Religion

A friend sent this to me and I thought it was cute, so I share it here....It also reminded me of a cute story from my son the other day. His class was discussing the Buddhist religion and had just gone over the stages of enlightenment, ending with the achievement of nirvana. The teacher was then discussing the Dalai Lama. She said he was the holiest person in the religion. My son raises his hand and asks, "If he is so good, why hasn't he reached Nirvana? Why is he on Earth?" The teacher stammered, "Well, he is like Buddha's gift to the world." Evan was not convinced, "I don't know, it sounds like this religion has a lot of plot holes!"

Siblings

There are interestings studies of birth order, how one's position in the family influences personality, achievement, and temperment. I used to think that variation in a family was a function of family size, after all, the more kids the more chances for differences to occur. More kids usually means a greater age span between siblings, greater temporal variations in social and cultural influences, differences in parental attention and resources, and the influence of sibling behavior on each other. But, I've noticed that even in small families (siblings=2) there can be tremendous variation. This is most noticeable in the case of fraternal twins. I'm familiar with two families with twin boys. In each the twins are dramatically different from each other in appearance, interests, abilities, and personality. In fact, they seem less like siblings to each other than they do to other siblings in the family.

What made me think about siblings tonight was a comparison of my sons. Both play mallet percussion (marimba, vibes, bells, etc.) Because they are 4 years apart, they have never been in the high school band together, but have led and followed. In our band the mallet players stand to the side, so they are clearly visible to about 1/2 of the audience. Our older son had a very casual performance style. He would saunter up to the instrument, unless he was playing (which he did with intensity) he gave the appearance of being on a Sunday stroll. Our second son is all business. While he has also adopted a somewhat disinterested look, he has a lot more attitude in his playing. He has style and flair. He approaches his task like a professional, spreading out his music across the stands, testing the mallets. When he is done playing the final piece of the night, even if the band has not, he begins to put his music away and clean up. He has done his job for the night, his part is done, time to go. Many parents comment on his style and stage presence. He loves the stage.

Parents' Weekend

This was Parents Weekend at SU, well, actually it is called Family Weekend, more inclusive. It is odd to have a child only 15 miles away from home, "at college." We see him frequently, but have not been to his dorm since he moved in. On Friday night, he came home to see the final high school soccer game and spent the night. Aren't we supposed to go there on Family weekend, not him come here? I think next year we will get a hotel room. On Saturday we took both boys out for lunch and then went to campus. We saw "the room." Doug has been very neat and tidy, so that was encouraging. When we arrived at about 2 PM, his roommate was just getting up. We chatted with roomie and roomie's parents for a bit, then headed over to the Dome for the football game. On Family weekend they don't have a student section, and you can tell. The place was much quieter than usual. The game was not too thrilling, other than for the mistakes.

So, how was my first Parents' Weekend as a parent? Unimpressive. I love my son, and it was a lot of fun to have lunch with him, but the rest of the experience feels a little forced. I know from talking to my students that it is mainly first year students and families that "celebrate" this weekend, and I can see why.

Things you find on the way...

Today I've been finishing the editing of a book chapter on the link between health behaviors and mortality. The final editing requires a check of all the references to be sure that everything I've cited in the paper actually is listed in the reference section. Often when I write I have a couple of articles in front of me while I'm reading and thinking and writing. I write a statement, cite the reference in the text, but sometimes forget to add that article to my reference pile or list. So, I go back at the end to clean it all up.

Today I realized I had a reference in the text and no matching entry in the references. I could not find the article on my desk or in one of my piles. So, the easiest thing to do is use a database to look it up. I type in the author's last name and the year of publication (the information I do have.) Posner 1995. The first hit that comes up is an article titled "THE PROTOTYPICAL PEDESTRIAN - PICTORIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF HUMANS ON TRAFFIC-SIGNS." What? Curious, I had to read the abstract, which I include here:

"The figures on pedestrian traffic lights do not only instruct those on foot in traffic to walk or wait, but also have a variety of other semiotic functions. A worldwide comparison reveals significant national differences; however, the prototypical figure on traffic lights is always male and mostly young and dynamic. On the other hand, figures on traffic lights are becoming increasingly standardized, on the other hand, there are designers who create the figure as an individual in relation to certain attributes of his "home environment" for example. Moreover, the material used for figures on traffic lights provides them with an individual "body", which, like any material object, can age and be damaged. Recent years have seen an increase in public prominence for the green and red men not least as a result of the projects described here. Consequently, they have also managed to establish themselves as a motif in advertising in which the dialectics of advance and pause can be spontaneously understood."

Wow, who knew you could read so much into those little red and green (or white?) guys. I remember hearing about the change of former East German crossing lights after unification. Apparently East Germany had a friendlier crossing man and those in the East were mourning his loss as the more modern Western man made his appearance.

Bad Books

I belong to a book club. We meet once a month (more or less) and discuss a book. Our format is that the hostess of the month gets to choose the book. This way you read things that you may not have otherwise picked and everyone gets the chance to pick a book. This works out well most of the time. Some books I really like, some I don't like all that much but am glad that I read, other books I don't like at all. Unfortunately, this month was one of the "don't like at all" months. We read The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein.

Stop reading now if you think you will want to read the book......

The book is told from the viewpoint of a dog. The dog relays the story of his owner, a race car driver. In the course of the story the man's wife dies, his in-laws try to get custody of his daughter, he is nearly bankrupted, and he has to fight a statutory rape charge by a niece. Oh, and then the dog dies. Sorry to spoil it for you, but you pretty much know that will happen from the beginning. It is sappy and saccharine. The writing is at about the 8th grade level. There are no great insights, no wonderful lines to quote, and lots of details about auto racing that might be interesting to somebody....not me.

So, while I often write recommendations for books, this time I'm writing a dis-recommendation (okay, I just spent 5 minutes looking for a word to mean the opposite of recommendation and couldn't find what I wanted....disapproval, condemnation, denouncement....none seemed right.)

My son says I should write "Usually I write a recommendation but this time I'm not. This book sucks."

Classroom Chemistry

What makes one class better than another? First, what is a "better" class. I would say it is one in which the students are engaged, enjoy being there, and are learning. I would also say it is one in which I am engaged, enjoy being there, and am learning. I'm not quite sure why some classes are better than others. There are environmental factors--the shape of the room, the time of day, the heating and lighting. They can be very important. All of the instructors at SU know the room in Sims that has two big pillars in the middle, effectively creating hiding places for timid, or tired, students. I've had rooms that were stifling hot, or classes of 35 in rooms meant for 100. Or, classes of 100 in rooms meant for 90.

But there is something about personal chemistry that seems more important than the environment. I think it takes a small group of interested students who ask questions, comment, and speak their minds. You don't want students who dominate the discussion, but ones who are willing to make the sometimes outrageous comment or ask the hard to answer question. Their interest and enthusiasm can be contagious for the class, and for me.

I try to make myself more human in my classes. I tell stories about my kids and husband, ask questions about student life, give general advice about careers and majors, anything that might make me seem more approachable and less intimidating. I know that when students respond I tend to loosen up even more. That is when classes can be fun, when we stray off topic a little or push the boundaries.

I just finished teaching my first year forum. These classes only meet for 1/2 of the semester and are by design more informal than a traditional class. This year my class was incredibly diverse, and incredibly chatty. I hardly could get a word in edgewise. I think a few students just sat there in disbelief and may even have been inwardly rolling their eyes at their classmates comments and behavior, but it was clear that this group had no problems talking about anything. Topics included female genital mutilation, bathroom behavior, sex toys, and more.

I learned a lot from them!

Strength of Weak Ties

There was a very influential paper in sociology in the 1970s by Granovetter..."The strength of weak ties." In his analysis of social networks, Granovetter notes that the individuals who link between social groups are very influential because it is through them that information gets spread. These people have weak ties to us, but are bridges to other networks. After all, if we tell a rumor to our best friends, who are also all best friends, the story won't get very far. But, if one member of our network is linked to another network and spreads the story into that network, then the story is more widely diffused. He focuses on the bridges between networks in information diffusion and social cohesion.

I was thinking of the phrase the other day in my exercise class. I've been working out with these women for about 12 months. The group size varies from 5 to 25, but usually is about 15 women. We represent a pretty wide range of ages and fitness levels. There are no women in the group with whom I am close friends. A few I know pretty well from school activities, a few I know by name, and some I don't know at all--even after 12 months of sweating together. But, the group has expanded my social network and created more "weak ties." I now have access to information about other people and events in our community that I did not have before. I am more embedded, even though none of these women are my intimate friends in the traditional sense.

Presents

Today is my son's birthday. He is getting to that age where buying presents is more difficult. I remember the "Lego years." From around ages 7 to 11, you can give any boy Legos and be pretty confident that the gift will be appreciated. But after those ages, Legos are passe (although they may still be enjoyed, they just aren't appropriate for gifts.) Then there are the video game years. But once you have acquired the most popular games, there are few options. Also, video games are on the expensive side, you aren't going to get those as gifts from friends. Around age 12, the most common gift from friends becomes money. Easy for everyone, no returns, no decisions.

But what about parents? As my son noted the other day, "Buying birthday presents is a real test of how well parents know their kids." Boy, way to lay on the pressure....if you buy the wrong gift, you don't understand your kid. Making just the right decision seems now to carry so much weight. Unfortunately, most of the things my son wants are expensive. Too expensive for birthdays? Hard to tell. What is the price limit for a birthday gift? How does that compare to a Christmas gift? Parents can't just give money, that certainly shows a lack of understanding of your child. So, we are left to make our best guess, listen for hints, and observe the subtle clues that teens drop. Only time will tell if we have made the right decision.

Student evaluations

One of the most distressing aspects of my job is the need to assign grades to students' performance. In general, my grading consists of a few basic elements; periodic exams, homework assignments, and an indicator of participation (sometimes just attendance). Do those items reflect what a student has learned? Probably not. In some narrow way they may measure the ability of a student to memorize information, sometimes to apply it to a new situation, but that is about it. I can't measure enthusiasm, effort, or interest very well. Should I?

Writing exams is the most difficult area. It is hard to find ways to ask questions that just don't require the regurgitation of facts. I don't want students to memorize definitions, nobody needs to know the textbook definition of "ecological fallacy" for instance. But, I would like them to be able to recognize one when they see one. That means finding, or constructing, examples of principles that are clear and easy to interpret. That is hard.

Invariably, a student will read a question in a way in which I never intended it to be read. Is that "wrong"? How should I interpret a student's creative attempts at an answer? Essay questions can be particularly difficult to grade since students like to take the "kitchen sink" approach. They will throw in any piece of information that might possibly be relevant to the answer, hoping that somewhere in the mix they have included what I wanted.

In the end, I'm sure some students end up with better grades than they deserve and some with worse. I used to worry about it, now I just accept it.

More brain news...

I guess this is the week for brain news. I was just reading the NYTimes (online) and noticed an article about absurdity and logic. Two things you wouldn't expect to go together....
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/health/06mind.html?hpw

The idea, as I understand it, is that your brain wants to find patterns and logical connections. When it is confronted with something illogical or absurd it starts to work extra hard, searching for patterns. As a result, exposure to absurdity may increase your brain's ability to see new patterns. You may notice things that you wouldn't have seen before, connections that were hidden.

The story concludes with the observation: at least some of the time, disorientation begets creative thinking.

Happiness

I was looking for research examples to share with my class tomorrow. We are talking about causality and the time dimensions of studies (cross sectional versus longitudinal). On the Gallup website are several interesting examples of cross sectional and repeated cross sectional studies (trend studies).

http://www.gallup.com/poll/123452/Americans-Least-Happy-50s-Late-80s.aspx

The one that caught my eye was on life satisfaction. Happiness is high in young adult years and steadily declines into the 50s (my AGE!!!) The good news is that it takes a swing back up and the 60s look like good years once again!

Sit up Straight

I have to thank my friend Anne for sharing this news item with me.

Body Posture Affects Confidence In Your Own Thoughts, Study Finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005111627.htm

First, let me state that Anne has the best posture of anyone I've ever known.

Now, what is the gist of the article? Apparently your posture can make you more confident in your own thoughts. In an experiment, students who sat up straight and wrote positive comments were later more likely to identify with those positive traits. However, if they wrote negative comments, they were more likely to identify with those as well. The effect is on confidence in your thoughts, not in creating positive thoughts. Students who slumped in their seats were less likely to assign either positive or negative traits to themselves. They were less confident in their thoughts.

I guess if you are going to think negative thoughts, then you should slump and if you are going to think positive thoughts you should sit up straight.

Interesting that people who are feeling "down" tend to slump, and those who are feeling good tend to sit up straight. Maybe our posture is reinforcing the good thoughts and minimizing the negative. It is similar to our perception in sociology that putting on the costume for a role (a doctor's white coat, for instance) can change your thoughts and behaviors. If people also tend to treat you differently based on your posture, then this study is even more powerful. You will feel more confident in your (positive) thoughts, others will treat you with more confidence, and the circle is completed.

So, sit up!