BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR

 

I have learned more about the way the human brain works in his chapter than any other point. I was struck by what our brains are capable of. One of the videos that stood out the most for me was TED Talks video by Miguel Nicolelis about Brain-to-brain Communication.

•   https://www.ted.com/talks/miguel_nicolelis_brain_to_brain_communication_has_arrived_how_we_did_it (Links to an external site.)

 It was crazy to see that all Juliano Pinto had to do was simply think of kicking the ball and the exoskeleton carried out the motion for him to do so. It showed me that we have come a very long way in understanding how to help those with significant brain injuries. I had never seen anything quite like that before, and I was very shocked by it. 

 

Another thing that caught my attention on that video was the ability of Miguel Nicolelis to link the brains of two monkey's essentially to control one an others thoughts. I was not aware that something like that was possible. It just goes to show that there are so many possibilities out there and that we just have to explore.

Another video that I found interesting was about "Extraordinary People" - Living With Half A Brain: Six year old Cameron Mott had half her brain removed.

•  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJuqughKmw&feature=youtu.be

  Cameron suffered from rasmussen's encephalitis which caused her to have debilitating seizures up to every three minutes. I was not aware of how rare rasmussen's encephalitis is. It only effects one in a thousand children worldwide. It short circuits the brain and also eats away the brain. Cameron's parents opted to have the high risk operation to remove the damaged part of her brain in order to insure Cameron's quality of life. Though doctors said she will never fully regain full function of her left arm, she is now able to walk without a wheelchair and not stumbling and falling as she did before.

In closing, I am glad that I was able to watch some of these videos, because it opened my eyes to so many possibilities. 

-TED Talks guest speaker Miguel Nicolelis: Brain-to-Brain Communication has arrived. How we did it?Oct. 2014. https://www.ted.com/talks/miguel_nicolelis_brain_to_brain_communication_has_arrived_how_we_did_it

- Extraordinary People - Living With Half A Brain Sept. 3, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJuqughKmw&feature=youtu.be

About My Interest In Psychology

I am currently looking into the field of Sports Psychology as a career path because of my love for sports and my desire to help athletes and or coaches anyway that I can to reach their full potential.

• There are many different sub-fields which make up the requirements for a degree in Sports Psychology. According to http://www.psychology.org/careers/sports-psychologist/#what-does among these fields are kinesiology, physiology, and biomechanics. 
• Some University's do not offer a Sport Psychology degree, some students have double majored in both psychology and exercise science. Probably part of the reason that schools do not offer degrees in sports psychology yet is because it is still a relatively new field.
• Though it may still be in its development stages, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sports psychologists are expected to grow in number by 11% nationwide from 2012 to 2022.
• http://www.psychology.org/careers/sports-psychologist/#what-does also says the salary in Illinois for a sports psychologist makes about $125,230 annual mean wage.
• I found this article on https://www.psychologyschoolguide.net/blog/famous-sports-psychologists/ about Coleman Griffith. He is regarded as one of the first sports psychologist. He began his career as a professor of educational psychology at University of Illinois. He eventually became the sports psychologist for the Chicago Cubs in 1938. Though his research was not highly regarded in his time, eventually in the 1960s, people began to take notice.

I have been involved in and around sports my entire life. Though I probably will not be able to become a coach, I still have a desire to help athletes because I still want to see them succeed and thrive in whatever sport they are playing. Another reason I have a desire to do this is because I myself was never able to play so I want those that have the opportunity to take full advantage of it.  I also have a friend who coaches at McMurry University, and being around his players has made me want to help athletes reach their full potential.

A Little About Me

Hey everybody I am Jordan Bullock! I am a part time college student at Hardin Simmons University. I am originally from Abilene, Texas but currently live in Hawley, Texas. Some of my hobbies include watching sports on T.V, swimming, reading, and going to sporting events. However, I also enjoy outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, and shooting guns. 

I love having animals and right now I have a two year old tabby cat named Milo. We inherited after he wandered up onto our porch last spring. When we had our Christmas tree up, he would constantly bat at the ornaments and break them, which would cause my mom to get very upset. For the most part he has been a very good cat. We also have two horses named Red, and Spunky. Though they have not been ridden in a while they are still good pets to have. 

This will be my first time to officially blog. My blog will be about my experiences that I have in my Psychology class, and what I learn from them. I hope to be entertaining as I write in my bi-weekly experiences. I am taking Psychology because I have an interest in learning about why people behave the way they do. I want to be able to better understand those around me. I am also taking it, because I am thinking of majoring in Criminal Justice.