text:
User talk:Plst

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 02:56, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello Plst, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 02:56, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hi! My name is WikiversityJack. I am a pumpkin and a Wikiversity mascot. My aunt told me that fun + learning = Wikiversity. Let me know if I can help you out.

title: User talk:Plst


text:
User:Jenny O/Tutorial reflections

Tutorial One: Introduction
Additional resource: Tutorial One Outline

I was somewhat ambivalent about the first tutorial. While I dislike icebreaker exercises and new groups, I also dislike the lack of interaction in most psychology tutorials. (It has always struck me that psychology classes are not very sociable). However, I was surprised how quickly everyone became so animated when we were asked to get to know the others in the room. (Does that say something about the need to facilitate a group?).

What I found most interesting were the categories James then used to demonstrate groups to which we belong – eye colour, number of siblings, country of birth, where you live, religion, political persuasion and relationship status. It seemed to me that as these categories progressively became more socially sensitive some people seemed less eager to immediately align themselves with a particular group (It would be interested to know if other people thought that). It might be that these things are not so clear-cut or that people are less inclined to disclose that information. Having said that, some people had no trouble aligning themselves with a group or developing a group that fitted them (They may have had very strong views or beliefs in these areas).

The activity on exploring social psychology in a group was a useful exercise. It is always interesting to hear other people’s views and share ideas. I was amazed how quickly some of the groups came up with such well-structured essay questions. I am still not sure what I don’t know…I think it’s a lot!

Tutorial Two: Communication
Additional resource: Tutorial Two Outline

The goal of our second tutorial was to “explore interpersonal communication models and to participate in some introductory communication skills exercises” (James Neill).

Again, I was pleasantly surprised how animated we were during this tutorial. (This has challenged my stereotypical view that psychology classes are not very sociable). Obviously, the tutorial activities facilitate a level of interaction, but even the simple act of wearing name badges enables us to make some connection with each other, and personalises our communication and interactions. Following this tutorial I have been able to remember the names of a number of other students, remember particular comments made by others, and put faces to some of the other e-portfolios.

Our tutorial group initially discussed the levels and channels of communication (see Table 1). During this discussion it was interesting to hear that face-to-face (1-to-1) communication can be considered as 7% verbal and 93% non-verbal. The non-verbal communication component can be further divided into 38% tone of voice, and 55% body language. I wondered how non face-to-face communication was managed. Does that mean that we are only able to communicate 45% of a message during a telephone conversation, or if we were blind, and as another group member suggested, only 7% if we were autistic?

Table 1: Levels and channels of communication

It was difficult to find anything in the research literature about the percentage breakdown of verbal to non-verbal communication. According to a Wikipedia article this has been named the ‘7% - 38% - 55% Rule’  (verbal, vocal & visual) and attributed to  Albert Mehrabian.

Aparently, this rule is often misinterpreted. The Wikipedia entry contends that the non-verbal components of communication:

1.	Do NOT convey the “bulk” of the message “in all senses”

2.	Relate to the affective perception (feelings & attitudes) of the communication (Particularly when verbal & non-verbal aspects are incongruent)

If this is so, then this breakdown into percentages does not apply to all forms of communication. It only seems to apply to communicating affect (Mehrabian refers to ‘liking’). Specifically, greater affective weight is given to non-verbal aspects of the communication when verbal and non-verbal elements are incongruent.

During small group work within the tutorial we were asked to consider other aspects influencing communication channels. Some of the groups were quite ingenious in their approach and included elements such as:

 * Context situation, environment, cultural influences
 * Type of communication (text, email, telephone etc)
 * Related issues of hierarchy, complexity, content, said-received message
 * Conscious Vs unconscious aspects of communication
 * Interaction of shallow levels & deep channels combined with deep levels & shallow channels (‘Star of David Model’)
 * Combining levels & channels - shallow (above) to deep (below). Mediated by emotion (‘Iceberg Model’)
 * Language tools & barriers (foreign languages, vocabulary, encoding & decoding problems)

Models of communication generally include encoding, transmission and decoding (e.g., Transmission Model). However, more effective communication is achieved by incorporating feedback from the receiver to the sender (e.g., Shannon-Weaver Model). These models can be augmented with strategies such as: ‘multi-channeling’, limiting system ‘noise’, repeating / echoing, and chunking information. However, the most important message I got from the review of effective communication models was the importance of reflective, or active, listening and feedback in communication. This was demonstrated in our Minefield activity, where my partner and I discussed, planned and practised the codes we would use to successfully traverse the minefield. Once we understood them (using listening techniques and feedback), we applied them to work through the minefield. Our approach worked - until I lost concentration (a cognitive malfunction) and failed to give an adequate instruction (a behavioural malfunction) and he was blown up on the very last mine.

Thus, the prevailing message I received from this tutorial is that communication is influenced by the context, and by a range of affective, behavioural and cognitive factors.

Tutorial Three: Prejudice, aggression and prosocial behaviour
One purpose of this tutorial was to gain an understanding of Jane Elliott’s approach to anti-discrimination and prejudice training (James Neill). Another was to explore the socio-psychological theories of prejudice, aggression and pro-social behaviour demonstrated in her documentary The Australian Eye. A second documentary, Ghosts of Rwanda, is discussed with reference to these theories in the main body of the e-portfolio.

Additional resources:
 * Tutorial Three Outline
 * Prejudice keywords
 * Aggression keywords
 * Prosocial behaviour keywords

Elliott is renowned for her discriminatory blue-eyed/brown-eyed exercises, first used on her third grade class in the US during the 1960's to demonstrate the effects of prejudice. The Australian Eye documents a similar exercise conducted by Elliott in Australia.

This documentary was incredibly confronting. For the purposes of her discrimination exercise, Elliott quickly established a position of power over the group. She then used this power to cleverly and effortlessly create a physical and psychological demarcation between the blue-eyed and brown-eyed participants.

From the outset Elliott's behaviour was intentionally antisocial and actively aggressive in the social context. This was reflected in her verbal and non-verbal communication. Her behaviour clearly breached contextual social norms. It was uncomfortable to watch the early pro-social behaviour of the participants (e.g. the initial participant interviews and their polite comments about their expectations) being eroded by Elliott’s blatant disregard for individual needs and social norms in the beginning of the film.

Using arbitrary categorization (eye colour), authority, aggression, humiliation and applying a range of descriptive norms (e.g., blue-eyed are ignorant, brown-eyed are smart), Elliott swiftly separated the participant group into an in-group (brown-eyed) and an out-group (blue-eyed).

The groups were segregated. Elliott worked with the in-group to establish a level of in-group favouritism. This was achieved through social categorisation and creating out-group stigmas and stereotypes (blue-eyed people are ignorant, lack curiosity and don’t care about others who are different). During this time Elliott also asked the in-group to publicly declare their commitment to the discrimination exercise (by raising hands), possibly engendering general conformity, but also public conformity within some of the participants (e.g., a member of the brown-eyed group voiced her concerns about engaging in this discriminatory behaviour, but agrees to participate).

The groups were brought together. It was interesting to note the ease with which in-group members began to engage in the humiliating prejudicial behaviour modeled by Elliott. During this time Elliott also made use of instrumental aggression (e.g., rigging a test in favour of the in-group, which later fuelled a self-fulfilling prophecy for the ignorant out-group). As this process ensued the many out-group members became uneasy and appeared concerned, disillusioned and even tearful. Many kept quiet and appeared to comply. However, other out-group members became defiant and outspoken – these participants were soon silenced by the in-group members’ comments. Eventually, under the burden of Elliot's relentless prejudice, most members of the out-group conceded defeat (e.g., I am insignificant, I am worthless, and I must conform to the way you want me to be) and demonstrated obedience and compliance. Essentailly, Elliott succeeded in creating overt discrimination within a group, based on a physical characteristic over which the participants had no control.

While I appreciate that Elliott’s approach has a significant impact, is designed to appeal to one’s sense of empathy and morality, is confronting and may generate a level of discomfort in one’s mind about the effects of prejudice, I also wonder about the value of her approach. What evidence does Elliott have to show that this is effective in increasing prejudical awareness or more importantly changing behaviours? In some ways it may make some people more hostile toward others. Although this is not a research study per se, I also believe there are a number of un-addressed ethical issues in Elliott’s approach. I felt that few of the participants were aware of the nature of this activity before participating and to that extent may have been deceived. While participants were told they were free to leave, they were harrasssed if they chose to do so. I am not convinced that the benefits of this approach outweigh the risks. The benefits have not be measured and there is no indication that any of the participants are debriefed or provided with access to psychological support after being subject to Elliott's activity. Furthermore, isn’t her approach discriminatory in its self?

Surely there are more constructive ways to increase awareness of prejudice, particularly discrimination. I believe there are more pro-social (or civilised) ways to educate others such as this enlightening example from an American high school program implemented to manage such issues in their student group: Lines That Divide Us.

Tutorial Four: Cross-cultural training
Additional resource: Tutorial Four Outline

I really enjoyed this tutorial, as I found the content, exercises and discussions very interesting.

Cultural Identity Interview
We were initially asked to conduct a cultural identity interview with another person in the class, and then share this information with the whole group. The purpose of this interview was to consider each other’s cultural heritage by exploring the story of our names (origin, meaning, history and use) and our cultural identity (cultures and sub-cultures with which we identify). I thought this was an interesting and non-threatening way to approach a cultural identity, as some group members could find this a sensitive issue.

A name is generally a good measure of a persons cultural identity. When you think about it there is quite a lot wrapped up in someone’s name. For instance, there might be a very emotional story attached to a surname as a result of a divorce or an adoption, or a name could remind you of a particular person or time in your life and an associated emotion. It is also interesting to see just how much a name reveals (See The story of my name). The textbook also mentions the importance of a name in relation to 'the self': people develop an affinity for and connection with their names (p.91). (Apparently, in some cases, a name or letters of a name can be sub-consciously used select a career or a place to live!). Figuring out our cultural identities was not so straightforward. In determining these identities we had to think beyond ethnicity as a source of culture. Some of the sources identified included: belonging to groups (e.g., army/navy, sport, work, being a student), ways of ‘doing’ (e.g., shopping, communicating, thinking), or hobbies/leisure pursuits (e.g., reading, art, exercising). Overall, I was quite surprised how many of us came from a white Anglo-Saxon background, and must admit I found the stories of those who didn’t come from this background were far more interesting or ‘exotic’.

The cultural heritage exercise then led us to (very briefly) consider “What is culture?” and how can it be “defined”. I’m not sure how culture can be de-contextualised and I wonder if such an abstract concept can actually be “defined” (Also see  Culture & Introduction). I think the following comments are also useful:

Culture...

 * There are no shortage of ways in which culture can be conceptualised (Singelis, 2000)

 * Culture is the man-made part of the environment (Herskovits, 1955)

 * Culture is the set of artifacts and mentifacts (ie ideas, beliefs, conventions) more common among its members than among outsiders (Poortinga & van Hemert, 2001, p.1034)

Culture shock and adaptation
Culture shock refers to the difficulties experienced when one is exposed to, and must operate in, a different cultural environment. Most importantly this is not limited to visiting another country. It can apply to changing schools, becoming part of a group, moving to another suburb or city – any entry to a new culture. (Also see cultural adaptation and outdoor education: Fabrizio and Neill (2005)). I have tried to think about some of the symptoms one might experience in culture shock: There several phases of adaptation are related to culture shock (Winkelman, 1994):
 * Affective components: feelings of insecurity, irritability, frustration, unhappiness, dread, fear or anger. (possibly: reactance).
 * Behavioural components: maladaptive or anti-social behaviour: poor interpersonal interactions, restricted or limited functioning, withdrawing from the environment, role change (possibly: learned helplessness, altered self-regulation, self-handicapping)
 * Cognitive components: disorientation, confusion (possibly: negative self-talk, altered attributions).

Honeymoon Phase – tourist phase – excitement and fascination

Crisis Phase – culture shock sets in

Adjustment Phase – accepting the culture and developing a more positive attitude

Acceptance and Adaptation Phase – feel at home and participate in the new culture

(Re-entry shock can also be experienced on return to the original culture)

Indeed the amount of time spent and one’s role or purpose in the environment would have some bearing on culture shock. A good example of this was given in the tutorial: Tourists generally only experience the Honeymoon Phase (and not complete culture shock) as they move from one foreign country to another. Thus these phases would be more relevant to independently living in a foreign country rather than visiting as a tourist or being on assignment for work. I naively found myself in this situation many years ago when I thought I’d go and live in Berlin (not even being able to speak the language!). You suddenly realise how much of your existence depends on language (spoken and written) – I was painfully aware of not even being able to engage in simple small talk. One of my most vivid memories was standing in the supermarket trying to figure out which product on the self was actually washing powder! Such apparently absurd things become so meaningful. (I didn’t get past the Crisis Phase and went to London). I can't imagine how I would have managed in a non-Western environment.

The affects of being thrust into another cultural environment were clearly demonstrated in a recent television series (e.g., Family Footsteps), in which adult children of Australian immigrants are relocated to their parents’ homeland to experience life (including work), as it would have been had they not migrated. The visitor is assigned to a local person, of similar age, who acts as a cultural guide to assist them in their cultural assimilation. The two-week visits do not provide enough time to adapt to the environment – but the responses of the participants are enlightening nevertheless.

We briefly considered cultural mapping is a training technique used to assist people with cultural adaptation. I thought this was a very useful and skilful method of managing some of the many problems that could be associated with cultural adaptation. It involves identifying and mapping behavioural steps used to manage a situation in the cultural context. A person familiar with the local culture facilitates this process. Mapping behaviours ultimately enables the visitor to develop a script for specific behaviours in the new cultural context. An example provided in the tutorial was developing the skills of a foreign student to ask for assistance from a university lecturer. Also see:  Tutorial Four Outline – Cultural mapping.

Tutorial Five: Australian zeitgeist
Additional resource: Tutorial Five Outline

Concepts: Social capital, social disengagement & zeitgeist
Three key concepts were explored in this tutorial: social capital, social disengagement and zeitgeist:

Social capital seems to refer to that which is invested in a society. In this context, investment does not (necessarily) refer to capital investment – but social investments such as relationships, a sense of community, social networks, positive goodwill etc. The community members can draw on these investments. The members of the society create the tangible and intangible aspects of social capital. Social capital must be kept alive through facilitation and reinforcement. In many societies I expect a governing body (or similar) would provide some support for a society’s social capital (e.g. by maintaining and providing facilities and making resources available to facilitate social capital). This could effectively link social and capital investments.

Social disengagement can be described as the lack of connected, collective social involvement. It is marked by decreased community activities (e.g., the demise of weekly church attendance, poor or limited interaction with one’s neighbours), decreased or distant family connections (e.g., smaller, isolated family units), and increased individual activity (e.g., lost sense of community at university). The fact that we need formal programs such as Neighbourhood Watch and Safety Houses indicates how socially disengaged our society has become.

Zeitgeist is a term used to capture the spirit or flavour of the age and its society (Also see: Zeitgeist).

The Australian zeitgeist
The Australian social researcher Hugh Mackay covers the concepts of social capital, social disengagement and zeitgeist in his lecture:

Social disengagement: A breeding ground for fundamentalism

Mackay's address provides a description of the Australian zeitgeist by summarising the effects of a 30-year cultural revolution that has systematically eroded our social capital by facilitating social disengagement. He considers this social degradation under the themes: gender, economy, technology and identity. In brief, Hugh Mackay tells us, over the last thirty years Australians have become more self-centered, more individualistic, ‘me’ obsessed and materialistic, less community minded, and less socially aware. They are unwilling to commit for fear of missing out on something better, marry later, divorce more frequently, have less (or no) children. Fewer people live in bigger houses, and have bigger debts. There is a sense of job insecurity, and the gap between rich and poor is wider. We confuse data transfer with communication, we lack a national identity and understandably, this distresses many people.

Mackay also condemns the current fundamentalist approach to managing this shift, and as a wise alternative suggests we embrace social re-engagement to change our social course.

The changing face of the Australian family: 4 children (1969), 1.7 children (2005), a single mum, two dads, a childless couple

I can completely relate to Hugh Mackay’s ‘zeitgeist’ but can’t help wondering if this connection is age-related. My husband and I often find ourselves discussing the issues raised by Mackay, but I usually conclude that we are now at an age where we may be less accepting of change and the activities of youth. (Or maybe we try to hang on to what is comfortable - Isn’t that what happens when you’re middle aged? Mind you, I think Hugh might be a bit older than us and he has a wealth of research to support his comments). I recently read a report from a scholar who suggested parents should actually participate in some of their children’s computer/on-line games to see what they are really like rather than passing ill-informed judgement on their worth. A similar report explained the (seemingly endless and meaningless) use of technology (chatrooms, instant messaging, mobile phones and text messaging etc) as the very essence of social connection in teenagers and young adults.

Maybe, as someone suggested in the tutorial, this state of affairs is just another era in our social existence to be recorded in history and why should we actively try to alter it? I thought that was a very interesting approach.

Nevertheless, we were asked to create a practical strategy to manage some of the issues raised in Mackay’s address. Interestingly many of the responses related to educating the young (No hope left for the old ones). These are some of those ideas:

 * Create a school-based community area for environmental engagement

 * A ‘slow-down-stop and share’ campaign (~ Slow Movement)

 * Introduce a school program valuing social connections e.g., volunteering (~ Civic Education)

 * Ban PCs – deconstructing fictional gaming

 * Establish a rewards system for the use of green bags

 * Educate children in social engagement and the role of government in our society (~ Civic Education)

 * Severely limit retail shopping hours, so people could spend more time relating to each other. This could be extended to restricting household media access…

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User:Jenny O/Tutorial reflections


text:
User:Hadrian~enwikiversity

I am just learning to create my user page. I find this intriquing. I want to insert a picture in the page so I will try clicking "embedded image"[[Image:[[[[Image:Example.jpg]]thumb_Tube Trainx.jpg]] Hm that worked. Now I will try changing the name "Example" to some other picture.

title: User:Hadrian~enwikiversity


text: Talk:Hormones as drugs

title: Talk:Hormones as drugs


text:
User talk:Hadrian~enwikiversity

 Hello Hadrian, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 09:17, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello , we are the Baah and Bahh twins and we'd both like to welcome you to Wikiversity. While you sit back and explore Wikiversity, enjoy some of our fresh goat milk. You can help us learn by creating new learning resources or help us by improving the guided tours and other exploration tools. We look forward to seeing you around. Baaaahbye for now.

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Hadrian. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Hadrian~enwikiversity that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name.

Your account will still work as before, and you will be credited for all your edits made so far, but you will have to use the new account name when you log in.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 23:33, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 06:10, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Hadrian~enwikiversity


text: User:Boris~enwikiversity

title: User:Boris~enwikiversity


text:
User talk:Boris~enwikiversity

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 09:24, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello Boris, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 09:24, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Woof! My name is Jack(Russell). I am a dog and a Wikiversity mascot. I am pretty new around Wikiversity. Perhaps we can learn together! Tail wag...

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Boris. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Boris~enwikiversity that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name.

Your account will still work as before, and you will be credited for all your edits made so far, but you will have to use the new account name when you log in.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 23:31, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 06:04, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Boris~enwikiversity


text:
User talk:PsychUser12

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 09:56, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello PsychUser12, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 09:56, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hi , I am Percy. Nice to meet you. I love the beach, swimming, fishing, and I am currently doing some research at Wikiversity on oceanography. I am also learning to play piano. What do you like? Can I be your mascot?

Some quick feedback
Hi psychuser12, I just had a quick skim of your recent additions (I will read more fully later on) and I wanted to share that this is looking excellent in terms of both regularity and depths/insightfulness (the two marking criteria). I am impressed by your close reading, independent thinking /ideas, and quality of referencing (demonstrating in part your reading). Feel free to let me know if I can do anything. Sincerely, -- Jtneill - Talk - c 14:02, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

Hugh Mackay
Although I haven't read them indepth, I was pleased to see your critical responses to Mackay's speech. Well done - it shows that you've considered the viewpoints and offered alternative perspectives. . -- Jtneill - Talk - c 02:54, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:PsychUser12


text:
RSS Feeds Howto

So you've created your wikiversity blog and you want to let people know when you post new content in? Or maybe you are an Active participant in one of the many schools here in wikiversity campus and would like to keep interested users and regular visitors abreast with developments from your school/Department?.

Wikiversity is fast growing, It is becoming cumbersome to log on/browse the watch list or recent changes page daily just to see what is poting. RSS ( and Atom ) Feeds are the solution to this problem. You only need to identify feeds that are of interest to you, subscribe to them and you will be kept uptodate on your favorite pages and Departments Here at wikiversity.

This howto will walk you through creating and mantaining RSS feeds ( Atom feeds are similar to RSS feeds ) that can be subscribed to, right here at wikiversity!

{|width=100% border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="padding:0px; margin:2px;" |
 * colspan=3 valign=top|
 * colspan=3 valign=top|

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format used for publishing news or articles in a machine-readable form. An RSS or Atom file is also called a feed. A program that can be used to read such feeds is called a feed reader or Aggregator.

An aggregator automatically extracts new items from the feed and displays them in a human-friendly form to the user. The user can therefore save time with regularly-visited websites, as they need no longer manually check whether there are new pieces of information available.

RSS is available in different versions which are not compatible with each other (this situation caused by competing companies): RSS 0.9, RSS 1.0 and RSS 2.0. Atom is also an XML-based feed language which has been redesigned to fit the needs of webloggers and news sites. Atom attempts to replace RSS feeds and remove the uncertainty with incompatiblities in the different RSS versions.Wikiversity supplies RSS 2.0, and Atom Feeds.

This How to, will walk you through Setting up Manual Mantained(Including how to mantain these) and Automatic/Bot RSS Feeds.

 Now we look at creating and maintaining an RSS Feed page for a User blog or Department Blog.

Creating the rss feed page
Having created your blog page is the first step (Please click here for a howto concerning creating Blog pages), the next is creating an RSS feed page for your Blog (Or Department Blog). This page you will need to update everytime you update your Blog (Or Department Blog).

Create an RSS feed page and a link in your Blog page to your RSS Feed page(to help in organization). This will take you to the rss feed page, the url should look similar to this.

 http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/(User: [Replace with your User name] ) or (Department)/Blog/rss

This effectively adds the RSS feed page as a sub-page to your User Blog Page or Department Blog page.

Edit the page and once again copy and paste the following text.

    My Wikiversity Blog http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog (Type your Blog Punch Line) en

You have now successfully created an empty RSS Page. Save the page.

Updating/Adding your first item on the RSS Feed Page
Now that you have created the RSS page, you need to know how to add Items onto the RSS Feed that will notify those who have subscribed to your feed of new material posted on your Blog (or Department Blog) page.

    My Wikiversity Blog http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog (Type your Blog Punch Line) en

My first Blog Post http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog#First_Post http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog#First_Post Hello World This is my first blog post about my learning activity on Wikiversity.    [Type your name here]

Notice that Adding the red highlighted text is actually adding an Item on to your RSS feed (If you are Familiar with XML scripting then you have figured this out by now) and the green Text is the content of your Item, This is what you must edit. It is wise to put a short summary of your blog post (Maybe the first paragraph?) as the body of your time. This way you let your subscribers know of your new post without boring them with details(and maybe incite them to visit your Blog page to read more).

Updating/Adding your second item on the RSS Feed Page
Now that you have created the RSS page and have successfully added your first Post notice item, you need to know how to add The second (and every other consequent) Item onto the RSS Feed that will notify those who have subscribed to your feed of new material posted on your Blog (or Department Blog) page.

 <?xml version="1.0"?> <?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins/common/feed.css"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"> My Wikiversity Blog http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog (Type your Blog Punch Line) en

My Second Blog Post http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog#Second_Post http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog#Second_Post Hello again World This is my second blog post about my learning activity on Wikiversity. <pubDate> </pubDate> <dc:creator> [Type your name here] </dc:creator>

My first Blog Post http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog#First_Post http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/ [Replace with your User name] /Blog#First_Post Hello World This is my first blog post about my learning activity on Wikiversity. <pubDate> </pubDate> <dc:creator> [Type your name here] </dc:creator>

Notice that Adding the brown highlighted text is actually adding your second Item on to your RSS feed (Ensure to insert a new item above the old item(S)) and the green Text is the content of your Item, This is what you must edit.

To add the next item you need to repeat the foregoing sequence. This way you will have successfully created a RSS feed page that you are able to mantain Manually.

RSSBot is a bot run by MichaelBillingtonBot ??? to generate RSS feeds for Wikiversity learning blogs (User or Department Blogs). This bot will do all the sequences described above on Manual creation and maintenance of RSS feeds.

An example blog (and RSS feed for it) to demonstrate what it does can be found here. A list of RSS feeds which this bot maintains is located at User:MichaelBillingtonBot/Feeds

How to set up the bot to make an RSS feed of your Wikiversity blog
The bot makes a feed for every page with Rssbot on it. Here is an example use of the template:

Both fields are optional, but it's best you set them. Other fields are  (default is 'en', shouldn't really need to be changed) and   (which takes the newest items from the bottom, for talk pages rather than blogs - set this to 'true' to use this feature)

Here is an example of what you can copy and paste on your new blog page:

 =My Wikiversity Blog - Be bold= Copy >[Type in your user name> /Blog/rss&action=raw&ctype=application/rss+xml this link] and paste it into your aggregator.

[Type in your user name /Blog&action=edit Add entry]

==My Second entry== Hello Again World ~

==My first entry== Hello World ~

Remember type in your user name and your Blog punch-line or slogan of your choice. Each item has a title, description and signature.
 * 1) In the example above the title's are "My first entry" and "My Second entry", change the title to something more appropriate for your post.
 * 2) The description is like the body, in the above example it is "Hello World" and "Hello Again World", again change that to whatever you want.
 * 3) The last part is ~ which is used to sign and date your posts.

Save page.

What is Used/Ignored by the RSSbot
The RSSbot harvests Headings and their content fom Blog pages. Use the following to control what you want the bot to harvest and that which must be ignored.

 =Ignored heading= blah ==Subheading which isn't ignored== foo ===Subheading which is ignored=== quux

And that is it, you are set!

Remember that a Bot is just an Automation of a manual task. It is to your advantage to have a knowledge of doing manual maintenance on your RSS feed page. If any thing should happen to the Bot (Which is inevitable), you will not be left in the dark, and your subscribers will still enjoy your Blog RSS feeds.

 * width=50% valign=top height=150px|
 * width=50% valign=top height=150px|

 This method of creating and maintaining RSS feeds is appropriate for Resources that do not need regular updates and are generally maintained by a specific user or User group, eg:
 * Department/School News
 * User Blog
 * Special News and notices etc...

 * width=50% valign=top height=150px|

 This method of creating and maintaining RSS feeds is appropriate for Resources that need regular updates and are generally maintained by a wide range of un-co-ordinated User group, eg:
 * Data base dumps of recent edits/events ( of interest to Maintenance group etc )
 * User Blog
 * Special News and notices etc...

 * }

 To subscribe to any of the RSS feeds below, simply copy the link and paste it into your aggregator and you are subscribed! The list below will probably be moved some else appropriate in future.

 * Wikiversity - Recent changes(en) → (RSS)
 * Wikiversity - Recent changes(en) → (Atom)
 * Wikiversity Reports
 * Chrismo's Blog feed
 * JWSchmidt's Blog feed
 * Thuvack's Mind-Logs feed

 * 1) The Akregator Handbook - By Frank Osterfeld & Anne-Marie Mahfouf [Released under "GNU Free Documentation License"]
 * 2) Practical introduction to Web browsing and Web feeds
 * 3) How to create feed to any website with Google Reader

title: RSS Feeds Howto


text:
Talk:RSS Feeds Howto

RSS Feed howto
This is a polished Howto adapted from Wikiversity Blog howto created by Chrismo. It is open for editing and or Critisism. --Thuvack | talk 10:22, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
 * If I get to it, I will up date Wikiversity Blog howto to concentrate on Creating and Organising a Blog page Here at wikiversity --Thuvack | talk 10:25, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

title: Talk:RSS Feeds Howto


text:
User:Kate Hulme

Introduction
Week One - Introduction to Social Psychology

I listened to the first lecture, not really knowing what social psychology would be. I anticipated it would be interesting, as any title with the word social in it has my attention! I didn’t expect it would have me thinking about so many things after only one week though. I particularly liked Allport’s description of social psychology – That the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of individual’s are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others. I find myself thinking about this theory and questioning my behaviour depending on the situation I am in. It is so hard to know whether I would behave the way I do no matter what, or if I really do modify my actions depending on who is watching or who I think might be watching.

The one question from our exercise in the first tutorial that made me stop and think was whether we believe people do change the way they act due to the influence of others, or if we are born a certain way and it is our genetics alone that shape the person we become. I think I am still sitting on the fence, although, the more information that is revealed from this unit may influence me to make a firm decision.

During the lecture, different social situations were discussed – Person to person, group to person and person to group, and group to group.

One question that came to my mind when discussing person to person situations is what makes us like certain people and dislike others? And when we like someone, what leads us to fall in love with them. Conversely, when we don’t like them, what makes us behave aggressively or treat someone with prejudice?

Another question that was posed during the origin of social psychology discussion and also in the text book is ‘What made so many ‘normal’ Germans support the Nazi regime during WW2?’ Was it simply because everyone else was? Are we really that fickle? Could a similar situation happen again in today’s society?

Last year, in an Education unit, Milgram’s obedience experiment was briefly discussed. I had never heard of it and was outraged and yet so intrigued. It is amazing to think an experiment, where people were firmly ordered to deliver a set of electric shocks (eventually getting to 450 volts) to innocent people was allowed to take place. Although the shocks were only pretend, it must have been quite a disturbing experience for the participants. However, 84 percent of former participants surveyed later said they were "glad" or "very glad" to have participated (Wikipedia, 2008). And the fact they did participate certainly has its benefits, providing us with a fascinating social experiment with which we can study. Contrary to that, I do understand how we can now have such strict ethical guidelines, and these are something society should be grateful for.

My final thought from the first week of social psychology is one that occurs almost every afternoon on my way home. People on the radio conduct a random call to an unsuspecting person, and pretend to be an old school friend. They usually say something along the lines of ‘Hi, it’s Johnno from school – Do you remember me? I used to get into trouble for skipping class all the time.’ The intriguing part of this segment to me is that the person that has been called admits they do remember the caller every single time. The descriptions are always so vague and the caller relies on cues from the 'callee', and yet the 'callee' always goes along with it. Every day, it has me thinking – Do they honestly believe they remember the person? Or are they just going along with it in order to be polite? Are we able to make up scenarios in our memory that easily due to the influence of others? Once again, I wonder what I would do if it was ever me that received the call.

The Social Self
Week Two - Culture and Nature and The Self

The chapter begins with a summary of the tragic story of David Reimer, taken from the book by John Colapinto titled 'As Nature Made Him - The boy who was raised as a girl'. I happened to read this book a few years ago and found it really interesting. After a botched circumcision in 1967, David's parents take him to a doctor who they believed would be able to fix everything. The doctor appeared on television and was extremely convincing as an expert in gender identity and sexual reassignment. The doctor - Dr Money strongly believed that human newborns were born as psychosexual blank slates. He believed it was nature that made children adopt the psyche of either a male or female. Therefore, if a child was dressed in pink and given dolls to play with, that child would behave as a female. Or if it was dressed in blue and given trucks to play with, it would behave as a boy. However, as the story reveals, life and the human character is not as simple as that. After realignment surgery, David, or Brenda as he was now known was treated exactly like a stereotypical little girl would be treated, and expected to behave accordingly. However, up until the truth was revealed, he always felt like he didn't belong and as though he was different somehow. He just wasn't interested in girly stuff and longed to be able to do the things his twin brother was enjoying. Although the story is heartbreaking, particularly when you consider his loss of childhood, once David knew the truth and decided to act on it, he was able to find happiness and peace within himself.

This story made me realise that perhaps nature is more powerful than culture. Our interests may be shaped by our surroundings and our upbringing, but fundamentally what makes us behave as either a male or a female is basically inherent. Therefore, life must be so difficult for transgender people - With society expecting certain behaviours, but feeling trapped in the wrong body, never being able to live up to those expectations.

In reference to Nature - Go, Culture - No, I wonder what society would be like if we did not have those social norms to comply with. In order to gain social acceptance, we must fulfill certain expectations. However, what does happen if we decide to deviate from those expectations. I often wonder what life would be like if I just spoke the truth for a day. If I just blurted out exactly what was in my head, without any censorship. For example, when someone asks me how I am, without wanting to know the answer, I would love to reply with "You don't really care, you are just asking me because you feel you need to fill in the silence, so just don't bother!" Or when someone gets a bad haircut, it would be so liberating to say how terrible I think it is, rather than the polite "I love it!" If we could all be so honest all the time, would society function as well? Or could it possibly function even better?

This honesty also made me consider the 'describe yourself' activity. Most answers centre around social roles, however, is that only the case when we believe someone may read our answers? What if the activity was given as a private and anonymous exercise – Would the answers be more revealing and honest. I wonder if they would include more statements about current feelings, such as ‘I am scared and unhappy’ or feelings of pride such as ‘I am beautiful and successful.’ Or perhaps when we think of whom we are, we do automatically think of where we fit in society.

Furthermore, we want others to think well of us, in order to improve our self esteem and take us to a higher social rank. However, isn’t the way we see ourselves more important? If we can be at peace with who we truly are, then won’t everything else follow? Surely, our contentment of who we are when in private leads to greater all round happiness. After all, we have to spend a lot of time with ourselves, and it would be a shame to not be satisfied and proud of who that person is.

Social Thinking
Week Three - Social Thinking

This week had me thinking a lot about thinking. We take so much for granted and I find it amazing how much effort the brain is going to, just in order for us to understand simple concepts.

Knowledge structures such as schemas and scripts are crucial for navigating even the smallest daily task. It appears the role of context, meaning and past experience are important for successfully interpreting information and acting accordingly. However, what happens in cases of autism? Do people with autism not have access to this information? Or do they have access but do not know what to do with the information? Perhaps people with autism focus their attention on smaller details within the bigger picture, whereas non-autistic people focus on the whole picture in order to build a story. Therefore, a person with autism may have a problem with constantly modifying and updating schemas through experience and is unable to build a cognitive map of the world, its possibilities and experiences. This could even be part of the reason why many people with autism find it difficult to build what others perceive as close relationships. I think many people with autism do get close to people in their own way, however, as it is not the standard way, with lots of contact (eye contact, physical contact, emotional contact), it can be confronting and upsetting for those around them. More importantly though, I wonder do they find it upsetting or difficult, or are they happy in their own solitary world?

Building stereotypes is another concept I found interesting. We usually associate stereotypes with negativity, such as all accountants are boring, all blondes are dumb. However, I had never considered they could actually be useful and it makes sense that stereotypes can be a useful tool to aid in cognition.

The following is a satirical look at the stereotypes associated with white, middle-class Americans. Although American, many of the ideas can also be applied to Australian society. As well as being funny, it is also scarily accurate. I like the language the blog uses, writing of the stuff these people like in a similar format you would expect in a guide book for a new puppy, or other such animal. It is an interesting look at the social behaviour of a large part of our society.

Aggression
Week Four - Aggression

It is alarming to think that toddlers resort to aggression 25% of the time, but it makes sense that they have not yet learnt that it is not socially acceptable to solve disputes with aggression. However, to expand on this even further, perhaps they have to resort to aggression as they have not yet learnt how to control their emotions but also do not have the skills required to solve problems in a more advanced way. They would not have the vocabulary or the reasoning skills to come to a fair conclusion if something has upset them. Perhaps this can even explain why some adults have trouble with aggression – They may simply not have the skills to work through their issue in any other way.

It also makes sense that men commit most violent crimes in our society. They are naturally affected by higher levels of testosterone than women, and it is more socially acceptable for men to release their aggression in a direct way. Furthermore, when men drink, the alcohol releases their inhibitions and decreases self-awareness, and they become even more aggressive. I come from a small country town and a lot of rum was consumed by men at the pub on a Friday night. There were fights every week and I was always perplexed as to why they can be fine drinking beer every other night, but as soon as they started drinking rum they would turn into completely different people – Almost searching for reasons to get angry at someone and start a fight. Could it be something in dark spirits? Or the coke they are mixed with? Or a combination of the two?

Interestingly, women seem to be becoming far more aggressive, particularly when they drink. It seems it is no longer as taboo for a woman to publicly let out her anger or aggression, however it is still terribly unattractive! (as it is in men also). At 29, I am no longer going out ‘clubbing’, however even driving through the city on a Sat night, it is not unusual to see girls screaming abuse at one another, or even physically hurting each other. Or could it be that we are more quick to notice and judge a woman who is drunk and behaving aggressively, as it is not deemed as ladylike?

The following is a recent article that examines both sides of the debate:

[http://www.smh.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2008/05/22/1211182971403.html ]

Prejudice and Stereotypes
Week Five - Prejudice and Stereotypes

I would hate to think I was prejudice in any way, be it towards different races, religions, ages or people with different sexual preferences. Or even for the way someone looks, if they are overweight or have some disfigurement. However, as articles such as this: show, it is possible to unconsciously be racist or prejudice, even when you believe otherwise.

So I decided to take the Implicit Association test for skin tone. Thankfully, my results showed little to no automatic preference between Light Skinned People and Dark Skinned People. The test only takes 10 minutes and is located here: - It may not be completely accurate, and should be seen more as fun than an exact reflection, however it still provides us with something worth thinking about. After taking the test, I also began to wonder, if you make a positive statement about a group or race, does that also mean you are prejudice? If someone was to make a comment that ‘black babies are so cute’, is that just as bad as saying ‘black babies are so evil’?... This is another example of people who probably believe they are well-meaning, subconsciously having prejudice beliefs about people who are different to themselves.

I am a big fan of Jane Elliott. I am particularly moved when I read of how she came up with the blue eyes brown eyes exercise after the assassination of Martin Luther King as a way to demonstrate to her young students the senselessness, irrationality and brutality of his death. When watching the original exercise, it is astounding to see how quickly the children adapt to their given roles. The ones without tags around their necks become bullies and mean without even having reason to. And the ones with tags perform substantially worse in the tasks they are given, almost as if they believe they are useless. Jane emphasizes it is not an exercise to be taken lightly and should not be performed unless absolutely crucial. However, I think if students were just shown footage of the exercise and then having subsequent discussions, this could be an equally powerful tool in the fight against prejudice. When watching the Australian version of the exercise, many were torn between thinking it was a powerful and useful exercise, to thinking it only encouraged more aggression. For the men that walked out after barely giving it a chance, it is easy to see it would take a lot of work to make them change their opinions. They were older, white and male – Life has been easy for them in comparison to people from minority groups and it is nearly impossible for them to see life from any other perspective. However, throughout the documentary, there were moments when you could see the realization in the ‘whites’ faces. And even for us watching, seeing that makes the whole thing seem worthwhile. I wish I had the opportunity to participate – Would I have been someone that Jane would have picked on? How would I have reacted to that? Above all, I was so moved by the sense of empowerment it gave the Indigenous participants and for the opportunity if gave them to tell their stories and provide understanding on what it is like to be judged every single day purely for the colour of your skin.

Relationships
Week Ten - Relationships

I remember when I was a teenager and first discovering boys, how intense my emotions used to be. I would be on a constant rollercoaster of massive highs and lows depending on whether the boy in question was showing me attention or not. I particularly remember one afternoon when I was 16 and found out my ‘boyfriend’ was cheating on me. I locked myself in my bedroom with sad music, wrote poetry and saw myself as some kind of broken hearted, damsel in distress from a movie screen. My much older brother came into my room and told me to get over it and get used to it, as it was bound to happen many more times in the years to come. He was right. I did feel like my heart was breaking quite a few more times after that, however, when I look back, there was never the intensity of emotion that I had that first time at age 16. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t like those boys as much, or perhaps more likely, I became somewhat stronger and immune each time.

I have been with my partner for three years and sometimes I compare the way I feel with him, to those intense 16 year old emotions. The chapter in the text described perfectly the way he makes me feel – Companionate love. There is still passion and romance, however he is my best friend and I still yearn every day to get home and see him and talk about the days events together. It is nice to know that this love is considered a major formula for a successful marriage. However, I also took particular notice of the theory that you need to do five times as many nice things as negative things. It is a good tool to remember and I have been trying to do spontaneous thoughtful gestures every day since reading it.

Double standards for women’s behaviour always make me feel so angry. And it makes me even angrier when I read and agree that most of the double standards and negativity directed to women come from other women! I understand the idea from the text that women feel the need to put pressure on each other to restrain sexual behaviour in order to look out for their best interests. However, in today’s society, I think it is more important to promote equality. Men and women both need to treat prospective partners and ‘flings’ with respect. Even if you were only with a person for one night, if he or she was good enough to become intimate with, then they deserve the same level of dignity and compassion that you would want for yourself, even in the harsh light of the morning after. This is directed at both men and women and is a far more important notion for improved social behaviour than that of telling women to refrain from having too many sexual partners or backstabbing a fellow female when they do.

title: User:Kate Hulme


text:
User talk:Kate Hulme

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 11:00, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello Kate Hulme, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 11:00, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Woof! My name is Jack(Russell). I am a dog and a Wikiversity mascot. I am pretty new around Wikiversity. Perhaps we can learn together! Tail wag...

Headings
Hi Kate, just a tip - you might like to also apply headings. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 07:46, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:Kate Hulme


text:
User talk:Chicco

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 11:09, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello Chicco, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 11:09, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Woof! My name is Jack(Russell). I am a dog and a Wikiversity mascot. I am pretty new around Wikiversity. Perhaps we can learn together! Tail wag...

slightly s.
Why is that ? Don't you have at university a massage chair ? Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 15:37, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

Paging Dr. Love
Ah ha will give it a shot doc.

title: User talk:Chicco


text:
User:Leonie B

=Social Psychology E-Portfolio=

Introduction
Social Psychology is just so broad and covers so many aspects of life. I am interested in looking deeper into this subject throughout the semester and hope by the end of semester my knowledge will be broader. Psychology concepts seem to be embedded in so many newspaper articles and I have not realised this until starting this subject. It’s hard not to come across an example of social psychology in almost every newspaper I read. My e-portfolio will consist of examples of social psychology entrenched in our society, often un-noticed by those not looking deeper into the context of everyday articles and stories.

Chapter 1 Short Summary

 * Social Psychology began to come into its own field in the 1950s and 1960s
 * At this time Psychology was divided into Behaviourism and Freudian psychoanalysis
 * Social Psychology is about understandings people’s thoughts, feelings and actions.
 * The three building blocks of Social Psychology are Affect, Behaviour and Cognition (ABC model)
 * Social Psychology focuses on peoples reaction to the world around them
 * Social Psychology is based on the scientific method
 * People generally become Social Psychologists out of curiosity

This week’s tutorial was an interesting introduction to understanding social psychology. We looked at the definition of social psychology in small groups with each group devising their own meaning based on understanding before studying this unit. The main ideas surrounding this topic were on people’s beliefs, feelings and actions around “social” issues and “psychology” (Psychology in the social context). We conducted a simple, yet meaningful experiment which aimed to show how people can be treated differently in society based on physical characteristics and beliefs. This experiment showed how our one small tutorial group can be so similar yet so diverse based on everyday occurrences. We are all students, all studying the same subject (many in the same degree), yet we all differ in some way which may (or may not) affect how we are treated in society. This activity was an example of Jane Elliot’s “Blue eyes/Brown eyes” which was administered on young children to teach them what it would be like to be treated differently based on physical characteristics. I think society today has changed somewhat for the better, but still has a long way to go. When saying this, I am referring to our western society. People seem to be more tolerant and understanding towards people of different cultures based on physical features like eye colour and skin colour. I know however, this is not always the case, with the religious differences between Muslims and Christians coming to mind as a prime example of this. I don’t think however, that different cultures will ever fully be able to embrace each other’s views.

Chapter 2 Short Summary

 * Nature versus Nurture debate – The opening story is about a boy raised as a girl. As much as ‘his’ parents tried to     make him a ‘girl’ through nurture, nature succeeded in making him maintain his maleness.
 * Nature and Nurture have shaped each other
 * Natural selection chooses which traits/genes will successfully reproduce into the next generation
 * Culture is a system – a network linking many different people together
 * Culture works on the idea of praxis – practical ways of doing things
 * Culture consists of a number of different ideas/views, however culture is everywhere. The text describes it as in our genes. Cultural differences are not in our genes.
 * Humans are both social and culture beings. Other animal species are just social.
 * Culture animals (humans) share knowledge among each other so it can be passed onto the nest generation. i.e. we work together
 * Bad things in our lives have a stronger psychological impact than the good ones
 * Humans (meat eating animals) chose to become vegetarians; this is not seen across other meat eating animals groups.
 * Sex morals and behaviours vary significantly across different cultural groups
 * Positive Psychology – “the branch of psychology that studies ways of making human life better, enriching human experience, and helping people cultivate their potentialities” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p 50).
 * The mind has two different processing systems – the conscious and the automatic mind.

A note on Positive Psychology

A relevant article titled "Upbeat street" published in The Sunday Telegraph August 10, 2008
 * When we are surrounded by negative, pessimistic people who lack passion or energy, then we can be pulled back or slowed down
 * In contrast, if we're living or working with others who are positive and inspirational, then it's almost impossible not to be pulled along in their wake, inspired by their energy and enthusiasm
 * Happy and successful people tend to surround themselves and have more relationships with other happy and successful people
 * You'll be more happy if you actively work to harness the energy and enjoy the company of those who live in the "fast lane"
 * Live life with a purpose; have healthy habits; think optimistically and foster positive relationships.

Chapter 3 Short Summary

 * The self consists of three main parts –
 * Self-knowledge- self awareness > develop beliefs about themselves
 * Interpersonal self- social connection > impress others
 * Agent self- gets things done, make choices and exert control
 * Self Impulse – Inner thoughts and feelings
 * Self as Institution – Ways people act in public
 * Private awareness- looking inward on the self
 * Public awareness- looking outward on the self
 * Alcohol reduces self awareness
 * Looking glass self- idea that people learn about themselves from others
 * Intrinsic motivation – Doing something because you want to – for your own sake
 * Extrinsic motivation – Doing something for an external factor – a reward
 * Overjustification Effect- Has occurred when you stop doing an activity for intrinsic reasons and do it only for extrinsic purposes
 * People actively seek out information about themselves because they want to know themselves better – They want self-knowledge
 * Self –Handicapping- Has occurred when one puts obstacles in the way of performance
 * High self esteem is when someone favorably evaluates themselves. They consider themselves competent, likably, attractive, and morally good. Low self esteem is the opposite.
 * Low self esteem is seen in many social and psychological problems.
 * Narcissism is when someone has excessive self love and a selfish orientation
 * Self-Presentation – conveying the self or something about the self to the public
 * Self-Presentation is associated with increased risky behaviours as people try to make themselves stand out in society.

The Self
The ‘self’ is an interesting concept. A person has so many different components of themselves. It sounds strange, but it seems like many different selves condense themselves into the one self- the 'being'. People have an interpersonal self, public self, agent self, self awareness, phenomenal self, self as impulse and self as institution. It’s the later two ‘self as impulse’ and ‘self as institution’ that trigger some thoughts in my head. I find it interesting how one person can be so different depending on the surrounding circumstances. For example, one would think that if a person’s impulse self (a person’s inner thoughts and feelings) was deeply depressed, their institution self (the way a person acts in public, especially in official roles) would resemble this. But this is often not the case. People’s public self and private self can be so different. Why and how is a depressed person able to continue on with their job without their employer even being aware that they are depressed? How can the impulse self be so sad and the institution self be so happy? I think this is a contributing factor to why the suicide rates are so high in our society. It’s like the ‘selves’ are competing against each other. Because people on the outside can’t see the impulse self, they have no way of knowing that someone is considering suicide.

The following article is also relevant to the self. This article was about the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games in Beijing this year, published in The Canberra Times on August 13, 2008. The 9 year old girl that appeared on stage to be singing was in fact only miming. The 6 year old girl that was singing had been deemed not pretty enough to sing on stage despite her wonderful singing voice. It made me wonder if society in general really cares about how one looks? The world watched a ‘pretty’ girl on stage, one that is socially more acceptable than another girl (the singer), based purely on looks. The unseen singer could not sing on stage because she had crooked teeth. Isn’t this morally wrong? Would the world really judge this little girl on her appearance – her ‘baby’ teeth that happened not to be perfect? Would the world really care? Secondly, it isn’t mentioned anywhere about how the young girl who wasn’t pretty enough feels. I believe that this young girl although only 6, understands what is going on. I’m sure her self awareness and self esteem would have been negatively impacted.

Chapter 4 Short Summary

 * Behaviour can be guided by the values and systems of culture
 * Behaviour can be self defeating
 * Behaviour can have different levels of meaning.
 * Entity theorists believe people have fixed, stable traits
 * Incremental theorists believe traits can change and improve
 * People tend to be more realistic in the short term compared to the long term
 * Delayed Gratification – Sacrificing a small reward now for a bigger one later

The Self In Action
It was interesting to read about ‘capacity to delay gratification’ in the text and then about suicide. Suicide is devastating and occurs too much in our society. A reason people commit suicide is sadly because of 'capicity to delay gratification'. Suicidal people tend to be so caught up in their negative thinking that they fail to think about the future. Often suicide occurs because people have so much internal hurt that they just want it to go away and do not care about anything else at that moment. Suicide is the only thing they think they can escape. I came across an article in the The Sunday Telegraph on August 10, 2008. The article was titled ‘The tragic face of a hidden condition’. Above the text was a large photo of a young mother, holding a toddler and cradling her young baby in her arms. The mother is smiling and her young son smiles too. It wasn’t until I started reading the article that I realized what the title was implying. This young mother (34 years old) had committed suicide by driving her car off a cliff, leaving behind her two young children. Initially, I thought how could a mother do that when she has a new baby and a two year old son. In the photo she appears so happy. The sad truth is however, this mother was suffering from undiagnosed post-natal depression. It made me think about what this mother was thinking when she did this. I believe that this is a prime example of what capacity to delay gratification is. This mother couldn’t have been thinking clearly at the time. I wonder if she would have been thinking about anything at that moment, except I want this pain to stop – I can’t go on feeling like this anymore. Perhaps she thought she was a useless mother and wife and wouldn’t be missed, so suicide was the only option. The sad truth is however, there is help available but suicidal people do not think about that. In their minds, nothing can help them except ending their life (then and there) permanently.

A month after reading this article, I read about the suicide of Mark Priestley – An actor on the drama TV show All Saints. I didn’t know Mark Priestley but was upset by his death. Perhaps this was influenced from knowing what he was like as an actor. I was saddened because I realized that the happy, carefree actor on TV was in fact not like this in real life. Mark Priestley suffered from clinical depression and no one would know this judging Mark from the outside. This terrible tragedy brings me back to the delayed gratification principle. Mark appeared to have so much going for him, he was a talented actor and anyone would have thought he had a bright future ahead of him. It appears Mark too at that time in his life, could not see past the moment. People ask why didn’t he get help? I strongly believe that this did not cross his mind at that suicidal moment. He must have been so internally sad that suicide was the only way to escape. Why did nothing in his life, (not his talent, his work mates, his family) matter at that moment-delayed gratification? Baumeister & Bushman, 2008 state that suicide fits the “now-versus-future pattern” (p 139). To a suicidal person, “death may seem appealing, not as a punishment or violence suffering but simply as oblivion… they are willing to trade away their future and all its potential joys in order to gain this immediate relief” (p 139). Mark appeared to have planned his suicide because he checked into a hotel with a balcony 23 stories high and did not jump until 90 minutes later. I wish we could confirm what he was thinking in those 90 minutes before jumping, but the desperate need for escape seems the most logic.

 * Self awareness is very high in suicidal people because they feel such a strong need to escape from themselves.

Psychology of self harm behaviour

Article from The Sunday Telegraph, 28, 2008

Self harm is an act that is often not talked about. It is also known as self-injury, SIB (self-injurious behaviour), self mutilation or cutting. It can occur in a number of forms and involves deliberately inflicting harm on oneself. Carving or cutting the skin is the most common form of self harm, but also includes burning, scratching, biting or punching, pulling out hair, swallowing toxic substances, self bruising, breaking bones and head banging. Self harm generally occurs without suicidal intent, but not always.

Self harm is linked to childhood abuse, eating disorders, substance abuse, depression, anxiety and personality disorders

Self harm is usually a secret activity and self harmers cover their injuries so others can not see

Why would anyone do this to themselves??

 * Coping Method – A highly maladaptive one though
 * Used to deal with emotional pain or numbness, anxiety, stress or pressure
 * Need to feel in control
 * Distraction
 * Represent escape – Without finality – It is generally not a self harmers intention to commit suicide
 * Self harm is addictive – After someone commits self harm once and it works (by distracting them from emotional pain) then often it continues to occur

Private self awareness – Aware of themselves in a bad, upsetting aspect and want to escape their self awareness. They evaluate themselves.

Public self-awareness – Self harmers must be high in public self-awareness because this would explain why they go to extensive lengths to hide their injuries from others.

Low self-esteem is often associated to self harming – Self harmers generally do not think very highly of themselves

Self-harm on rise in teen girls

The Sydney Morning Herald, September 24, 2008

 * Teenage girls are more likely to be admitted to hospital for over-doses, slashed limbs or other forms of deliberate self harm than for any other type of injury, including road accidents
 * Effects of intense academic pressure, changing family dynamics and rising drug and alcohol use
 * Self harm rate in girls aged 13-19 has risen by one third in the past 8 years
 * Low self esteem is a contributing factor
 * There appears to be “a copycat” element to self harm
 * Also a “cultural element” – Self harm is more socially acceptable in some countries than others
 * Self harm is promoted within some youth subcultures

Aggression
"Rogue Rage"

The Sunday Telegraph August 10, 2008

Anger gets a lot of bad press but it needs to be expressed like any other emotion. Just be careful how you do it.

Anger as an emotion is highly maligned. Basically, it’s like any other emotion – sadness, love, joy, anxiety. Like other emotions it also has a physical component: sweaty armpits, pounding head, shaky insides. But uncontrolled, it’s the only emotion that can be dangerous. No-one goes to “joy” or “love” management courses.

People talk about different ways of loving. But, apart from the difference between the platonic love you have for your dog and the sexual love you have from your lover, the way you love is the way you love. Even the way you love your children is the same, only it’s usually more unconditional.

But there are different types of anger
 * Frustration: This is when you end up bashing the dashboard because the squeak in your car won’t stop.
 * Impatience: Wanting to thump someone because the bus is late.
 * Short Fuse: When you get angry with the pizza delivery man because your pizza is 10 minutes late.
 * Hot Head: Such as road rage
 * Taking Things Personally: When people suddenly say, “Who do you think you’re looking at mate?”
 * Slow and Seething: Every time you go over a certain event in your mind, you work up an anger.
 * Revenge: Time spent imagining the perpetrator of the crime dangling from a high rope, begging for forgiveness (which will never come).
 * Jealously: Rage about someone taking something or someone that belongs to you. Potentially the most erosive and dangerous anger.
 * Alcohol-Induced: Some people are angry and the lack of inhibition brings it out, but there are also those who, when sober, are completely placid.

Are you an angry person?

Do people often tell you that you’re overreacting? Can you be gracious when you don’t get your own way? Do you think life in general is fair and good to you? Do you think life is unfair and that you get ripped off a lot? Do you form relationships easily and keep them, and they are easygoing? Do you trust people? Do people feel safe around you?

Why are some people more prone to anger than others? Some babies by nature are colicky and grow up to be disgruntled, and others are content and go with the flow. Some people react to events in their lives that leave them feeling abused and ripped off. They feel life isn’t fair to them. Some feel bad about themselves but feel temporarily better if they make someone else feel worse. In defence of anger, which everyone experiences, it’s great to have that quiet but powerful place in your solar plexus that knows that if someone crosses your boundaries, you can react with sufficient force to say and mean: “That’s enough”. Healthy, appropriate anger is a sign of self-respect, self-commitment and self-worth.

Aggression and Alcohol

The link between agression and alcohol is seen far too much in our society. You just have to watch the news and current affairs to see the negative impact alcohol has on some people. It is interesting how reduced self awareness can lead to aggression in some people, while making other people withdrawn and depressed. I think that exposure to alcohol through advertising is partly response for the increase in people (particularily adolescents), drinking excessive alcohol. Young people seeem to believe that they have to drink alcohol to be socially accepted.

I found an article in The Sydney Morning Herald on October 21, 2008, that stated some alarming statistics. Almost one third of Australians suffer violence, arguments with or threats from drunk relatives. According to the Salvation Army, one in five people have had an argument with family members who were influenced by alcohol and one in ten have had fights with relatives. I find the saddest part of alcohol fueled aggession and violence is the impact it has on children. Aggressive and violent family members make children feel scared, embarrassed and anxious. Children are the innocent target of alcohol violence and aggression. Far too often, alcohol has a negative impact on children and families.

Environmental Psychology
"The green, green grass of school"

The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday September 24, 2008

On the same day that I sadly read on another student’s e-portfolio page that they do not care for the environment, I came across an article about disadvantaged children that had high regard and love for the environment. The children are from more than 40 language backgrounds and 10 percent of them are refugees. When their concrete playground turned into grass the children were ecstatic. “Every single student came out to watch the turf get installed and they were amazed at how it went down”. The school has also planted fruit trees and a Japanese garden. The article emphasizes how at other schools, children would carelessly beat down the trees, but at the school in Merrylands East, the students go out of their way to protect them. The most important message to take from this article is the fact that children who have not been lucky enough to live in a precious environment have a lot more appreciation of the environment and the role they have in protecting it. The article says “A lot of our students come from Afghanistan so what they’ve seen and endured is land being misused and destroyed and as a result of that, when they come here [To Australia] they embrace everything we have”

It’s wonderful these children respect and are being taught to care for the environment. It is especially important that this generation of kids cares enough to change how generations before them have treated the earth. We would not be living and breathing here if it wasn’t for the environment.

 Newswrap

Taken from: The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday September 24, 2008

September 23, 2008 marked the day the world used up all the natural resources the Earth will be able to produce this year.

For the rest of the year we will be living in the red, using resources faster than the planet can regenerate them

Overshoot day is calculated each year by the Global Footprint Network, based on our ecological footprint (our demand on cropland, pasture, forests and fisheries) compared with the ability of those ecosystems to generate resources and absorb waste

We are now using resources equivalent to 1.4 Earths a year

Prosocial Behaviour
Prosocial behaviour means doing whats best for others. Generally speaking, I think that the majority of people in our society would help another person if the need arose. I grew up in a small country town and I know that almost everyone was willing to help others when they needed it. I've found in Canberra too, people seem to be quiet caring of others. I've observed simple acts of others caring, like stopping to see if someone is alright when they're stuck on the side of the road with a flat tyre.

While you come across these 'small' acts of prosocial behaviour everyday, it isn't very often you come across a story about a person willing to give up an organ for a stranger. I found an article in The Sunday Telegraph on September 21, 2008 titled "Free hugger who is willing to give the gift of life". It was about an inspirational man that stands on the streets of Sydney holding up a sign that says "free hugs" and hugs anyone that needs one. This however is not the inspirational part. Early next year this man in donating a kidney to a stranger. He says "I am young, I am fit, I am healthy, I have two kidneys. I don't really drink. I don't need that second one and someone will be able to get out of hospital". He is remarkedly among the first in NSW to undergo non-directed kidney donation. This is a special act of prosocial behaviour that I couldn't go passed.

title: User:Leonie B


text:
User talk:Leonie B

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 12:04, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello Leonie B, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 12:04, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello , we are the Baah and Bahh twins and we'd both like to welcome you to Wikiversity. While you sit back and explore Wikiversity, enjoy some of our fresh goat milk. You can help us learn by creating new learning resources or help us by improving the guided tours and other exploration tools. We look forward to seeing you around. Baaaahbye for now.

title: User talk:Leonie B