Prepare a plan describing how the challenges experienced might be more effectively navigated using the principles of disaster behavioral health learned throughout the course.

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Psychology of Disaster Course Project

Many topics of interest and importance are covered during the course; Week 7, especially, provides an opportunity to explore several, often overlooked topics that are critical to our understanding in the discussion of the psychology of disaster. For your course project, you are tasked with selecting one of the following areas, presented during week seven of the course, and examining a disaster event, using the selected area as the foundation of your work. The areas from which you may select include:

  • Secondary Traumatic Stress (Effects of disasters on first responders/BH providers)
  • Environmental Vulnerabilities and Considerations
  • Critical Infrastructure Failures
  • Disaster in School Environments
  • In a 10 to 15 slide PowerPoint presentation, identify a recent disaster event (within the most recent 10 years), providing a description of the major events of the disaster leading up to, during, and after the event, to the extent possible.
    • Incorporating the selected area above, discuss, with detail and support, how the area is illustrated in the disaster event.
  • Explore how the selected element influenced disaster response efforts.
    • Provide details of the ways in which these influences were observed.
    • Discuss any barriers presented by the selected element in providing effectual behavioral health interventions.
  • Prepare a plan describing how the challenges experienced might be more effectively navigated using the principles of disaster behavioral health learned throughout the course.
    • Share the steps and resources you would deploy to overcome or avoid the challenges faced in the selected element.

In developing your work, be sure to rely upon academic, scholarly sources to support the definitions and recommendations provided. Ensure the plan presented is based upon evidenced based practices established in the field as effective in addressing psychological needs in disaster settings.

Work should be submitted in a PowerPoint file or other compatible file, and be 10 to 15 slides in length, excluding the required title slide and separate reference slide. Detailed speaker notes should accompany slides containing mostly bullet point data to include the details expected in the instructions above.

Utilize a minimum of five credible scholarly sources to inform your thinking on the topic, in addition to required course resources as applicable.  Additional credible references are encouraged.

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Thus far, we have considered the major themes of social psychology: social thinking, social relations, and social influence.  In this interactive assignment, we will integrate knowledge from all three areas to provide a comprehensive analysis of a social movement, issue, event, or idea.

To inform your thinking on this topic, begin by reading “The Self System in Reciprocal Determinism” (Bandura, 1978) and “Social Action” (Synder & Omoto, 2007), and peruse The Stanford SPARQ Solutions Catalog (Links to an external site.).  In addition, review “Ten Simple Rules for Making Good Oral Presentations” (Bourne, 2007) and “Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation” (Erren & Bourne, 2007).

Then, identify a current or historical social movement (e.g., the Tea Party, Black Lives Matter, the Reformation, etc.), issue (e.g., gay marriage, school choice, abortion, slavery, etc.), event (e.g., the 2016 Presidential election, the Rwandan genocide, the Bubonic Plague, etc.), or idea (e.g., democracy, the nuclear family, peace, etc.).  Create a multimedia presentation (e.g., a video, poster, etc.) that depicts the selected topic in enough detail that classmates, even with no prior knowledge, will gain a basic understanding.  (For additional guidance, review a guide for creating Presentations (Links to an external site.), available through the Ashford Writing Center.).  Your presentation should apply psychological insight from at least two of the three areas covered thus far in the course (social thinking, social relations, and/or social influence) to analyze relevant social factors.  In your presentation, interpret social psychological theory and research, including the concept of reciprocal determinism in relation to this social movement, issue, event, or idea.  Describe research methods used to investigate relevant phenomena and summarize actual or hypothetical applications of social psychological insight.   Employ knowledge from social psychology to identify specific careers or disciplines that might be especially well suited to addressing the underlying issues in your example.  Be sure to maintain an objective stance.  (In other words, if you select a social issue, avoid sharing your opinion regarding the “right” or “wrong” view.  Your classmates should not be able to determine your personal views based on what you post.).

You must include a both a multimedia component (e.g., link to or embedded PowerPoint, screencastPreview the document, video recordingPreview the document, etc.) and a transcript or other written component that fully explains the audio or visual elements. Please utilize APA style to format your transcript or other written component. Upload the completed assignment (including both the multimedia component and the written component) into Waypoint.  Next week, you will share your presentation with your classmates in a discussion forum.

Utilize a minimum of five credible scholarly sources to inform your thinking on the topic, in addition to required course resources as applicable.  Additional credible references are encouraged.

Note to Students: This assignment requires that you produce a visual presentation, supply a spoken audio narrative, and to listen the audio narrative of others.  Note you are also asked to provide a transcript of your presentation.

Explain whether mental illness makes one more likely to engage in violent behavior when compared to the general population. Justify your response. Are there specific factors associated with mental illness that would lead to violent behavior?

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4:1 discussion

This week, you discuss the influence of mental illness and personality disorders on violent behavior. You address how state versus trait impacts violent crime and whether an offender’s action could lead to an insanity defense.

Required Readings

Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2017). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

  • Chapter 8, “Crime and Mental Disorders” (pp. 213–246)

Hodgins, S. (2001). The major mental disorders and crime: Stop debating and start treating and preventing. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 24(4–5), 427–446. doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/S0160-2527(01)00077-2 

Monahan, J., & Steadman, H. J. (2001). Violence risk assessment: A quarter century of research. In L. E. Frost & R. J. Bonnie (Eds.), Evolution of Mental Health Law (pp. 195–211). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2016a). Death in the family [Podcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2016b). Eye see you [Podcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2016c). Nowhere to hide [Podcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Discussion: Mental Illness and Violent Crime

In 2016, Esteban Santiago showed up at the FBI office in Anchorage, Alaska, saying he had been hearing voices telling him to watch ISIS videos. He was admitted to a mental health facility for 3 days, then released. A few months later, he bought a one-way ticket to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, checking a bag containing a handgun. Upon arrival he claimed the bag, went into the restroom to load the gun, and upon exiting the restroom began shooting, killing five people and injuring six others (Rabin, 2017; Sanchez & Conlon, 2017). Was Santiago mentally ill at the time of the crime and, if so, could he be considered legally sane?

Santiago is just one example of a mentally ill individual committing a violent crime, but not all mentally ill individuals commit violent crimes. In this Discussion, you look at factors associated with mental illness that may lead to violent behavior.

Discussion: To prepare for this

  • Review the Learning Resources.

Explain whether mental illness makes one more likely to engage in violent behavior when compared to the general population. Justify your response. Are there specific factors associated with mental illness that would lead to violent behavior? Justify your response. How does state versus trait impact violent crime?

Compare and contrast two established personality assessments discussed in the course. Include in your discussion strengths and limitations of each measure.

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PSY 550 Final Exam
Short Answers
The 25 questions below are worth 3 points each.
1. What is the interactionist point of view? Identify two intelligence theorists who believe in this perspective.

2. What is the main difference between the factor analysts and traditional theorists with regard to theory derivation?

3. A school psychologist strongly believes a particular child is in need of special services. What is the psychologist trying to control for if he or she uses the most recently normed test available?

4. What are two benefits of the WASI?

5. Identify three improvements of the WAIS-IV over the WAIS-III.

6. Provide one advantage and one disadvantage of group-administered intelligence tests.

7. Give three examples of extra-test behavior on an ability test.

8. RtI is said to be multilevel in nature because there are at least three levels of intervention. What are these three levels of intervention?

9. Name three recommended uses for the Woodcock-Johnson III.

10. Name three things that would be included in the best approach to diagnosing a specific learning ability.

11. What is the purpose of empirical criterion keying?

12. Identify two functions of validity scales on personality tests.

13. Identify a criticism of the MMPI that contributed to the need for developing the MMPI-2. Identify a criticism of the MMPI-2.What is the purpose of the inquiry stage of the administration of the Rorschach test?

14. What is the purpose of the inquiry stage of the administration of the Rorschach test?

15. Identify three criticisms of projective tests.

16. What principle do assessors utilize when interpreting the TAT?

17. Give an example of a behavioral assessment approach.

18. What does a mental status exam assess?

19. Give an example of the Barnum effect.

20. Why is it recommended to utilize the BDI-II with other tests?

21. A neuropsychologist blindfolds a patient and then moves the patient’s arms and legs in various positions. The patient is unable to identify where his limbs are located. The neuropsychologist would MOST likely suspect that the patient has suffered some sort of damage to which lobe? Explain your reasoning.

22. What are three things that the Tower of Hanoi measures?

23. Give an example of a performance assessment.

24. What is an assessment center and what is it utilized for?

25. How does Maslow’s hierarchy apply to worker motivation?

Essay Questions
The essay questions below are worth 7 points each.
1. One of your friends asks you the unlikely question “What contributes to intelligence?” Based on what you have learned in this course, what would be your response?

2. Compare and contrast crystallized versus fluid intelligence. Give an example of each form of intelligence.

3. Compare and contrast two established personality assessments discussed in the course. Include in your discussion strengths and limitations of each measure.

4. Throughout the course, issues related to cultural diversity have been addressed. Identify one intelligence, educational, or personality measure and describe its strengths and
weaknesses as it relates to diversity.
5. Identify and describe at least three ethical dilemmas or responsibilities a psychological assessor may face.