Describe a small behavior that you would like to change in someone you live with: a roommate, sibling, parent, child, or partner.

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Write a 1-2 page paper that details each of the three following points:

APA FORMAT – MUST INCLUDE REFERENCES

Classical Conditioning

Describe a fear or phobia that you possess, and that was learned through classical conditioning. If you are among the “fearless,” have a friend share a fear with you. Show how the principles of classical conditioning (unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response) apply to the development of your fear or phobia.

Operant Conditioning

Describe one of your childhood learning experiences that involved operant conditioning, such as having to do something to get a reward or avoid punishment. Discuss how the principles of operant conditioning (behavior consequences, reinforcement, or punishment) applied to your learning experience.

Behavior Modification

Describe a small behavior that you would like to change in someone you live with: a roommate, sibling, parent, child, or partner. Examples include leaving their things in the living room or not emptying the trash. Show how the principles of operant conditioning (behavior consequences, reinforcement, or punishment) could be used to keep this behavior in place. Describe how you could use behavior modification to change this behavior.Clinical Psychologist – Paper

Your neighbor tells you that her nine-year-old son has been having behavior and academic problems in school. “his teacher recommended taking him to the pediatrician to get a prescription for Ritalin, “ she said.
In a well-thought out paper integrating information from class readings, make an argument for why your neighbor should first have her son evaluated by a clinical psychologist. Discuss the types of assessment tools the psychologist might use in his or her evaluation and how these tools would help in guiding diagnosis and treatment. In summary, you want to make an argument for why a clinical psychologist would be the best choice for this individual (even if you might not agree). Make sure to use appropriate sources of information and reference them properly, in American Psychological Association (APA) style.

Listed below is some points that need to be addressed in the paper. The threes key points.

(Assessment interview:definition and purpose, the referral,interaction, interviewing essentials and techniques,rapport, etc”)
(Assessment of Intelligence: intelligence testing, reliability and validity,IQ: its meaning and its correlates, heredity and stability of IQ scores,the stanford-binet scales, the wechsler scales, the wais-III, the wisc-iv)
(Personality Assessment: MMPI and the MMPI2,projection test, the rorschach,the thematic apperception test, tat cas illistration, the use and abuse test)

Based on the Learning Resources from this week, explain which solution you think will be most effective in reducing dissonance and explain why.

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The concept of disequilibrium denotes a lack of balance (equilibrium) within schemes and operations. Cognitive dissonance can be likened to disequilibrium in that maintaining contradictory beliefs leads to feelings of discomfort and a desire to adjust those beliefs to remove any inconsistency. Schemes could be adjusted to accommodate the new information. Alternatively, the new information could be rejected and the scheme remains intact. The individual might seek out or interpret information so it supports their beliefs (known as confirmation bias). One real-life example of cognitive dissonance involves childhood vaccinations and autism. A number of parents have not had their children vaccinated because they believe vaccinations cause autism. Despite scientists being unable to find a link between childhood vaccinations and autism (CDC, 2015), the belief persists. As you read the McLeod and O’Leary articles, consider how these parents resolved their cognitive dissonance.

Photo Credit: James Woodson/DigitalVision/Getty Images

Reference

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). CDC statement regarding 2004 Pediatrics article, “Age at first measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in children with autism and school-matched control subjects: A population-based study in metropolitan Atlanta.” Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism/cdc2004pediatrics.html

For this Assignment, you will examine cognitive dissonance through a specific scenario.

To prepare

  • Review the Cognitive Dissonance Scenarios found in this week’s Learning Resources and choose one of the following scenarios:
    • Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #1
    • Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #2
    • Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #3

To complete

Identify the scenario you chose and based on this scenario, write a 2- to 3-page paper that includes the following:

  • A definition of cognitive dissonance and a description of the dissonance present in the scenario you chose.
  • Include two suggestions to resolve the dissonance: one using accommodation and one using assimilation, with a detailed explanation for each.
  • Based on the Learning Resources from this week, explain which solution you think will be most effective in reducing dissonance and explain why.

Choose one of the scenarios:

Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #1 Coral is 30 years old and has lived in Texas, U.S., for the past five years. She works as a receptionist for an insurance company. Coral works long hours sitting behind a desk. After work she goes out to eat dinner with her friends, then goes home to watch television until bedtime. She has been steadily gaining weight due to her diet and sedentary lifestyle. She had a medical checkup when she turned 30 and her doctor told Coral that she is extremely overweight and that her blood test indicates she is pre-diabetic. The doctor has told her the best way reduce the likelihood of developing Type II diabetes is to lose weight through regular exercise and diet. Coral doesn’t know where she will find the time to exercise and she enjoys eating out too much to give that up.

Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #2 Stefan is a conscientious grade school teacher. He values his job and cares about his students. Stefan is also a camping enthusiast who prides himself on having the latest and best equipment. He discovered a new piece of camping equipment that was required for his next big trip and eagerly ordered it online. The next day, Stefan reads that the equipment was manufactured using child labor and at least one child is reported to have died.

Cognitive Dissonance Scenario #3 Jenny is a 45-year-old smoker who also has a family history of lung cancer. Her father, who was also a smoker, died of lung cancer. Her last physical revealed that she is suffering from high blood pressure and her doctor advised her to quit smoking due to all the associated health risks. However, Jenny not only enjoys smoking but also believes that it provides great help when she is stressed out. She also believes that if she quits smoking, she will put on weight.

How has the information this week impacted your career interests?  What questions arose in your mind while you watched the presentation?

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Kids and Competency

Psychologists often provide recommendations regarding criminal justice practices in an effort to implement more effective reforms. Although each state has provisions for a juvenile justice system due to the fundamental differences between children and adults, many of those states utilize the adult competency standards to determine if a child is able to stand trial for an offense. The National Juvenile Justice Network has produced policy guidelines to help states create separate statutes for determining the competency of a juvenile. After reading “Competency to Stand Trial in Juvenile Court: Recommendations for Policymakers,” as part of your weekly reading assignment, locate and analyze the statutes in a state of your choice (i.e. your state of birth or where you would like to live). State statutes can be found here. In your chosen state, did the legislature already create a separate standard for juveniles? Does the adult competency statute mention any differences for juveniles? How would you advise your local politician regarding this issue? Please use APA format.

1. Explore and read the APA website section on “Divisions of APA”  (http://www.apa.org/about/division/).  Students should review the diverse nature of the APA, explore links to several of the divisions of the APA, and explore additional links within each division (e.g., Division 14 society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology provides a link to the SIOP website).  Save this link to your Learner Toolbox for future use.

2. Watch one of the following TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) presentation videos of key leaders in their chosen fields of psychology.

The New Era of Positive Psychology (Martin Seligman): https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology

How Reliable is Your Memory? (Elizabeth Loftus): https://www.ted.com/playlists/173/fascinating_psych_experiments

The Good News About PMS (Robyn Stein DeLuca): https://www.ted.com/talks/robyn_stein_deluca_the_good_news_about_pms

The Surprising Science of Happiness (Dan Gilbert: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy

Flow, the Secret to Happiness (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi): https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow

The Happy Secret to Better Work (Shawn Achor): https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work

Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are (Amy Cuddy): https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

The Psychology of Evil (Philip Zimbardo): https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil

3. For your initial discussion post, please address the following:

  • What is the psychological construct or “big idea” shared by the presenter?
  • Based on what you discovered when exploring the “Divisions of the APA” website, which subfield(s) of psychology would the presentation you watched be applicable to? Explain why you believe this to be the case based on what you learned about the different Divisions within the American Psychological Association.
  • How has the information this week impacted your career interests?  What questions arose in your mind while you watched the presentation?

IMPORTANT: cite your sources in-text (i.e., the body of your discussion), and provide a “References” list.  We understand this may be your first time applying APA Style, citing sources, and creating a reference list, but just try to do your best.  We will develop these skills during the first few weeks of class.

LESSON: Learning to format an initial discussion post.

Create an initial discussion post using the following format (applying this format will help you learn how to effectively format discussion posts throughout your program).  There are three primary sections (i.e., each bullet point) in the previous discussion that need to be addressed: 1) Presenter’s construct or “big idea”, 2) connection to APA website, and 3) questions that arose in your mind.

Hello Class, (or specific student/professor name if responding directly to them)

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Paragraph One: Provide a brief introduction of what you plan to address in your discussion post.

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Paragraph Two: Presenter’s construct or “big idea”

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Paragraph Three: connection to APA website

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Paragraph Four: questions that arose in your mind

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Paragraph Five: Discuss, summarize, and conclude your findings

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References

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List r

Discuss the upsides and the downsides of the pattern of the five dimensions or traits of your personality. We know that three of the Big 5—conscientiousness, openness, and extroversion—are closely associated with leadership effectiveness

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Individual Assignment 2

Take the Big 5 Personality Inventory on p. 387 in our book. Write a 400- to 600-word summary of your personality, as described by the Big 5 Inventory. Discuss the upsides and the downsides of the pattern of the five dimensions or traits of your personality. We know that three of the Big 5—conscientiousness, openness, and extroversion—are closely associated with leadership effectiveness. How do your scores reflect your readiness to become a leader? Include a reflection about how your personality shapes your behavior toward work, school, and teamwork.

Submit your assignment to the Dropbox, located at the top of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these step-by-step instructions or watch this Tutorial Dropbox Tutorial.

See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.

Rubric (professor has the discretion to award points as deemed reasonable)
  • Complete, well thought-out answer tapping into required content, arguments well presented, all parts responded to adequately, no significant errors: 40/40
  • Many points made, but some connection to content missing, one part not answered, incomplete discussion: 34/40
  • Some points made, but some connection to content missing, incomplete and/or limited discussion: 26/40
  • Limited discussion, limited points: 18/40
  • Poor in every way: 5-10/40

For grammatical and spelling errors, student may lose additional points.