What is a good response to this?

Hi! My name is Jenna, as I am sure you noticed, and I am a wife (of over 13 years), mom (of five wonderful kiddos - 11, 9, 7, 5, and soon-to-be 3), and student (quite possibly forever. I'm only half joking ;). I live smack dab in the middle of the United States.

In terms of education, I have an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education/Development, am AFPA certified to professionally teach yoga, BAI certified to teach Childbirth Education, have a TESOL (Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certification, and have been a licensed Zumba/Circle Mobility Instructor. I also have extra credits in herbalism, mindfulness, and nutrition, and am certified to lead Attachment Parenting International and No Excuse Moms support groups - offering support in parenting, fitness, and nutrtition.

Right now, I am continuing my Bachelor Program in Human Development/Family Studies, with a Psychology Minor, though Psychology was my initial intended major. It is still near and dear to my heart. Perhaps even more so now, as my husband began experiencing major psychotic breaks in April of last year. He had an especially bad one in May this year, which resulted in him assaulting me while experiencing intense delusions and subsequently being arrested/charged. He has since gone to inpatient care several times and been diagnosed with a severe psychotic/mood disorder along with a good handful of others, including being on the autism spectrum (which surprised me, because he is intellectually gifted). These issues run very heavily in his family (6/6 siblings have depression/anxiety, 4/6 have psychotic/mood disorders, 3/6 have autism spectrum disorder, and 1/6 has borderline intelligence - which makes the autism more readily noticeable), and some of our children do have certain higher needs. Emotional regulation assistance is definitely one of these. Regarding this particular course, I find personal enjoyment in learning how the mind works. I love to learn and understand, and learning about how it happens seems like a win-win.

Outside of college, I love to spend time with my husband and children, teach (I home school), read, hike, cook/bake, make toiletries from scratch (soap, deodorant, lotion, etc...), sing, play my drum trap set, skateboard, work on archery, practice exercises such as yoga, cardio dance, kickboxing, running, and strength training, and well... a lot. I am always learning new ways to work out and do things.

No matter what I do though, you can assume my children are with me - I have been their caregiver since birth, 24/7 - and none of us would have it any other way. :) In fact, we can often be found together at children's museums, parks, hiking trails, libraries, pumpkin patches, by lakes, rivers, or lakes, or in numerous other fun places to explore and play. :)

Cognitive Psychology and Cognition

My current understanding of cognitive psychology is that it is a very vast, multi-disciplinary field indeed. In general, cognitive psychology focuses on how and why people think what and how they do. Various interactions of thoughts, emotions, creativity, language, and problem-solving abilities are studied. In reality, given this subject attempts to fathom the vast depths of human thought and understanding, this is a rich topic to gain insight from - and would encompass so much more! (OER n.d. 1)

Cognition plays into awareness, recollection, understanding, communication, learning, and even into one's very identity. The word cognition itself derives from knowing. It includes thinking, and everything that goes into it - conscious or otherwise. Gaining knowledge from the sensory perception is a key component. Without the underlying thought processes - and the reception/processing of sensory input - awareness, memory, comprehension, and education would be generally unfeasible. Similarly, defining and expressing oneself could not fundamentally occur without cognition itself. (OER n.d. 2)

Best of luck, and may your cognition serve you well throughout this course!

Warm regards,

Jenna