Self-assessment of my achievements

During the semester of my ESP course I had to do a lot of different tasks and exercises. In this self-assessment of my achievements I will evaluate my performance in class activities.

TESTS ON ESP VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS

During this ESP of psychology course I have taken three tests on ESP vocabulary definitions. These tests were difficult because I had to learn many terms from Feldman’s Understanding psychology book’s glossary. I think that I did these tests quite well and learned many psychological terms.

MOODLE TESTS

Moodle tests were easy but useful. They helped me to revise the information on psychology from Feldman‘s book. Although it was difficult to find some answers, I managed to do these tests very well.

ONLINE LISTENING PRACTICE (listening, T/F, synonym matching, gap filling)

At first online listening practice was difficult for me because my listening skills are not good enough. T/F questions and gap filling strategies were easy tasks to do. However, I found synonym matching difficult. All in all online listening was easier than traditional one.

TRADITIONAL LISTENING (to cassettes or CD)

This listening was harder than the online listening practice, but it was useful for me, as the vocabulary used was related to psychology. I didn't manage to perform this task very well, but I think I improved my listening skills, though.

ONLINE EXERCISES FROM FELDMAN‘S COURSE BOOK

These exercises were interesting and useful and I made only some mistakes while doing them. They helped me to revise the information from Feldman’s Understanding psychology book.

ONLINE EXERCISES FROM AP PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW

Most of online exercises were hard for me and I sometimes made mistakes while doing them. I think that these online exercises were useful because they helped me to revise ESP vocabulary definitions.

MAKING POWER POINT PRESENTATION

I think that this task was challenging, but it was also stressful for me because I had never presented power point presentation in English before. My presentation was called Stress and Coping and I think that despite some mistakes, I did this task quite well.

SHORT TALKS

I’ve presented 3 short talks: Psychology studies at Mykolas Romeris University and at the University of Edinburgh, Psychology of conspiracy and Psychology of laughter. This task was difficult for me, but I managed to get good grades.

SPEAKING IMPROMPTU IN CLASS

It was the hardest task for me, because I’m not used to speaking in the English language without preparation. But I think that this class activity was helpful and my speaking skills improved.

All in all, I think that ESP psychology course was very useful. I improved my speaking and listening skills. Also, I gained considerable knowledge on psychology from Feldman’s Understanding psychology book.

Psychology of laughter

Laughter is an audible expression or appearance of merriment or amusement or an inward feeling of joy and pleasure. The study of humor and laughter, and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body is called gelotology.

Doctors, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals use humor and laughter to help patients cope or treat a variety of physical, mental, and spiritual issues. In Laughter Therapy a client's laughter triggers are identified such as people in their lives that make them laugh, things from childhood, situations, movies, jokes, comedians, basically anything that makes them laugh. In laughter meditation there are some similarities to traditional meditation. However, it is the laughter that focuses the person to concentrate on the moment. Laughter Yoga is an exercise which incorporates breathing, yoga, stretching techniques along with laughter.

There are several reasons why people laugh. Firstly, many researchers believe that the purpose of laughter is related to making and strengthening human connections. Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter there is, the more bonding occurs within the group. Also, controlling the laughter of a group becomes a way of exercising power by controlling the emotional climate of the group. So laughter, like much human behavior, must have evolved to change the behavior of others. Furthermore, other studies have confirmed that theory by proving that people are 30 times more likely to laugh in social settings than when they are alone.

People can get more laughter in their life in different ways following strategies. Firstly, laugh more with friends. Going to a movie or comedy club with friends is a great way to get more laughter in life. Secondly, people should find humor in their life: instead of complaining about life's frustrations, try to laugh from them. Finally, keep smiling! As studies show, the positive effects of smiling occur whether the smile is fake or real, faked laughter also provides the benefits mentioned above.

Laughter has shown to be really good for physical health. It can relax muscles, lower stress hormones, boost immune system, and prevent from heart disease. Also, a study done in 2005 by the University of  Maryland Medical Center showed a link between laughter and healthier blood vessel and blood flow. Furthermore, laughter has also been demonstrated as a preventive adjunct therapy in diabetes care.

All in all, there are many psychological reasons why do people laugh. Laughter has many benefits like removing stress, and calming down. By following various strategies people try to get more laughter in their lives. I think that all people should laugh more, because it is said that laughter is the best medicine.

References:

http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=2191
http://www.crystalinks.com/laughter.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/laughter2.htm
http://www.theemotionmachine.com/psychology-of-laughter

Psychology of conspiracy

Conspiracy is the act of two or more persons, called conspirators, working secretly to obtain some goal, usually understood with negative connotations. A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public. There are many different conspiracy theories. Although they are easy to disprove, millions continue to believe them.

There are three types of conspiracy theories. One of them is event conspiracy theory. The conspiracy is decisive for a limited, discrete event or set of events. Another type is systemic conspiracy theory. The conspiracy is believed to be universal, usually perceived as security control of a country, a region, or even the entire world. The third type of conspiracy theories is Super conspiracy theory. This term refers to conspiratorial constructs in which multiple conspiracies are believed to be linked together hierarchically.

There are many different categories of conspiracy theories. For example, Global conspiracies include those broad reaching conspiracies such as the US Federal Reserve, the NATO, the United States and the House of Saud, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Gemstone File. Also, there are a number of conspiracy theories that have developed with regards to extraterrestrial life and UFOs. UFO/Extraterrestrial conspiracies include the Bermuda Triangle, Roswell, Area 51 and Crop Circles. Intelligence conspiracies include the CIA running heroin in Vietnam, landing on the moon, Watergate, Pan Am Flight 103 and the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. Medical conspiracies include the cure for cancer, fluoridation, AIDS, Ritalin and SARS. Military conspiracies include the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gulf War Syndrome and the fate of united flight 93. Furthermore, there are a lot of theories to explain why and how an important person was killed.

Conspiracy theories abound all across the world and psychologists try to understand why people believe in conspiracy theories. To my mind there are several reasons why people believe in them. Firstly, people think that a major or significant event must have been caused by something similarly major, significant or powerful. Furthermore, according to psychologists, people who believe in one conspiracy theory are more likely to believe in others. Also, psychologists say that the more a person believes in conspiracy theories, the more likely he is used to distrust the reported facts. Conspiracies sometimes do happen and the fact that unbelievable happens sometimes helps fuel theories that at first glance are no more preposterous.

All in all, there are many different conspiracy theories which are of different types and categories. Psychologists are trying to understand the common factors that predispose people to believe in conspiracy theories. It does not mean that belief in a conspiracy theory is false. The theory itself could be true.

References:
http://www.searchdictionaries.com/?q=conspiracy
http://darkeconteur.wordpress.com/tag/conspiracies/
http://quezi.com/14855
http://voices.yahoo.com/six-categories-conspiracy-theories-2352374.html?cat=9

Psychology studies at Mykolas Romeris University and at The University of Edinburgh

I decided to study psychology because these studies are very interesting and useful to me. There are many universities where people can study psychology. I would like to compare two of them:  Mykolas Romeris University which is located in Vilnius and The University of Edinburgh.

Mykolas Romeris University is a modern and dynamic European university in Lithuania. Each year this university admits a large number of creative and talented young people.

 I’ve chosen Mykolas Romeris University because it has many benefits. Firstly, students of this university have a possibility to use the Reading Rooms during the night hours and to borrow books from the university library for free. Secondly, Mykolas Romeris University has got the Cultural Activities Centre where students can develop their talents. Also, this university has a lunchroom, where students can eat very cheap and delicious food. Students are provided accommodation in Mykolas Romeris University student hostels where rooms are shared by two or three students.

The University of Edinburgh also has many advantages. One of them is as the possibility to participate in the Erasmus program. The University of Edinburgh is a public research university located in Edinburgh. This university was founded in 1583, making it one of Scotland's ancient universities. More than 22,000 students study there from all over the world and from different backgrounds. The University has 22 Schools in three Colleges: Humanities & Social Science, Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, and Science & Engineering. Today, the university is a leading European centre of academic excellence. All students of the University of Edinburgh are entitled to free borrowing from the university’s libraries. The University has many residential places for students in a wide range of accommodation.

At both Mykolas Romeris University and The University of Edinburgh psychology program disciplines are quite similar. At both universities students can study many subjects like Social Psychology, Development Psychology, Health Psychology, Memory and Perception. Bachelor degree studies of Psychology in Mykolas Romeris University last for three and a half years and cost more than 5000 litas (1448 EUR). Bachelor degree program of Psychology at Edinburgh University lasts four years and costs almost 2000 pounds for students from the EU. Both universities give students an opportunity to study Psychology in 3 stages: bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctoral degree.

All in all, apart from all differences between these universities, no one can deny that both universities Mykolas Romeris University and The University of Edinburgh are great places to study Psychology.

References:

http://www.topuniversities.com/institution/university-edinburgh

http://www.mruni.eu/en/

http://www.ed.ac.uk/home
http://bestworlduniversities.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/university-of-edinburgh/