post 2

This week we read chapter 21. As I was taking the quiz this week, I seemed to struggle with identifying what is considered to be fluid intelligence. This is the reason that I decided to research an article regarding types of intelligence. In an article entitle "Complementary Cognitive Capabilities, Economic Decision Making, and Aging," the researchers sought to find a reason for why fluid intelligence decreases with age and economic decision making remains consistent through all adult age groups. They also noticed that crystallized intelligence in adulthood was stronger than fluid intelligence. The researchers made it a point to hypothesize that the crystallized intelligence provided strength for financial and debt literacy and temporal discounting. According to this study, crystallized intelligence is knowledge gained over time which increases until 60 years of age. Fluid intelligence is the "ability to generate, transform, manipulate information which declines with age. Fluid intelligence is critical to decision-making, but through a series of surveys sent out to participants, they concluded that strong crystallized intelligence offsets the the declining fluid intelligence to continue to make wise decisions.  (Li, Baldassi, Johnson, Weber, 2013).

From the text and the study listed above my understanding of crystallized intelligence and fluid intelligence increased slightly. I am still unsure of a good example to test fluid intelligence. I understand that fluid intelligence is the ability to think quickly and incorporate the known with  the unknown to figure something not known out. This also uses abstract thought and short-term memory. So, I guess to test this, one would ask something that incorporates terms learned and from there the person being quizzed would use inductive and deductive reasoning to figure out the answer.

Li, Y., Baldassi, M., Johnson, E. J., & Weber, E. U. (2013). Complementary cognitive capabilities, economic decision making, and aging. Psychology And Aging, 28(3), 595-613. doi:10.1037/a0034172

Week 13, post 1

In chapter 21, I found it interesting that there was a study conducted among people of the same genes but varying ages. This study had 1,191 carefully selected individuals from ages 10 to age 90. The results showed that IQ rose from age 10-18, peaked between ages 18 and 21, and gradually fell until by age 55 where the same IQ was the same by age 14. On the other hand, in a longitudinal research study, Nancy Baylet and Melita Oden studied children with gifted intellects and found there IQ increased from age 20-age 50 (Berger, p. 580). Comparing and contrasting the study methods of IQ testing (Cross-sectional verses Longitudinal); Validity of the two forms of measurement varies. This is partly due to influential factors such as younger individuals tend to have a higher IQ education, advantages of cultural advancements (new sources of information, modes of travel) and environmental factors (health, childhood nutrition, and other environmental influences) (Berger, p. 580). In addition, strong cohort effects and life experiences have influences over IQ differences in generations as well. The validity of a correlational study isn’t the same as a longitudinal study because even though older individual’s score lower than younger individuals, this does not mean older adults lose intellectual power. In a correlational study, the younger generation scored higher than the previous generation. Whereas in the longitudinal study, adults score improves with each re-testing (but this may be due to consistent practice of testing improves test scores). According to researchers longitudinal studies are more accurate for studying IQ because they show development.  

Week 12 Post 2

My parents and I have a relationship like any young adults parent’s relationship is. When I was a teenager we must definitely had our issues. I am an only child so naturally my mom especially is over protective. My dad worked night shifts or 2^nd shift most of my life so it was always my mom and I stuck together and she made most of the decisions as to whether I could go do this or that. As I started having my own job and being able to drive we got into many fights about how late I could be out or what I could do. Also she would still treat me like a child and remind me to do my homework or to fill out this paper and wanted to know every detail about my life. Now I realize she was just being a caring parent but back then I got so annoyed by it because I just wanted to be treated like an adult. Now that I’m in college and have my own apartment and am living on my own and taking care of myself our relationship has definitely gotten better. I know that I’ll always have a home and a place there but it feels good to be off on my own doing my own thing. We will always have the linked lives that the book talks about in which success, health, and well-being of each family members, including those of another generation, as in the relationships between parents and children.

Week 12 Post 1

To me I always found that parent violence was dumb. If someone ever hit me or anything I would be out of the relationship right away and wouldn’t even think about getting back with them no matter what they said. However after reading this chapter I understand why some people would stay. In intimate terrorism this is a violent demeaning form of abuse in a romantic relationships, where the victim usually female, is frightened to fight back, seek help, or withdraw. I feel for most victims they suffer from a sort of Stockholm syndrome where the person beats them but then tells them that they love them and they would never do it again and they’re sorry and then the relationship is good for a few days before something makes the abuser snap and start beating their significant other again and the cycle continues. I also have this mindset that women are always the ones getting abused however I realize this is not always the case. Some women can be violent and mean and verbal abuse is also a very real thing that people have to be aware of in relationships. I had a roommate who would constantly scream at her boyfriend and call him horrible things on the phone and I was dumbfounded how someone could ever put up with that. Then the next second she would be saying how much she missed him and loved him and I guess his reasoning was she was just moody or had a meltdown that caused her to say those things and she didn’t really mean it.

Week 13 Post 2

The book discusses that “expertise” is needed in order to fulfill a job so older workers are sometime better. Years of practice and training increase expertise. However in order for someone to gain this expertise one needs to be given a chance in order to get a job and start somewhere. This is where I think our job system is flawed. Many times the job will say you are a good candidate but come back when you have more experience in the field. However how can someone get more experience in the field if no one is giving them a chance??? Also I found it interesting how different the working field is even from 50’s years ago. Most women would stay at home and take care of the kids, clean, and cook and the men would be the “breadwinners.” However now the roles have shifted. Women are in the same job fields that men are in and now it is acceptable for men to stay home and be stay at home dads. I think this is also due to the changing of definitions of what a “family” is. Now there’s homes with two dads, stepparents, two moms, grandparents taking care of the kids, single parents. Back then it was more common for the nuclear family and now it is a variety of families which is definitely changing the job fields. I still think it is ridiculous that women are getting paid like .70 compared to every 1$ men make but at least we are taking steps in the right direction to have an equal fair job force.

Week 13 Post 1

I really enjoyed reading about intelligence in this weeks chapter. The fact that there are so many different intelligences and that we all specialize in certain ones is so strange to think about. I’m glad that psychologists have developed many different ways that people can be smart, not just book wise. For example some people can be very street smart and say in the ways of talking and selling and business wise but have no idea how to interpret Shakespeare, it’s not that they’re dumb it’s just that they are smart in different ways. Also someone can work really hard and study all the time in order to achieve a grade where as someone who is super smart can be lazy and not use their brains to their full potential so this causes them to get an F. Hard work beats talent that doesn’t work hard is one of my favorite quotes. It doesn’t matter how smart you are it’s how you use it.

Week 13 Post 1

In this weeks reading I learned the two different types of intelligence. One type is fluid intelligence which is type of basic intelligence that makes learning of all sorts quick and thorough. Abilities such as short-term memory, abstract thought, and speed of thinking are all usually considered part of fluid intelligence. Some things that mark fluid intelligence is curiosity, learning for the joy of it and the thrill at discovering something new are marks of fluid intelligence. People who are high in fluid abilities can draw inferences, understand relations between concepts, and readily process new ideas and facts. In other words people who are fluid intelligent are quick and creative with words and numbers. A way to measure this type of measurement is with puzzles.
Another type of intelligence is crystallized. Crystallized intelligence are types of intellectual ability that reflect accumulated learning. Vocabulary and general information are examples. Some developmental psychologist think crystallized intelligence increases with age, while fluid intelligence declines. Some questions that are designed to measure intelligence would be the meaning of a certain word, or how to explain a formula.

Week 13 post 1

From this week’s reading in chapter 21 I found two levels of intelligences that are used to categorize adult intelligence. The two divisions or levels are fluid and crystalized intelligence. When coming across both levels it seem very intriguing to know that they are similar in some ways but adult intelligence is broken down into two parts. Fluid intelligence is defined as quick and flexible, enabling people to learn anything, even things that are unfamiliar and unconnected to what one already knows (Berger, 585). When thinking about level of intelligence I normally would think that younger generations would have higher levels compared to adults and that more things could be picked up faster but in reality intelligence does not fully decline in all areas.  On the other hand crystalized intelligence is the ability that reflect accumulated learning. Vocabulary and general information are such examples (Berger, 586). The two levels of intelligences that used to test ones IQ can create different results and see which level or area of intelligence is higher. Taking an IQ can see how much one knows but using them to compare to different age groups is not presenting accurate information. Also conducting several IQ test over and over again, an individual may understand and gain certain strategies to be able to achieve a higher IQ which is not accurate since it’s a testing skill not intelligence.

Week 13 Post 2

While reading Chapter 21, one part of the reading that I thought was interesting was the section of Older Workers: Experts or Has-Beens?.  Older employees have the most experience and are usually the best employees.  Difficult work requires more cognitive practice and expertise than routine work therefore they may receive intellectual benefits.  In the Seattle Longitudinal Study, they found that older workers maintained their intellectual abilities.  One study I found interesting was the study in England that looked at the relationship of the age and job effectiveness of taxi drivers.  They found that taxi drivers became experts over time.  They found that some regions of expert taxi drivers' brains were more extensive and active than the average person.  This is due to the fact that  taxi drivers have better spatial awareness and need to learn layouts and the best routes to get their customers places.  What I found interesting about these taxi drivers was that they tested normal on their IQ tests but as they were driving through London, their expertise was apparent.  Usually, experts have a higher IQ but in the taxi drivers case, they have an average IQ.

Week 13 Post 1

Charles Spearberg proposed the idea that intelligence is one single entity and that people vary in the levels of general ability.  He believes that intelligence can be measured by looking at various abilities, including test scores from vocabulary, memory and reasoning to combine them for their IQ score.  Robert Sternberg disagrees with this and proposed that intelligence has three fundamental forms: analytic, creative, and practical.  Analytic intelligence involves the mental processes that make learning, remembering, and thinking possible.  This type of intelligence can be tested by multiple choice tests and brief short answer questions.  Creative intelligence involves being able to be intellectually flexible and innovative.  This type of intelligence can be tested by writing a short story or planning an advertising campaign.  High scores are earned by people with unusual and creative ideas.  Practical intelligence involves skills used in every day life.  There is no true testing for practical intelligence.  One way practical intelligence can be tested is questions describing an actual situation and the person must say how they would react to the situation.  I found this interesting for two reasons.  I found it interesting due to the fact that intelligence has transformed from one entity to two.  I also found it interesting because I can relate to these three types of intelligence.  I now understand how and why professors use different types of questions on their exams to test our analytic, creative, and practical intelligence.

Week 13 Post 2

I found the section called "Two Clusters of Intelligence to be very interesting while reading chapter 21. Before reading this chapter, I had never heard of fluid intelligence or crystallized intelligence. Adult intelligence is grouped into these two categories. Fluid intelligence is quick and flexible; therefore, it enables people  to learn anything, even when things are unfamiliar and unconnected to what they already know. People who have high fluid abilities can draw inferences, understand relations between concepts, and readily process new ideas and facts. They are also quick and creative with both words and numbers and enjoy intellectual puzzles. Puzzles are often used to measure fluid intelligence and if they have speedy solutions, they are given bonus points. People high in fluid intelligence were more often exposed to stress but were less likely to suffer from it. Crystallized intelligence is the accumulation of facts, information, and knowledge as a result of education and experience. It is indicated  by the size of a person's vocabulary, the knowledge of chemical formulas, and the long-term memory for dates in history. The questions used to test crystallized intelligence may seem to measure achievement more than aptitude which is because these two are connected. High crystallized intelligence in early adulthood predicts a high IQ later in life. Fluid and crystallized intelligence must be measured to reflect the total picture of a person's intellectual aptitude. 

Week 13: Post 1

Reading Chapter 21 and working on the different sections of the discussion post really encouraged me to think this week. I learned a lot of new information from our textbook, especially about Robert Sternberg’s three forms of intelligence. Sternberg feels that standard intelligence scores are misleading, so he proposed three different groups that intelligence can be broken down into. Analytic intelligence includes mental processes such as abstract planning and information processing. Creative intelligence gives one the capacity to be innovative and flexible. Practical intelligence involves the skills that one uses in everyday situations, such as awareness and insight (Berger, 2011, p. 587-88). I think proposing these three categories was a smart move on Sternberg’s part, because a person might have advanced intelligence in only one or two of these categories, and it would be unfair for him or her to be called “unintelligent” just because they do not get a certain score on an IQ exam. Not only did I learn all this new information, but I also thought a lot about my personal experiences too. When writing about whether or not I thought that an employer should be able to use an IQ test as a method of hiring employees, I thought a lot about the situation at my job. I work as a cashier at a drug store, a job that I admit is not very intellectually challenging. However, prospective employees do need to fill out their high school GPA on the employment application. Based off information I found in a peer reviewed article this week, school grades are an indicator of self-control, which the researchers determined helps students complete tasks and behave in a proper manner. Thinking about my workplace, I believe it is important for my boss to hire people based off of the way that that present themselves and their work ethic, not necessarily their level of intelligence.

 

References

Berger, K. S. (2011). The developing person through the life span (8^th ed.). New York: Worth     

Publishers.

Week 13 Post 1

In chapter 21, I found the section titled "Three Forms of Intelligence: Sternberg" to be very interesting because I have never learned about them before. Robert Sternberg proposed the three fundamental forms of intelligence which are analytic, creative, and practical. He believed that a single intelligence score is misleading. Each of these three forms of intelligence can be tested. Analytic intelligence involves mental processes such as abstract planning, strategy selection, focused attention, and information processing. It also includes verbal and logical skills. Analytic intelligence is very useful in emerging adulthood. Multiple choice tests and brief essays that require recall of specific information indicate analytic intelligence. The second form of intelligence is creative intelligence. This involves the capacity to be intellectually flexible and innovative. Creative thinking is divergent and values the unexpected, imaginative, and unusual answers rather than the standard, conventional answers. It can be tested by having the participant write a short story when given the title or developing an advertisement campaign for a certain item. Practical intelligence is the third form and it involves the intellectual skills used in everyday problem solving and the capacity to adapt one's behavior to the demands of a given situation. It includes an accurate grasp of the expectations and needs of the people involved and an awareness of the particular skills that are called for. Practical intelligence is useful for managing the conflicting personalities in a family or convincing members of an organization to do something. 

Week Thirteen Post One

In chapter twenty-one I enjoyed the section on two clusters of intelligence. In the 1960’s Raymond Cattell, a personality researcher, and John Horn, a graduate student, concluded that adult intelligence is best understood if various measures are grouped into two categories, called fluid and crystallized. Fluid intelligence is those types of basic intelligence that make learning of all sorts quick and thorough. Abilities such as short-term memory, abstract thought, and speed of thinking are all usually considered part of fluid intelligence. People that are high in fluid abilities can draw inferences, understand relations between concepts and readily process new ideas and facts. Fluid intelligence is usually measured by puzzles because working memory is considered to be crucial. High fluid intelligence in emerging adulthood can lead to a higher IQ and a longer life due to the ability to detoxify stress. Crystalized intelligence is those types of intellectual ability that reflect accumulated learning. Vocabulary and general information are examples. Some developmental psychologists think crystalized intelligence increases with age while fluid intelligence degreases. Crystallized intelligence causes the result of widely reading ad deep thinking. High crystalized intelligence in emerging adulthood predicts a high IQ later in in life because the more people know, the more they can learn. In order to detect a person’s intellectual aptitude both fluid and crystalized intelligence is measured. I found this section to be interesting because I have never even thought about measuring my intelligence until recently so I’d like to know how it could be measured. As an adolescent I was a huge fan of puzzles, and I was really good at them, so I am assuming I have a high fluid intelligence, but I don’t think I detoxify stress that easily, which is a result of a high fluid intelligence. Therefore I support the conclusion that crystalized intelligence increases with age while fluid intelligence degreases. As I get older I tend to think more deeply and read more, and I have not touched a puzzle in years. So I completely agree with the theory.

Week 13 Post 2

I really enjoyed reading about family skills in Chapter 21. It wasn’t until this chapter that I realized how differently women were treated in the past when it came to work as well as household chores. In the past, there were select occupations for women (Berger, p. 600). Unfortunately, when a woman would apply for a particular occupation she took a chance of being turned down just because she was a woman. However, luckily this stereotype of what jobs women and men should have has greatly changed over the years. More and more women are now being seen as equals in the workforce. Similarly, women have also made a changed in their roles in the household over the years. In the past, women were either seen as “just a housewife” or as “nonworking mom”. In addition to that, women were responsible for doing what is called women’s work. This meant that women were responsible for all of the caregiving and domestic chores around the house (Berger, p. 600). Fortunately, our cultural view of this situation is slowly changing and people are beginning to realize that both the women as well as the men should equally help do the chores around the house. As a young woman, I think it is great that our society is beginning to value the talents and skills of women more. I believe that women will be very beneficial to different parts of the workforce. I also think that since more men will be helping around the house they will be able to get more involved in their child’s life and be able to develop a closer relationship with their child.    

Week 13 Post 1

As I read Chapter 21, I took a real interest in the two clusters of intelligence. Before reading this chapter I was already somewhat familiar with fluid intelligence as well as crystallized intelligence. However, I only knew basic information about both of these types of intelligences. I knew that fluid intelligence allowed people to quickly learn anything and that it was mostly curiosity that generated this type of intelligence. Despite my previous knowledge on this type of intelligence I never knew that people who used high amounts of fluid intelligence often experienced stress (Berger, p. 586). Nevertheless, these people were more likely to change the stressors that they faced into positive situations. I also learned that by using fluid intelligence to turn negative situations into positive experiences people can have a higher IQ as well as live a longer life (Berger, p. 586). The other cluster of intelligence is crystallized intelligence. This type of intelligence is based on knowledge for past education. Some psychologists even believe that crystallized intelligence can intensify as people age whereas fluid intelligence can decrease overtime (Berger, p. 586). After reading this section of the Chapter 21, I would have to say that I agree with the psychologists who believe that crystallized intelligence increases with age. Yet, fluid intelligence has been proven to help increase a longer life for someone while crystallized intelligence has not been proven to help people live a longer life. Overall, I feel like both of these two clusters of intelligences are very important and beneficial to human development. To me it seems almost impossible to have one without having the other.

Week 12 Post 1

In chapter 19 I enjoyed reading about Sternberg research on love. He said that love has three aspects- passion, intimacy, and commitment. The absent of any three of those aspects could rise to different forms of love. Early in a relationship is passion. Passion is evident in "falling in love". It is an intense physical, cognitive, and emotional onslaught characterized by excitement, ecstasy, and euphoria. The entire body and mind, hormones, and neurons are active. Intimacy is knowing someone well, sharing secrets and nakedness as well as sex. This aspect of a romance is reciprocal, with each partner gradually revealing more of themselves, as well as accepting more of the other person. Commitment takes time, at least for those who follow current Western patterns of love and marriage. It grows gradually through decisions to be together, mutual care-giving, shared possessions, and forgiveness.

Week 12 Post 2

In Chapter 19, I enjoyed reading the section titled "Romantic Partners" and in particular the subdivision called "The Dimension of Love". Before reading this chapter, I had never learned about most of the information in this subdivision but found it very interesting. Robert Sternberg described the three distinct aspects of love to be passion, intimacy, and commitment. He believes that  relative presence or absence of these three components indicates one of the seven different forms of love. Passion is evident in falling in love and is characterized by an intense physical, cognitive, and emotional onslaught of excitement, ecstasy, and euphoria. Intimacy is knowing someone well, sharing secrets and nakedness, and engaging in sexual activity. Intimacy should be reciprocal with each partner gradually revealing more about himself or herself as well as accepting more of the other's revelations. Commitment takes time and grows gradually through decisions to be together, mutual care giving, shared possessions, and forgiveness. Maintaining a close romantic relationship over the years takes dedication and work. I was intrigued by the seven forms of love. I did not realize that  there were so many different forms of love in relationships or that love could be characterized in such ways. Before reading this section, I did not think of  "liking" as a form of love in which there is only intimacy and no passion or commitment as this is usually associated with hookups. I believe  that consummate love is the best form of love because all three components of passion, intimacy, and commitment are present.

Week 12, post 2

I found the demand/withdrawal interaction interesting. The demand/withdrawal interaction occurs when one person, wants to right a situation, and the other person pulls away, leaving things unresolved. According to Berger, women are more likely to by the initiator of the conversation (the demand), whereas men are on the receiving end, hesitating to reciprocate. This type of communication causes marital dissatisfaction and effects both married couples and dating couples.  In addition, the D/W interaction has the possibility of becoming harmful if the roles were reversed (as in the male was the demander and the female was the withdrawal). 

Analyzing the causes of demand/withdrawal interaction, the "withdrawal" might pull away  due to many underlying issues: holding some resentment towards their mate, lacking respect for their mate and their mate's concerns, selfishness, laziness, or simply because their partner makes unrealistic demands. In young adults, I believe the "withdrawal" could be the result of immaturity because the person pulling away makes no effort to take responsibility for fixing the initial issue. On the opposite side of the septrum, the demanding person's faults could could be needing to be in control all of the time, therefore forcing unrealisitc goals on their mate. The D/W interaction  could also be the result of discontinuity in their social homogamy.  This destructive pattern seems to be a vicious cycle because the withdrawal becomes more distant, therefore causing the "demander" to make even more demands, leading the withdrawal to withdraw further. Some intervening  such as marital counseling could break the cycle of  the demand/withdraw interaction.

Week 12 post 2

In my first blog post for this week I discussed about the changes that are happening within our society such as individuals waiting longer to get married since they are pursuing a higher education or entering the workforce before marriage. For our discussion this week we each took the survey of men and woman putting in order characteristics of what they thought of their spouse after fifteen years of marriage which leads to the topic of relationships. Relationships are considered the most important things happening during the period of emerging adulthood (Berger, 534).  Also not only relationships between the same sex but with opposite sex during the period of emerging adulthood allows one to feel they have others to support them and encourage them. Not only do friends support each other but develop a close relationships, such as roommates in college they may develop a close bond with one another. One thing to point out is since the amount of use of technology has increased over time there are more ways for individuals to connect and create new relationships and bonds with others at a faster rate than ever. Along the lines of relationships what do you think about cohabitation, do you think it’s effective, allows for one to have a better marriage? From recent statistics and learning from our textbook and my marriage and family class the amount of individuals choosing to cohabit before deciding to get married has increased.  The reason that individuals/couples may decide to cohabitate is to get an experience of what it may be like to be married or develop a “closer bond” or feel more emotionally attached. Couples in a relationship from the results of the characteristics chosen decided that there spouse was there best friend. I think that is the most important characteristic and that the relationship between the two is a commitment to leading a long lasting marriage.

Week 12 Post 2

While reading Chapter 19, I really enjoyed learning about homogamy, heterogamy, and social homogamy (Berger, p. 535). Before reading this chapter I had never heard of those terms. However as continued to read, my understanding for these terms began to increase and I was able to realize how true these terms are with actual relationships. I would have to say that I feel that marriages that have social homogamy will tend to last a longer time than relationships without social homogamy. In my opinion it just makes sense that the more a couple agrees or disagrees on certain activities as well as roles in their relationship, the more likely their commitment to each other will increase. One of the best examples of this that I can think of is the relationship that my parents have with each other. My parents enjoy doing lots of the same activities like: hiking, kayaking, going out to dinner, and going to the movies. The fact that they enjoy many of the same activities allows them to spend even more time together because they are able to do these activities together. Likewise, my parents also agree on certain roles they have in their relationship. For instance my mom is usually in charge of making dinner whereas my dad usually takes care of the cars and utilities around the house. However, I would have to say that my parents tend to evenly split the work load. Both my parents work and both of them take care of our family’s finances. Overall, I feel like the more a couple agrees on things, the more committed they will stay to each other.

Week 12, post 1

I found a study interesting because it showed children can overcome personality barriers from their childhood. A longitudinal study among aggressive and shy  4-year olds were studied over a period of time to see if their qualities stayed the same or changed by emerging adulthood. For instance, people with aggressive traits throughout childhood and adolescence were able to control their aggression by adulthood. Even despite their troubling behavior in schooling, they were able to hold jobs and attend college. On the other side of the spectrum, the study showed that introverted individuals were able to overcome their shyness by adulthood as well.  The shyindividuals emerged from adolescence with good self-esteem, little to no internalizing issues, and were able to stabilize a career and maintain a social life. Self-esteem increases in emerging adulthood because decisions are made independently. In addition, I found it interesting that emerging adults become more selfless and caring in the new psychosocial development. Plasticity allows emerging adults to become less self-centered in preparation for extending themselves in intimate relationships. In the development of intimacy versus isolation, an individual gets a powerful desire to share their life with a partner. From a biological perspective, finding an intimate relationship is a part of reproduction and for the sake of survival- there’s strength in numbers. In addition, each relationship requires personal sacrifice and letting go of ego. I agree with this statement. In order to commit to a relationship, both people have to admit their wrong at times, and that goes for any relationship. 

Week 12 post 1

While reading chapter 19 for this week about emerging adulthood: Psychosocial development it directed my attention in the area of relationships and identity. As pointed out from our book that during emerging adulthood period is when the most interaction happens between people of different ethnic backgrounds. I found that very fascinating and makes sense since people around that age are trying to figure out what they want to do in life. Also a big thing that has been pointed out that more and more individuals are choosing to attend college and prolong getting married and having a family. During emerging adulthood there are lots of changes happening periodically and trying to present their identity in a way of who they are. Along the lines of the increase in individuals pursuing a higher education when one chooses to do so there level of self-esteem rises. The reason that could be leading to higher self-esteem levels is individuals choosing action/ decisions in life to make them better and stronger. As I pointed out earlier that during emerging adulthood that they make the most diverse friends I find very interesting since more and more areas of education in the school systems are encouraging diversity and encouraging individuals to interact with others of different backgrounds.

Week 12: Post 1

When I came across the “Personality in Emerging Adulthood” section of Chapter 19, my interest was immediately sparked. The graph of “Young Adults’ Self-Ratings of Well-Being” was the first thing to catch my eye. In 2005, men and women ages 18 – 24 were asked to rank how much they agreed with statements such as “I feel I am a person of worth” on a scale of 1 – 5 with one being the lowest and five being the highest. Although men agreed with the statements slightly more often than women did (something that didn’t surprise me), each gender had an increase in agreement as their age increased. Twenge et al attributes the increase of happiness and self-esteem to the fact that young adults nowadays are more likely to make their own decisions (Berger 2011). Other longitudinal studies conducted by Asendorpf et al found that some people who were either very shy or very aggressive as children changed their ways by the time they reached emerging adulthood. Their self-esteem was just as good as others of their cohort, and they were no more anxious or depressed than those without the extreme shyness or aggression (Berger 2011). I find it quite interesting that personalities are ever evolving. I think that is why oftentimes people are not as close with their friends from high school after they attend college. During college, we become a part of so many new and different experiences. Unfortunately, it sometimes causes us to change and grow apart from those we were close to during high school.

References

Berger, K. S. (2011) The Developing Person Through the Life Span. New York: Worth Publishers.

Week 12 Post 1

While reading Chapter 19, I found the sixth stage of Erikson’s development theory to be really interesting. According to Erikson after people achieve their true identity they begin to experience the issue of intimacy versus isolation (Berger, p. 525).  During this time young adults wish to find someone who will want to share their life together with them. As people grow up they feel that this type of commitment with intimacy is needed or else they will be at risk of being lonely. As a young adult, I feel like this could either be a sad or happy time for people. I think it can be a sad time for people who want to be in a committed relationship but have not yet found someone they would want to date. As I was thinking more about this particular stage in Erikson’s development theory, I began to think about my one friend who is single. Ever since we started college all she wanted was to have a relationship with someone. Sometimes, I feel like she wants a relationship too much that she will risk being with the wrong person. Despite me telling her over and over that it’s not her fault that she hasn’t found the right guy, she still feels like something is wrong with her. I even try to tell her that she shouldn’t be looking for a relationship because relationships are things that develop on their own overtime. On the other hand, I think this could possibly be a happy time for people who are in strong relationships. I know quite a few people who have either gotten engaged or have stayed in committed relationships during this stage of life. Ultimately, I believe that this stage in life is whatever someone makes it out to be. It’s up to a person to decide how they are going to respond to either being in a relationship or to being single.

Week 12 Post 1

While reading chapter nineteen, I found the section about intimacy versus isolation and friendship to be very interesting because it is information that I can relate to and apply to my own life. People experience the crisis of intimacy versus isolation after achieving identity. It arises from the powerful desire to share one's personal life with someone else. Without intimacy, adults suffer from loneliness and isolation. All theorists agree that adults become friends, lovers, companions, and partners. One reason in which our species has thrived is because of the urge for social connection. Intimate relationships satisfy psychic needs and require certain behaviors. Intimacy progresses from attraction to close connection to ongoing commitment. Each relationship demands some personal sacrifice and vulnerability that brings deeper self-understanding and shatters the isolation caused by too much self-protection. A more recent theory states that an important aspect of close human connections is "self-expansion". It is the idea that each of us enlarges our understanding, our experiences, and our resources through our intimate friends and lovers. In life, individuals choose friends  for the qualities that make them good companions, trustworthy confidants, and reliable sources of support. Since friends are earned and chosen, having close friends is positively correlated with happiness and self-esteem lifelong. Having friends during emerging adulthood is very important and is even more essential for individuals who are not in a romantic relationship. During emerging adulthood, individuals have few family obligations because in most cases, they do not have a spouse, children, or frail parents. Instead, they have friends who provide companionship and critical support. 

Week 12 Post 2

Robert Sternberg says there are three aspects of love: passion, intimacy, and commitment.  The absence or presence of any of these three aspects form seven different types of love: liking, infatuation, empty love, romantic love, fatuous love, companionate love, and consummate love.  Passion occurs early in a relationship, when there is intense physical, cognitive and emotional onslaught.  Intimacy progresses slowly and involves knowing someone well, sharing secrets, and sex.  Commitment takes time and grows gradually through making decisions together, mutual caregiving, and forgiveness.  Commitment could take years to develop.  I found this section interesting because I have never thought about love in these terms but it completely makes sense.  When thinking of my own relationship, I believe I am in a consummate relationship.  My relationship began with passion and falling in love.  It became intimate when we share everything together and my boyfriend knows me better than anyone else.  Although me and my boyfriend are not married, we have been together for almost two years and make some decisions together.  Next year, I will be going to graduate school and my boyfriend has made the decision to move with me and get a job, since he has already graduated and looking for a job.  It's interesting to think of my relationship in Sternberg's terms.