List #13--10 Interesting Branches of Psychology

I've decided to continue my branches of science series, because as a deductionist, it's good to know a bit from all the branches of science...and there are a LOT of them.
This week it's psychology, a particularly relevant topic.

1. Abnormal psychology--The psychology of abnormal behavior that psychotherapists and counselors are often involved in.
2. Biopsychology--Similar to neuroscience, although about how the brain affects behavior as opposed to the simple structure and workings of the brain.
3. Comparative psychology--Comparing psychology of humans vs. other animals.  Probably a pretty fun job, if you get to work with cute animals all the time.
4. Educational psychology--The official job of psychologists who work in schools, talking to students about their problems and the like.
5. Cognitive psychology--The psychology of the ways people think, like problem solving, attention, making decisions, and other mental processes.
6. Experimental psychology--Psychological research and experimentation, using the scientific method.
7. Forensic psychology--The relationship between psychology and the law.  Lots of work with both criminals and victims.
8. Personality psychology--The study of what makes people unique, regarding feelings, behavior, and such.
9. Social psychology--Psychology that focuses on human interaction.
10. Health psychology--Relationships between biology, psychology, disease, and health in general.

This site has a lot of information: Branches of Psychology on About.com
(Note:  This site is not mine.
Many of these, especially #1, #4, #7, and #9, can be used in making deductions.

Signing off,
SM 

Deduction Challenge #3--My Shopping List

Here's another deduction challenge for you!  I was doing this list thing where I make a bunch of lists about random stuff because it's fun.  One of them was a list of random things that I'm going to get soon.  I looked it over and realized that a lot could be deduced about me from this.

Sherlie Moriarty's Shopping List

• pens
• mechanical pencil lead
• robot parts
• sheet protectors
• casting resin
• sheet music
• stationery
• dog treats
• duct tape
• stickers
• bulk pack of plastic goldfish
• fish food
• notebooks

Let me know what you deduce in the comments.

Signing off,
SM

Deduction Challenge #2-- Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope all of you readers had a great 2015.  Thanks for checking out the blog in its first 7-8 months.

Here are my New Year's Resolutions, if you're curious:

• I will finally get organized.  This includes getting all of the weird science experiments that I haven't touched for weeks out of my house, building my mind palace to be bigger and better, and actually writing down all of my many appointments with people so I don't have to waste mental energy making silly mnemonics all the time.
• I will not worry about people's self-imposed problems.  These include "problems" such as
• being in trouble for not doing things they are responsible for
• having to act like adults when they offend others, apologizing and thinking about their actions instead of blaming whoever they offended for overreacting 
• other people finding out the truth after they've blatantly lied to them
• any other such things that people expect will elicit my compassion for some irrational reason.
• I will be more assertive.  Next time that werewolf tries to kill me and we happen to be next to a cliff, I will push him over into the mouth of the great white shark conveniently lurking below rather than making a weak effort with my laser gun and only escaping because somebody from my network owed me a favor and incapacitated the werewolf momentarily, saving me with her helicopter.
• I will make people more aware of my intelligence so they take what I say seriously.  Not that I'm not already a world-renowned expert, but I'll just try to be more of a world-renowned expert.
• I'll try to understand other people's perspectives better.  I don't think I need to explain why this is a good idea; it's just part of life.
• I will be more persuasive.  Also self-explanatory.
• Last but not least, I will update this blog more!  If you're reading this, no matter how observant you are, you can see why this is a good idea.

If you make any deductions about me from this list, please tell me in the comments below.

Signing off,
SM 

Deduction #8--The Ultimate Guide to Deducing Holiday Presents

I know I've mentioned deducing what your presents are a few times, in a couple of lists, but I never really wrote much about it.  Here's the process.  I myself celebrate Christmas, which generally utilizes much wrapping paper, tissue paper, bags, boxes, and other sorts of coverings, partially due to the whole commercialization of the holiday.  To my understanding, this is not the norm in all holiday celebrations, cultures, or families, and there are many variations in wrapping methods, so I will try to include as many variations as I know of.

What to Look For

• It should be fairly easy to discern whether the object is a box or not.  If it is a box, hold tight and stay tuned.
• If it is not a box, squeeze it gently.  If it is hard, you should probably stop squeezing.  If it is soft, it is probably clothing or some other fabric product.
• If it is hard, it may be metal or glass.  Try to bend it gently.  It may be cardboard or plastic packaging.  If there seems to be friction, it may be rubber.  If it resists, you should probably stop bending.
• If there is a part of the paper that is not directly on top of the object, it is an irregularly-shaped present, probably with some sort of packaging.  An example could be a USB drive in plastic clamshell packaging.  
• If you find out that it is clamshell packaging, I feel sorry for you and encourage you get a good pair of scissors or another cutting implement so you can cut through the cardboard and zipties while hopefully not slicing your skin open.
• Thin tissue paper
• Most of the same stuff as shiny paper, only easier to accidentally stick your finger through during the squeezing process.
• Box
• Shake the box.  Do you hear metallic noises?  Probably metal.  If you don't hear anything moving around, it's probably one object. 
• If you hear objects hitting against each other, there is more than one physical object.
• If you hear general "clunking" noises, there is one object, but it does not fill up the whole box and there is little or no extra wrapping, such as tissue, surrounding it.
• If you hear things rolling around, there is a sphere or cylinder of some sort. 
• If something seems to be bouncing (not something I've experienced, but it's possible), it is probably a rubber ball. 
• Fabric
• Look at what the fabric is after you use the shiny wrapping paper techniques.  It could be a napkin, dish towel, or article of clothing that is also intended to be a gift to you.

That's all I can think of right now.
Signing off,
SM