Iris

        I read and became fascinated with the topic of how repeated exposure to a person is often sufficient to produce attraction.  Interestingly, repeated exposure to any stimulus - a person, picture, compact disc, or virtually anything - usually makes us like the stimulus more.  Becoming familiar with a person can evoke positive feelings; we then transfer the positive feelings stemming from familiarity to the person himself or herself. (American Psychological Association, 2010)

        There are exceptions, though. In cases of strongly negative initial interactions,
repeated exposure is unlikely to cause us to like a person more. Instead, the more we are exposed to him or her, the more we may dislike the individual, which makes me interested to keep learning about:

• positive social behavior and moral, social, and personal influences
  
  
• factors that encourage or inhibit positive behavior toward others
  
  
• how to determine the various forms of positive behavior
  
  
• why do people behave kindly?
  
  
• determinants of helping others in physical pain
  
  
• the effect of injury on prosocial behavior
  
  
• limitations of current approaches and future research objectives in the field of prosocial behavior.  (American Psychological Association, 2011)
  
  

        The study of interpersonal relationships is a major area of research.  This is all the power that guides people to like each other, to build relationships and, in some cases, to fall in love.  Social psychologists have discovered several general principles of attraction.  For example, physical proximity increases the likelihood of attraction, while distance makes relationships difficult to form and maintain.  Even small differences in distance (such as being closer to the block than next door) can make a big difference in friendship patterns.  (American Psychological Association, 2011)

        Social Psychology uses the scientific method “to understand and explain how one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied influence of others.”  In essence, social psychology is about understanding how each person’s individual behavior is influenced by the social context in which that behavior occurs. (American Psychological Association, 1956)

___________________________________________

First Memory

My first memory should be of visiting the Great Wall when I was only six years old. That was one of the things that impressed me very much, because it was my first time to Beijing and I felt so new about everything. So I'm in a good mood.

It was a long walk to the top of the Great Wall, and my mother often walked and

rested because she was not strong enough. And I wanted to see the view from the top of the Great Wall with intense curiosity. So it didn't stop for a moment. It just kept going.

I still remember the feeling of reaching the top, the feeling of satisfaction, the feeling that I had finally achieved something through hard work. I think the reason why I can still remember this thing today is that I was impressed by the satisfaction at that time. Although I can't remember a lot of things when I was a child, it is strange that this thing will sometimes suddenly come back to me.