Discussion 4A, in which I place all my faith in Cara

CHAPTER 6

1. What is the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment? Which do you believe
works better, and why?
Negative reinforcement utilizes the removal of an aversive stimulus to increase a desired behavior.
Punishment decreases unwanted behaviors by introducing a negative consequence. (Spielman, 2020)

I firmly believe that negative reinforcement is superior to punishment. Punishment provides a

Negative reinforcement tends to produces better results than punishment because it teaches people how
to change their behavior in order to avoid discomfort. When someone learns that a certain action stops
an unpleasant experience, they’re far more likely to repeat that behavior in the future. This not only
promotes a sense of control and problem-solving, but also builds a stronger association between the
action and the outcome. This reinforcing a specific, desirable behavior instead of just making them fear
an externalized negative reaction.

2. Cara is 17 years old. Cara's mother and father both drink alcohol every night. They tell Cara
that drinking is bad and she shouldn't do it. Cara goes to a party where beer is being served.
What do you think Cara will do? Why?

There is no way to know what Cara will do. But as far as hypothetical characters go, she seems like a
good kid. She’s 17, still talks with her parents, and has enough social graces to get invited to the cool
parties. I like to think she will go far in life, marry kind of young, but still manage to become middle
management at a national bank while pursuing her passion as a concert photographer in her spare time.

Oh, you meant will she drink?

My suspicion is that she will. At 17, she’s smart enough to know that if you attend a party where beer is
being served, it’s probably the only reason anyone is actually showing up. As such, the overwhelming
peer pressure will be for her to imbibe. Teenagers usually like to push limits and test boundaries, and
I’m going to assume Cara knows a few people who will also be attending this party. (Ambre, 2023) So,
she knows that she can experiment with alcohol in a nonjudgmental and reasonably safe environment.

Additionally, I need more context as to exactly what her parents said regarding alcohol. I have trouble
believing they told her “Drinking is bad.” In those exact words. As they downed their evening
Negronis. (Yes, Cara’s parents keep Campari on hand. I choose to believe they have taste.) And then
presumably laughing derisively at their loser sober daughter.

(Author's note: I don't think Cara is a loser for pursuing sobriety. I personally, find such efforts noble. I
am merely postulating on the motives of her hypothetically capricious parents as part of this thought
exercise. Just wished to clarify.)

I kind of suspect there is context I am missing. Like, they told her drinking at her age is bad, because
it’s illegal. Or because her frontal cortex has not yet fully developed. (Northwester Medicine, 2018) Or
because her high school friends have horrible taste in alcohol, and that if she’s going to get wrecked, it
would be a waste to do it on lukewarm pilsners when they have a perfectly good bottle of Fernet-
Branca that she is welcome to destroy.

If they just told her that “drinking is bad” as they hypocritically drank in front of her, that would be a
clear example of cognitive dissonance and mixed messaging. Cara would see them drink nightly, with
no obvious signs of harm to them, and likely feel understandably resentful about the perceived double
standard. This flagrant display of inconsistent values would erode the trust between her and her parents.
Without consistent, value-based communication or a compelling reason to abstain, Cara would be left
with a confusing mental framework that dictates drinking is only bad when she does it. (Spielman,
2020) So, in the absence of clear boundaries and trust, she would be more likely to drink at the party.
She would down intoxicating drouts, in lusty gulps, relishing in not only the bitter malt of lukewarm
pilsners, but the far more addictive thrill of rebellion.

Go, Cara! Go! Unshackle yourself! Live deliciously, if only for this one perfect ephemeral moment,
and know what it to truly be! Don’t make the same mistakes I did! There is far more regret in not doing
the sin! Drink deep and descend! Be free, sweetling! BE FREE!!!!

CHAPTER 8
1. What might happen to your memory system if you sustained damage to your hippocampus?

A damaged hippocampus result in anterograde amnesia, which essentially prevents one from forming
new memories. This is because the Hippocampus is responsible for consolidating short-term memories
into more longterm storage. Without it, new memories essentially have nowhere to go, fading into
oblivion. In extreme cases, one suffering from anterograde amnesia can remember the events of their
life up until the development of their amnesia, but nothing beyond it. (Cuncic, 2023) They can engage
in conversations, but will rapidly forget ever beginning the exchange, as well as much of the
information shared beyond the ever-vanishing window of their short-term memory.

As such, they continue through life essentially frozen in a moment that is forever drifting further away
from them. Moments where the horror of their situation actually dawns on them would only be
mitigated by their swift and inevitable forgetting of that terrible revelation. They would be unable to
form new connections, engage with current events, or mentally develop themselves in any real
capacity. Like an insect, trapped in amber, their worldview would be a perfectly preserved fossil of
days long gone by.

For whatever it is worth, there is a silver lining. Procedural memory would remain largely in tact. This
means that for all of their limitations, they could still develop many fulfilling skills such as playing
musical instruments, learning to drive a vehicle (although this would likely not be advisable),
perfecting origami, or just about any other motor skill dependent abilities. (Cavaco, 2004)

2. You and your roommate spent all of last night studying for your psychology test. You think you
know the material; however, you suggest that you study again the next morning an hour prior to
the test. Your roommate asks you to explain why you think this is a good idea. What do you tell
her?

I’d tell my roommate that I don’t need to justify myself to them. Studying the material again would
bring me peace of mind, and them demanding I explain it is frankly demonstrating a fundamental
disrespect to both myself and my well being. (Nash, 2025)

That said, reviewing the material again in the morning taps into a psychological phenomenon known as
the recency effect, which is part of the broader serial position effect. (Turvey, 2012) These are complex
concepts, but they can be broadly understood to mean that we can take advantage of how memory is
formed within our minds. We tend to recall information we recently encountered better than
information we learned earlier. By revisiting the information right before the test, we can essentially
burn it into both our short and long term memories, increasing the odds that we will be able to recall it
on the exam.

Another benefit comes from sleep consolidation. (Ashan, 2022) Our brains process and stabilize new
memories during sleep, so by revisiting the material after a full night's rest, we’re reinforcing the
relevant neural connections. All of these measures help to maximally boost our retention of
information. So, cramming last second is actually part of optimal study skills.

Ambre, D. (2023, April 1). Why teens are compelled to rebel-and what you can do about it. Ambre
Associates. [Link]
can-do-about-it

Ahsan, M. (2022, October 12). Role of sleep in memory consolidation. Medical Life Sciences News.
[Link]

Cavaco, S., Anderson, S. W., Allen, J. S., Castro-Caldas, A., & Damasio, H. (2004). The scope of
preserved procedural memory in amnesia. Brain, 127(8), 1853–1867.
[Link]

Cuncic, A. (2023, November 9). Anterograde amnesia makes it impossible to remember new things.
Verywell Mind. [Link]

Nash, J. (2025, May 6). How to set healthy boundaries & build positive relationships.
[Link]. [Link]

Northwestern Medicine. (2018, July). Four things to know about your teen’s brain.
[Link]

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology

Turvey, B. E., & Freeman, J. L. (2012). Jury psychology. In V. S. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia
of human behavior (2nd ed., pp. 495–502). Academic Press. [Link]
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