Ron Eats Two Young People, Some Times Everyday.

to memorize: the linear regression equation  (y= b0 + bi x), spoken as  "Response equals the y-intercept plus slope times explanatory"
OR...
Ron Eats Two Young People, Some Times Everyday.

It may not make any sense. Whatever. It works!

I am the queen of memory techniques. I can find an abstract, difficult to understand relationship between any two concepts and use the connection as a tool for memorization. In 7th grade Latin, I had to memorize the definition of 'Lente'. My best friend Ryan thought of a little jingle, "Lente soup, sloooooooowly." It worked at the time and it worked again five years later when I sight translated the Aeneid in front of my class. I stumbled across a line of Virgil's text and hummed the jingle in my head as I translated the word lente correctly.

Memory techniques are an incredibly effective tool for learning, especially cramming. I found a website, http://www.mindtools.com/memory.html , that delves deeper into the different approaches to better memory. I noticed it mentions emphasizing the importance of something but enlarging the text. Or humorous rhythms (lente soup, anyone?) Or rude rhythms, incorporating inappropriate elements. The article expands more on even more techniques, illuminating on many new ideas that I am excited to try.

I'm sure all of you have your own technique of remembering dates, vocabulary words, order of events, and more. However, I know that my own personal methods sometime miserably fail. This website seems like a useful resource to change your pace, and maybe even improve your learning. I encourage you to check it out and maybe even comment with some of your own ridiculous memory tools. If you want to, keep reading to hear one of my friend's memory tricks.

Janine read an email out loud from our friend EB, telling us all that she wasn't going to make it to Katie's apartment because of the heavy snow. EB wrote, "I'll have to come next time, I looked out the window and it is snowing horizontally. Have fun!" Katie mumbled to herself as she looked out the window, "Horizon...horizontally" and then exclaimed, "Yeah! It really is! EB's right!" Janine and I laughed at Katie's memory trick, but Katie assured us that it has helped her remember the distinction ever since she was a little kid.

Don't Stand By

If I had to recommend a course at Penn State, it would be Social Psychology. It is awesome. That's not really my point though; I just wanted to bring up something I learned about in class. There is a social psychology phenomenon known as the bystander effect. This occurs in social situations. The more people who surround you, the less likely you are to take action. Diffusion of responsibility to other group members allows you to be inactive and have no responsibility. The bystander effect isn't something we consciously choose to be a victim of; it mostly happens automatically. Field experiments and observational studies have been conducted over and over to prove the existence of this phenomenon. Now that I have the boring aspects explained, I'll tell you how this relates to our daily lives.

Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, I'm sure you witnessed bullying. Whether it was on the playground or in a science lab- how often did you really intervene? Being surrounded by classmates while someone is bullied is a perfect example of the bystander effect. You probably diffused the responsibility to another member of the group, thinking "It's not really my place to say something" or "I don't need to get involved it's not my business". Unfortunately, it is likely that the other members of the group witnessing an act of the bullying had the exact same thoughts. I like to think I'm a good person, and I am without a doubt against bullying. Except... after learning about the bystander effect, I really wonder about the number of times I stood silent while someone else was hurting.

I cannot criticize people for being a victim of the bystander effect. That's really not my objective. I just want to make people aware of its consequences. Someone could collapse on the sidewalk on a busy city street. Someone could steal wallet in line at an amusement park. Someone could abuse their spouse in a park. Will you witness an event like this silently? Or will you engage in the situation and possibly be a hero? Luckily, simply learning about the bystander effect statistically increases the chances that you will engage!

Don't stand by, join in and lend a hand.

Sleep Deprived. Yawn.

I'm sure you have all heard the folk wisdom that you need at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, this is not folk wisdom. Our age cohort, in general, requires over 9 hours of sleep per night for optimal reaction time and higher order cognitive performance. (In non scientific language- 9+ hours of sleep per night means your brain and body function at their highest capability.) As a college student under the weight of a jam packed schedule, this is a pipe dream. Completely unrealistic, I'm sure you would agree.
The reality is that most of us suffer from chronic partial sleep deprivation, meaning consistent incomplete nights of rest. Sleep is absolutely crucial to our bodies; serving as a restorative process. Chronic partial sleep deprivation leads to delayed reaction time, increased risk for motor vehicole accidents, and significant health risks in the long term. On the same level of chronic partial sleep deprivation is total sleep deprivation. Also known as- and my worst nightmare- The All Nighter.
Pulling an all nighter is scary enough as it is. It became scarier when a guest lecturer in my Psychology class informed us of it's counteracting effects. Depriving your body of sleep in order to cram for an exam is associated with decreased memory consolidation. Memorizing, comprehending, and understanding material until 5 am does more than just make you tired the next day. Your recall of that information is severely impaired because of just one night of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprived and recall deprived. Or sleep endowed and memory endowed. It's a tough choice.
I'm still somewhat resistant to these facts. I have a bias that I can fight through anything and I have control over my body. Except these facts are overwhelming because they prove that ramifications of sleep deprivation. I'll leave you with this advice... Give your body a rest already! 

Educational Crime Shows?

I suffer from a serious addiction. Crime shows. Law & Order SVU, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, The Closer, Lie To Me- You name it, I've seen it. These TV shows arguably are a complete waste of time. These TV shows arguably are educational programming.

I regularly "Stumble". I visit www.stumbleupon.com and select the category of Psychology. The website delivers me to random website related to the field. This morning I Stumbled Upon The Forensic Psychology Dictionary. I scrolled down the page, skimming through the terms. I realized that I already knew many of the definitions.

LEADING QUESTIONS - questions asked during an investigation that are worded in such a manner that will suggest specific answers.  This sort of questioning should be avoided and may become inadmissible in a court case.
    This always happens in Law & Order.
MODUS OPERANDI (MO) - The offenders actions during an offense.  This is variable behaviour that evolves over multiple acts due to offender sophistication and confident.
    "MO" is discussed in every single crime show. Usually more than once.
SIGNATURE - the repetitive ritualistic behaviour of a serial offender.  This is typically apparent at every crime scene and has little-to-nothing to do with the perpetration of the crime.
    My favorite phrase of Criminal Minds!

I'm impressed. I understand some of these complex concepts. My addiction to crime shows isn't just a complete waste of time. I'm learning. I'm enhancing my knowledge. If I read through the unfamiliar terms, I will learn even more as I watch my favorite shows.

Television shows are still a waste of time. I could be reading. I could be volunteering. But sometimes, I just need a break. Luckily, during my breaks, I can still expand my knowledge! Psychology exists on television. Forensic psychology exists on crime shows.
If you're a crime show addict like me, visit the dictionary. I'm positive that you will understand many of the terms without having to read the definitions.