Read the full article at The Guardian

http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/10/barack-obama-cant-work-ipad

It feels so strange, as if I have to keep my hands busy
Opening and closing cupboard doors just so I remain active
Attempting to be absorbed by what’s on the television
But it just isn’t that particularly exciting or that attractive.

Since games have always fascinated me from when I can remember
I used to spend many family holidays down in the arcade
Whining to my parents for any spare change they might have had
Whilst a small crowd grew around me the longer I played.

I admit I never enjoyed the fruit machines that much
It was about beating the last boss or topping the leader board
Until I ran out of money and walked away half-heartedly
Like it was a crumbling kingdom and I was its fallen lord.

But then those times were soon replaced by the home consoles
And gone were the days of filling up the machine slots
It was a time when friends stayed over, squabbling for the controller
Tied into the laughs of comradery as we solved puzzles, sharing shots.

Maybe its those memories that I associate with, I’m not sure
All I know is I’m looking up at the ceiling feeling like a hefty flat tyre
Feeling quite at a loss, feeling as if I’m grieving after day two
I miss everything that lured me and I’m caught in a mire.

I mournfully stare at the televisions blank screen
Struggling not to think about my scores being beaten
Feeling trapped, depressed with myself inside a silent mind
That even the rare glimpse of daylight cannot sweeten.

So after my fourth day I have had a enough
My love for video games isn’t hurting anyone so I decide to take a well deserved relapse
After all I proved all I wanted to and learnt where my boundaries lie
Who knows I may quit games altogether, but whilst I still love them, all I will say is perhaps.

Copyright 2010 Daniel North

http://gw.gamelocus.net/?p=173

Hilarie Cash

Read more:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/04/1611259/new-addictions-cropping-up.html#ixzz0n4MoGg4A

Read more:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/xbox-360-ps3-wii,news-6314.html

This is rather interesting. My first thought was, “What skill will this facilitate that will allow our boy scouts to better survive in the wild?”
Just thought I would share this:)

Have a wonderful day!

-Anna DiNoto

Thanks for your help with this feature! We wish you continued success
with the program.

My apologies for having not updated this blog for quite a while, I have been so busy… you know, graduate school will do that to people . So, today, I bring to you something I have been learning about in my physiological psychology course. It is, in my humble opinion, an amazing discovery that is changing psychology, even as you read this. What is it you ask? It’s Mirror Neurons! I realize not everyone is up to par on their neurobiology, so have no fear, I will be doing my best to explain everything as easily as possible- just write me an email or comment on this blog if I start making no sense . A neuron is a cell in our body that communicates information throughout the nervous system, and it tells our body how to react and interpret specific stimuli (e.g., touch, sense, feel, hear) in our immediate environment.

Now, the mirror part (or mirror neurons) is a bit more intricate. Let’s just say that the ‘mirror’ part of a mirror neuron is referring to the mental representations in our brain of any action we see- so the ‘mirror’ action of something we are observing is thereby transmitted into a mental representation in our brain. For example, if you see someone in a football game throw a football, your mirror neurons fire in your brain and there is a mental representation of that exact action (a football being thrown) inside your brain. This doesn’t mean that you are moving, it just means that the mirror neuron is fired and you interpret the move you are observing, such as throwing a football into the air. It’s amazing, to me at least, that we are able to see someone perform an action and although we don’t physically move, we are mentally moving because our mirror neurons are firing to the action we are observing.

Just when you thought it was getting interesting, there is more! Now, mirror neurons are neurons in the brain used to represent actions, this is in reference to your own actions, or those of others (as in the case of the football player). These representative actions can then be used for both imitating another’s actions (e.g., learning by seeing and then doing what you are seeing; you see someone hammer a nail into the wall, then you take a hammer and a nail, and hammer that nail straight into the wall- just as you observed and learned) and for understanding the meaning of another’s actions (e.g., he is smiling, he must be happy).

With this being said, after all the interpretation has been completed, our mirror neurons then permit us the selection of appropriate responses. For example, let’s say we see someone in a football game get a touchdown and the second after this occurs, he is tackled by the entire opposing team. Now, most people, observing this, will react by jumping up and down and screaming, most likely going “AWH! OUCH! UGH!” And of course, a reaction will be contingent upon whether or not you care about the tackled fella. But, needless to say, you will most likely react externally due to the result of mirror neurons firing from observing the tackled teammate. Whether you jump up and down in joy or fury is your prerogative .

Although in the case of watching a football game, mirror neurons sound awesome, as they add to the overall experience and awesomeness of hanging out with your buddies, they can sometimes get us into trouble. When you throw the Internet and video games into the mix of “watching and then doing”, I think you can see where this may be going. Iacoboni (2008) conducted mirror neuronal research in the field of video games that suggested violent video games reinforce an association of pleasure and accomplishment while inflicting harm (an obvious dynamic one would not want to encourage or pursue- so I would hope). For example, say I were playing Mario Kart DS (a racing game that uses go-kart) and saw the kart in front of me was rather sluggish. I would most likely see this as an opportunity to speed up, hit him in the process (of course, to knock him out and hope he falls behind in the race) and I would feel pleased because now, I am ahead of him in the game, will come in a better place than him and, I have accomplished my personal goal of winning the game- here’s hoping!

Furthermore, Iacoboni speculates that the strength of our mirror neuron system may be powerful enough that imitative violence, such as those commonly seen among video games, the Internet and many alternative media/technology mediums, may be harder to resist than we think. Dr. Iacoboni proposed, “the power of mirror neuron systems suggest that imitative violence may not always be a consciously mediated process.” In layman terms, this essentially means that the observer who is watching/playing the virtual violence may be in less control than we think.

Motor neurons were discovered in 1992 and their study is in its kindergarten shoes compared to what we will be learning in the near future. So just hold on tight, as I am sure there will be more to come in this revolutionary field of research! If you have any question, comments or suggestions regarding this article, please feel free to email me at: argosystudent@gmail.com.

Thanks guys and gals, and more later!

-Anna DiNoto, Psy,D. Clinical Psychology Graduate Student

*Note: The opinions are my own, Anna DiNoto’s, only. Thank you and I hope you enjoy and keep on reading as well as commenting- it is greatly appreciated !*

References

Kolb, B. & Whishaw, I.Q. (2008). Fundamentals of human neuropsychology (6th Ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publisher.

Iacoboni, M. (2008). “Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others”, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, NY.

I thought I would take some time to explain what catastrophizing cognitions are. These kinds of thoughts are commonly seen among individuals suffering from addictions. However, after reading this I am sure you will see that you do not have to be suffering from a mental imperfection to experience this kind of thinking, in fact, I am sure you will be able to relate to this and maybe even think, “Hey! I have totally thought or done that before!!!”

So, what are catastrophizing cognitions? Well, to pick this a part, cognitions are merely referring to the process of being aware or recognizing a thought, and catastrophizing entails any irrational, distorted thought that leads us to believe something is worse off than it truly is. This in turn tends to trigger an anxious response in an individual and thus, lead to further concern and/or worry.

Effectively, there are two forms of catastrophizing cognitions. The first is when an individual makes a catastrophe out of a particular situation. For example, say you were driving down the highway in your car and your ‘check engine’ light flashes bright red. This may trigger a thought in your head that your car is a p.o.j (piece of junk) and you are doomed because you won’t be able to afford paying for your engine to be serviced, nor do you have the time to- your day, and week to come, is going to suck! That is an example of taking a specific situation and giving it a truly negative spin.

The second form of catastrophizing cognition involves taking the first step a little further, literally. For example, you may add onto the first statement that not only is your week to come going to suck, as you will have to afford paying for this broken down-hunk-a-junk car and have to arrange for a rental car, but overall, your life sucks! This may lead you to wonder why does this always have to happen to you? It always does, your life and your car are cursed, you are forever doomed and there isn’t anything that can help things get better! So here, you basically take the first step, give it a global twist and sprinkle in some future thoughts- that your life will always suck and you are cursed with cars!

Both types fundamentally create a mental thought, or thoughts, that lead you to give up before trying to rationally remedy the situation. These forms of cognitions can create problems in your mindset for thinking and reasoning, it can also negatively affect how you view yourself, others and eventually could lead to self-fulfilling prophecies (Tepper, 2004).

Below are some more examples of catastrophizing, distorted cognitions. Please keep in mind that these thoughts generally trigger and exacerbate anxiety:

• Overestimating
o “If it was so awful this time, next time it could kill me!”
• Catastrophizing
o “If I don’t follow through, I’ll never be able to face my friends again!”
• Overgeneralizing
o “I always make bad judgments about potential friends!”
• Filtering
o “I can’t believe I messed up so badly!”- responding to one aspect, although the overall picture of the situation was positive
• Emotional reasoning
o “I feel overwhelmed, therefore I must not be competent to do the job!”
• “Should” statements
o “I should be able to do this without a single mistake!”

So, how do you get help from getting rid of this kind of thinking? Well, you need to become aware that you are thinking this way and doing this. How do you do this? Mindfulness!!! This book is a good read that can facilitate the mindfulness process, and teach you to incorporate it into your life. When you practice mindfulness, you are able to step back from any given situation and analyze it from all perspectives (the good, the bad and the neutral). The theory is that when you take a step back to analyze any given situation, you are in a better frame of mind to think rationally and make adequate decisions that will hopefully help guide you down the right path- with a bit of luck not down the catastrophizing one! Well, readers, I wish you luck in trying mindfulness and if you suffer from catastrophizing thoughts, I hope this treatment modality is effective!

More later,

-Anna DiNoto

*Note: The opinions are my own, Anna DiNoto’s, only. Thank you and I hope you enjoy and keep on reading as well as commenting- it is greatly appreciated !*

References:

Tepper, S. (2004). Psychology and behavioral studies. Headache: The Journal of Head & Face Pain, 44(10), 1067. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com, doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.2004.4207_5.x

When we first started out it was unclear whether the views were going to be possible as the mountain was layered in a sheet of clouds on the drive up from Fall City. However during our ascent up the mountainside, the clouds burned off to reveal a spectacular view in every direction. Never mind the 4 1/2 hours it took to traverse the rocky granite covered terrain, the weather and the scenery were simply spectacular.

Mt. Pilchuck is located on the outskirts of Granite Falls. At the high point, Mount Pilchuck is 5,340 feet and is graced at the summit by an old fire lookout tower which offers 360 degree views. After 2 1/2 hours of hiking up the mountainside with a 2,400 feet elevation gain, hikers are faced with bouldering their way to the lookout tower. Not for the faint of heart (or those like myself with a fear of heights). Nevertheless, we climbed as a team, and we all made it to the top (after some serious anxiety coaching). The picturesque views coupled with the perfect climbing conditions made this a moment worth blogging about.

Hikeable from July to November, Mount Pilchuck is worth the 4 1/2 hour round trip climb across the rock filled terrain. reSTART team members dispute the published 4 mile round trip statistic found in one popular hiking book. Rather we concur with another source which claims the hike is actually 6 miles round trip.

Suggestion for fellow hikers? Bring water for your dogs, and don’t hike this one alone. 

–Cosette