Category: psychology

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Do Kids Lose What They Learn over Long Summer Breaks?

The Economist recently proclaimed, “Long summer holidays are bad for children, especially the poor.”

This was not the first time such a claim had been made about how kids lose much of what they’ve learned over the year during breaks from school.

Lawmakers, too, are concerned. Each year, bills introduced at the state level attempt to funnel money into summer education programs.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Yet, reports from research groups such as the Brookings Institute show more nuanced findings as it relates to summertime learning loss among children.

So, do kids suffer educationally from long summer breaks?

Researcher Abel J. Koury used current and nationally representative data to determine if there truly is a loss of learning during the summer in school children.

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Koury estimates only 7 percent of kids lost approximately a month of learning in reading and 9 percent of kids lost in math between kindergarten and first grade. Before second grade, the percentages increase to 15 percent in reading and 18 percent in math. The majority of kids in summertime do not seem to be experiencing any loss of learning. Koury also suggests that not only are kids not experiencing significant learning loss, they are actually increasing their skills over the summer.

Koury also looked into whether loss of learning became a long-term issue, and he determined that the difference between children who experienced summertime loss of learning and children who gained skills was insignificant by the end of the school year.

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Kids who were already strong in either reading or math were the ones who experienced the most significant loss in learning. Furthermore, homework over the summer did not seem to be a factor in whether kids gained or lost learning.

Koury concluded that letting children get outside and play was more important than worrying about their loss of learning. Summer reading lists are great and can be helpful against loss in that area, but keeping kids active and exercising should be a priority for healthy, happy and intelligent children in the long run.

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The Dunning-Kruger Effect Makes People Think They’re Great…When They Are Most Definitely Not

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is actually a psychological  response that prevents people from realizing how inept they are. It’s not a disease, condition or mental health problem.

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The Dunning-Kruger Effect is basically this: the more incompetent someone is at something, the less likely they realize it. Instead, they believe they are nailing it.

Social psychologist David Dunning, PhD, and graduate student Justin Kruger came up with the principle at Cornell University in 1999. In their study, they investigated groups of people, testing them in the areas of logic, grammar and humor. The lower an individual scored, the more they overestimated their skills. They observed when participants scored in the 12th percentile, those same participants would estimate their own scores as being in the 62nd.

Dunning and Kruger also asked subjects to judge the humor in a list of jokes. Some of the participants were considerably poor judges of the quality of the jokes. Yet, they scored themselves quite high on their ability to judge what others would find funny.

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When people believe themselves to be more competent and capable then they really are, they are showing classic Dunning-Kruger. They lack the self-awareness to recognize their own inabilities almost to the point of narcissism.

Paul Hokemeyer, PhD, a clinical and consulting psychotherapist, also adds that from a mental health standpoint, people who exhibit the Dunning-Kruger Effect are often labeled as having poor insight. They hide behind their heightened sense of ability for safety and to protect their sensitive egos.

You may have observed the Dunning-Kruger Effect in action (I’d bet most of us have). The worst worker in the office is often the one who brags about performance. Or maybe you have a friend who is the worst driver on the road, yet claims she’s the best driver out there. Or you know a guy who says he’s a highly sought after guitarist, but then you hear him play…and not so much.

Photo Credit: Max Pixel

We can all be guilty of Dunning-Kruger in varying degrees. No one wants to admit they are the worst at something, even though we can generally recognize incompetence in others. But don’t bother arguing with someone in the throes of the Dunning-Kruger Effect; remember, they don’t actually see their own inability.

The best way to avoid succumbing to Dunning-Kruger is to understand how rare it is to be an expert at something new. Ask questions or take lessons. Don’t assume anything if you haven’t been completely educated or trained on the task.

And just because you’re a genius on one subject does not mean you are a genius in general. Know when you need help with something. Ask for feedback. Accept criticism. And always be humble and willing to learn more.

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Many Parents Have a Favorite Kid – and It’s Often Their Youngest

Your parents may have promised they never played favorites (and you say the same to your kids). But as children grow into adults, I think it’s normal to find that, while you might not have a favorite, some people just get on more easily than others.

That said, there is actually some pretty convincing science behind the idea that parents tend to favor their youngest child more often than their older siblings.

Image Credit: Pixabay

First, let’s go with self confessions from both parents and grandparents. According to The Independent, a Mumsnet survey of both groups did indeed find favoritism among both groups (though with differing preferences).

Of the 1185 parents and 1111 grandparents who responded, 23% of parents and 42% of grandparents admitted to having a favorite. But while 56% of the committed parents said their youngest was their favorite, 40% of grandparents prefer their eldest grandchild.

Half of the survey responders thought having a favorite was “awful” and potentially damaging for the favorite child’s siblings, as well.

Image Credit: Pixabay

In studies that are more scientifically rigorous, similar biases have emerged.

This one revealed that 70% of fathers and 74% of mothers admitted to showing favoritism, but youngest kids don’t always feel the most loved. Another study, done in 2005, found that oldest children tend to feel like they’re the favorite (even if that’s perhaps not true), and that younger children typically feel as if their parents are biased toward their older sibling.

And this 2017 study found that when the younger child feels as if favoritism plays a role in their household, they were much more affected by it than older siblings (whether for better, if they were the favorite, or worse, if they were not), while older children’s relationships with their parents were not affected regardless of who the perceived “favorite” child was in the house.

Image Credit: Pixabay

BYU professor Alex Jensen, though, noted that how you show favoritism plays a role, too.

“When parents are more loving, and they’re more supportive and consistent with all of the kids, the favoritism tends to not matter as much… you need to treat them fairly, but not equally.”

Perhaps the most important outcome is from this 2006 study, which suggests the best thing to do (as a kid) is just to not let it bother you – research suggests you can’t change it no matter what you do, and that mothers, especially, rarely switch up their favorite child over the course of their lives.

So, oldest or youngest or middle child – be yourself, and know that even if they don’t love you the most, your parents still love you a whole lot.

And that should count for something, right?

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10 Facts That Are Good for Quiet Reflection

With this fact set, you’re getting quality and quantity.

Enjoy! And learn!

1. Harmful

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2. Get a load of those names

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3. Are you living it?

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4. Prudish

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5. Thank God!

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6. Dream away

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7. I think I sound like Barry White

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8. That is cool!

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9. Clone wars

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10. Ahhhhh, that’s better

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I can safely say I didn’t know any of those facts. How about you?!?!

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8 Important Things You Might Not Know About the Myers-Briggs Test

Many of us have taken the Myers-Briggs test at some point. Teachers, professors, managers – they all seem to think that the results are interesting not only, but that they might be able to provide insight into their workgroups that will make the days, months, and years easier to navigate.

Is that true?

The psychological community has been quick to point out that the test is only one of many that measures a person’s “type” when it comes to dealing with others, how they view decisions and decision-making, and communication skills…but that hasn’t stopped most people from treating the test a little bit like the Harry Potter sorting hat.

If you’re curious about the test and want to know more, these 8 facts are a good place to start.

8. It’s a popular tool used in the hiring – and firing – of employees.

Officials in the U.S. Army, as well as bigwigs with General Electric, Standard Oil, and Bell Telephone were some of the firs to be convinced that being able to spot the right people for the right jobs could help reduce turnover, but having test results in hand also led to some people being reassigned or even fired, based on their “type.”

7. The test was developed by a mother-daughter team.

Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, developed the test together.

6. Psychologists refer to the test as a “fortune cookie.”

Though it was long taken as gospel, researchers today argue that the Briggs women misread Carl Jung’s work on types, which led to “an act of irresponsible armchair philosophy and “a Jungian horoscope” that amounts to “little more than an elaborate Chinese fortune cookie.”

The test is still used by a majority of Fortune 100 companies and earns around $20 million a year.

5. Katharine Cook-Briggs was inspired by her future son-in-law (or love for her daughter, depending on how you look at it).

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1F–vShW4d/

When Isabel Briggs returned home from Swarthmore College with her new beau – law student Clarence “Chief” Myers – in tow, Katharine was fasciated by his personality, which was completely unlike everyone else’s in her family.

The desire to understand it – and the man who would eventually propose to her daughter – led to her study of the psychology of personalities.

4. It’s statistically unreliable.

The Myers-Briggs test suffers from low reliability, which means that if you take the test more than twice, there’s a high chance your classification will change – and if you retake the test with more than a 5-week gap between testings, there’s a 50% chance your classification will be different.

Scientifically speaking, that’s not good.

3. The test was inspired by Carl Jung.

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ENFP aka Campaigner Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving (rare 7%) ENFPs are both "idea"-people and "people"-people, who see everyone and everything as part of a cosmic whole. They want to both help and to be liked and admired by other people, on both an individual and a humanitarian level. This is rarely a problem for the ENFP, as they are outgoing and warm, and genuinely likepeople. Some ENFPs have a great deal of zany charm, which can ingratiate them to more stodgy types in spite of their unconventionality. ENFPs often have strong, if sometimes surprising, values and viewpoints. They tend to try to use their social skills and contacts to persuade others gently (though enthusiastically) of the rightness of these views; this sometimes results in the ENFP neglecting their nearest and dearest while caught up their efforts to change the world. ENFPs can be the warmest, kindest, and most sympathetic of mates; affectionate, demonstrative, and spontaneous. Many in relationships with an ENFP literally say, "They light up my life." But there is usually a trade-off: the partner must be willing to deal with the practical and financial aspects of the relationship, and the ENFP must be allowed the freedom to follow their latest path, whatever that entails. For some ENFPs, relationships can be seriously tested by their short attention spans and emotional needs. They are easily intrigued and distracted by new friends and acquaintances, forgetting their older and more familiar emotional ties for long stretches at a time. And the less mature ENFP may need to feel they’re the constant center of attention, to confirm their image of themselves as a wonderful and fascinating person. In the workplace, ENFPs are pleasant and friendly, and interact in a positive and creative manner with both their co-workers and the public. ENFPs are also a major asset in brainstorming sessions; follow-through on projects can be a problem, however. ENFPs do get distracted, especially if another interesting issue comes along. They also tend towards procrastination, and dislike performing small, uninteresting tasks. #myersbriggs #campaigner #enfp

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When Katharine Briggs discovered Jung’s 1921 treatise Psychological Types, her world changed forever. In it, Jung argues that humans have two perceiving “function-types” and two judging “function-types,” both of which are moderated by a person’s introversion or extraversion.

2. It’s not based on any formal psychology.

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For the first time in years, my personality typing has changed. For my time in the military and after, I have always been an ESFJ and am now typed as INFJ-T. This is a significant change and tells me a lot about my growth and change as an individual. The following is a description of INFJ type personalities and I believe suits me to a tee. INFJ: The Advocate personality type is very rare, making up less than one percent of the population, but they nonetheless leave their mark on the world. Advocates have an inborn sense of idealism and morality, but what sets them apart is that they are not idle dreamers. These individuals are capable of taking concrete steps to realize their goals and make a lasting positive impact. People with this personality type tend to see helping others as their purpose in life. Advocates can often be found engaging in rescue efforts and doing charity work. However, their real passion is to get to the heart of the issue so that people need not be rescued at all. Advocates indeed share a unique combination of traits. Though soft-spoken, they have very strong opinions and will fight tirelessly for an idea they believe in. They are decisive and strong-willed, but will rarely use that energy for personal gain. Advocates will act with creativity, imagination, conviction, and sensitivity not to create an advantage, but to create balance. Egalitarianism and karma are very attractive ideas to Advocate personalities. Advocates find it easy to make connections with others. They have a talent for warm, sensitive language, speaking in human terms, rather than with pure logic and fact. #myersbriggs #personality #personalitytypes #infj #infjpersonality #advocate #passionate #justice #karma #decisive #helpingothers #change #changeisgood #growth #understanding

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Neither Katharine Briggs nor Isabel Myers had any formal education in psychology or psychometrics, or any real professional training at all. Though Katharine would have said “one need not be a psychologist in order to collect and identify types any more than one needs to be a botanist to collect and identify plants,” many disagree.

1. The first test was immersed in the world of the WWII job market.

World War II created a change in the American workforce that’s never been repeated. Women were working, the GI Bill was passed, and many career consultants went into the new era with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator firmly in hand. The idea was that it would help people be matched with the best job for them, but with hindsight, many wonder if that ended up being true.

 

So go ahead and enjoy your results – just know that no one test defines you!

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Psychologists Say That Baking Improves Your Mood – Here’s Why

A lot of folks out there who innately understand that the act of measuring ingredients, kneading dough, licking spoons, and dropping cookies, cakes, muffins, bread, or all of the above into a hot oven is a quick fix for a bad day, a fight with your spouse, or a general funk that’s proving hard to escape.

But it turns out that there is psychology behind the fact that baking – for yourself or others – possesses a therapeutic element.

Studies have shown that creative practices, like baking and knitting, have the ability to contribute to a person’s overall sense of well-being, a fact that Boston University’s Donna Pincus says  is due to how baking allows “the benefit of allowing people creative expression.”

“There’s a lot of literature for connection between creative expression and overall wellbeing,” Pincus continues. “Whether it’s painting or it’s making music [or baking], there is a stress relief that people get from having some kind of outlet and a way to express themselves.”

Stress, of course, is linked to a variety of mental and physical problems, which means finding ways to cope is an important step in leading a healthy life.

Baking also helps people practice mindfulness, as it allows you to focus on straightforward directions listed in a specific order – the fact that you’re just following along lets your mind grab onto something other than the stress and anxiety that might exist outside the kitchen.

Julie Ohana, a clinical social worker and culinary art therapist, claims that baking helps you practice the “balance of the moment and the bigger picture.” When you’re baking, you’re measuring ingredients and mixing them together, all while imagining how they’ll come together in the end and how someone else might be pleased to enjoy that final product, too.

Which brings us to another psychological benefit – sharing your baked goods with others. Doing something good without expecting anything in return is a proven mood-booster, confirms Pincus.

“You feel like you’ve done something good for the world, which perhaps increases your meaning in life and connection with other people.”

Food can also function as a mode of communication, says psychology and brain science professor Susan Whitbourne.

“It can be helpful for people who have difficulty expressing their feelings in words to show thanks, appreciation, or sympathy with baked goods.”

In a world where it can be hard to find ways to communicate our feelings to others, being able to say it with baked goods (or a quilt, or a cross-stitch) is as easy as it is satisfying.

So get out there and bake, people – it’s good for your body, your mind, your community and your belly, too.

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Learn Some Great New Information with These 10 Facts

Ready to exercise that brain? Ready to learn?

Then let’s get to work!

1. I need one of these

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2. Where the bodies were buried

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3. That makes sense

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4. Ouch…

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5. Nice and quiet

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6. WOW

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7. Improvement

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8. No more, no less

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9. Double rainbows!

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10. Wild animals

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That was some good learnin’!

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Learn Some Great New Information with These 10 Facts

Ready to exercise that brain? Ready to learn?

Then let’s get to work!

1. I need one of these

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2

2. Where the bodies were buried

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Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

3. That makes sense

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4. Ouch…

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5. Nice and quiet

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6. WOW

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7. Improvement

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8. No more, no less

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9. Double rainbows!

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10. Wild animals

Photo Credit: did you know?

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That was some good learnin’!

The post Learn Some Great New Information with These 10 Facts appeared first on UberFacts.

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Cities Are Using This High Pitched ‘Mosquito’ Sound to Get Rid of Teenagers After Curfew

This next viral sensation will make you go Hmmm? Or maybe Ouch!

Kodie Helmer came across the next phenomenon racking up over 95,000 shares on her post:

I need your help! ? Okay so I nabbed me a younger man, I said it….I am slightly OLDER than Chris #cougar ?❤ BUT I am…

Posted by Kodie Helmer on Sunday, July 21, 2019

“I heard on the radio that some businesses and even towns are using a sound wave as a deterrent for teens after curfew, INTERESTING right?! So I looked into it and found a series of sounds that become harder to hear as you *ahem* age. This one in particular cannot be heard by most people over the age of 40.

I CANNOT FLIPPING HEAR THIS!!! But, Chris Helmer can ? I called all our kids in and they were covering their ears!!! So, I got to know below, help me feel better (or worse) Tell me, are you OVER or UNDER 40 and CAN YOU HEAR THIS SOUND?!?!?”

I couldn’t help but check this out. If cities and towns can deter teens with it, it’s gotta be something! Here’s the sound.

Did you hear anything? I sure didn’t! I’m almost forty so my hearing must be going… Drat!

I decided to test this on my husband. He’s forty-three, and I thought if I can’t make out this noise he won’t either. I played it and he shrieked in his recliner, cupping his ears and yelling, “Turn that off! Don’t ever do that again! What the hell is that?”

I asked what it sounded like and he responded, “Like the Devil’s dog whistle.”

(I did play it again. I’m mischievous like that.) 

Anyway, it was strange! How could he cringe and shout and I got nothing?

I did some digging on Helmer’s comment about these sounds shooing away teens after dark and came up with something called the Mosquito. It’s a sonic device used throughout Philadelphia and some other municipalities – but it has also been banned in various cities around the world.

What do you think?

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This Is Why Men Fall Asleep After Sex (Don’t Worry, It’s Not You)

Listen up, people!

Ladies, have you ever had your world rocked in bed by your male lover? Have you experienced the dreamy, lovey-dovey state of a powerful orgasm and then the need to cuddle afterwards?

I hope so.

But I’m sure you’ve also noticed that during intimacy talk, your man drifts a bit, perhaps even falls into a deep sleep, leaving you…what? Alone? Unable to express your love and emotions? Darn it…

Photo Credit: Unsplash, Toa Heftiba

Don’t worry – he’s not sleeping as an excuse to escape cuddle time or ignore your connecting relationship. He’s doing it because you rocked his world. True story!

Male orgasms differ chemically from women’s

It goes without saying that the act of orgasming is experienced in different ways among the sexes. Men ejaculate externally while women “explode” internally. But what does this mean for brain chemistry?

When a man crosses the sexual finish line, his energy is literally spent. His prefrontal cortex (which houses decision making, personal expression, etc) pretty much switches off. Since this is the epicenter of consciousness, alertness, and mental activity, his brain basically gets sleepy.

But in women? Our orgasms doesn’t cause the same sort of energy expense, therefore we can talk and cuddle after sex. Le sigh.

Body reactions to sex and orgasm

Photo Credit: Unsplash, Adi Goldstein

There are many things…um…surging during sex and foreplay. And prolactin, a hormone excreted during playtime plays a huge factor. According to one study, “Research has shown that pituitary hormone prolactin (PRL) plays a role in regulating sexual satisfaction for both men and women.”

David McKenzie, a sex therapist in Vancouver told Reader’s Digest, “A man’s body chemistry changes after orgasm. The biochemical prolactin is released, physically altering his body and making him very tired.”

But that’s not all. Glycogen, a storage of carbohydrates, is spent as well.

Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D., authors of Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex?, give their explanation: “It is thought that exertion during sex and after climax depletes the muscles of energy-producing glycogen. This leaves men feeling sleepy. Since men have more muscle mass than women, men become more tired after sex.”

Women like to process their experience

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Regardless of chemical increases and depletions, it is a simple fact that women enjoy conversational intimacy with their partners.

Laurie Betito, a Montreal sex therapist, said,”Women like to ‘process’ their experiences, hence the desire to talk after sex.”

As a woman, I can vouch for that. I’m better at communicating emotions after sex and therefore crave that tender heart-to-heart talk with my beau, even if he’s drifting off.

So no matter why you might think about your man drifting away into a post-coital slumber, it’s purely a matter of chemicals and fatigue. It is not you.

If anything, take it as a compliment that you wore him out!

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