The Heavy Responsibilty of Advice

Yesterday a student asked me for advice. Usually the questions from students are vague and about money.
Questions asked by students in general are as follow: 
How can I become rich?" or "How should I invest?"
My answer to the above questions are "Save and do not spend" and "Diversify your investments portfolio and do not panic when one of your investments goes down because some other part of your portfolio is going up!" (followed by this is the beauty of Diversification).  These questions and the advice are ones that I follow and are are standard answers and to a certain extent accurate.
However, yesterdays question did not leave any room for me to be general and/or vague. My heart broke for this student. Yes some economist scape graduate school with their hearts intact!
The question from the student was as follow:
 "I have a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering and am offered a job in Alaska drilling for oil"
I congratulated the student and asked when will he/she be leaving. I assumed that the student wanted to drop the class or take the exams earlier.
However, the student was not sure if he/she should take the job. The student worried about his/her mother worrying about his/her safety. Also the student explained to me that his/her father expects him/her to take over the family business as the eldest. The father is still relatively young and it will be a few years before the business is handed over to this student.  
The student was worried about his/her mother's feelings, a father's expectations and his/her own future.
I was trapped. I could not give one of my general economics answers with the on one hand but 'on the other hand'. This was very specific and as time went by it became more and more specific.  The weight of giving the correct advice was growing on my shoulder. I wanted to run away screaming because I was being pulled into the realm of Dr. Freud with 'my father makes me feel this' and 'my mother makes me feel that' . However, I did not have the heart to do that with a student who is taking a chance and spilling all of his/her problems to me. 
Before the student could drag me down deeper into the land of Freud, I gave the same advice flight attendants give: "put on your own oxygen mask first before helping your companions" in other words "take care of your future first and then worry about how it affects your father and mother."
I recovered into econland and told the student the longer you are out of the job market the harder it is to get a job. I recommended that he/she accepts the job in Alaska because statistically it is easier to get a job when one has a job. The student was still worried about his/her parents. Based on the description of the father provided by this student as a demanding father with high expectations of his children, I pointed out that the father would be proud of him/her standing on his/her own two feet. Also he/she can repay his/her student loans since the job in Alaska pays for room and board. The student will be able to save and build a small nest egg. I did not have an answer for how this student can calm the overprotective mother's fears.
Last night I could not sleep. I kept worrying that this mother's worst fears of Alaska may come true.

The Cult of Learning Styles and B.F. Skinner's Pigeons

The Following was written by Vern Padgett Professor of Psychology at Rio Hondo College.

In my last essay, I stated that the question is not whether “learning styles” exist; the question is:  Why do so many educated people hold fast to the belief that they do exist? 

B. F. Skinner’s work with pigeons some 75 years ago may help us understand. 
As a grad student, one of Skinner’s tasks was to feed the pigeons in the animal laboratory.  This required him to visit the lab every few hours.  After a few weekends of being tied up, he designed a machine to automatically dispense food pellets at regular intervals. 
Arriving early on Monday morning, the young Skinner was astonished by the behavior of some of the (well-fed) pigeons.  One was constantly turning in circles.  Another was continually bowing. 
He explained it (in his 1938 Behavior of Organisms) as follows:  The one pigeon just happened to be turning when a food pellet fell.  The other just happened to be pecking (bowing) when another food pellet fell. 

One major lesson from Dr. Skinner is that behavior has consequences.  The behavior of these lab pigeons was by chance:  But that chance turning or bowing was followed immediately by a huge food reinforcement.  And they persisted in this behavior. 
Skinner termed this type of learning Accidental Conditioning, and said it was the basis of superstitious behavior.  Not just in pigeons. 
We see the same accidental learning in baseball players, with batters performing ritualistic behaviors, touching themselves here and there:  That is what they happened to be doing just before that huge reinforcement when they hit the ball.  Or a student might bring a “lucky” pencil to an exam—the one they used before receiving a good mark. 

Now imagine you are a college professor, or counselor, at Rio Hondo College. 
Imagine further, that you employ a particular “learning style” with your student, or counselee.
Imagine further again that the outcome just happens to be very favorable. 

That favorable outcome reinforces the behavior that preceded it (using the “learning style” approach). 
Pigeons and people:  Superstitious behavior can be instilled the same way, by chance connection between behavior and outcomes. 

Skinner’s hope was that by learning the principles of operant behavior, we could apply them to improve the human condition. 
We humans can learn them; pigeons cannot.

The Cult of Learning Styles Part 2

The following is written by Vern Padgett Professor of Psychology at Rio Hondo College.

I have taught psychology for around 30 years out of more than a dozen textbooks, each one in use nationwide. 

One day when teaching introductory psychology in A228 at Rio Hondo College, from one of the Zimbardo textbooks, I found that “learning styles” was not a topic presented, discussed, or even mentioned
In the chapter on human learning, or
In the chapter on thinking, intelligence, problem solving, or
In the chapter on Personality (where individual differences are discussed), or
In the index. 
Not even in the glossary. 
Nor did I recall “learning styles” ever being presented, discussed, or even mentioned, in any of the other dozen or more texts I’d taught from.
Given that psychology is the science of individual human behavior and mental life, including learning, thinking, problem solving, and differences in personalities, I found it odd that “learning styles” was never included in an introductory psychology textbook, all which in my experience gave extensive overviews on learning, thinking, problem solving, and individual differences in performance. 
In the preface to the Zimbardo book, co-author Ann L. Weber gave her e-mail address and said to write to her with comments or questions. 
I did. 
I wrote to her and asked why “learning styles” did not appear anywhere in their book. 
She replied within the day and said two things. 
First, she said she was amazed that anyone had actually written to her. 
Next, he wrote that she did not know anything about “so-called learning styles,” that she considered them to be more of a “talk-show topic,” and that if I did have information on “learning styles” to please share it with her. 
At Rio Hondo College, many of our educators hold fast to the belief in “learning styles.” 
Are we a college that endorses talk show topics?

The Myth of Learning Styles Part 1

The following is written by Proffessor Vern Padgett. He is a Proffessor of Psychology at Rio Hondo College.

Last month I read the delightful book by Bill Bryson:  A Walk in the Woods.  In there he recalled the Scopes Trial of 1925, where in Tennessee the teaching of evolution was outlawed, and where in 1967 that ruling was reaffirmed.  Bryson’s comment was that Tennesseans may not be descended from apes, but are in danger of being overtaken by them. 
When I worked at CSU Fullerton during the 1990s, I attended a talk given there by RHC Dean Voiza Arnold, whose academic background was English.  Her topic was “Learning Styles.”  She went on for about an hour, then took questions.  I was sitting next to a psychology professor, a pleasant man who asked no questions of the speaker, and I walked out with him.  This full time tenured professor had a doctorate from a major research university in the Midwest, and he taught several courses on Learning at CSU. 
I asked him if he had learned anything about “learning styles” in his doctoral work. 
He said no. 
I asked him if that topic appeared in any of the textbooks from which he taught learning at the university. 
He said no. 
I asked him if he subscribed to and read the journals Verbal Learning and Journal of Experimental Psychology:  Human Perception and Performance or other APA psychological journals on learning.  He said he did.  I asked him if the topic of “learning styles” appeared in any of those journals or ever had. 
He said no. 
I asked him why he had not voiced some objection during the presentation on “Learning Styles.” 
He replied “Some times it is just better to keep your mouth shut.” 

Rio Hondo Community College Transfer Guide: Psychology Lower Division Major Requirements for Transfer

Recently, the Dean of Counseling directed our Psychology teacher to remove the following document from his website. Hearing about this I downloaded and uploaded the material onto my own website Javanomics, and have copied it here. 
We can not allow Administrators whose pet theory is challenged dictating to faculty what should or should not be on their website.
What pet theory? Look at the post March 16 and Dr. Smith Blooms on the blog.  Our Psychology faculty challenged the very fashionable idea of Learning Styles and in the opinion of this blog this is payback. This Dean could challenge the criticism that Learning Styles are not real but instead this administrator is going after this item. 
Administrators can challenge the accuracy of the material presented, but dictating what belongs on a website that is going too far.The material below is accurate and was created using the website used by our counselors advising students.
It is my hope that every faculty member in the uploads this document on their website to show support for this psychology faculty.

The following courses should be taken prior to transferring at Rio Hondo. If the course you need to transfer is not offered at Rio Hondo, you will need to take the course at your new institution. The information in this guide is based on the most recent information available and is intended for use as a guide. This does not constitute an official agreement between Rio Hondo and the universities listed below. Recent updates can be found at www.assist.org.

University of California, Berkeley

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

UCB                            RIO

Psych 1*                      Psy 101

Biology Requirement****

Two courses from: Biol 101, 125, 226, 200 and 203**

Social Science Requirement

Two courses from: Anthro 102, Poly Sci 110 OR 130, Engl 127, Soc 101

Quantitative Requirement***

One course from: Math 120, 130, 260 and 270**

*Psychology requirement can also be satisfied by a score of 4 or better on the AP Psychology exam

**Both courses listed count as one course together. Students must still take a second course from the list to satisfy the requirement

***Quantitative requirement can also be satisfied by a score of 4 or better on the AP Statistics exam

****Biology requirement can also be satisfied by a score of 4 or better on the AP Biology exam

NOTE: The College of Letter and Sciences Skills Requirements in Reading and Composition, Foreign Language, and Quantitative Reasoning or the IGETC must be completed by the end of the spring term that precedes the first fall term at Berkeley. All major prep courses must be completed by the spring term that precedes the first fall term at Berkeley.

University of California, Irvine

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

UCI                             RIO

Psych 9A,B,C             Psy 101 (or 101H) and 210 (or 210H) and 114 or 112

ICS 10A or 10B          Cit 135 and 136

    or 21 or

    SocSci 3A

Math 2A, B, and 7      Math 190 and 130 (or 130H)

One additional course from: Psy 112, 114, 200

Two courses from: Anthro 101 (or 101H) or 102, Econ 101 (or 101H) or 102, Engl 127, Soc 101 (or 101H)

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Social Behavior

UCI                             RIO

Psy Beh P9                 Psy 101 (or 101H) and Soc 101 (and 101H)

SocEcol 10                  Psy 200

SocEcol 13                  Math 130 (or 130H)

University of California, Los Angeles

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

UCLA                         RIO

Psych 10                      Psy 101 or 101H

Anthro 7 or                 Anthro 101 or 101H

    Anthro 12                no equivalent

LifeSci 15 or               Biol 101 and 102

    LifeSci 1                  Biol 203 and 204

Chem 2 or                   Chem 110 or 120

   Chem 20A**                        Chem 130

Physics 10 or              Physics 120 or 150

   Physics 6A or           no equivalent course

   Physics 1A               Physics 211

Philosophy Requirement

One course from: Phil 101 or 110 or 112 or 120

Quantitative Requirement*

One course from: Math 130 (or 130H), 120, 170, 190

*Math 130 (or 130H) is preferred

**One year of high school chemistry will satisfy this requirement

NOTE: Students are admitted as pre-Psychology majors. Students not admitted into pre-Psychology will not be permitted to change. All courses above should be taken for a letter grade.

Bachelor of Science, Cognitive Science

UCLA                         RIO

Math 31A                    Math 190

Math 31B                    Math 191

Psych 10                      Psy 101 (or 101H)

LifeSci 15 or               Biol 101 and 102

   LifeSci 1 or              Biol 203 and 204

   PhySci 3                   no equivalent course

Physics 10 or              Physics 120 or 150

   Physics 6A or           no equivalent course

   Physics 1A               Physics 211

Chem 2 or                   Chem 110 or 120

   Chem 20A*              Chem 130

Phil 7 or                      no equivalent course

   Phil 8 or                   no equivalent course

   Phil 9                                    Phil 110

* One year of high school chemistry will satisfy this requirement

NOTE: Completion of one statistics course prior to transfer to UCLA is recommended

NOTE: To be competitive, students should complete all RIO courses prior to transferring. All courses must be completed for a letter grade.

Bachelor of Science, Psychobiology

UCLA                         RIO

Psych 10                      Psy 101 (or 101H)

LifeSci 1                      Biol 203 and 204

LifeSci 2                      Biol 200 or 226

Chem 20A, 20B,         Chem 130 and 131 and 131L

       20L, and 30AL

Chem 30A, 30B          Chem 230 and 231

       and 30BL

Math 31A, 31B,          Math 190 and 191

       and 32A

Physics 1A,B,C                       Physics 211 and 212            and 4AL, 4BL                and 213

All courses must be taken for a letter grade.

University of California, Riverside

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

UCR                            RIO

Psych 2                                    Psy 101 (or 101H)

Psych 12                      Psy 200

Mathemical Requirement

UCR requires students to complete one UC transferable course in either Statistics, Mathematics, or Computer Science. The recommended course is Math 180

Biology requirement

One course from: Biol 101, 102, 200

Physical Science requirement

One course from: Chem 130 and 131 and 131L, 110, Physics 211 and 212 and 213, Astro 110 (or 110H)

Two more courses that are UC transferable in the area of Mathematics, Biology, or Physical Science

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology/Law and Society

All of the requirements for Psychology transfer list above and: Phil 110 or 112

NOTE: all courses must be completed with a letter grade of “C” or better.

University of California, Santa Barbara

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

UCSB                          RIO

Psy 1                           Psy 101 (or 101H)

Psy 3                           Psy 210(or 210H)

Psy 5                           Math 130 (or 130H)

Psy 7                           Psy 200

Math 34A or               Math 170 or 190

   Math 3A

NOTE: Students are admitted as pre-major until all pre-major courses are completed with a GPA of 2.75 or better at UCSB. If the student completes the entire pre-major before transferring, they must take two upper division Psychology courses with a GPA of 2.0 or better before they will be admitted.

Bachelor of Sciences, Biopsychology

Completion of the requirements for the Psychology BA degree listed above and:

Mathematics: Math 191

Biology: Biol 200 and 203

Chemistry: Chem 130 and 131 and 131L and 230 and 231

Physics: Phys 150 and 160

NOTE: Students are admitted as pre-majors and must completed all major prep courses with a letter grade of C- or better and a minimum GPA of 2.75.

University of California, San Diego

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

Biology requirement

Three courses from:  Biol 101, 200, 226, Chem 110, 120, 130, 130 and 131, Physics 150 and 160, 211, 212, 213

Formal Skills Requirement

One course from: Math 170, 190, 191, 250

Two courses from: Math 170*, 190*, 191*, 250*, Phil 110, 112

Computer Programming Requirement

One course from: Cit 135, 136

Statistics Requirement

Math 130

*Courses can only fulfill one requirement. A different one must be taken to fulfill the second requirement

NOTE: Transfer students are strongly advised to complete as many preparatory courses as soon as possible for their major before enrolling at UC San Diego. Preparing well for the major helps students move efficiently toward graduation.

Bachelor of Sciences, Psychology

See requirements for a BA in Psychology

California State University, Fullerton

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

CSUF                          RIO

Psy 101                                   Psy 101

Psy 201                                   Math 130

Psy 202                                   Psy 200

California State University, Long Beach

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

CSULB                       RIO

Psy 100                                   Psy 101

Psy 110                                   Math 130

Psy 141                                   Psy 210 (or 210H)

Psy 200                                   Psy 200

NOTE: This program is impacted. Applicants are admitted as pre-psychology majors. Transfer students are only admitted at the Upper-Division level and must have completed 60 or more transferable units.

Bachelor of Arts, Human Development

CSULB                       RIO

Anth 120                     Anthr 102

Psy 100                                   Psy 101

Soc 100                                   Soc 101

HDev 250                   Math 130

NOTE: Transfer students are only admitted at the Upper-Division level and must have completed 60 or more transferable units.

CALPOLY, Pomona

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

CPP                             RIO

Phil 202                       Phil 110 or 112

Eng 105                       Eng 201 (or 201H)

Psy 210                                   Psy 210 (or 210H)

Soc 201                                   Soc 101 (or 101H)

Stat 120                       Math 130 (or 130H)

Core Courses

CPP                             RIO

BHS 204                     Psy 200

Psy 201 or 202                        Psy 101 (or 101H)

Soc 202                                   Soc 102

NOTE: There may be general education CSU requirements to complete as well. Check with the transfer center for more.

California State University, Los Angeles

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

CSULA                       RIO

Engl 102                      Eng 201

Psy 150                                   Psy 101

Psy 170                                   Psy 210

Psy 202                       No equivalent

CALPOLY, San Luis Obispo

Bachelor of Sciences, Psychology

CPSLO                        RIO

Psy 201 or Psy 202     Psy 101 (or 101H)

Psy 252                                   No equivalent

CD 254                                    No equivalent

Psy 256                                   Psy 112

Support Courses

Stat 217 or 251           Math 130

March 16 and Dr. Smith Blooms

Penguines debating learning styles

It is that time of year again when flowers bloom and birds begin chirping. Yes it is spring. Also after March 15 some faculty members begin their chirping secure in their hard earned saftey blanket of tenure. Today we had our very own Dr. Smith who is tenured began his chirping via email. I am copying and pasting his chirping below:

Colleagues,

Recently an article was written in the Psychology Teacher Network newletter for which I subscribe (actually my wife subscribes, but I steal her copies). I thought it was relevant enough to share with all of you.

The article examines the evidence for and against learning styles and the consequences of these beliefs.

To quote the article:
"Learning styles do not exist."

"Differences in natural ability, background knowledge, and intrinsic interest and motivation all have important implications for learning."
The author goes on to discuss that abilities may be defined by domains (a musical ability or intelligence), but that these are not styles. "... someone with high musical ability is not able to use that higher musical ability to learn geography; a skilled dancer would not be able to translate their superior grace to superior vocabulary or biology test scores."

"Presenting content in different modes helps. Why? Novelty and change help maintain attention. Switching from a movie, to a story, to an activity that involves getting up and moving around helps all students learn."
So instead of presenting information in multiple modes to catch the different types of "learners" in the classroom, we can present the information in multiple modes to catch all learners and keep them all interested.

The article even discusses how learning styles have negative consequences.

Students that believe that they are "visual learners" may not pay attention as much to material presented using other modes.
Also, "if teachers are evaluated by how they differentiate instruction for each student, this can be needlessly overwhelming on the teachers' time and effort."

I sincerely hope that we use research like this to appropriately guide our students and the way that we are teaching them.

Here is a link to the Psych Teacher Network article:
http://www.apa.org/massmailing/EDSDEV/EDUCATION/PTNwinter1011.pdf
I have attached the scholarly review article that provides most of the evidence that is referred to in the above newsletter.

Retirement Party

Dancing Is It Biological

How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America - The Atlantic (March 2010)

Here is an article that made me think about how I teach. How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America - The Atlantic (March 2010)
Here is a video that can be found in the article.

Motivational Emotional Commercial

Here is a touching shampoo commercial for Pantene. For some reason I liked it.

Challenging Conventional Ideas

Here is professor Schwartz who has done what I had felt in my guts as I studied Economics. In the videos below he challenges a conventional idea that having more choices lead to better outcomes.

Markets and Psychology

Last week I was talking to someone and they were talking of having sold off all of their stocks and now they can sleep at night. Another person asked me if they should sell too. I replied that my crystal ball is broken. This morning I was listening to all of the podcasts which I subscribe to and found the following two interviews.
1) The first one is from Bloomberg on the Economy. The interview is with a technical analyst Ms. Yamada who is very pessimistic.

Yamada Sees 44% of NYSE Stocks Under $10 as `Shocking' March 5 (Bloomberg)
-- Louise Yamada, managing director of Louise Yamada Technical Research
Advisors, talks with Bloomberg's Tom Keene about the U.S. stock market declines,
oil and gold prices, and Treasuries.

2) The second podcast is from market place on public radio titled "experts discuss market psychology" This is a more optimistic story.
I suggest that if you sold off everything, listen to the first story. If you are still holding on listen to the second story.

Procrastination

This is a great video on Procrastination which you will encounter with your students.

Why Psychology Matters In Economics

Here is a video that shows an idea which I have held for a few years now. I think psychology matters more in Economics than we (economists) give it credit. Watch the dog experiment!

Not A Generational Gap But a Brain Gap?

Is technology creating a "Brain Gap"? Here is an interesting interview on the show future tense where Gary Small M.D. from UCLA argues that "digital natives" brains, the younger generation which grew up with technology, may be wired differently. To support this claim he conducted various brain scans and saw their brains light up differently than the "digital immigrants", the older generation who did not grow up with all of this technology, as they conducted an Internet search.

I asked our very own Dr Smith, and he was a little skeptical, because he sees evolution as a very slow process. Dr. Smith argues for this study to be valid it has to be conducted across a few generations. Also he pointed out that the differences could be explained by how memory is formed and/or accessed (I am not sure which because I stopped paying attention to what he was saying).

A few points that caught my attention in the interview were the rise in Attention Deficit Disorder (which I may be suffering) and Social Isolation.

Rewiring your brain

Is the Internet rewiring your brain? Here is an article from Atlantic Monthly that claims the Internet is rewiring our brain. The article provides anecdotal evidence that people (the literary types) are having a hard time concentrating on long pieces.

The story quotes a study by University College London that states:

It is clear that users are not reading online in the traditional sense;
indeed there are signs that new forms of “reading” are emerging as users “power
browse” horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for
quick wins. It almost seems that they go online to avoid reading in the
traditional sense.

The story continues with differentiating the effects of internet and television. The story also quotes a psychologist by the name Marryann Wolf who argues that:

...is not an instinctive skill for human beings. It’s not etched into our
genes the way speech is. We have to teach our minds how to translate the
symbolic characters we see into the language we understand. And the media or
other technologies we use in learning and practicing the craft of reading play
an important part in shaping the neural circuits inside our
brains. Experiments demonstrate that readers of ideograms, such as
the Chinese, develop a mental circuitry for reading that is very different from
the circuitry found in those of us whose written language employs an
alphabet.

I can say that I have personal experience with the above statement. During my time in Japan and China, as I learned the various Chinese characters, I could tell something was changing inside my brain.

After concentrating and getting to the end of the article, I can summarize the thesis of this article is the internet makes us Skimmers and mere decoders of information and we lose our ability "to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction..."

If this is the case with previously formed brain just imagine how our students who have grown up with the internet read!

Do Economists Need Brains?

Here is an excellent article from the Economist magazine on Neuroeconomics. I am so happy that I room with a neuroscientist. If this article gets you excited I recommend the book Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.

Poll Results! I do not have...

Here is the results of the last poll. I do not have anything witty to say about it.
There is a tie between Historical and Psychological question. I will try to combine the two.
Philosophy and Anthropology are next, followed dead last by Economics.
OH! But wait... Sociology is dead last.
I came up with a historical question on psychology, but I do not like it!

Hilarious Psychology "Study" of Alternative Music

So, what happens when you play really weird amelodic music to fifth grades and ask them to draw their thoughts? Well, a group did that at a school in San Leandro, with some very interesting (and sometimes funny) results. I will warn you that some of these are bit more on the disturbing side of things than funny.

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2003-09-17/music/radiohead-rorschach/

Just in case you've never heard Radiohead before, here's a link for that:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=3150253&st=radiohead&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=137980

Just click on the "listen" icon next to the tracks. Try track #2 for some sense of their weirdness.

One can begin an interesting debate about musical abilities and perceptions of music changing throughout life (Some research has found that children are driven much more to major chords and strongly melodic music as opposed to bands that use minor chords and overhaul melodies with other "noise." Ever notice that children like oldies fairly early on in life more so than later? They're more traditionally melodic).

Anyway, just thought I'd put this out there as something fun to contemplate and read about.

Changing Offices and Psychology

Today I met my new office mate. His name is Kevin. In case you have not heard Irma is leaving me for Ted. It is a long story if you want to know the details of our break up ask Irma.
Last night, I could not sleep as usual and started watching Charlie Rose. He had A discussion about the legacy of Sigmund Freud with Eric Kandel, Aaron Beck, Steven Roose & Peter Fonagy. They are all famous psychologists.
Since my new office mate is a Psychologist I thought he would enjoy it too. I was going to put something historical but ...