Presentation- Psychology Key Concepts

Using Psychology to create secure passwords

Do you have more internet passwords than you can remember? A study of 28,000 passwords by Robert Graham of Errata Security revealed a distinct lack of creativity by U.S. computer users. The statistical analysis found:

• 16% used their own first name or that of one of their children


• 14% used simple keyboard combinations such as "123456789" or "QWERTY"


• 5% of the passwords were of television shows, famous names, etc. such as "Hannah," "Matrix," or "Ironman"


• 4% used the word "password" or a close variation "password1"


• 3% used phases such as "Idontcare," "Whatever," "Yes," or "No."

Security experts suggest a password of a minimum of eight characters with at least one capital letter and one symbol. Many suggest having a "mnemonic password". For example:

• L@Gs4sa7ya - Lincoln at Gettysburg said four score and seven years ago


• Ih8h2rsmp - I hate having to remember so many passwords

For a detailed report on mnenomic passwords go to http://www.uninformed.org/?v=all&a=33&t=sumry.

Does this information surprise you? Have you come up with any helpful mnenomic's for AP Psychology, or other classes?

Video on Brain Injury Symptoms

Psychology Cartoons- Just for fun!

My personal favorite- "Freudian Slippers"

AP Psychology Exam Review Books

Some of you have expressed interest in purchasing a review book to help you prepare for the AP Exam. I have put together a list of all of the books I am aware of. My personal favorite is 5 Steps to a 5, which lays out a review plan, has sample AP questions (and great explanations for the answers!), and provides a greater level of content review than some of the other books.

Barron's AP Psychology (Allison Weseley & Rob McEntarffer)
Cliffs AP Psychology(Lori Harris et. al.)
D&S Marketing AP Psychology (Michael Sullivan)
Holt McDougal Fast Track to a Five: Preparing for the AP Psychology Examination (William James & Michael McLane)
Kaplan AP Psychology (Chris Hakala)
McGraw-Hill 5 Steps to a 5 AP Psychology (Laura Maitland & Pam Hannah)
Princeton Review Cracking the AP Psychology Exam (Princeton Review)
REA AP Psychology (Don Sharpstenn, Karen Brown & Tia Patrick)
Spark Notes AP Power Pack for AP Psychology (Spark Publishing)

For more information, simply click on the book's title. Did you purchase one that was helpful? Leave your review here!

Babe Ruth and Psychology

In 1920, the number of people who came to see the NY Yankees doubled. Fans came to see one man- Babe Ruth. In his first season as a Yankee, he hit 54 home runs- more than the total number of home runs by 14 of the 16 major league teams.

By the summer of 1921, Ruth was known as the "Home Run King." His hitting prompted sportswriter Hugh Fullerton to bring him to Columbia University's Psychological Labratory. Here, graduate students assessed Ruth's sensory-motor and cognitive skills using standard laboratory procedures for studying attention, reaction time, and coordination.

The laboratory tests revealed that Ruth performed better than average on these tests, and the hope was similar tests would be used to predict who would be the next all-star. However, these results were mostly stored away until now. These tests lead to the rise of sports psychology in the 1960s.

Today, what role do you see psychologists taking in the field of athletics? Where do you see the field heading?

In the Driver's Seat

In our unit on Developmental Psychology, we will focus on issues facing older adults. One such issue is independence- specifically adults who want to keep on driving and maintaining their mobility, but may not be able to do so safely.

In a series of studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham psychologists have shown that people 65 and older who are trained to process visual information more quickly are less likely to drive dangerously and are able to keep their licenses longer than a control group of older adults.

The intervention is called "Useful Field of View" (UFOV), and addresses the idea that our mental processing speed declines as we age.

This program has now been modified into a computer simulation, and State Farm Insurance company is giving a discount for seniors who pass the exam.

So, what do you think? Is this a good idea? Should there be other requirements for older (or younger!) adults?