Critique the authors’ rationale and final decision, referencing considerations offered from the assigned chapters from your textbook. Do you agree or disagree with their rationale?

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As you have noted throughout your master’s program, psychological knowledge stems mainly from research. Knowledge of the world, in addition to coming from direct experience and observation, comes from many sources, including journals, textbooks, experts, and various media resources (television, newspapers, and the Internet). An important question regarding these resources is, Are they all credible? How do you distinguish fact from fiction in evaluating research information, regardless of its source? This Discussion addresses the importance of critical thinking in evaluating information obtained through various sources, including psychological research. Critical thinking is an invaluable skill in life as well as for completing your Capstone Project.

For this Discussion, you will examine resources on critical thinking and the “Capstone Project Required Content Overview” to explain the importance of critical thinking and how you will apply this skill to completing the Capstone Project.

Post an explanation of the importance of critical thinking and the implications of not questioning information. Based on this week’s Learning Resources, describe how you will use critical thinking to develop the Capstone paper

In the Bennett, Riger, Schewe, Howard, and Wasco (2004) article assigned in this unit, the authors describe the evolution of their plan to assess outcomes in their community’s hotline, advocacy, counseling, and shelter services for victims of domestic violence. After reviewing the article, address the following:

  1. What qualitative data did the authors choose to evaluate?
  2. What quantitative data did they choose to evaluate?
  3. Critique the authors’ rationale and final decision, referencing considerations offered from the assigned chapters from your textbook. Do you agree or disagree with their rationale?
  4. What additional information about clients’ experience would have been valuable, and how could it have been collected? See the 2011 Chenail article assigned for this unit for possibilities.

Write a paper in which you summarize (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. psychological theory and research that is pertinent to this topic.

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The final assignment for this course is a paper.  The purpose of the Final Paper is for you to explore a topical area and apply critical insight to discern fact from fiction.  You will review the available evidence for a commonly held belief and provide a conclusion regarding the merit of this claim by describing concepts in core psychological domains and examining variations in psychological functioning.

 

You have already selected your topic from the list below in Week Three of the course to complete an annotated bibliography. These sources should inform your thinking and assist you in making a conclusion regarding the “truth” (i.e., scientific validity) of a commonly held belief. You must continue with your selected topic unless you have received permission from your instructor otherwise.  Click herePreview the documentView in a new window for the various topic options that are available.

  • Review the sources you gathered for the Week 3 Annotated Bibliography.  Visit the Ashford Library (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. to obtain additional scholarly articlesPreview the documentView in a new window as necessary to fully inform your thinking and address gaps in your knowledge of the topic.
  • Write a paper in which you summarize (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. psychological theory and research that is pertinent to this topic.  Click herePreview the documentView in a new window for additional information on how to successfully summarize information from an article. The paper should appraise the evidence contained within your articles, supporting and/or contradicting the statement you have chosen to examine.  Your task is to distinguish whether or not this commonly held belief accurately represents psychological knowledge of the topic and discuss your conclusions.
    • If theory and research in psychology suggest that the statement is false (i.e., it is instead bubba or pop psychology), infer an alternative truth based on the literature.
    • If the theory and research in psychology suggest that the statement is true, point out how the research supports the statement.

Note: Using headings within your writing can assist you in organizing your thoughts more successfully.

The paper

Explain how your chosen mechanism or dynamic for one child shapes the behavior of another. For example, how does the reinforcement of one child’s behavior impact the behavior of another child?

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Understanding peer dynamics is a very important aspect of child relationships, especially when the child reaches the teenage years. These peer group dynamics become a powerful tool for shaping behavior in positive and negative ways.

Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research peer group socialization mechanisms and peer group dynamics. Then, do the following:

  • Select one age group to which you want to apply your analysis of peer group socialization mechanisms and dynamics.
  • Select one of the following:
    • One peer-group mechanism (such as reinforcement, modeling, punishment, or apprenticeship)
    • One peer-group dynamic (such as inclusion/exclusion, clique inclusionary/exclusionary techniques, bullies and victims, gangs, peer collaboration, tutoring, or counseling)

Based on your choices and research, respond to the following:

  • Explain how your chosen mechanism or dynamic for one child shapes the behavior of another. For example, how does the reinforcement of one child’s behavior impact the behavior of another child?
  • How could some of the following developmental tasks of your chosen age group be influenced positively or negatively by your selected mechanism or dynamic?
    • Belonging needs
    • Social interaction
    • Self-image
    • Getting along with others
    • Moral and value development
    • Personal independence

Write your initial response in a minimum of 300–400 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources, including use of in-text citations and full references. Incorporate information from at least two academic sources to support your statements or ideas. Academic sources could include your textbook, required readings for this week, or academic journal articles found in the Argosy University online library.

Identify two to three areas of improvement in any category. 6. Create a plan for developing yourself in those areas. The plan may include:

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Performance reviews can be a difficult experience for anyone to go through. In this assignment, you will recall a performance review or a performance-related discussion that you experienced at work. You will critically analyze that experience, focusing on the verbal communication, effective listening, and conflict resolution aspects of the experience.

Tasks:

For this assignment, you are to reflect on a time when you had a performance review or any sort of work-related performance discussion with your manager. Then, write a 5- to 6-page paper addressing the following items:

1. Describe your experience regarding the performance discussion.

2. Explain proven and effective ways to listen appropriately, resolve conflict, and negotiate. Support your response with sources from professional literature. Professional literature may include the Argosy University online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov). You may find that the Lynda.Com “Having Difficult Conversations” course will be especially helpful as you prepare this assignment. The “Having Difficult Conversations” course is available in the AUO library holdings. The direct link was included earlier in this module on the Relationship Development lecture page.

3. Assess yourself on your effectiveness.

4. Assess yourself on your effectiveness in listening, conflict resolution, and negotiation.

5. Identify two to three areas of improvement in any category.

6. Create a plan for developing yourself in those areas. The plan may include:

· Teaming with a classmate or mentor to help guide improvement

· Creating a focus for improvement and an attainable goal

· Identifying how the goal will be measured for success

· Assessing success and reevaluating the goal

Submission Details:

· By the due date assigned, prepare a 5- to 6-page paper. Your response should rely upon at least two sources from professional literature. This may include the Argosy University online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov). Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e., APA format); and use accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

· Save your paper in a Microsoft Word document with the name M3_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc, and upload it to the Submissions Area.