Behavioral errors such as the ones described in this project wreak havoc on my life. Perceptual errors such as my poor vision influence my everyday life, causing me to deal with the hassle of glasses and contacts in an effort to correct it.
Incorrect/incomplete memories can be detrimental to my peace of mind. For example, not being able to remember the title of a song or the name of a friend will drive me crazy for days. Forgetting more important things like details of a car accident can have more severe consequences, like less insurance money. Forgetfulness can hurt friends' feelings; for example forgetting to call a friend can leave them hurt and confused.
Lack of adjustment to conditioning results in my doing things that should not be done in all situations similar to the original stimuli. For example, not everyone in the world can be trusted, and not all bathroom lights have switches on the right side of the door. The way we are conditioned changes our personality; it makes us less trusting and more cautious, for instance.
To minimize my behavioral errors due to perception, conditioning, and memory, I will follow these guidelines:
Slow down!
I will take time to think before I speak. This will give me an opportunity to make sure I do not say something untrue or that I will regret later.
Practice makes permanent
To improve my memory, I will increase rehearsal of information I want readily available. Though inconvenient at the time, this will prevent embarassing moments when I forget a name or something I should really know.
Make a note
I will write down things I want to remember. Not only will this help with encoding, it will also provide me with something to fall back on for information I cannot remember.
Calm down
Now that I realize how much my emotions affect my behavior, I will be more conscious of them. If I am upset or angry I will avoid drastic actions or driving until I have calmed down.
Go to bed
When I'm tired, my concentration level plummets. Giving my mind a rest will improve my focus so I can pay more attention to what I'm doing.
Isolation
Distractions are one of the leading causes fo stupid mistakes/abesent-mindedness. I will eliminate them by turning off the TV while working, ignoring other conversations except my own, and doing important tasks requiring concentration by myself.
Focus, focus, focus
Paying closer attention will help eliminate behavioral errors. I will be more conscious of the cocktail party phenomenon and make eye contact with whomever I am speaking to. In this way, I can force myself to absorb information and concentrate on the task at hand.
Stop, look, and listen
I will take time to become aware of my surroundings before I act. This will help me adjust to conditioning.
I don't have all the answers
I will accept that I simply cannot remember everything. This means some childhood memories will never be remembered, and I cannot rely on memories to be 100% correct.
I can see clearly now...
I will always wear glasses or contact lenses to compensate for my otherwise abysmal visual perception.
Only be stupid once
I will not make the same mistake twice; I will think about my past actions before I make decisions.
Get over it
I will minimize negative reinforcement by realizing that I will have unpleasant things to do in life and sometimes it's better to just do them than it is to avoid them.