"Little Albert"

  

    In 1920 a physiologist by the name of John B. Watson wanted to know more about the idea of ‘classical conditioning ‘. His experiment began with a nine-month-old baby soon to be known as ‘Little Albert’. Before the case study Albert hadn’t feared anything that Watson had given him to play with. This included a white rat, a mask, a monkey and many more things like this group. As the experiment went on when Watson brought the objects and animals back out again for Albert to play with he would make a loud banging noise when he reached for it therefore frightening the little child. Thus, just at the mere sight of something even similarly close to white and fuzzy Albert would instantly cry and try to get away. Watson had conditioned a nine-month-old to fear things white and fuzzy a phobia he would have to live with for the rest of his life.

    ‘Little Albert’ is what we might consider the first unethical case study in history. Today that experiment wouldn’t fit the rules and regulations to be conducted. It was unethical for Watson to take a baby and condition him to fear these things. Rules and regulations have been set since then to make sure every study in the lab or field is fair and ethical.

  The psychologist must obtain informed consent, protect the participants from harm, maintain confidentially and debrief them at the end of the experiment. “Little Albert’ failed these rules and regulations. As a baby, he couldn’t consent them and he didn’t keep his confidentially he emotionally harmed the poor baby and left a lifelong phobia. Although one of the most famous examples of classical conditioning and how it works ‘Little Albert’ was unethical and that was a major flaw in the experiment. Could there be more "Little Albert's" out there?

Hambrick, David "Learning" Psychology 101. Wells Hall, East Lansing. October 31,2016. Lecture.

C.C

Childhoods and Relationships as Adults

     There are lots of questions about how early childhood experiences can affect people later in life. How childhood affects intimate relationships later in life is the main focus of the article. The study was a longitudinal study so it spanned over many years. It started during the Great Depression and 60 years later the scientists followed up with the same people and it was concluded that the men who were raised in warm, loving environments had better relationships with partners later in life.

     The idea of the importance of attachment came in the 1960’s. The two scientists involved were in charge were Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. The original study took 268 sophomores at Harvard and 456 inner city teens from lower class households. There were lengthy interviews and observations at home of the relationships between the members of the household. Many years later, the Harvard researchers held more interviews with the then middle aged men and how they managed their negative emotions. Then, once the men were in their 80’s, they conducted last interviews to see how the men’s relationships were with their partners. The results were that men who had warm environments as children had healthy attachments with their partners later in life.

     While it is an interesting find, there are scientists out there that believe that attachment can evolve with time. There are people who are raised in difficult situations, but overcome it and have healthy relationships later on. Also with this study, there are confounding variables such as the fact that this study was only done with Caucasian men and various other contributions. But, the fact of the matter is that taking care of children at a young age can greatly affect lifelong development. 

J.M

Citation:

Caruso, Catherine. "Men with Happier Childhoods Have Stronger Relationships in Old Age." Scientific American. N.p., 18 Oct. 2016. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

Genetic Relationship Between Fish and Humans

I have recently been doing an observational research project on Betta fish and how they are connected to humans. Betta fish are those colorful fish that you see at the pet store in tiny dishes by themselves. I would always wonder why they were kept alone until about a month ago when my research team and I learned of their aggressive nature.

Bettas were originally from Southeast Asia and bred to fight. Acts of aggression and situations that can cause heightened aggression include:

·         Charging another fish

·         Fin flaring

·         Gill flaring

·         Territorial conflicts

·         Finding mates

·         Protecting eggs

Our research group considered their aggressive behavior at a genetic level and found that both the fish and humans share the HTR1A gene which codes for serotonin, and when this gene becomes inactive displays of aggression and depression can form as a result. This gene between humans and the Betta fish is only one of many genes that humans share with other species. For more information and a list of references please visit my research page at the following link https://msu.edu/~conleya8/

A.C.

Confidence, Beauty and High Kicks

There is a video on youtube that I just recently ran across (can be found here). It has gone viral for what I believe is the wrong reasons. People think that it is funny and strange from what can be gathered by reading the comments. While it is true that the video was made for comedy, there is a message that can be gathered from its content. That message is one of overwhelming body positivity.

The sheer amount of willpower and self confidence it must have taken to post a video to the largest video-sharing site on the planet taking about “body rolls” is immense. It’s done in such a playful and natural manner that I think it can have a profound effect on men or women who are not confident in their body image. The woman is not the stereotypical version of “sexy” that we see portrayed in the media. However, her confidence is irrefutably sexy.

There is a large problem in our world today when it comes to body shaming and eating disorders. This comes from the false idea that only one type of body type can be beautiful. People try and try to reach this misconstrued pinnacle of beauty and end up hating themself in the process. We need more people to pick up the torch of helping people learn to love themselves. Putting this stereotyped, unattainable idea of beauty in our minds when someone says the word beauty can do nothing but harm.

C.F.

Academia and This Upcoming Election

     Science has not been a hot topic in this election. In fact, it's been greatly ignored among the debates and in most rallies. How each candidate stands on environment and other science fields is something that would take some research to find out. 

     Most of the time, those who follow science as a career tend to be liberal in politics. But, there are some conservative scientists out there who are afraid to talk politics with their peers. Many of them feel uncomfortable admitting their views and when interviewed were asked to keep their identities secret. A biologist from Yale University admitted to voting for Trump even though she doesn't agree with him on a lot of things and admitted to staying quiet when hearing her colleagues talk about the election. Neil Gross, a sociologist at Colby College, says that he understands her concerns about being a conservative at a university. He even says that the nomination of Donald Trump probably has worsened the issues already in place. A lot of researchers that were interviewed said that their vote wasn't persuaded by the amount of knowledge the candidates have on science since it's been largely ignored. Some even say they are happy the candidates don't have science to back up ideas they have and believe that the government has been far too involved anyways. 

     There are some conservative scientists out there who are voting for Trump. It's important to remember that many of them aren't voting because of just one view or aspect of him. Most are doing so because of a bigger picture they want to see. 

J.M.

Reardon, Sara, and Nature Magazine. "Why Some Scientists Support Donald Trump." Scientific       American. N.p., 19 Oct. 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.              

What is Memory?

    What was the first award you ever won? Think about it take as long as you need. Memory is a very profound, interesting topic and in Psychology 101 I would learn the true importance of it.

     
    Memory is simply learning that has persisted. Over time through one’s life we have many experiences and encounters. When those events encode into our brain they are defined as memory. Memory however is not defined by the length. We can remember a lifetime, our long-term memory or just a couple seconds our short-term memory. The way memory works is we get information into our brain this process is called encoding. Once the information is encoded the information is retained and stored. Once stored we can go back into consciousness and retrieve that information.

     Without memory imagine what life would be like. Memory plays a huge role in our identity. If you couldn’t remember your past you wouldn’t know who you were. What if you didn’t have the ability to form new memories. Who are you? This is what happened to Clive Wearing the man with the 30 second memory. He suffered from anterograde as well as retrograde amnesia. All he remembers from his past life is he has kids and loves his wife.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=Vwigmktix2Y

Hambrick, David "Memory' Psychology 101. Wells Hall, East Lansing. October 21,2016. Lecture.

C.C

The Ethics of Psychology (Prompt #2)

The first ethical guideline of psychology basically states “do no harm.” This means that psychologists should strive to benefit those who are engaged in their experiments or at least make sure that they do not have any negative, long-term effects. I like this rule because it seems like the intentions are good. However, I do think that it is going to inhibit the advancement of psychological research which could benefit the world.

The second guideline are the values of fidelity and responsibility. This is pretty much the importance of accountability between psychologists, subjects, and other professionals of different fields. They are required to makes sure that their colleagues do not abuse the power that a psychologist has. I again think this rule has great intentions. It is about trying to make sure all humans are equal in the eyes of the world. However, I worry that it is going to start making some psychologists do “underground” studies away from other people who could help.

The third guideline is the importance of upholding the principle of integrity. Psychologists are to be honest and accurate in their studies and with their patients. This guideline seems to be the one that I have the fewest qualms with. I do not see any negative side effects of telling the truth. There is also a caveat that says a psychologist may deny the truth if the truth would cause harm. This ethical guideline seems perfect.

The fourth guideline pretty much says that the knowledge gained through psychological studies is free use for those who would like to use it. A psychologist cannot hide what they have learned good or bad. I think this is a great rule if you assume that we are alone in the universe. However, if there were a form of intelligent life out there that was hostile towards humans. They would have access to everything that could be used to potentially manipulate us. I realize that this is a ridiculous situation. I just thought that it should be mentioned.

The fifth and final guideline tells psychologists to respect people’s rights and dignity. This covers a wide range of topics. From privacy and confidentiality to gender and race bias. It is an overarching rule that basically means, “be good.” Although I think this rule is perhaps the most pure, it is extremely vague. Perhaps it could use some rewording to increase its accuracy.

I believe that these ethical principles all come from a pure intention. I think that they are a great attempt at self regulation, and they are definitely “good enough.” However, a group of psychologists should be able to come up with a more accurate list. There is not any rush to change it, but it could be better. There is no doubt that the majourity of psychologists follow these rules and the public believes that for the most part. Yet there will always be people who believe they know better and ignore the standards that their colleagues put in place.

C.F.

Works Cited

Effective Date June 1, 2010. Copyright © 2010 American Psychological Association. All Rights Reserved. The 1992 Ethics Code was Not Effective as of June 1, 2003. "Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct." Http://www.apa.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016. <http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/>.

Why Dogs Actually Love Us

         I found an article online that began to discuss why dogs are truly “man’s best friend” and it was definitely interesting. At Emory University, dogs were trained to stay still in MRI machines so that their brains could be scanned. The researches then used fMRIs, functional magnetic resonance imaging, to measure how their brains respond to different smells.

        When reviewing the results, it turned out that when a dog smelled the scent of its owner the caudate nucleus had heightened activity. The caudate nucleus is also referred to as the reward system because it is included in the area of the brain that is associated with finding something pleasurable. It was also found that not only can dogs recognize their owner’s voice, but they can also recognize the changes in tone. It is wired in them to know what they know and act how they do. Dogs think of their caretakers as parents and will go to them when something is wrong with them or their caretaker.

        It wasn’t surprising to learn this information but I found it very pleasant and warming. Connection between species is something that can be found in many different ways but the bond between human and dog is truly something special.

A.C.

Works Cited

Fisher, Theresa. "Brain Scans Reveal What Dogs Really Think of Us." Science.Mic, 20 Nov. 2014, https://mic.com/articles/104474/brain-scans-reveal-what-dogs-really-think-of-us#.wfXDaHBlP.

Considering Delivery (Prompt #4)

The differences between articles online and scholarly articles can be quite great. Generally, scholarly articles are much longer and more difficult to read. Articles online/blog posts are usually someone’s opinions or usually just focusing on what the author thinks is relevant. I read two articles, one found just online and another found of ProQuest. I googled “refugees and mental health” and found the article, “Depression, mental illness endemic amongst Syrian refugees” on the website DW. DW is Germany’s international broadcaster. The article I found on ProQuest was called “Syrian refugees’ mental health is top priority” which was written by Michael Colborne from the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

While both articles are clearly on the same topic, the focus of the two articles are very different. The scholarly article is more specific about what it is talking about. The article is coming directly from the person researching and is about Syrian refugees coming to Canada. The online article is much more general and pulls from many different sources. The online journal is to inform the average joe about the situation and importance of the situation (mental illness among refugees). Whereas the scholarly article is focused on a specific occasion. I think we tend to lean towards online articles/blogs because they are of easier access to us. Scholarly journals are usually a better resource for valid information, but it takes a lot of time and energy to focus on what the article is about. Plus, sometimes the only way you can truly understand the article is if you have a good, working knowledge on the matter. When it comes to online articles, they are never using specific words or definitions because they know their audience won’t understand. The scholarly article is a really good source for a research paper or for other people in the field, but most people are just clicking on the first link that pops up.

J.M.

Colborne, Michael. "Syrian Refugees' Mental Health is Top Priority." Canadian Medical Association.Journal 187.18 (2015): 1347. ProQuest. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

Jay, Martin. "Depression, Mental Illness Endemic amongst Syrian Refugees | Middle East | DW.COM | 27.02.2016." DW.COM. N.p., 27 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

Chronic Wasting Disease Makes for Zombie Deer

 We are finally into the fall season and with the fall season also comes hunting. Bow season is in full swing, starting October 1st and ending November 14th. Last week in my fisheries class, I visited a deer station run by the Department of Natural Resources. A deer station is a place where hunters, depending on location, are required to go to have their deer tested and counted. Here a graduate of the fisheries and wildlife program spoke to my class about a disease in our area that affects deer called Chronic Wasting Disease.

          Chronic Wasting Disease is a contagious and neurological disease that essentially eats away at the brains of deer (our guide used the term “zombie deer”). The disease also results in emaciation and abnormal behavior. We learned about this because in June of 2015, an infected deer was found right here in Meridian Township. Because of that deer, deer killed in Meridian Township and the surrounding counties must be brought to various deer check stations to be tested for the CWD and to be counted for a general population purposes (Township Projects).

         The bad news is that an origin of the disease hasn’t been determined and the cause is neither bacteria or a virus but prions, infectious proteins without associated nucleic acids (CWD). The good news is that it has posed no serious health risks to humans, and out of over 6,000 deer tested in this area and the surrounding areas, only a handful of deer have tested positive (Township Projects).

         I think this is important to know about because I have hunters in my family and working for the DNR is a potential career path for me in the future and this is a big issue. Although CWD hasn’t affected many deer, there are still so many unknown factors surrounding CWD that it could become a bigger issue in the future. This current fieldwork is setting the first steps to discovering more about this disease.

A.C.

Works Cited

"Township Projects." Meridian Charter Townships, https://www.meridian.mi.us/indek.asp?     Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BEF7A69F3-212F-477D-92AD-015F1A9972F0%7D.

"Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)” Michigan Emerging Disease Issues, http://www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases/0,4579,7-186-25806-75978--,00.html

Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance. http://cwd-info.org/faq/  Accessed 16 Oct. 2016.

Why Do We Dream..... Part II

Googling "dream interpretation" nets 18,300,000 results. Millions of people believe that dreams have meaning beyond simply random firing of neurons. Similar to astrology or palm reading, each image in a dream has meaning beyond that of a simple picture. There are still others that believe nightmares are your mind preparing for a future terrible event that could happen. There are so many ideas on what dreams are and why we have them and no real, confirmed answers. 

The interesting thing about this, is that it seems like dreams are not scientifically reasonable. The lack of clarity on what they are leads to the mysterious nature and consistent theories. The scientific studies and figuring out the truth on many different topics almost makes people less happy. The term ignorance is bliss doesn't only apply to things that directly affect you. People want to wonder. 

In actuality it doesn't matter what the true nature of dreams is. What matters the most is what people get out of them. Science can say all it wants about whatever it wants. However, that does not matter half as much as people attempting to understand the world around them in their own way.

C.F.

Why Do We Dream?

   Sleep is a beautiful thing and I found myself doing just that in my lecture today. Psychology 101 can be very interesting, but as in anything there are dull moments. That day I would learn why I have dreams and there purpose. 

     
   There are many theories on the purpose of dreams. Of course we need to sleep to help with the functions of our body. Why do we dream though? What are their purpose? The average person spends about 600 hours dreaming in one year leading to 1,500 dreams on average. A psychologist by the name of Freud had a theory that dreams were ‘wish fulfillment’. We dream about the forbidden things we can’t have in real life. He also thought they were sexually symbolic. Like a long cylinder shape in your dream could represent that of a penis. A cave could mean that it was the womb of a women.

    Another theory is dreams play a role in filing away memories. You ever heard if you study something then go to sleep your chances of remembering it are better. This theory is called Information Processing.

   The last theory is that dreams are nothing more than the brain’s attempt to make sense of random neural activity. Think about that. You dream about the events that happened throughout your day so your brain can make sense of it. What happens when you dream about something you never experienced though? Psychologists are still trying to figure it out. So why do we dream?

Hambrick, David "Consciousness" Psychology 101.Wells Hall, East Lansing. October 13,2016. Lecture.

C.C

Sad Music for Sad People?

     I have recently been listening to almost exclusively sad music. I generally consider myself a fairly happy guy, and I was curious as to why I found myself enjoying music that not only had sad content, but where the singer sounds like they are crying. Upon a slight amount of introspective thought and research I believe I have a basic grasp of why this is.

     People sometimes say that they feel nostalgic or peaceful when listening to sad music. (Vuoskoski, Para. 1) I concur, The content reminds me of the past and how great my high school years were. Now that I am in college I long for the times spent in theatre or eating at Qdoba after school. It captures the essence of longing for the past much more effectively than anything I have heard in the past.

    Rather than forcing the sadness on me like people tend to assume happens when they listen to sad music, it makes me more resigned to the fact that I cannot go back. I feel happy knowing that I had those experiences. I know I will have many more great experiences.

 C.F.

 Works cited

 Vuoskoski, Jonna K., et al. "Who enjoys listening to sad music and why?." Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal 29.3 (2012): 311-317.

Psychology?Eh I Dont Need It!

    

Many people all have one common question. Why do we need psychology? It may not be as important as the tress that give us air but it’s pretty close. We know what psychology is right? The study of the human brain our consciousness, our environment, and how we behave or think. But why? Recently in my psychology 101 class Professor Hambrick answered that question. Its two main reasons why we need it.

      One is common sense just isn’t enough. By looking at any situation anyone can infer what might have happened. But only psychology can tell us why and what exactly made a person do what they did. We’ve all seen the criminal justice show Law & Order and they have a psychologist there who they bring in when they get certain cases to tell the mindset of that person. By looking at someone’s body language you can often tell a lot.

      The other reason we need psychology is it overall makes the world a better place to live. You may ask why. When you want to know why or how something is psychology will almost most always be the answer. Once they observe something they question it form a hypothesis, do research and through many experiments get the answer. Like where do psychological disorders come from. Is it nature or nurture? So you see psychology holds the answer to many questions in life. Yes, you do need it!

Hambrick, David "Presentation Title" Psychology 101. Wells Hall, East Lansing. October 9,2016. Lecture.

C.C

Hambrick, David "Thinking Critically with Psychological Science" Psychology 101. Wells Hall, East Lansing. October 9,1026. Lecture.

Electrofishing the Red Cedar River (Prompt #8)

     In my second week here at Michigan State I got hands-on experience in my field, Fisheries and Wildlife, in the form of electrofishing on the Red Cedar River. Before hearing about electrofishing in my class, I had no idea that such thing existed. I came to find out that electrofishing creates a current of electricity under the water by using a submerged cathode and anode that temporarily affects fish movement, making them swim to the anode, making them easier to catch (fish are not harmed and return to normal in a few minutes when done correctly). This method is mostly used for field work that includes studying populations of different species of fish in specific areas. My class ended up surveying over 20 species of fish in three hours!

     I couldn't believe that I was actually getting to do fieldwork so early into my career at MSU. Getting out and learning outside of the normal classroom environment is very beneficial for every field, but even more important for fisheries and wildlife. This hands-on experience was different from traditional learning because I got to learn about electrofishing and actually do it at the same time. Instead of sitting in a traditional lecture I was putting on my waders and walking through the river with my classmates. My hands-on experience revealed to me that you really have to be ready for anything when it comes to the weather conditions and you have to tough out equipment failures. It's not a glamorous field but I can really see myself working outside like this in my future.

A.C.

Clowns and Why they Make Us So Uncomfortable

     The recent sightings of clowns have been all over the news as of late. Most news articles are either about the election or these creepy clowns. They have been known to stalk after women and children, chase after people with knives, and are often times just standing on the side of the road late at night. 

     This is apparently not the first time clowns have been creeping around. Back in the 1980’s there were events similar to this and Loren Coleman called it the “Phantom Clown Theory”; connects the clown sightings with media hysterics. In England of 2008, there was a study conducted to see the likeness of clowns and it was discovered that the amount of kids that actually like clowns are few and far between. It helps explain why people find Ronald McDonald to be so creepy and unlikable. 

     So why are we so weirded out by clowns? Frank McAndrews goes into depth about why we find clowns to be so creepy.  Clowns (and jesters) were made as a sort of satire to poke fun at powerful people and make the audience laugh. They are goofy and silly. It wasn’t until the 70’s that the killer clown became a thing. John Wayne Gacy was a normal clown, until it was discovered that he had murdered 33 people in costume. After that, Hollywood took the creepy, killer clown persona and ran with it. McAndrews explains one reason we can get creeped out is because of the ambiguity of a situation; not knowing how to react to someone’s behaviors. He conducted a study for those of 18-77 and asked them to rate creepy jobs, behaviors, and to agree/disagree with statements about creepy people. It was found that men are more likely to be thought of as creepy and that body language is very important. Being a clown was rated in the top 5 of creepy jobs. Another psychologist, Rami Nader, says that we find clowns so creepy because they wear a lot of makeup and hide who they really are. 

     It plays in with the ambiguity, the unknown. They are made to look happy, but are they really? And with the pranks they pull, can we even trust them? There's a lot of mysteries to them and not all are bad, but remember to be careful!

J.M

McAndrew, Frank T., and The Conversation US. "Why Clowns Creep Us Out."Scientific American. N.p., 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.

Nature vs. Nurture (Prompt 6)

      The debate on Nature vs. Nurture has been around since the beginning of the field of Psychology. Who you are is it because of the place you were born and the people who raised you or is it just nature just the way you were supposed to be. Many psychologist have had a range of ideas and theories pertaining to this subject. In this you tube video The Debate on Psychology Development they give very good examples of the effects of both nature and nurture. Like with the girl Genie who was isolated from the world until age 13. She had the body of a 6 year old and couldn't speak. This tragic case shows the resulting effect of nurture and what it can really do to person's development.

    They also gave good examples on the nature side of the debate using the twin studies. The twin studies have gave psychologist so many answers and paved the way to many psychological cast studies its simply profound. In the video they gave examples of many identical twins separated at birth but being very much similar when reunited again. One set of twins wives even have the same name, their dog's have the same name, and they both divorced a woman named Linda.

In my Psychology 101 lecture we learned about all the things presented in the video. Though all good examples and the argument was quite precise they left a fatal flaw at the conclusion of the video. They said that the debate may never be over . However Professor Hambrick has told us that the debate is indeed over. The winner is neither. Both nature and nurture play a huge role in development and who we grow up to be. So the debate is over there is no more nature vs. nurture only nature and nurture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPZsrLAkpKM

C.C

VOTE

 With the election coming up, there is a lot of  talk about whether to vote or not. A lot of it also lies within having a "good" or "bad" vote. There are a lot of factors that go into voting, but our emotions tend to get the better of us. Scientific American gives us four good ways to be a better voter. 

1. Don't just go with your gut. 
• They compare it to a doctors vist; the doctor is expected to have the patients best interest at heart. With voting, we are expected to have each others best interests at heart as well. When we vote, it's not just for us but for our community, state, and yes, our country. 
2. Don't get all your news from social media
• When it comes to social media, we tend to block those who aren't in complete agreement with us. Because we do that, we don't get a chance to expand on the important questions or challenge them. It's recommended that we get information from all different sources and try and challenge our original thoughts. 
3. Watch the debate with your eyes closed 
• Unknowingly, we judge our male and female candiates on something as simple as facial expressions. Also, we tend to agree with those that are more visually appealing so we should watch the debate with our eyes closed so we chose based off of their words and not their appearances.
4. Know when to abstain
• Americans are often naive or ignorant when it comes to really understanding trends of the economy, crime rates, etc. So it's important to know when casting a vote is truly necessary to the greater good. It compares a bad vote to air pollution, when it's just one person polluting the air then it's not such a bad thing, but when everyone is doing it then it makes a bigger difference.

It is important to understand the difference one uninformed vote can make. So please, go out and gather all of the information necessary. Read and understand who you are voting for. And no matter who you are voting for, make sure there's valid information to back up your vote.

J.M.

Sources:

Gold, Sunny Sea. "4 Ways to Be a Better Voter." Scientific American. N.p., 02 Aug. 2016. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.

An Amazing Job?

Digital Image. BBC Earth.
Web. 01 October 2016.

     I think we all know of the movie Planet Earth. In my biology lab, it is our job to make a five minute documentary of our semester research project, drawing inspiration from Planet Earth. My peers and I were shown a video that went behind the scenes of the movie and it was very interesting. One photographer spent nine hours a day for three weeks just sitting in one position, waiting to capture a specific bird’s mating dance. Another spent three months in the Hindu Kush Mountains tracking Snow leopards and only ending up seeing a leopard for one hour during the entire excursion. Both men were alone most of the time and one was away from his family during Christmas and got very emotional when talking about this.

     Before watching this video I’ve always said how it’d be amazing to be a photographer for National Geographic, but after watching I can now say that I’m not so sure about that idea. This video made me think about the not-so-great attributes that come along with these jobs like isolation and, in a sense, confinement, which can affect you in a very negative way over time.

A.C.