Why I chose this report: Kristy?s report topic was what drew me in to take a closer look at her work. I had seen a video in my developmental psychology class last semester on television and if it contributes to the violence in children. The results of the study done on TV and violence showed that there was a strong correlation between the children who watched a lot of TV, especially violent shows, and unruly behavior. I thought it would be interesting to see whether TV possibly had a negative effect on driving behavior as well. Kristy?s report had a neat sports car animation next to her title, and it was well organized and well written.

Steps that led me here: I had no idea where to begin my search because there was so many to choose from. I decided to start with the Awards Pages to somewhat narrow my search and to get a better idea of what a good assignment should look like. I began randomly search through several past generations? pages when I came across Eric Ambrozich?s generation page. One of his selections was Kristy?s report. That is how I was first introduced to her report.

Summary of this report: Kristy?s report discussed how adults and children especially, are influenced by TV programming, specifically how driving is portrayed on television. She gives several examples of negative driving portrayals in cartoons, commercials, music videos, television series, and movies, all within only a two day span. She indicates that although it took her about an hour to find an example on TV, after she found one, the rest just kept rolling in. The reason why peoples? driving behaviors could be influenced by television is because, just as Kristy demonstrated in her report, negative driving can be viewed in every aspect of television. Not to mention the fact that the average individual spends six to seven hours a day watching television. The are some very bad examples out there being set and it could be having devastating effects on society.

Reaction to this report: I agree with Kristy that these negative driving portrayals are misleading the public that it is okay to drive recklessly. For example, one of the commercials Kristy documented was for Goodyear Tires. They showed a four-door sedan speeding down a wet, slippery, winding road. The message that this company is sending out is that it is okay to speed and drive carefree as long as you have Goodyear tires. I think false information such as this contributes to the thousands of driving accidents and deaths we have each year. I especially worry about the detrimental effects that these shows have on the children because they are more vulnerable. I believe that it is up to the parents to regulate what the child watches, but more importantly to teach the child what is real and what is fiction.

Comparison to other reports: What I particularly enjoyed about Kristy?s report was the variety of examples she provided.  Her report contained more examples and more explanations than other reports on the same topic.  Her layout was simple and clear.  It was this simplicity that also attracted me to her page because sometimes when there is too much going on, you lose sight of the content of the report.

To Table of Contents

SELECTION II:Developmental Patterns for Learning the Internet by Michelle Alonzo (G4/Psy409a)

Why I chose this report:I chose Michelle Alonzo?s report because we seemed to share the same confusion about the internet. She said, "I think that learning the Internet at the very beginning was the most difficult thing I ever had to do. I had no idea what I was doing." It was as if she was reading my mind. We seemed to have a lot in common so I decided to read on.

Steps that led me here: Again, I decided to randomly visit the reports from the awards page. After several minutes of search for something to capture my attention, I found the report by Michelle, entitled, "Developmental patterns for learning the Internet." My first thought was boy I could really use some of that right now. So I clicked on report 2 and it led me to her interesting report.

Summary of this report: Within the report, Michelle gives her overall opinion on the Internet. She starts out by expressing her frustration with the Internet, but how with a little time and patience she grew to view the Internet as a useful and helpful tool. It went from being her worst enemy to a good friend. She also gives some advice on how to excel in this class, such as not procrastinating and working with others. Michelle then lists and briefly explains the five steps to learning the Internet. The first step is frustration and anger. She says that usually, when we are learning something new, frustration and anger just come with the territory. The second step is defeat. After investing a lot of time and energy into something and still not getting the desired results, sometimes the easiest thing to do is to give up. Michelle believes that instead of throwing in the towel, check out other students pages and get some ideas from them. Step 3 is you see a glimmer of light. After checking out other student's pages, most likely it will turn on a light switch in your head and get the creative juices flowing. Step 4 is motivation. Once things start coming together you become inspired to do the best job possible. The final step, step 5 is the feeling of Success. When everything is complete and you feel a sense of accomplishment for all the time and effort you spent making the finished product .

Reaction to this report:I especially enjoyed the quotes from previous students that she had at the beginning of her report. I made me feel a little more at ease that I was not the only person who was frustrated with our assignments and the Internet. It also inspired me because I now know that there is light at the end of this long dark tunnel. If I can keep a positive attitude and stay focused then I am confident that the final outcome will be as Michelle indicates, SUCCESS!

Comparison to other reports:As mentioned early, I really liked the quotes from past generations that Michelle used to open her report.  Her layout was very easy to follow and much more organized than some of the others who had the same topic as she did.

Why I chose this report: I decided to add Terence?s report as one of my selections because the title of his report really caught my attention, "Music and Driving: Music?To Ease Your Mind." For me music and driving go hand in hand. I love listening to music when I drive. Like Terence, it seems to relax and soothe me, especially because I am usually always in a rush when I?m driving (I know this is a bad habit, I?m working on it). I also thought it was very creative of Terence to make different types of music available for viewers to listen to, simply by clicking on a link and downloading the song.

Steps that led me here:After being inspired by Dr. James? special lecture to us on Road Rage (for the taping of a special report for FOX news) I began explore past reports from the 459 Traffic Psychology classes. That led me to my third selection, which is whether or not music affects behavior.

Summary of this report: Terence begins his report with several responses to music and driving from past generations. After quoting prior students, Terence expresses his agreement or disagreement with those people. Then he discusses the various factors that one needs to consider when posing the question, "Does music affect driving behavior." First there are the types of music (this is where Terence gives the viewer the option of sampling a variety of music, like rock, classical, reggae, etc.) because different types of music affect people in different ways. The next thing one must consider is the music volume. Terence even admits that his blasting stereo system impairs his hearing and thinking ability at times. Finally Terence believes that the tempo of the music has the most impact on the way people drive. He thinks that fast, upbeat music can contribute to speeding and recklessness, while slow tempo songs can inhibit the rage, especially when one is in a rush. He concludes this report by encouraging viewers to try the various techniques that he provided throughout his report.

Reaction to this report: I really enjoyed reading Terence?s report. I think he made a lot of valid arguments, and I especially liked the way he supported his arguments with examples and quotes from prior students. I could relate to Terence when he said that he often sings his heart out in the car, and that he thinks people must think he is out of his mind. Don?t worry Terence, you are not the only one who does or thinks that way, I am guilty of it myself. My favorite part from his report was in the conclusion when he says, "Music is like a drug, it can influence the way you drive, however, you are in control of the music, your car, and your mind. Don?t let music control you!"

Comparison to other reports: I liked the way Terence placed borders around the responses for prior generations.  It was easy to see the distinction between what the past students said and Terence?s opinions to their remarks.  I also thought his page was more creative than many of the others, for example, he included audio links to various types of music.  His report also contained a lot more information than the other students who shared the same topic.  Even with all this extra information, Terence has a strong argument that does not get lost throughout his report, in fact it gets stronger.

Why I chose this report: I was attracted to Rudy?s report because of the title. I am often the passenger of slightly reckless drivers, and thus I wanted to find out if there was anything thing I could do to improve their driving and mine as well. Rudy?s report provided me with some insight on being a driving buddy, and although it is tough to constructively criticize your friend, it is worth it if you can help save some lives.

Steps that led me here:I wanted to find another report dealing with traffic psychology because of the interesting subject matter. I was not very successful with the first few generation reports because they were a little more unorganized. I had already selected reports from generation 4, 6, and 10, so I randomly pick generation 7. Then I looked through several reports that sounded appealing until I came to Rudy Dolfo?s report. It was well organized, clear and precise.

Summary of this report: Rudy took part in a two day experiment in which he was to observe and critique the driving abilities of a friend. He was instructed to ask his friend to think aloud, or to say whatever was one their mind. On the second day, he was to tell his friend what he/she needed to work on. The subject was evaluated on the following: speeding, tailgating, switching lanes, and parking. The results of the study were very successful, but it wasn?t an enjoyable experience for either party. On the first day the subject abused the rules in all of the categories that Rudy evaluated. Rudy had the difficult task of commenting and criticizing his friend's driving techniques. Needless to say the friend was a bit insulted. Then the experiment needed to be repeated again for day two, which meant more anxiety. Fortunately things went much better. The driver was more conscious of his/her road rage and impatience, and as a result became a safer driver. Rudy attributed his friend?s resistance on day 1 by her defensiveness, hostility, and lack of cooperation. In the end, however, there were no hard feelings, and there was successful completion of the driving personality make over.

Reaction to this report: I really felt for Rudy because he had a very difficult task of criticizing his friend?s driving ability. I can empathize with him because I have been in his position. There are times when I tell my friend to slow down or to stop tailgating so much because I am honestly scared for our lives. It is very uncomfortable to do, but sometimes has to be done. I believe that these constructive criticisms will help them out in the long run. I have also been on the receiving end. Sure it is a bit annoying, but I know that my friend is only trying to help, and after all their life is in my hands.

Comparison to other reports:Again here was another report where simplicity won my affection.  His layout was well organized, had a light background with large black font, and was not distracting like some of the other reports.  I felt that his report was quite a bit more thorough than several of his classmates, the focus of Rudy?s report was apparent throughout, and  it left me with some great advice.