Okay, so today I decided to tackle Module 13 of AP Psychology. It’s all about how we learn, and honestly, I thought it would be a breeze. I mean, I learn stuff every day, right? How hard could it be to understand the science behind it?
I started by just reading the textbook chapter. Skimmed through it, you know, like you do. Highlighted some stuff that seemed important, like “classical conditioning” and “operant conditioning”. Sounded kinda fancy, but whatever.
Then, I tried to do the practice questions at the end of the chapter. And… wow. I bombed. Like, seriously bombed. I realized I hadn’t actually learned anything, I’d just sort of… looked at the words.
Digging Deeper
- Classical Conditioning…Pavlov’s dogs.
- Operant Conditioning….Skinner’s rats in boxes.
So, I went back to the beginning. This time, I forced myself to take notes. I even drew little pictures in the margins, trying to make it stick in my brain. I found a couple of the viedoes on YouTube, that one about Pavlov’s dogs? Super helpful. Suddenly, the whole “unconditioned stimulus” and “conditioned response” thing started to click.
Next, I tackled operant conditioning. It was way more relatable, all about reinforcements and punishments. Positive, negative… I started thinking about how my parents used to give me an allowance for doing chores (positive reinforcement!) and how I lost my phone privileges when I stayed out too late (positive punishment!).
Making Connections
After all that,I tried the practice questions again. Way better this time! I still got a few wrong, but I actually understood why I got them wrong. That was a huge improvement.
Finally, I spent some time just thinking about how I could apply this stuff to my own life. Like, how could I use positive reinforcement to get myself to study more? Maybe reward myself with a short break after every chapter? It’s a work in progress, but hey, at least I’m thinking about it!
So, yeah, Module 13. Not as easy as I thought, but definitely doable. It took some real effort, but I actually learned something,and it feels good!
