Re:Focus, Re-focus, Conditionally -Part 1 (of Two)

Two by Two: Side by side, in pairs. As in ways to look at how we "focus" as well as how we are "conditioned" to do so (or NOT, in many cases). In the latter case(s) two types of conditioning that affect us every day, that in turn affect how/what we focus on -- two types of "human conditioning" that were first demonstrated with various "lab animals" before being unleashed on us gown-ups, after some early experiments in conditioning an unsuspecting uninformed ("uninformed consent"😟😠) child in the form of  "Little Albert" conducted by a "full professor" and his graduate student just over a hundred years ago, which has become a "classic" tale in the annals of psychology, of the strong forces of "classical conditioning" as well as a follow-up, even stronger discussion of ethics. One of the two types of conditioning I was introduced myself to in high school, again as an undergrad majoring in Psych. and more elaborately, tested over and over ourselves in this laboratory of "higher learning" that informed me about my own earlier learning, as well as about some of my/your stronger emotion those that are "instrumental" (AKA "Operant", the second type of conditioning) to the art and science of Pedagogy: "Most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, the theory and practice of learning" -- or, what I have been writing Re: here for several weeks now, in the form of "School Daze". Ways we learn, how we are conditioned to, a thumb nail sketch of which was provided to us by our high school Psych. teacher, again in "Behavior Modification" class in college -- where we as a class played a practical joke on our unsuspecting, highly renowned professor, by "differentially reinforcing" (key concept in what's referred to as "Behavioral Psychology") by one side of the class actively nodding approval, paying rapt attention (the "focused" group), while the other acted indifferent, unfocused -- resulting in...well, what do you think?!😔😂. Types of conditioning I eventually, when our professors felt it timely, learned in more breadth and depth in graduate level courses of Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Learning Theory, the material of which I not only committed to short term memory (characterized by limited storage) and then, finally, after being tested extensively ("comprehensive doctoral exams"), first in writing and then orally 😟😟, got the opportunity, first in a "lab" setting in the graduate school I attended (that was actually what is was called, back then), and then hundreds of times in real life. Or, by example and extension, first by "in vitro" and then "in vivo" desensitization strategies with, highly often, individuals who presented with ANXIETY! (fancy, dressed up, Latin terms, essentially referring to strategies that were first practiced in my office then extended to daily life). Both types of conditioning, taught and demonstrated in different conditions, which in turn reflected, at least for me, a lot about our...

Our Very Nature, by Association(s): Next