How stressed do you feel right now? To find out, take this assessment. I scored an 8, which puts me in the “you are stressed” category. I am not too surprised with my result given my own midlife status with two emerging adult children and too many responsibilities while attempting to return to “normal” in […]
Let’s set the stage with a series of images. Each of these pictorial examples represents a different aspect of decision-making, which requires the ability to compare incoming stimuli quickly to behave appropriately. In the case of the flying stimuli in the first set of images, a human might be asked to categorize […]
In fourth grade, I learned to play the trumpet. Although my very musically inclined father attempted to teach me piano before then, my band director gets the credit for teaching me to read the music. Two key mnemonics were instrumental in my success in remembering the treble clef notes. Treble clef notes are the upper […]
Have you ever played a video game where the first few levels are relatively easy and slow, but as you progress, the game becomes harder and faster? Years back, I played Tetris, Frogger, PacMan, Space Invaders, Centipede, etc. I can remember my 10-year-old self (or my 22-year-old graduate student self) working so hard to beat the […]
Three years ago, I bought a new car that had a keyless push start. It took almost six months of driving before I stopped trying to put my key into the ignition. Each time I tried to put an imaginary key into the imaginary ignition slot, I shook my head and laughed at myself. My […]
What’s SpongeBob Squarepants’ claim to fame besides being an animated cheese-looking, blockhead sponge under-the-sea main character of a children’s cartoon with catchy song lyrics? Apparently, aside from the possible influence on decreased attention span in children, the creators of SpongeBob SquarePants weren’t too far off in their character portrayal of different sea creatures, including the […]
“Second star to the right and straight on ’til morning.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan Like Peter Pan, I’m a landmark kind-of-navigator and my navigation is spot on once I have a good idea of the space. As a 5-yr-old, I took my 3-yr-old brother on an adventure through the streets of our neighborhood from our […]
Imagine for a moment, the wind blowing through your hair, your skin glistening with the slightest sheen of moisture, a steady breath in and out, and your feet softly caressing the pavement as you place one foot in front of the other with the grace of a cheetah while the moon shines down. Unfortunately, my […]
According to a report published by a task force on Women in Psychology through the American Psychological Association in 2006, about 47% of candidates receiving post-baccalaureate degrees (doctoral and masters) in cognitive psychology in 2004 were women (Table 6). And although 75% of the students in graduate psychology programs are women, many barriers continue to […]
“I am an island” (Simon & Garfunkel) Consider the lyrics from Simon & Garfunkel’s “I am a Rock,” A winter’s day In a deep and dark December I am alone Gazing from my window to the streets below On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow I am a rock I am an island I’ve built […]