Author's note: No, I don't own the X-Files. Sorry, I know but the newest season was fantastic! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
It had been a week and he still hadn't seen Scully. Needless to say, Mulder was starting to worry. 'Maybe something really awful had happened? Maybe she's lying unconscious, in an alley somewhere? Or worse, maybe she's dead.'
"Fox Mulder?" He was pulled out of his thoughts when the professor called out his name.
"Sorry can you repeat the question?"
"I asked if you could describe, in detail, one of these psychological concepts or terms in the given scenario. Use one term for applying to colleges Here are the list of words for the scenario: availability heuristic, compliance, prefrontal cortex, prospective memory. You will have two minutes to gather your thoughts and present the first scenario. I'll even throw in an added bonus."
"Ah, Professor come on!" John Doggett shouted from the back of the lecture hall. "Why does he get special treatment? You know that Spooky Mulder knows exactly what he's going to say already."
"I didn't say if was going to be a good bonus, now did I."
"You ready to present Mr. Mulder?"
"Yes sir."
"Please go to the podium." Mulder looked at him befuddled. Once at the podium, the professor spoke again, "Very good Mr. Mulder. Now because you weren't paying attention during my lecture, you have to present not one scenario but two scenarios. Don't worry I'll give you your next set of words you can use for the next scenario. If you fail to present a detailed scenario, you owe me a 12 page essay on Nature vs. Nurture."
"Alright here goes nothing." Mulder gulped. He took a deep breath in and stepped toward the microphone so it would pick up his voice. "The prefrontal cortex is located in the very front of the brain, just behind the forehead. In charge of abstract thinking and thought analysis, it is also responsible for regulating behavior. This includes mediating conflicting thoughts, making choices between right and wrong, and predicting the probable outcomes of actions or events. This particular area of the brain also governs social control, such as suppressing emotional or sexual urges. Since the prefrontal cortex is the brain center responsible for taking in data through the body's senses and deciding on actions, it is most strongly implicated in human qualities like consciousness, general intelligence, and personality. This vital region of the brain regulates thought in terms of both short-term and long-term decision making. It allows humans to plan ahead and create strategies, and also to adjust actions or reactions in changing situations. Additionally, the prefrontal cortex helps to focus thoughts, which enables people to pay attention, learn, and concentrate on goals. This area is also the part of the brain that allows humans to consider several different yet related lines of thinking when learning or evaluating complex concepts or tasks. Based on this, a college student would be able to make a judgment call on whether or not said student likes or dislikes a particular university due to tuition fees, distance from home, travelling and additional living expenses such as food, drinking water and other necessities."
Professor Skinner was momentarily taken aback at Mulder's response towards the first scenario given. He believed that Mulder would've given him a short answer like the rest of the class would have. Now, he wanted to further test his knowledge. He knew Mulder was smarter than the rest of the class. "Very good Mr. Mulder." He paused for a moment. Before he could speak again, Mulder interrupted.
"You said that I would have to present another scenario, sir?"
"Oh right, right." He cleared his throat. "Next Scenario. Same deal, I'll present the scenario and give you some words associated with the scenario. Sound like a plan?"
"Yes sir."
"Five year old, dickhead, John Doggett-"
"I HEARD THAT!" John shouted from the back of the lecture hall.
"Quiet Mr. Doggett, or you're next." John opened his mouth to respond but though it would be wiser to not say anything at all. "That's what I thought. Anyway. Five year old, dickhead, John went to a fire station with his kindergarten class. When he got home, John, who is in the preoperational stage of cognitive development, eagerly told the story of his adventure to his older sister. Now, describe how these following factors could have potentially influenced his story. Give an appropriate example of each factor. Think over the scenario for a moment."
Mulder knew Professor Skinner was testing him. The professor figured out that he thought a little out of the box. "Alright, may I have the factors that contribute to this particular scenario?"
"Egocentrism, Observational learning, over regularization or overgeneralization in language, reconstructive memory, and schema. You have two minutes."
"Considering egocentrism is a selfish view in which someone views themselves as the most important part of the situation, John may have thought that the field trip to the fire station was planned solely based on his interest in the fire station. Observational learning transpires when a person becomes acquainted with a task by watching another person perform the same task. Example, John might have learned to slide down the pole after watching the fireman do that same action only moments ago. Overgeneralization in language occurs when a person applies a rule of grammar to all instances and does not take into consideration any exceptions to the rule. Instead of saying, "I went to the fire station," John uses, "I goed to the first station." This simple grammatical error could be a testament of overgeneralization because an -ed was added to go in order to make it past tense. Reconstructive memory is supplying information that you may think appropriate when in reality actual facts couldn't be recalled in the story he told. John may not have remembered what he ate for lunch. Therefore, he told his sister that he had potato chips with his sandwich when in fact is was goldfish he ate with his sandwich. Finally, a schema is a mental set for categorizing objects and providing a certain order for the world to follow. John may have classified all four legged, black and white spotted things as cows. If he saw a Dalmatian at the station, he was have assimilated it into her schema and mistook it as a cow."
"Is that it Spooky?" Monica Rayes shouted from the second row. "I'm surprised you didn't create a tangent and rant about alien existence on Earth."
"Good one Monica!" John bellowed from the back.
"Just because you deny their existence, doesn't mean that they aren't here dickhead!"
"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH! Doggett and Rayes, you both will stay after and you both owe me a twelve page essay on the debate of Nature vs. Nurture! Otherwise, Mulder. Well done!" The class erupted with applause.
"Thank you, your highness." Mulder bowed as if Professor Skinner were some sort of deity.
Skinner chuckled, "Alright class dismissed. Have an excellent weekend. Mulder might I speak with you outside for a moment?"
"Sure." Mulder was getting a little nervous. He's never been one to act out in class before. They both exited the room when Mulder spoke again. "If it was for the comment I made towards Monica and John, I'd like to apologize right now."
"No no, actually I found your comment rather amusing. Between us, I'm not exactly a fan of Doggett and Rayes."
"You're not the only one Professor."
"Blah, please call me Walter or simply Skinner. I was actually wondering if you've spoken to Ms. Scully this week at all."
"I tried calling and texting her but I haven't gotten a response from her. I'm worried about her."
"I hope she's okay." Professor Skinner pulled out a piece of paper from his inside jacket pocket. "Maybe you could check up on her. Don't tell anyone I gave that to you, Spooky." The professor grinned at him and walked back into the room leaving Mulder very puzzled. Mulder opened the folded piece of paper. It looked like a student file he pulled last week. At the top it read Dana Katherine Scully. He frantically examined the document and hoped it listed her address. Cambridge Hall, that was within spitting distance.
"Thank you Professor Skinner!" Mulder ran towards Cambridge Hall, he was on a mission. A million questions ran through his head.' Was Scully okay? Was is something I asked or said? Did I rub her the wrong way?'
Where's Dana?